Jiuzhaigou and Huanglong
Not a Tibetan site in the same sense as the others included on this page – Jiuzhaigou is located in a Tibetan area just to the eastern side of the Tibetan Plateau. While not teeming with Yak herders or traditionally clad women, like Wolong it’s one of those transitional area where the influences of Chinese and Tibetan culture meet. However, inside the park the Tibetan theme is very apparent and genuine Tibetan culture does belong to this area.
Jiuzhai Valley is one of the major Chinese tourist sites – in 2016 it attracted five million visitors! However, even with this mass tourism, this large park still offers plenty of secluded areas to escape the noisy hustle and bustle that often goes with Chinese style tourism. The reason for this mass exodus towards Jiuzhaigou are the wonderful lakes that reflect forest and mountain in their cobalt blue waters, picturesque waterfalls and rapids, where calcium rich outcrops allow trees and other vegetation to seemingly grow inside fast flowing water courses and a backdrop of snow covered peaks and forested mountain sides. There are 90 kilometres of easy to follow boardwalk trail inside the park, with no steep climbs or long flights of stairs. Since no rough tracks are involved ordinary walking shoes will be good enough footwear. Since no overnight stays are allowed, part of the entrance package are tickets for the park busses which ferry you from site to site. These buses are often packed and turning up early (07:00 during peak season) is the best way of keeping in front of the que. Many of the Chinese tourists come in groups and seem most content with stopping at the major sites, taking a few snaps and then moving on with another bus. Walking on the trail of boardwalk paths is best way to beat the crowd and those around the less famous lakes especially up the right-hand Long Lake fork of the junction at Nourilang Bus Terminal, are very quiet. However, it’s the left-hand road where the most famous lakes are found – arrow, panda, multi-coloured, pearl shoals and mirror – expect a lot more noise, attention and crowded boardwalks here. It’s also worth noting that pleasant, quiet boardwalks are also found on the road from the park gate to Nourilang and include some incredible lake and river scenery – the lakes approaching Nourilang and Nourilang Waterfalls are among the parks most spectacular.
When planning a trip to Jiuzhaigou it’s also important not getting too carried away with all the advertising hype. The scenery will certainly live up to and even exceed all expectations but other aspects of Jiuzhaigou can work towards the irritating. What you find outside the park gate rather contrasts to the wonders inside. The hotel city, that stretches for kilometres on the traffic-ridden main road outside the park, is a soulless tourist ghetto of accommodation complexes, parking lots, tacky souvenir shops and restaurants. Unfortunately, there’s no accommodation inside, and this is where you have to stay amid the noise and bustle of thousands of package groups and hundreds of tour busses. Other crowd annoyances, apart from the parks most famous attractions being packed at peak season, can include the cultural challenge of competing with the masses when getting onto a park bus. Queuing is sometimes less than orderly and patient if places are few and wannabe passengers many. And if you get into the park late, with all the area you have to cover, the 17:00 closing time can feel very early. Especially if park staff are already starting to usher you towards the park gates by 16:00. Finding food can also be an irritation. Plenty of places selling drinks together with snacks, like Chinese style instant noodles, but getting a real meal involves going to the shopping/eating complex at Nourilang Bus Terminal. Planning ahead and taking some form of packed lunch gives you far more flexibility. And if you are walking and then decide you want to take a bus, remember they will only pick up at authorised stops and that on some stretches there can be quite a distance between the bus stops.
To do it real justice Jiuizhagou needs at least one whole day – and if you are into walking then 2 or three days can easily be used here. Irritations aside this is an incredible place to visit.
When researching Jiuzhaigou on the web you may read that during 2017 the park suffered a major earthquake. This caused a long term closure as road and hotels were repaired but as from autumn 2019, with a break during Covid, it's again fully open.
Huanglong
Many tourist agencies offer Huanglong in the same package as Jiuzhaigou, with the two sites being 130 km and 3 hour’s drive apart. Huanglong is also set in an area of sublime mountain scenery, with alpine forest, highland pastures and craggy mountain peaks. However, the park’s main attraction is a series of travertine pools formed by rich calcium deposits, They are best viewed when during the wet season that starts from around May and usually peaks in July. There are again boardwalks for hiking but also a cable car to transport you to the main attractions. This is another site that can be busy during peak season with many tour buses bringing groups in from Jiuzhaigou. However, like Jiuzhaigou, walking the trails will bring you to quieter, secluded spots. It’s important to note, that being over three thousand metres in altitude and with some steep sections to the paths, this park is a much tougher walk than Jiuzhaigou, You can avoid a lot of the walking by taking the cable car but some visitors are still liable to suffer the common effects of altitude at Huanglong – breathlessness, headaches and nausea.