Jiuzhaigou and Aba Prefecture travel guide

Most visitors to Jiuzhaigou travel via Chengdu. It is best to buy your bus ticket from Chengdu to Jiuzhaigou one day in advance.

Jiuzhaigou Huanglong Airport is located in Chuanzhusi Town, Songpan County, about 90 km from Jiuzhaigou. Besides Chengdu and Chongqing, it has direct flights to Xi'an, Kunming, Zhangjiajie, Shenzhen, Guangzhou and Shanghai.

Fly first to Chengdu or Chongqing, then connect to Huanglong Airport. Civil aviation shuttle buses run from Huanglong Airport to Jiuzhaigou (¥45) and to Huanglong (¥22).

You can take a train to Chengdu, or get off at Guangyuan or Jiangyou, then continue by bus to Jiuzhaigou.

Jiuzhaigou has two bus stations: the Jiuzhai Passenger Transport Centre at the valley entrance in Zhangza Town, and the Jiuzhaigou Bus Station in Jiuzhaigou County town.

Buses leave Chengdu's Xinnanmen Bus Station every morning for the valley entrance; the journey takes 8–10 hours. Chengdu's Chadianzi Bus Station also runs daily buses to the valley entrance and to Jiuzhaigou County town.

Eco-buses only stop at designated stations, though you can ask to get off at a non-station point on the bus. Buses start at 7:00. The last buses back to Nuorilang leave Changhai at 16:30, the Primeval Forest at 18:00, and Nuorilang Central Station at 19:00 (18:00 in winter, when there are fewer visitors). Don't let the scenery make you forget the time; missing the last bus will leave you stranded.

From May to November, the scenic area runs a shuttle system with 22 stops, and visitors can explore freely. From December to April, a tour-bus system applies: visitors ride a fixed bus. The system is not strictly enforced, and on the return trip you can often ride other groups' buses. Almost every sight has a bus stop; follow the stop signs.

Most food in the Jiuzhaigou–Huanglong area is trucked in from outside, so eating and drinking costs are higher, and the range of flavours is limited.

Roast whole lamb, hand-grabbed beef steak, zamian noodles, potato cibā, and qingke barley liquor can be found at every stop along the way. Many visitors may find them unfamiliar, but Sichuan dishes are common and there is a wide choice of instant noodles, so there is no need to worry too much about adjusting your diet.

Accommodation is no concern when travelling to Jiuzhaigou–Huanglong. Ordinary hotels and guesthouses, as well as inns run by Tibetan families, are available, with prices and service levels varying widely. However, tourism here is highly seasonal: after October it shifts to the off-season, and most places to eat and stay close. Those who wish to travel in winter must plan ahead to avoid being left without a bed. There are many hotels at the valley entrance, easy to find once you get off the bus. In peak season, bargaining skills come in handy.

By regulation, overnight stays inside the valley are not permitted, but you may try arranging to stay at a Tibetan family's home inside the valley. Well-known options include Uncle Shi's home and Xiao Liu's home in Shuzhengzhai.

In this area, ethnic handicrafts are the most captivating purchases, along with Chinese herbal medicines that are rare elsewhere. Qiang embroidery, Tibetan rings, Tibetan knives and prayer beads are the most worthwhile souvenirs here.

To help visitors get their money's worth, Jiuzhaigou offers plenty of evening activities, so the nights here are far from dull.

The Jiuzhaigou Ethnic Arts Centre occasionally hosts Tibetan and Qiang bonfire parties with guozhuang dancing, and Tibetan and Qiang foods such as roast whole lamb, butter tea, milk tea, hand-grabbed mutton, lamb ribs and yak meat are all on offer.