Huanglong Scenic Area

UNESCO World Heritage Site (Huanglong Scenic And Historic Interest Area, 1992); National 5A Tourist Attraction · Songpan, Sichuan

A high valley in northern Sichuan where calcium-rich water has built thousands of terraced travertine pools, rimmed in gold and filled with water of turquoise, emerald and blue, climbing some 3.6 kilometres beneath the 5,588-metre snow peak of Xuebao Ding. The name means Yellow Dragon, after the golden travertine flows that snake down the valley like scales. A boardwalk loop rises from the gate at about 3,100 metres past the Golden Sand Fall, the Bonsai Pools and the Welcome Guest Pools to a Ming-era Taoist temple and the Five-Colour Pool at about 3,550 metres. A UNESCO World Heritage site since 1992, usually paired with Jiuzhaigou, it is visited on real-name tickets, and most visitors ride the cable car up and walk down to spare themselves the altitude.

Huanglong Scenic Area, Songpan County, Ngawa Prefecture, Songpan, Sichuan, China

Daily, roughly 7:30-18:00 in peak season with last entry mid-afternoon. In the off-season the cable car and eco-buses suspend while the park stays open for walking. Check conditions before visiting.

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