Chengdu Cuisine & Jiuzhaigou Scenery — A 5-Day Free-Style Trip from Chengdu to Jiuzhaigou and Huanglong

I’ve always wanted to visit Jiuzhaigou, the “fairy-tale paradise” in Sichuan, to feast my eyes on its beauty, but I also wanted to avoid the summer peak season. So I resolutely chose early June for my paradise journey. After reading numerous travel guides over ten days, and since I was traveling solo, I planned a richer, more comfortable, and safer itinerary, so I arranged my work and chose what I believed to be the most comfortable trip. Jiuzhaigou has its unique charm all year round: enchanting in spring, gorgeous in midsummer, richly colored in late autumn, and magical in deep winter. Of course, the deep autumn in Jiuzhaigou is the most splendid and the best season for travel.

　　Itinerary as follows

　　June 12: 08:05 – Nanjing to Chengdu (One-day city tour of Chengdu)

　　June 13: 09:30 – Chengdu to Jiuhuang Airport (One-day tour of Huanglong)

　　June 14: Full day exploring Jiuzhaigou

　　June 15: Second entry into Jiuzhaigou for an in-depth tour

　　June 16: 08:20 – Jiuhuang Airport to Chengdu Shuangliu Airport. Stored luggage, visited “Du Fu Thatched Cottage,” ate, drank, and had fun, booked the latest flight (19:30) back to my warm home — Nanjing

　　Explanation of why I didn’t choose a group tour:

　　1. If joining a group, the bus ride from Chengdu to Jiuzhaigou would take about 10 hours one way, making it 20 hours round trip — too tiring!

　　2. Most tour groups don’t offer a second entry for in-depth exploration because it’s too expensive (Jiuzhaigou admission + scenic sightseeing bus totals 310 RMB; now in peak season, the second entry fee is 620 RMB)

　　3. Group tours have extremely limited time, only allowing a rushed, superficial visit, which isn’t the kind of experience I wanted. For these reasons, I chose to transit through Chengdu to get to Jiuzhaigou. The flight from Chengdu Airport to Jiuhuang Airport takes only 35–40 minutes.

　　Trip Expenses

　　Includes three nights at Jiuzhai Paradise Jiafu Holiday Hotel + Jiuzhaigou car rental + round-trip flights + two entries into Jiuzhaigou, totaling 3,545 RMB. Round-trip Nanjing–Chengdu flights were about 1,800 RMB, one night in an apartment plus Chengdu attraction tickets totaled 328 RMB, taxi and airport bus fares were around 100 RMB, Huanglong ticket + cable car fees totaled 280 RMB. Total cost for the whole trip was approximately 6,000 RMB.

　　Details as follows:

　　Day 1: Flight at 08:05 (delayed nearly 40 minutes) from Nanjing to beautiful Chengdu (2.5 hours). Planned a one-day city tour. Hehe, the feeling of traveling is just great — excited, thrilled, couldn’t contain myself. After arriving at Chengdu Shuangliu Airport, took the airport bus (10 RMB) to Minshan Hotel, then a taxi to the vacation apartment on Chunxi Road. The moment I saw it, ah, so cozy. And the apartment owner waiting for me in the rain made me feel extra welcomed and even more touched (no wonder the online reviews are 100%). Must give a thumbs up!

　　After dropping off my luggage, following the apartment owner’s suggestion: went to Kuanzhai Alley — Wuhou Shrine — Jinli. Although the weather wasn’t ideal, the drizzly Chengdu had a unique charm. Without further ado,

　　First stop: Kuanzhai Alley. Kuanzhai Alley is a relatively well-preserved ancient Qing Dynasty street in Chengdu, consisting of three parallel old-style streets (Wide Alley, Narrow Alley, and Well Alley) and a cluster of traditional courtyard houses. Walking down the alleys, scenes of old urban life long forgotten suddenly came to mind.

　　After visiting Kuanzhai Alley, took a taxi to Wuhou Shrine (ticket 60 RMB). Hehe, the taxi drivers in Chengdu are very hospitable, answering all my questions along the way, making this out-of-town traveler feel especially welcome. Wuhou Shrine is the only temple in China that enshrines both a ruler and his minister — it consists of the joint memorial temple of Liu Bei and Zhuge Liang of the Shu Han era, as well as the Huiling Mausoleum.

　　Stepping out of Wuhou Shrine, just a few steps away is Jinli. Legend has it that Jinli was one of the oldest and most commercially vibrant streets in the history of Western Shu. Nowadays, it is dressed in the façade of late Ming and early Qing dynasty Western Sichuan-style residences, with the culture of the Three Kingdoms and Chengdu folklore as its essence, integrating tourism, leisure, and entertainment. From 5 PM to 10 PM that afternoon, I wandered around nonstop. The snack street there made my mouth water and stomach growl. The bar singers performed songs familiar to those of us born in the ’70s, and at the emotional peaks, I almost teared up.

　　Sichuan’s face-changing art — well known, right?

　　Getting a bit hungry — hehe, in Jinli, no worries about not finding food. Foodies, let’s go up. How does it feel? Mouth watering yet?

　　After eating and drinking my fill, found a place to relax with a drink, went to a Jinli bar — a cocktail, a fruit platter, rest a bit. The bar singer sang with such emotion. Raised my hand — me too, singing a song. Hahaha, feels so good having a handsome guy accompany on guitar.

　　Ended the day in Chengdu and returned to the cozy apartment, slept soundly, and got ready for the new journey the next day — four-day trip to Jiuzhaigou and Huanglong

　　Day 2: Slept in until naturally waking up, feeling refreshed. After freshening up, headed Up, took the airport bus to Chengdu Shuangliu Airport. Flight at 09:30, arrived at Jiuhuang Airport at 10:05. Honestly, can’t help but admire the pilot’s skills — 35-minute flight, and the plane was constantly facing turbulence, but fortunately, we landed safely. It was truly thrilling. Just out of the plane, at an altitude of 3,400 meters, the temperature dropped sharply (from 23°C to 6°C). But I was prepared. Looking at the sky, I thought, “I’m not scared, not scared at all!” Though, a bit thirsty. Once out of the airport, Mr. Liu, the Jiuzhaigou taxi I had pre-booked, was already holding up my name at the exit, waiting. Hehe, what a heartwarming scene. Let me also share here Mr. Liu’s contact: phone 13518436373, QQ: 576659540. Also a website: http://www.jzgjiuyou.com/

　　Then, the driver drove my companion (a high school graduate, met and teamed up at Chengdu Airport) and me into the plateau, arriving at the mountain peak at an altitude of 4,007 meters. Wow, before my eyes were snow-capped mountains, stretching as far as the eye could see, with jagged peaks. We all gasped in amazement (although Mr. Liu had warned me the day before to dress warmly because it was snowing in Huanglong, the actual sight still caught me off guard). Stopped to take photos. Wow, so beautiful, so magnificent, so lucky — to witness such a wonder in June. Excitement — absolutely ecstatic — dancing with joy, though a bit dizzy and thirsty.

　　Got back in the car, drove down the winding mountain road. The scenery outside was simply too beautiful — dots

　　

 

　　The drive took just over an hour, and we arrived at Huanglong Scenic Area (it’s a good idea to bring oxygen bags in the car in advance, but thankfully we didn’t need them). The ticket price for Huanglong is 200 yuan. Taking the cable car (80 yuan) up to the mountaintop makes the visit much easier. After getting off the cable car, walk along about two kilometers of parallel boardwalks, then climb a few hundred meters to reach the top of Huanglong — the Five-Colored Pond, which sits at an altitude of 3,900 meters. According to travel guides, some hikers recommend going up from the right side of Huanglong Temple and turning from right to left, which will suddenly reveal the Five-Colored Pond before you, creating a powerful visual impact.