This is the main highlight in Huanglong and also the biggest cluster of travertine ponds. It is the highest of the travertine ponds in the valley, and the pathway circles it and ends near it. In the cluster of almost 700 ponds and tiny pools in this cluster, the color display is so striking that it is the favorite of most tourists.
Wucai Highlights
These fantastic terraces are recognized all around the world and are like Plitvice in Yugoslavia. Like it, you'll see various colors in the water such as blue, green, yellow, and white. The colors change by the season, the weather, and the time of day. Sometimes, depending on the lighting effects, the ponds even glow.
The clear waters reflect the color of the surroundings and sky, so the colors change. Different chemicals and bacteria in each pond produce different colors and hues. Because the ponds have differing depths, they reflect the sunshine differently like differently shaped prisms and present the rainbow of colors. Hence Wucai Chi (五彩池 /woo-tseye chrr/) or Five-Color Ponds.
These ponds are adjacent to Ancient Temple that dates from the Ming era. The temple provides a background, and the 3,569 meter or 11,700 feet altitude provides panoramic views of the valley.
Travel Essentials
Best Season: In fall, the trees and bushes are most colorful, and the light is clearer. If there is snow, the white contrasts exquisitely with colors in the water and trees. Some of the ponds turn a dreamy powdery blue. A light snow on a fall sunny day produces the most vivid colors.
Best Time: To appreciate the water sounds and enjoy the scenery, enjoy some quiet solitude early in the morning by getting there early after opening and taking the cable car or walking up the more direct right-hand path. You can then leisurely visit the other lower highlights on your way down along the left-hand pathway. It is a surround sound sensorama best appreciated when it is quiet.
- Cable Car: Taking the cable car (80 RMB) will save you an hour's walk, and it is necessary for many.
- Hours: 8 am to 5 pm
- Ticket Prices: High season (April 1 to November 15), 200 RMB. Low season (November 16 to March 31), 80 RMB.
Touring Huanglong
Travel Season Information
High season: High season extends from April 1 to the middle of November, and the public holidays around May 1, October 1, and the Mid-Autumn Festival are busiest. Schools and universities let out in July, and there is an influx of students and student tour groups until the end of August. Early and middle September experiences a lull, so this is an ideal time to go before the October National Day holidays.
Plan and make trip arrangements: We can conduct a trip according to your interests and travel constraints and arrange private vehicles, drivers, and guides for individuals or groups. We arrange Jiuzhaigou and Huanglong flight tickets and Chengdu train tickets that you'll appreciate.
Recommended Huanglong Tour Packages
5-Day Huanglong and Jiuzhaigou Tour: The guide and driver will help you tour these areas, and we can go to places you specify on your itinerary. Create your dream trip with the "Tailor-Make a Tour Form"
- See tours around Chengdu for more regional options.
