Huanglong

Huanglong, the Yellow Dragon, is a high valley in the Minshan range of northern Sichuan where mineral-rich water has built one of the finest travertine landscapes on Earth. Snowmelt and springs saturated with calcium carbonate run down the valley floor and deposit it as they flow, forming a golden, scaly ribbon of rimmed terraces, pools and frozen-looking cascades. Seen from above, the 3.6-kilometre band of travertine really does look like a yellow dragon winding down through the forest, and the name has stuck for centuries.

The pools are the spectacle. Depending on depth, algae and light, the water shifts from turquoise and emerald to deep blue, amber and pale yellow, and the terrace walls themselves glint gold. The largest set, the Five-Colour Pools near the head of the valley at around 3,500 metres, packs hundreds of small basins into one hillside beneath snowy peaks. Along the way are travertine falls, shallow sheets of water sliding over the rock and caves formed by the same deposits. At the head of the water stands an old temple, associated with both Buddhist and Bon traditions.

Beyond the famous gully, the protected area covers some 700 square kilometres rising from about 1,700 metres to 5,588 metres, with glaciers, mixed forests and hot springs. It is part of the habitat of the giant panda and the Sichuan golden snub-nosed monkey, and botanists have recorded a large population of a rare endemic slipper orchid here. UNESCO inscribed Huanglong as a World Heritage Site in 1992, noting that its travertine pools rank among the three most outstanding examples in the world.

The altitude is the main practical consideration. The whole route lies above 3,000 metres, so the climb is slow going for most people and altitude sickness is common. Boardwalks keep visitors off the fragile deposits, and a cable car can shorten the ascent. Many travellers combine Huanglong with Jiuzhaigou, which sits lower and makes a gentler place to acclimatise first. Summer brings the fullest water; early autumn brings colour to the forests.

Getting there

Huanglong is in Songpan County, Ngawa Prefecture, roughly 370 km north-northwest of Chengdu. The nearest airport is Jiuzhai Huanglong (JZH), about 19 km away in a straight line but around 53 km by mountain road; the airport itself sits at about 3,400 metres. The nearest larger settlement listed is Zhongzhai, about 74 km away, and most visitors travel by shuttle, tour bus or hired car from the airport, Songpan or Jiuzhaigou.