The ultimate guide to Huanglong Scenic Area! Three stunning spots & route tips to avoid pitfalls

📍China · Huanglong 🌧️Caught a rainy day but just as the Five-Color Pond cleared up! I’ll take this luck! Must-see top three highlights of Huanglong: 1️⃣ Five-Color Pond (Pics 1-6) Lighting determines the beauty! From early morning to noon, you can see layers of sky blue, light blue, and gray-blue. The afternoon light is weaker and less vibrant, so prioritize this spot! 2️⃣ Zhenyan Pond (Pics 7/10/11) A mix of teal and light green, looking down from the platform feels like a fairyland, with distant mountains and mist adding to the picture-perfect scene🏞️ 3️⃣ Golden Sand Spread (Pics 8-9) Not a pond! It’s a super long yellow calcified waterfall, shimmering gold under the sun—stunning and unique! ✅ Route plan (full hiking version): Visitor Center → Cable Car → Sightseeing Bus → Five-Color Pond → Huanglong Upper Temple → Jiexian Bridge → Zhenyan Pond → Golden Sand Spread → Lotus Terrace Waterfall → Welcome Pool → Return 🌟 Key tips: ① Sightseeing bus tickets are limited to 5,000 per day! Grab them 3 days in advance on the official account, or after the cable car you’ll have to walk an extra 30 minutes through a boring forest path! ② At the Jiexian Bridge fork, be sure to take the right path! The left is a quick downhill but all forest with no views; the right path passes through scenic spots with amazing views~ ③ Hiking down is not tiring! Beautiful scenery all the way, but elderly or those with altitude sickness can return by the same route from Huanglong Upper Temple and take the bus. 💡 Altitude sickness reminder: One bottle of oxygen per healthy adult group is enough; those with weaker health can choose an oxygen bag. No need to worry excessively!