Huanglong and Jiuzhaigou

I jumped on a local tour from Chengdu to visit Huanglong and Jiuzhaigou – two protected nature reserves in Sichuan province. I spent a day at each spot (enough time to enjoy both places) and then rushed back to Chengdu to get on my flight to Tibet (which is where I am now at the moment).

Huanglong (“Yellow Dragon”) is known for the being largest collection of travertine deposits in the world. These travertine deposits form a network of crystal clear lakes that stretch for about 6 kilometers. Huanglong reminded me of Pamukkale in Turkey, but Huanglong has a much larger collection of lakes. Unfortunately, you can’t play in the water here in China like you could in Turkey. If you ever go, take the cable car up to the top and then walk down to the entrance. It’s a nice 3-hour hike through alpine forests down a well-maintained trail made of wooden planks.

Jiuzhaigou (“Nine Village Valley”) is probably most famous for being the location where one of the memorable fight scenes in the movie “Hero” (remember the fight between Jet Li and Tony Leung over the lake) was shot. When you visit Jiuzhaigou, you realize why Zhang Yimou chose this place – the natural beauty was just breathtaking. Jiuzhaigou is filled with lakes with water so clear that you might have thought the lake was empty if not for all the incredible colors that emerged from them. I took a lot of photographs of the place and still when I look back at them, it doesn’t do much justice to the experience of seeing it with your own eyes. If you get the chance to visit this place, make sure to get in during the early morning hours as the entire area is covered in a mist that makes everything feel magical.