Welcome to Jiuzhaigou, let us take you to experience the beautiful scenery of Jiuzhaigou

Jiuzhaigou 5 days 4 nights high cost-performance travel guide, with a budget controlled within 3000 RMB (per person), covering Chengdu transit, high-altitude adaptation, core scenic area tours, Tibetan cultural experiences, and safety tips, allowing you to travel with reasonable prices, stay comfortably, and enjoy breathtaking views!

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📍 Destination: Sichuan · Jiuzhaigou (including Huanglong)
📅 Trip duration: 5 days 4 nights
💰 Total budget: 3000 RMB/person
🌟 Theme: Fairy tale world · Colorful forests and snow mountains · Tibetan customs · Ecological secret spots
🏔️ Best season: Late September – mid-October (peak autumn colors) | April – May (spring water emergence)

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🎯 Itinerary overview:

| Date | Itinerary |
|------|-----------|
| Day 1 | Departure → Chengdu → Kuanzhai Alley/Jinli Night Tour → Stay in Chengdu |
| Day 2 | Chengdu → Huanglong Scenic Area → Stay at Jiuzhaigou entrance (Zhangzha Town) |
| Day 3 | Full day tour of Jiuzhaigou (Rize Valley + Zechawa Valley + Shuzheng Valley) → Stay at Jiuzhaigou entrance |
| Day 4 | Second visit to Jiuzhaigou or Tibetan village cultural experience → Head towards Chengdu → Stay in Songpan/Chuanzhusi |
| Day 5 | Return trip (flight/train back to departure city) |

💰 Budget breakdown (per person)

| Item | Cost (RMB) | Description |
|------|------------|-------------|
| Round-trip transportation | 1200 | Includes flight/train (example Guangzhou → Chengdu round trip, booked in advance) |
| Local transportation | 500 | Chengdu → Jiuzhaigou Huanglong round-trip carpool/bus (~400) + scenic area shuttle |
| Accommodation (4 nights) | 600 | Budget hotels (150 RMB/night × 4), 2 nights in Chengdu + 2 nights at Jiuzhaigou |
| Meals (10 dinners, 4 breakfasts) | 400 | About 35-45 RMB per meal, including Tibetan meal experience |
| Attraction tickets + sightseeing bus | 300 | Jiuzhaigou 169 + sightseeing bus 90 | Huanglong 70 + cable car up 40 (optional) |
| Others (oxygen tanks, snacks, souvenirs) | 100 | Flexible reserve |
| Total | 3000 | Comfortable travel with some margin |

> ✅ Note: If departing from Beijing/Shanghai/Shenzhen, flight tickets can be controlled between 1000-1400 RMB (book early), overall budget still manageable.

📅 Detailed itinerary

Day 1: Arrive in Chengdu · First taste of Sichuan life

- All day: Fly/train from departure city to Chengdu Shuangliu or Tianfu Airport
- Recommended to arrive before afternoon for better adaptation and rest.

- Evening: Check in at a hotel near [Chunxi Road/Kuanzhai Alley]
- Recommended: Home Inn, Ji Hotel, Atour, or other chains, about 150 RMB/night.

- Night: Free activities, recommended:
- 🍜 Kuanzhai Alley: Visit old Chengdu courtyards, try a bowl of [Long Chao Shou] + [Zhong Dumplings]
- 🌶️ Kuixinglou Street: More local food street, recommended [Mao Jiao Huo La] skewers, [Egg Cake]
- 🍵 Renmin Park Heming Teahouse: Experience covered bowl tea, enjoy slow life

- Tip: Rest early to prepare for the high-altitude trip.

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🌞 Day 2: Cross Minjiang Gorge · Explore Huanglong “Fairyland on Earth”

- 7:00 AM: Depart from Chengdu Chadianzi Bus Station/carpool point → Huanglong Scenic Area (about 4.5 hours)
- Transportation options:
- ✅ Carpool/small group car: about 350 RMB/person (including pick-up and drop-off), most flexible
- ✅ Bus: Chadianzi → Songpan → transfer to Huanglong (slower, about 5 hours, ticket 120 RMB)

- Around 12:00 PM: Arrive at [Huanglong Scenic Area]
- Ticket: 70 RMB | Cable car up: 40 RMB (recommended to save energy) | Sightseeing bus: 20 RMB (mandatory)

- Afternoon: Tour Huanglong main valley (about 3-4 hours)
- Route: Cable car up → Welcome Pool → Flying Waterfall → Jingxia Pool → Five Color Pool (core highlight!)
- Highlights: Calcified colorful pools, snow mountain reflections, primeval forest, like a fairyland.

- Evening: Drive to [Jiuzhaigou entrance · Zhangzha Town] (about 2.5 hours)
- Stay at budget hotels (e.g., Jiuzhaigou Sunshine Hotel, Tibetan-style guesthouse), about 150 RMB/night.

Dinner: Try Tibetan-style dishes
- Recommended: Butter tea, highland barley cake, yak hotpot (within 50 RMB/person)

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Day 3: Full day deep tour of Jiuzhaigou · Step into a fairy tale world

- 7:30 AM: Enter [Jiuzhaigou Scenic Area] (arrive early to avoid crowds)
- Ticket: 169 RMB (peak season) | Sightseeing bus: 90 RMB (mandatory, all internal transport depends on it)

- Tour route (classic one-day loop):
1. Morning: Rize Valley (highlight section)
- Primeval forest → Arrow Bamboo Sea → Panda Lake → Five Flower Lake (most colorful) → Pearl Shoal Waterfall (filming location of "Journey to the West")
2. Noon: Nuorilang Central Station
- Lunch (bring your own or simple restaurant meal, about 40 RMB)
3. Afternoon: Zechawa Valley (Long Lake + Five Color Pool)
- Long Lake (largest lake in Jiuzhaigou) → Five Color Pool (mini Huanglong)
4. Evening: Return via Shuzheng Valley
- Mirror Lake → Rhino Lake → Reed Lake → Shuzheng Group Lakes → Spark Lake (under restoration)

-Tips:
- Sightseeing bus allows hop-on hop-off, plan time reasonably (suggest 20-40 minutes per stop)
- No signal inside the park, download maps or memorize stop order in advance
- Walk slowly on the plateau, prepare oxygen tanks (15 RMB/can at park entrance)

Evening: Return to Zhangzha Town, rest and recover energy.

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Day 4: Second visit to Jiuzhaigou or Tibetan village cultural experience

- Option A: Second visit to Jiuzhaigou (recommended! Tickets valid for 48 hours)
- If you didn’t finish the previous day or want to shoot morning mist scenes, you can enter again (only pay 90 RMB for sightseeing bus)
- Recommended reshoots: Five Flower Lake morning light, Mirror Lake reflections, Pearl Shoal flowing water

- Option B: Light Tibetan cultural experience (for those who don’t want more hiking)
- Visit [Zhongcha Valley] or [Shuzheng Tibetan Village]
- Free or ticket under 30 RMB
- Experience Tibetan tea, prayer wheels, prayer flags, take photos in Tibetan costumes (about 60 RMB/set)
- Or visit [Ganhaizi] + [Yangmantai Viewing Platform], enjoy distant views of snow mountains and forests

- 3:00 PM: Depart towards Chengdu direction
- Carpool/bus to [Songpan County] or [Chuanzhusi Town] (about 3.5 hours)
- Stay: Songpan budget hotel (about 150 RMB), lower altitude, better for rest

Day 5: Return home

- Morning: Songpan → Chengdu (bus about 4 hours, ticket 100 RMB)
- Or fly directly from Jiuzhaigou Huanglong Airport back to departure city (flight about 800-1200 RMB, suitable for tight schedules)

- After arriving in Chengdu:
- Short stop to buy souvenirs:
- 🎁 Zhangfei beef, hotpot base, panda tea, Shu embroidery small items
- Take late flight/train back, end perfect trip.

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🍽️ Must-try food recommendations

| Food | Location | Price reference |
|------|----------|-----------------|
| Lamb hotpot (yak meat) | Jiuzhaigou entrance Tibetan restaurants | 60-80 RMB/person |
| Pickled cabbage yak beef noodles | Zhangzha Town snack shops | 25 RMB/bowl |
| Highland barley wine/butter tea | Tibetan village experience | 15-20 RMB |
| Sichuan Dan Dan noodles | Chengdu streets | 12 RMB |
| Fuqi Feipian (Sliced spicy beef and ox tongue) | Kuixinglou Street | 28 RMB |

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📝 Travel tips (must-read for high altitude!)

1. Prevention of altitude sickness:
- Arrive in Chengdu 1 day early to adapt, avoid strenuous exercise
- Prepare Rhodiola (take 3 days in advance), oxygen tanks, glucose oral liquid
- Jiuzhaigou entrance altitude about 2000m, highest in park 3100m, generally no major issues

2. Clothing guide:
- Spring and autumn: windbreaker + sweater + long pants (cold mornings and evenings)
- Summer: short sleeves + sun protection clothing (strong UV)
- Winter: down jacket + snow boots (some areas closed)

3. Eco-friendly travel:
- No smoking or littering in the park, all vehicles are electric sightseeing buses
- Do not feed wild animals, do not step on calcified pools

4. Best photography times:
- Early morning 7-9 AM: Mirror Lake, Five Flower Lake reflections are stunning
- Evening 5-6 PM: Sunset shining on snow mountains and colorful forests