Huanglong Valley Guide

Huanglong Valley is a national park in China's Sichuan province near the famous Jiuzhaigou park. Huanglong Valley literally means Yellow Dragon Valley, which is "The fairyland on Earth". This valley was added to the Natural World Legacy List in 1992. This incredible valley undulates through the southern part of the Minshan mountain range in the Songpan County about 270 miles away from Chengdu. If you have an extra day on visit to Jiuzhaigou, you must take a full-day trip to Huanglong, which is in the opposite direction from the airport from Jiuzhaigou town. Huanglong is a scenic national treasure and UNESCO World Heritage Site that is more wondrous than Jiuzhaigou. Huanglong Scenic and Historic Interest Area looks like a golden dragon lingering in the deep valleys. It is really "the Holy Land and the Paradise in the earth".

The Huanglong Scenic and Historic Interest Area is located in Songpan County, in the northwest part of Sichuan Province and encompasses the Huanglong and Muni Valley. Along the valley are scattering numerous colorful ponds of different sizes and shapes, which are strewn with gold colored limestone deposit giving a shimmering golden hue to water, so in sunlight, a golden dragon seems to surge forth from the forest. Thus it was named 'Huanglong Valley' (Yellow Dragon Valley). Huanglong is a narrow valley with multi-colored pools of water, culminating in the "5-colored Lake" at the top, a large natural lake divided by mineral deposits into several pools of luminescent colors, from yellow to bright turquoise. This is sort of a Yellowstone National Park experience as the sites are the result of colorful mineral deposition.  At the top of the valley is an old temple and viewing platforms on the valley wall with spectacular views over the lake, down the wooded valley to snow-capped peaks in the distance. Only a fraction of the Jiuzhaigou travellers make it to Huanglong.

Upon entering the scenic area, a group of exquisite, crystal clear ponds will immediately catch your eyes with their unparalleled and esthetic charm. These are the Yingbin (welcoming guests) Colored Ponds. The luxuriant trees, blooming flowers, butterflies and birdsong enhance their glamour even more will be waiting for you to see. Along the valley, you will see many attractions including Feipuliuhui (glowing waterfall), Xishen (washing body) Cave, Penjing (miniascape) Ponds, Huanglong (Yellow Dragon) Temple, Huanglong (Yellow Dragon) Cave, Shitazhenhai and Zhuanhua (whirling flower) Pond, etc. In winter, ice forest, bamboo shoots and waterfalls depicted a colorful image for your eyes. The calcium carbonate deposits give a myriad of different hues to the water, which is truly breath-taking. Zhuanhua Pond is crystal clear and the spring water never stops welling up. If you throw flowers or leaves into the pond, they will swirl rhythmically with flow of the water.
How to travel in Huanglong Valley, here are some guide information. The detail is following:
Address: Pingsonglu of Pansong County, Sichuan Aba Tibetan and Qiang Autonomous Prefecture, Sichuan
Admission Fee: CNY 200
Opening hours: 09:10 a.m-16:40 p.m
Contact Hotline: 86 837 7249055

• Jiuzhaigou National Park
• Huanglong Valley