Atlas of China
Chengdu to Jiuzhaigou and Huanglong: a week in the Aba mountains
The blue lakes and waterfalls of Jiuzhaigou and the travertine pools of Huanglong, reached from Chengdu through Songpan.
- Days
- 64.5 seeing, 1 travelling
- Stays
- 3Chengdu · Songpan · Jiuzhaigou
- Trains and flights
- about ¥170per person, planner's figures
- Distance
- 300 kmbetween the stays
- Best time
- October, when the valley turns red and gold
Jiuzhaigou is a valley of lakes so clear and so blue that photographs look retouched, in the mountains of northern Sichuan where the Tibetan plateau begins. Huanglong, an hour from Songpan, is a slope of yellow travertine terraces filled with turquoise water. Both are reached from Chengdu by the Huanglong Jiuzhai railway station or the airport near Songpan, then by road, so the old town of Songpan, with its walls and horse trekkers, makes the natural base in between. The trip begins with a day in Chengdu and ends back there.
Day by day
Laid out by the atlas's trip planner from the stops below, with the trains and flights in its tables; open it on the map to change the days, the order or the stops.
Day 1 · Chengdu
Day 2 · Songpan
- High-speed train Chengdu East → Songpan, 1 h 33 min (C5782, 26 a day); about 2 hours door to door, ¥135. Compare ways
- Songpan Ancient Town
Day 3 · Songpan
Day 4 · Jiuzhaigou 2 hours by road from Songpan
- By road Songpan → Jiuzhaigou, about 2 hours; about 2 hours door to door, about ¥40.
- Jiuzhaigou Valley
Day 5 · Jiuzhaigou 2 hours by road from Songpan
- Jiuzhaigou Valley continued
Day 6 · Jiuzhaigou 2 hours by road from Songpan
- Jiuzhaigou Valley continued
- Free
Why this order
Songpan lies between the two parks and both railway station and airport, so staying there turns two long transfers into short ones; Huanglong comes first because its altitude is the test before Jiuzhaigou’s long days.
When to go
October, when the valley turns red and gold; June to September is green and busy; the parks limit numbers and winter closes parts of Huanglong.
Good to know
- Huanglong is at over 3,000 m; take the cable car up and walk down, and keep the first day slow.
- Jiuzhaigou tickets are for a date and limited; buy them as soon as the dates are fixed.
- The park bus runs the valley; plan the three branches so the long walk is downhill in the afternoon.
Before you go
- Visas and visa-free entry Can I visit China without a visa?
- Paying for things How do I pay for things in China without a Chinese bank account?
- Internet and apps Will Google and my other apps work in China?
- Trains and 12306 How do I book train tickets in China with a foreign passport?
- Book popular sights early Which sights in China need booking in advance, and how?
- When to go When is the best time to visit China?
On the map
The map opens with these 5 stops in a trip; "Plan my days" lays out the same days and lets you move stops, change the days each gets, or choose where you arrive and leave.
Other trips
- Sichuan in a week: Chengdu, Leshan, Mount Emei and Dujiangyan 7 days · Chengdu, Leshan, Emeishan and Dujiangyan
- Yunnan by train: Kunming, Dali, Lijiang and Shangri-La 9 days · Kunming, Dali, Lijiang and Shangri-La
Written for the atlas and last checked October 2026. Days and legs come from the trip planner: the fastest practical way between stays from the 12306 timetable for 2026-10-28 or 2026-11-11 and the airlines' schedules for 2026-10-28, with about 20 minutes to board a train and 2½ hours of airport time for a flight, and standard-class fares where the timetable has them. Entry rules, tickets and opening arrangements change: confirm with official sources before you travel.