Live Your Best Lives
If you only talk about visiting Jiuzhaigou, it usually takes two days to visit it comprehensively, but most tourists only visit it for one day due to ticket costs. In addition to the scenic spots around Jiuzhaigou, such as Huanglong, Miyaluo, Bipenggou, Wenchuan, Qingcheng Mountain, Dujiangyan, etc., many tourists also choose to visit along the way. As a result, there are many different tourist routes, and only a few representative ones are listed here.
D1: Rize Valley (Mirror Lake → Pearl Beach → Five Flower Lake → Panda Lake → Arrow Bamboo Lake) → Nuorilang Center → Zezhawa Valley (Five Flower Lake → Long Lake) → Nuorilang Center → Shuzheng Valley (Rhinoceros Lake → Tiger Lake → Shuzheng Group Lake → Reed Lake → Bonsai Beach)
After entering the scenic area, take a sightseeing bus to Mirror Lake in Rize Valley. This area is at its most beautiful around 8:00 AM, when it's calm and peaceful, resembling a smooth, flawless mirror. This is the perfect time to take photos of the lake. Then, continue uphill, visiting Pearl Beach, Five Flower Lake, Panda Lake, and Arrow Bamboo Lake, before finally reaching the primeval forest. Since Jiuzhaigou's beauty lies primarily in its waters, and time is limited, we recommend skipping the primeval forest and taking the bus directly back to the center of Nuorilang.
At noon, we had lunch at the Nuorilang Center. There were boxed lunches, instant noodles, and a buffet in the center.
After dinner, you can take a sightseeing bus to Zezhawagou to visit the Five Color Pool and Changhai. Zezhawagou only needs to visit these two attractions, and generally 1.5 hours is enough.
Afterwards, we'll take a bus back to the center of Nuorilang. By 2:00 PM, we'll hike through Shuzheng Valley. From Nuorilang Waterfall, we'll walk along the plank path along Shuzheng Valley, visiting Rhinoceros Lake, Tiger Lake, Shuzheng Group Lake, and Reed Lake, all the way to the final attraction, Bonsai Beach. Finally, we'll board the bus at Bonsai Beach and return to the valley entrance, concluding our full day's journey.
D1: Goukou → Heye Village → Shuzheng Village → Changhai Lake → Wucai Pool → Jiji Lake → Nuorilang Lake → Goukou
D2: Goukou → Rizegou (primitive forest → Arrow Bamboo Lake → Panda Lake → Five Flower Lake → Pearl Beach Waterfall → Mirror Lake → Nuorilang Waterfall) → Shuzheng Waterfall → Mill → Shuzheng Group Lakes → Sparkling Lake → Bonsai Beach
Day 1: Walk from the valley entrance for about an hour to Heye Village. From there, walk to Shuzheng Village, where you'll walk along the plank road for about three hours. You'll visit Bonsai Beach, Reed Sea, Shuanglong Lake, Sparkling Lake, Wolong Lake, Shuzheng Group Lakes, Princess Lake, Mill House, and Shuzheng Village, offering breathtaking views along the way. Rest at Shuzheng Village for lunch and unpack your prepared rations. After lunch, take a bus directly from Shuzheng Village or transfer to a bus at the Nuorilang Tourist Center to visit Changhai Lake. The bus ride from Nuorilang to Changhai takes about 30 minutes. From Changhai, walk to Wucai Pool, the smallest lake in Jiuzhaigou, known for its small beauty and vibrant colors (about a 20-minute walk). If you're interested, you can continue walking to the nearby Upper Seasonal Lake. The Lower Seasonal Lake is quite a distance away, and since the sightseeing bus doesn't stop there, you can only see it from the bus. From Wucai Pool, take a bus to the Nuorilang Tourist Center for a visit to Nuorilang Waterfall and the Nuorilang Group Lakes. Then sit down at the parking spot and drive back to the ditch entrance.
If you have time after exiting Jiuzhaigou, you can go shopping on Bianbian Street, located to the right of the valley entrance. The street is home to a variety of stalls, an open-air cinema, bars, pharmacies, Tibetan jewelry, hats, hair scarves, pendants, shawls, and numerous restaurants. The roasted whole lamb and yak beef on Bianbian Street are also highly recommended, and you can have dinner there. (Of course, you can also choose to stay in Jiuzhaigou.)
Day 2: In the morning, after entering the scenic area, take a bus directly from the entrance to the primeval forest at the end of Rize Valley. After disembarking, walk along the plank path within the primeval forest. The forest is small and can be circled in half an hour. From there, take a bus to Jianzhu Lake. Since the sightseeing bus does not stop at Fangcao Lake and Tian'e Lake, you can enjoy the views of these two lakes from the bus.
Starting from Jianzhuhai and heading north, you'll reach the most essential section of Jiuzhaigou. Walking along the plank path, you'll get as close as possible to Jianzhuhai, Jianzhuhai Waterfall, Panda Lake, the Panda Lake Triple Waterfall, Five Flower Lake, Golden Bell Lake, and Pearl Beach. This section, at a normal pace and with plenty of photos, will take about four to five hours. At noon, you'll eat your own rations while exploring Jianzhuhai.
After lunch, we'll return to the bus stop and head to Rhino Lake and Tiger Lake. If you're short on time, we recommend enjoying the scenery from the bus. After arriving at Tiger Lake, we'll disembark and walk along the plank road all the way to Sparkling Lake. This section of the plank road offers stunning scenery, perfect for leisurely viewing. Since there are few cars from Sparkling Lake to Bonsai Beach, we recommend enjoying the beauty of Reed Sea from the bus. After visiting Bonsai Beach, we'll exit Jiuzhaigou and return by bus, concluding our two-day trip to Jiuzhaigou.
D1: Chengdu → Dujiangyan → Wenchuan → Chuanzhusi
D2: Chuanzhusi → Huanglong → Jiuzhaigou Entrance
Day 3: Jiuzhaigou Day Trip
D4: Jiuzhaigou → Songpan → Zoige → Hongyuan
D5: Hongyuan → Miyaluo
D6: Miyaluo → Lixian → Wenchuan → Chengdu
D1: Depart from Chengdu around 8:00 in the morning, and enjoy the scenery of western Sichuan, Tibetan and Qiang customs, and the Minjiang River Valley along the way. The whole journey is about 300km and takes about 8 hours.
2: After breakfast, depart for Huanglong Scenic Area in Songpan County. Visit the Welcoming Pool, Golden Sands, Washing Cave, and the Five-Colored Jade Pool. Huanglong is at a high altitude, so please consider your own travel time. The typical tour lasts three to four hours. Afterwards, proceed to Jiuzhaigou Scenic Area and stay overnight at a hotel nearby.
D3: Refer to Jiuzhaigou one-day tour.
Day 4: After breakfast, depart Jiuzhaigou and travel via Songpan to reach the Ruoergai Grassland, Sichuan's largest grassland. Enjoy the magnificent scenery of the grassland and the Yellow River. Arrive in Hongyuan for the night.
D5: After breakfast, feel the fresh air of the grassland and ride on horseback. Then, pass through the Miyaluo Scenic Area to enjoy the sunset on the alpine grass, and then return to Gulugou to bathe in the Gulugou Shentang Hot Spring. Enjoy the comfort of a night hot spring bath. At your own expense, attend Tibetan and Qiang song and dance performances, taste Tibetan food, and participate in the roasted whole lamb Guozhuang bonfire party.
Day 6: Depart from Miyaluo County and visit Wenchuan. You may stop in Wenchuan to visit the earthquake museum and site. Return to Chengdu from Wenchuan, enjoying the scenery of the Minjiang River along the way.