Where Mountains
Turn to Water

Depart Chengdu in the morning; your guide will confirm the exact pickup time and location the evening before. The route runs west along the Duwen Expressway and the Panda Highway, through the Wolong valley and over the 8.8 km Balang Mountain Tunnel, which lifts you across the range into Siguniang country.

In the afternoon, enter Shuangqiao Valley — the most accessible and rewarding of the three Siguniang valleys, running more than 40 km end to end. The valley mouth sits at ~2,900m and the Red Larch Forest near the head reaches ~3,840m. Shuttle buses run the length of the valley; the usual approach is to ride toward the upper end and then explore selected stops on the way back. Sights along the route include the Red Larch Forest (home to the rare Sichuan larch), Budala Peak (5,240m, named for its resemblance to Lhasa's Potala Palace), Sigunai Lake, Longzhu Lake, Nianyuba Meadow, and Ginseng Fruit Meadow. Snow peaks, conifer forest, mountain streams, alpine meadows, and calcified turquoise pools unfold one after another — the same wild, vertical drama as the Alps, without the ski resorts or the crowds.

In the evening, check in at Siguniang Mountain Town (~3,200m) and keep things relaxed to begin adjusting to the altitude.

After breakfast, set out along the Lixiao Scenic Road — Provincial Route S450, about 94.9 km, opened in mid-2024 and already known as "Sichuan's Duku Highway." The road crosses a high-altitude belt between roughly 2,000 and 3,600m, with a continuous procession of snow peaks, alpine meadows, and forest. This stretch is a highlight in its own right — we'll stop where the views open up.

Arriving at Bipenggou, you'll swap the car for the valley's shuttle buses and short walking trails. Bipenggou is a broad glacial valley of turquoise alpine lakes, waterfalls, dense conifer and — in autumn — vivid colored forest, all framed by snow peaks. The scenic route rises to around Panyang Lake (~3,676m). It's often compared to a "little Switzerland," and it earns the name.

In the afternoon, continue to Heishui (Luhua town, ~2,350m) and check in. Tonight's lower, more comfortable altitude is a welcome rest before tomorrow's high point.

An early start. Just 9–10 km from Heishui, Dagu Glacier is the highlight of the morning. A cable car climbs from 3,200m to a viewing platform at 4,860m — the highest point of the whole journey — for close, panoramic views of a modern glacier and its surrounding snow peaks, with turquoise lakes and colored forest in the valley below.

After the glacier, the route turns north and long — following mountain highways toward Songpan. Once an important frontier town and trading hub on the southern Tea-Horse Road, Songpan sits at the crossroads of Tibetan, Qiang, Hui, and Han cultures. Its Ming-dynasty city walls — bound with a mortar of glutinous rice, lime, and tung oil — still stand today, and you can walk an accessible section of the old wall.

Continue through Chuanzhusi to the Jiuzhaigou valley entrance, arriving in the evening. Check in for two consecutive nights — no repacking after tomorrow's full-day park visit.

After breakfast, enter Jiuzhaigou National Park for a full day. The park is arranged around three principal valleys in a broad Y-shape — Rize, Zechawa, and Shuzheng — together extending more than 60 km. Touring combines scenic-area shuttle buses with walking between viewpoints.

Jiuzhaigou's beauty isn't one single sight — it's the accumulated effect of water color, forest light, the sound of waterfalls, mountain air, and the sensation of walking above it all on wooden boardwalks. Major sights may include Five-Flower Lake, Pearl Shoal Waterfall, Mirror Lake, Nuorilang Waterfall, Long Lake, Five-Color Pond, Rhinoceros Lake, and the Shuzheng Lakes. The water shifts color with sunlight, depth, and mineral content — jade green, cobalt blue, pale aquamarine — while waterfalls and streams connect them into a landscape that feels continuous rather than a series of isolated viewpoints. Every season looks different: autumn brings blazing forest color; winter reveals snow and blue ice; spring and summer are fresh and lush.

Your guide captures candid moments throughout — DSLR camera and drone photography where local regulations and weather permit. No posed shots. If you're up for it, an optional evening cultural performance (the "Songs of a Millennium" show near the valley) can be arranged.

Check out after breakfast and drive toward Huanglong via Chuanzhusi (~128 km). If you've seen the mineral-stained pools at Yellowstone, Huanglong follows a similar logic — but larger in scale, higher in altitude, and far less crowded. Hundreds of calcite-terraced pools stack up the valley, their water shifting between blue, green, and gold depending on the minerals and the light, framed by ancient forest and snow peaks. Key sights include the Five-Color Pond, the Multi-colored Pools, the Gold Sand on the Riverbed, and the Huanglong Ancient Temple area.

The altitude here is significant, so take the visit at a steady pace. The recommended approach: take the cableway up and walk down — this lets you take in the scenery gradually while conserving energy. Note that the cableway removes part of the ascent but not all: expect walking, steps, and boardwalks at elevations above 3,000m.

After the visit, transfer the short distance (~26 km) to Huanglong-Jiuzhai Station (~2,977m) and board a high-speed train back to Chengdu. We meet you at the station in Chengdu and drive you to your hotel — no need to arrange your own onward transfer.

Prefer not to take the train? You're welcome to return to Chengdu with our vehicle instead — just let us know in advance. We designed this final leg around the train because the direct drive from the Jiuzhaigou / Huanglong area back to Chengdu is a long journey; after five days on the road, the train ride spares you a tiring return. But the choice is entirely yours.