Travel Diary: 7-Day Trip to Wuxi, Jiuzhaigou, Huanglong, Chengdu, Langzhong, and Guangyuan

They say after visiting Jiuzhaigou, you won't care for any other water. Jiuzhaigou had always been a place I wanted to visit. During my college graduation season, a classmate invited me to join a graduation trip to Jiuzhaigou, but at that time, the only way to get there was by bus from Chengdu, which took a full day on rough roads, so I gave up. However, my desire to visit Jiuzhaigou never faded.

In August 2017, I booked a hotel and a direct flight to Jiuzhaigou, took leave, and planned to go. But a week before departure, on August 8, an earthquake struck Jiuzhaigou, and the trip was canceled. Several years later, when the Jiuzhaigou scenic area reopened, I booked a hotel and a direct flight to Jiuzhaigou again in July 2020, took leave, and prepared to go. However, upon arriving at the airport, my flight was canceled due to weather, and the trip was canceled again. In June 2021, I tried once more. I booked a hotel and a direct flight to Jiuzhaigou, took leave, and hoped no accidents would happen this time.

Shanghai has no direct flights to Jiuzhaigou, but Wuxi does, and the price is reasonable. So I booked a flight from Wuxi to Jiuzhaigou. June is the low season for Jiuzhaigou, so hotel prices are low. The four-star Jiuzhai Resort cost less than 200 RMB. To save more time for sightseeing and avoid discomfort from long bus rides, I chose to charter a car from Jiuzhaigou to Chengdu. It was a bit extravagant to charter a car alone.

I had already visited Chengdu and its surrounding attractions before, so this time I only went to the Sanxingdui Museum, which I had not visited before. Langzhong, one of the four great ancient cities, was also a destination I had always wanted to visit. Finally, I chose to return to Shanghai via Guangyuan because flights from Guangyuan to Shanghai were cheap, and Guangyuan has several good attractions. Thanks to the widespread high-speed rail in China, travel is much more convenient than before, allowing me to reach many destinations that were previously hard to access.

6/20 D1 Shanghai -> Wuxi -> Jiuzhaigou (Stay: Jiuzhai Resort)

Train D952 8:30 -> 9:10 Wuxi

Sightseeing: Nanchang Street, Nanchan Temple

Flight 3U3728 13:00 Wuxi Shuofang Airport -> 16:00 Huanglong Airport

6/21 D2 Jiuzhaigou (Stay: Jiuzhai Resort)

Sightseeing: Jiuzhaigou

6/22 D3 Jiuzhaigou -> Huanglong -> Chengdu (Stay: Chengdu Jincheng Qingya Apartment)

Charter car to visit Huanglong and then return to Chengdu

Sightseeing: Huanglong, Jinli

6/23 D4 Chengdu -> Guanghan North -> Chengdu (Stay: Chengdu Jincheng Qingya Apartment)

Train G2232 8:27 Chengdu East -> Guanghan North

Sightseeing: Sanxingdui Museum

Train C6333 12:30 Guanghan North -> Chengdu East

Visit: Chunxi Road, Kuanzhai Alley

6/24 D5 Chengdu -> Langzhong (Langzhong Wafang Inn)

Train C5804 6:30 Chengdu East -> 9:02 Langzhong

Sightseeing: Langzhong Ancient City, Nanjinguan Ancient Town, Jinping Mountain

6/25 D6 Langzhong -> Guangyuan (Guangyuan Fengqi City Hotel)

Train D1965 10:38 Langzhong -> 11:33 Guangyuan

Visit: Langzhong Ancient City, Huangze Temple, Zhaohua Ancient City

6/26 D7 Guangyuan -> Shanghai

Visit: Thousand Buddha Cliff

Flight: 9C6646 13:05 Guangyuan Panlong -> 14:45 Shanghai Pudong

6/20 D1 Shanghai -> Wuxi -> Jiuzhaigou (Stay: Jiuzhai Resort)

I had an afternoon flight from Wuxi to Jiuzhaigou, so I took a morning train to Wuxi and spent some time there.

Early morning, I took a train from Shanghai to Wuxi, then took the metro to Nanchan Temple and visited Nanchang Street.

Nanchang Street is a historical area built along the canal. Most buildings were recently reconstructed, but it has a cozy, artistic vibe.

There are coffee shops, creative stores, etc., but I arrived early, so many shops were not open yet.

Around 10 o'clock, I prepared to take the metro to Wuxi Airport. Then I received a text message saying the flight was delayed to 16:00. My heart skipped a beat—would the flight be canceled again? Huanglong Airport is on a plateau, and the weather is unpredictable; flight cancellations and delays are common. I checked a flight status app and saw that yesterday's flight (June 19) had been canceled. Well, although I felt frustrated, there was nothing I could do, so I continued exploring Wuxi.

I had a simple lunch at Nanchan Temple Pedestrian Street.

I kept checking the flight status, worried it might be canceled. Then I received another message: the flight was rescheduled to 18:00.

At 3 p.m., I took the metro to Wuxi Shuofang Airport and waited patiently in the lounge.

The flight finally took off on time at 18:00.

It gets dark late in Sichuan this season. When I arrived at Huanglong Airport at 20:00, it was still light.

Huanglong Airport is on a plateau. After getting off the plane, I was careful not to move too quickly to avoid altitude sickness. At the airport exit, I saw someone already suffering from altitude sickness and using oxygen.

After leaving the airport, I used the airport-to-hotel transfer I had booked online.

Huanglong Airport is more than 80 kilometers from the Jiuzhaigou entrance. I had booked the transfer online for 76 yuan. As soon as I got in the car, the driver asked about my itinerary for the next few days. When he learned that I had already finalized my plans and didn't need his car anymore, he kept telling me that the transfer fee was a loss and that he had hoped to make money by driving me for the following days. The drive from the airport to the entrance took nearly two hours, which is indeed quite far, so I ended up transferring another 50 yuan to the driver. I think this method of attracting tourists with low prices and then making money through chartered rides is inappropriate. Although the driver didn't explicitly ask for more money, he kept complaining about losses, which felt somewhat deceitful.

I arrived at the hotel after 10 p.m. and went to the nearby Bianbian Street for dinner. Jiuzhaigou is in a Tibetan area, so I ate at a highly rated Tibetan restaurant and had yak meat hotpot. The meat was good and the portions were large. The Tibetan boss was very hospitable; he first offered me a toast. When he learned that I don't drink, he gave me a hada (ceremonial scarf).

After a tiring day, I didn't eat much and returned to the hotel to rest.

6/21 D2 Jiuzhaigou (Stay: Jiuzhai Resort)

I had read travel guides saying that one day in Jiuzhaigou is very tight, so I got up early and had breakfast at the hotel.

The hotel offered a free shuttle to the entrance between 7 and 8 a.m. I arrived at the scenic area before 7:30, and there were already many tour groups queuing outside. The park officially opens at 7:30.

After entering through the ticket gate, I boarded the sightseeing bus. In the morning, the buses usually go to Wuhua Hai (Five Flower Lake) in Rize Valley. Originally, the end of this route was the primeval forest, but now the areas above Wuhua Hai are not open to the public.

On the bus, I saw the lakes of Jiuzhaigou and was amazed—they were really beautiful.

I got off at Wuhua Hai. Many tourists just looked around from the viewing platform near the bus stop and left.

In fact, there are boardwalks around Wuhua Hai, allowing visitors to circle the lake. Wuhua Hai is one of the most scenic spots in Jiuzhaigou. Each point around the lake offers different views. This is the attraction that took the most time to visit in Jiuzhaigou.

After visiting Wuhua Hai, I walked along the boardwalk for 1.5 kilometers to Pearl Shoal. The section from Wuhua Hai to Pearl Shoal can be ridden by bus, but the scenery along the way is average.

I arrived at Pearl Shoal and visited Pearl Shoal Waterfall and Pearl Shoal.

Then I walked to Mirror Lake.

After walking along the boardwalk to visit Mirror Lake, I arrived at Nuorilang Waterfall.

Nuorilang Visitor Center is the only restaurant inside the scenic area and also the transfer center for the park buses.

The restaurant only had set meals, and there were many small shops selling souvenirs. To save time for sightseeing, I ate some bread and went to the transfer center to take a bus to Long Lake. Zechawa Valley has only two attractions: Long Lake and Five Color Pond.

It's more than 10 kilometers from Nuorilang Visitor Center to Long Lake. Long Lake is the largest lake in Jiuzhaigou, but aside from its size, the scenery is average.

I walked to Five Color Pond, the most famous lake in Jiuzhaigou. The scenery there was indeed beautiful, with the water showing multiple colors.

I took a bus back to Shuzheng Valley to continue sightseeing. I got off at Rhinoceros Lake and visited it.

I walked to Tiger Lake.

Going down the boardwalk, I saw Shuzheng Waterfall and then reached Shuzheng Cluster Lakes.

I took a bus from Shuzheng Stop to Spark Lake and walked along the boardwalk to Sleeping Dragon Lake and Double Dragon Lake.

After seeing so many lakes, I started to feel a bit aesthetically fatigued. I no longer had the excitement I felt when I first saw the lakes from the bus in the morning.

Then I took a bus and enjoyed the views of Reed Lake and Bonsai Shoal from the vehicle.

I got off at the last stop, Zharu Monastery, and visited it.

Zharu Monastery is a Tibetan Buddhist temple. The old hall seemed quite aged, and there was a religious ceremony going on inside.

After visiting Zharu Monastery, I took a bus back to the entrance.

The planning of the park buses and the service of the staff in Jiuzhaigou were very good, worthy of the 259 yuan ticket price.

I left the scenic area around 3 p.m. Since the current endpoint of Rize Valley is Wuhua Hai, one day is sufficient for Jiuzhaigou. If the endpoint were the primeval forest, the day would be a bit tight.

Jiuzhaigou has shared electric scooters. I rode one 2.5 kilometers back to the hotel.

Transportation at the Jiuzhaigou entrance is inconvenient, with only taxis. But thankfully, electric scooters are available now.

I was tired from walking today, so I went back to the hotel to rest.

At 5 p.m., I took an electric scooter again to a well-rated restaurant for yak meat hotpot.

After dinner, I continued riding the scooter to Bianbian Street for a stroll. Whether due to the low season or the pandemic, many shops on Bianbian Street were closed.

Jiuzhaigou has no nightlife, so I went back to the hotel early and went to sleep.

6/22 D3 Jiuzhaigou -> Huanglong -> Chengdu (Stay: Chengdu Jincheng Qingya Apartment)

I planned to charter a car to visit Huanglong, then go to the Yingxiu Earthquake Ruins Museum, and finally return to Chengdu. So I asked the driver to pick me up at 7 a.m.

On the way, the driver stopped at a restaurant in Chuanzhu Temple, saying it was his brother's place, and he would rest and eat a bit before continuing.

I thought it might be a trick. Since we were already on the plateau, it was a bit cold outside.

When we entered the room, the host served me saffron tea and gave me dried yak meat, saying that people here are hospitable.

The driver had some tea and soon called me to continue. There was no trick; the locals are indeed hospitable.

It took two hours to reach the Huanglong scenic area. The driver stopped at the main entrance visitor center, which is the starting point for hiking up.

There is a free shuttle bus from there to the cable car station, 800 meters away, to take the cable car up.

Huanglong's altitude is around 3,500 meters, but because of the abundant vegetation, I didn't experience altitude sickness.

After getting off the cable car, I walked along the boardwalk for 2 kilometers to Five Color Pond and Huanglong Temple.

I first arrived at Huanglong Temple. The interior didn't have much to offer.

But the plaque at the entrance showed three different characters when viewed from three directions, which was quite interesting.

I continued up to see the panoramic view of Five Color Pond. Huanglong's Five Color Pond is a representative example of travertine pools, with colors ranging from light at the top to dark at the bottom.

I walked down along the boardwalk. On the way down, there were several more lakes with nice scenery.