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Home → China Travel Guide → Huanglong Travel Guide → Huanglong Scenic Area

Huanglong Scenic Area

Huanglong Valley or Huanglong Scenic Area is located in Songpan County in the northwest of Sichuan, 360km north-northwest of the capital Chengdu. Huanglong Valley is famous for its waterfalls, hot springs and colorful pools formed by calcite deposits. Huanglong Valley is also home to many endangered species including the Giant Panda and the Sichuan Golden Snub-nosed Monkey. Huanglong Valley was listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1992.

Huanglong in Chinese means "Yellow Dragon", is nestled at the foot of the Jade Peak of Xuebaoding, the main peak of Minshan Mountain Rang. The valley is 7.5 km long (in depth) and 2.5 km wide with an average altitude of 3550 meters. A panoramic view of Huanglong Valley from the top will reveal the valley a yellow dragon wriggling in the green mountain and the valley. The valley has a dense distribution of thousands of travertine colour-ponds, travertine flow streams and stalatite caves, featuring the world's largest, intact and unique karst landscape.

There are three ways of visiting the Huanglong Valley:
1. Walk up 5km on the boardwalks up to the Five-colour Lake and walk 5km down the boardwalks to the entrance.
2. First take the 5-8 minute cable car up to the platform called "Wanlong Ping", from which you walk 2km on the boardwalks to Five-color Lake. Then walk 5km down the boardwalks to the entrance.
3. Walk up 5km on the boardwalks up to the Five-colour Lake, then walk 2km on the boarddwalks to the cable car station at "Wanlong Ping", take 5-8 minute cable car down to the ground.

So the Five-color Lake is the utmost tip of the 7.2km long Huanglong Valley in the scenic area.

We choose the second way of first taking the cable car up, then walk 2km on the boardwalks to the Five-colour Lake.


We first have a simple lunch at Guibinlu Hotel in the scenic area.


Then walk to the entrance to Jiuzhaigou Valley.


Since we decide first to take a cable car, we have to walk to the bus station by the gate to take the eco-bus to the cable car station.


We are in the cable car up to the platform called "Wanlong Ping".


Reaching "Wanlong Ping", we are marching on the boardwalks to our destionation - Five-colour Lake


The boardwalks in Huanglong is well done with toilets and trash bins reasonably arranged.


On the way to the Five-color Lake


On the way


Take a break at Huanglong Temple


A close look at Five-colour Lake


Take tons of picturs of Five-colour Lake


A complete view of Five-colour Lake


See again the Five-colour Lake

We are descending from the Five-colour Lake to the entrance of Huanglong Valley 5km away. On the 5km boardwalks back, we also see lots of colour lakes of different sizes and waterfalls.

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