Huanglong & Jiuzhaigou Travel Tips

Planning to visit Huanglong and Jiuzhaigou during the Lunar New Year? Here are some tips to help you plan your trip. 1. Itinerary (2 days should be enough for young people) Day 1: Take a high-speed train from Chengdu to Huanglong & Jiuzhaigou Station, visit Huanglong, and stay overnight at the entrance to Jiuzhaigou. Day 2: Visit Jiuzhaigou, return to the high-speed train station in the evening, and return to Chengdu at night. 2. Be prepared: Winter clothes, medicine (altitude sickness medicine, cold medicine), power bank, hiking boots (I didn't buy an oxygen tank, so I'm not sure how to buy one) Altitude: Highest point is 3,500 m (Lhasa is 3,600 m for reference) 3. Book tickets in advance: (1) Round-trip high-speed train tickets from Chengdu to Huanglong & Jiuzhaigou Station (as hard to get as a hospital specialist appointment) (2) Huanglong: Bus tickets from the high-speed train station to Huanglong (40 mins), scenic area tickets, cable car tickets, sightseeing bus tickets (if you don't have a sightseeing bus ticket, you'll need to walk for 30 mins after taking the cable car up) (3) Bus tickets from Huanglong to Jiuzhaigou (2 hrs) (4) Hotel accommodation at the entrance to Jiuzhaigou (breakfast included recommended) (5) Jiuzhaigou tickets (including scenic area shuttle bus) (6) Bus tickets from Jiuzhaigou to the high-speed train station (2 hrs) 4. Huanglong: Be careful at high-altitude attractions. (1) Store your luggage at the visitor center, not the cable car station. The exit is at the visitor center. (2) Take the cable car up, don't walk. The lower cable car station is at 3,100 m. The upper cable car station is at 3,400 m (don't run, take some time to acclimatize before moving around) (3) It takes 2 hrs to get from Huanglong to Jiuzhaigou. We recommend leaving the scenic area by 4:30 pm to catch the bus. (4) Stay near the entrance to Jiuzhaigou. 5. Jiuzhaigou: Tickets are only valid for one day. (1) Enter the scenic area as soon as it opens. There are fewer people and shorter lines. (2) It's relatively easy to get around. The shuttle buses are very smart and user-friendly. Jiuzhaigou is a very mature attraction. (3) Take the shuttle bus between attractions (between each lake), don't walk, to save energy. (4) It takes 2 hrs to get from Jiuzhaigou to the high-speed train station. Plan your visit accordingly. Allow at least 3 hrs (traffic jams are common in the mountains).