Huanglong Scenic and Historic Interest Area
ABOUT 100 kilometers from Jiuzhaigou lies the only well-preserved plateau wetland in China. The Huanglong Scenic and Historic Interest Area offers a panorama of steep mountains and colorful ponds.
The main valley, Huanglong Valley, is shaped like a sleeping dragon, making it one of China’s geographic icons. In 1992, the scenic area was inscribed on UNESCO’s World Heritage Site list.
Multicolored Ponds
at the higher end of the valley is the most sought-after site by visitors. The snow glows white on Mount Xuebaoding, the main peak of the Minshan Mountain, which casts different colors on 693 small ponds.
About 4.1 kilometers from the entrance of the scenic area, a cable car is available, but visitors still need to walk for about 2 kilometers to reach the ponds.
On the plateau nearly 5,000 meters above sea level, even a 2-kilometer walk can be an exhausting challenge to some people, but the breathtaking scenery of the ponds is worth the breath-taking trek.
Scenic area officials said the views and facilities of Huanglong were not damaged by last year’s earthquake.
Buses to Huanglong Scenic and Historic Interest Area depart from the JiuzhaigouHuanglong Airport. The whole trip is 43 kilometers. Travel agency tour packages to Jiuzhaigou usually include the Huanglong scenic area.