Private 3Day Jiuzhaigou&Huanglong Tour by Fast Train from Chengdu

Très bien, cela vaut le détour, seul bémol : l'hôtel sans chauffage. L'agence locale a été très réactive à toutes nos demandes.

We had a great trip in Huanglong and Jiuzhaigou, because of the amazing logistics team. We had a great experience planning the tour with Sam. Even though we were a bit late with the inquiry, Sam still made the effort to arrange so we had the time to go on the tour. Furthermore, Sam works with some very nice people. Our driver was very kind and made every effort to make sure we were comfortable, and he drove safely. Our hotel manager was also very nice and made sure we had a good time and helped us with any issues. In Huanglong we just took the cable car and followed the route through the site down to the exit. In Jiuzhaigou we took the route suggested on the parks webpage.

Solo traveller account - would recommend but with caveats. Transport (within Chengdu): No issues with pickup and drop off for both start and return leg. Fast train: I upgraded to first class seats, worth the upgrade for the comfort. Cost me CNY 240 for both legs of the journey. Point to note, you are subject to the train availability. I was issued a 5pm train for day 1 so had very little time to explore Songpan as opposed to what was described in the itinerary. Transport (in Songpan): Was provided a driver who did some “guide” duties. As a driver he went above and beyond, where he explained to me various landmarks etc.; walked around with me on day 1 in Songpan for a short duration; provided me with maps of Jiuzhaiguo and Huanglong via WeChat with markings; bought me local paus (filled buns) to try; brought me to the pharmacy for altitude medicine before going to Huanglong. Guide: I had no guide while within Jiuzhaiguo nor Huanglong. As mentioned, driver was somewhat a “guide” but I would hardly say that this package tour has a guide per se. But that is my own opinion. Accommodation: Stayed in a quaint old styled guest inn, but with modern facilities. Simple room and bathroom, WiFi was decent. In short, serviceable. Songpan Old Town: Nice town which was formally a military outpost from the Tang dynasty (from what the driver explained to me). If I had more time on day 1, would have climbed up the trail to view the village from above where there is an old military outpost tower. Jiuzhaiguo: Was told by the driver to collect my tickets via ticketing booth. Queued for 10mins to be told I just needed to head to the gantry with my passport (I.e., ticket registered under my passport). Waiting in line for the gantry for about 30mins. Took awhile to orientate myself on how the bus systems worked here. Would suggest to hop on the buses, see the attractions, get on the bus to the next location. Huanglong: Package comes with entry to the park and cable car ride up only. After ascending via cable car, you have the option to walk to the attractions (more than 1km walk via tree top wooden pathways) or via the bus service (CNY 20 - purchase on your own). Non-mandarin speakers may be confused at this point on which booths/queues are for. Many of the booth signs are in mandarin only. I recommend paying for the bus service (booth on the left after exiting the cable car building). After alighting the buses, had to walk to view the sights. Due to the high elevation, it took me awhile to get to the highest point and by then, due to time constraint + giddiness from the altitude, decided to descent via cable car (CNY 40 - purchase on your own, separate booth from bus service - booth on the right of the cable car building when exiting). After-notes: 1) Attractions were scenic and great. 2) From the get go (Songpan onwards), you are on elevation, I.e., you may get altitude sickness or experience some of the effects. Be prepared for this. I cannot emphasize this enough, especially for travelers with seniors/children. For me, I got bouts of giddiness if I exerted myself or if I moved fast (up steps etc.) as well as a mild headache which was solved taking some painkillers. 3) Having a “guide” is a stretch, would consider it more of a driver+ in my opinion.