HuangLong Pools - A Different Kind Of Secluded Glen

HuangLong Glen and Valley is a magical place that holds many secrets that is worth a visit in a human lifetime.

You get to see the most unique set of crystal clear naturally created tiered pools called ponds by the locals.

Huang Long Ponds and Glens
Huang Long Valley is a valley that runs northwest with three main lakes with two at the ends and one at the mid point.  Several glens and gullies connect these lakes but the main attraction are its many tiered pools.

The best are the six main areas of tiered ponds.  One can argue they are the most amazing tiered pools in the world.  The pools have clear pristine see through water.  Most are turquoise but there are a variety of colors.  You can see from a far some of the pools are a deeper blue color and some look almost green and yellow.  The pools are arranged in a tiered structure that slope gently down from the hills of Huang Long.

The one we seek in the picture below is the Multi-Colored Pond.  It is the largest of the six major ponds with a total of 693 tiered pools spanning several dozen rows.

Multi-Colored Pond

Side View Of Multi Colored Pond

Huang Long is much more than one set of pools.  There are several sets of tiered pools across this area known as Huang Long Valley or Huang Long Scenic Area. As mentioned there are five other ponds.  The six main ponds range from 180 pools to 693 pools.

Here is a summary:
Multi-Colored Pond - 693 pools
Flamboyant Pond - 658 pools
Azalea Pond - 400 pools
Welcome Pond - 350 pools
Bonsai Pond - 330 pools
Mirror Pond - 180 pools

Check out this map for the full breadth of things to see where we highlight a few points of interest.

How To Get There
Huang Long Glen and Valley is located in Sichuan Province, a southwestern province of China with a lot of rich culture, geography, and famous wildlife.  The best way is to fly there and you probably have to transfer from Beijing, Shanghai, or Hong Kong if you are coming from the U.S.  If you are from the European side, there are some transfer points in Middle Asia or the Middle East.

There are trains that get there as well.  This is China after all, home of a vast network of railways.

HuangLong Waterfalls
When you are there, take a visit to the HuangLong Waterfalls, a gentle wide flowing and low waterfalls situated in the HuangLong Glen.  Enjoy a peaceful and tranquil scene and see if you can catch some of the indigenous birds and butterflies while you are here.  There are two waterfalls of note in the valley.  The first and smaller one is called the Marvelous Flying Waterfall.   Standing at 3,245 meters above sea level it is approximate 14 meters tall and 68 meters wide.

Up Close to the Marvelous Flying Waterfall

The second water is taller and more narrow called the Flying Waterfall on Lotus Platform.  It does not resemble a waterfall in the traditional sense, this one is more like a stream that takes a rocky and sloppy drop.

Huang Long Flying Waterfall

Huang Long Temples

There are two interesting temples in this valley to visit.  The first is the Huanglong Ancient Temple sitting higher up in the valley.

Huang Long Ancient Temple

The second is the Huanglong Middle Temple.  The Middle Temple is based

Huang Long Middle Temple

Jiu Zhai Gou Villages
A popular place to stay to visit Huang Long is to stay at one of the Jiu Zhai Gou Villages approximately 2 hour north of Huang Long Valley.  There are more modern hotels in this area such as a Sheraton.  Otherwise, more economical accommodations can be found closer to the Valley.

HuangLong Cave - aka the Yellow Dragon Cave
This is an interesting, tourist friendly four-tiered cave system that extends 9.3 miles with dry levels and wet levels.  It use to be operated by the local Hunan government but since 1997 it has been operated by a private company.

The cave system consists of 96 passages, 3 underground pools, two underground rivers, three underground waterfalls, and even an underground lake.

Take the guided tour of approximately two hours to explore this underground natural "city of water".

The Yellow Dragon Cave

Famous Wildlife
The larger area of Sichuan houses some of the most famous wildlife in the world including the Giant Panda and Red Panda.  The sanctuaries in western Sichuan Province houses approximately 30% of the world's Panda population.  The Red Panda was made famous in the West with the Kung Fu Panda films featuring a Red Panda as the master to the protagonist.

Sichuan Panda Sanctuary

Fun fact: Master Shifu in the Kung Fu Panda movie film is based on a red panda.  The real fun fact is that his name means Master in Cantonese, a Chinese dialect.  Master Oogray's name literally means turtle in Cantonese as well.

Sichuan Red Panda

Sichuan Food
Sichuan has some of the finest flaming cuisine in the world. This area is world renound for its spicy dishes.  Dan dan noodles are often hand stretched and pulled that is smothered in spicy sauce and local fire chili peppers. There is dry version and one that is soaked in chili oil mix.

Dry Dan Dan Noodles - This is not spaghetti!

Wet Dan Dan Noodles - Have water or a fire extinguisher nearby, it is flaming hot!

Sichuan is famous for their shared hot pot feasts where a central boiling pot has a variety of spices, chilis in the middle of the table. A variety of meats, vegetables, and noodles can be ordered and each person cooks his or her own meal.  Some places will have a split pot that has spicy broth on one side and regular broth on the other side.

Sichuan Hot Pot Feast

Up Close View Of Sichuan Hot Pot

Fun Fact: If you can not handle the spice, milk is often the best solution to come your burning mouth.  Of course, if you are lactose intolerant try soy bean milk.  The most famous brand in Asia is Vitasoy which can be purchased in small boxes that are portable and have self lives of up to 90 days.  You can purchase them in chilled cartons from supermarkets and restaurants or hot in glass bottles from street vendors.

A Chilled Carton Of Vitasoy Soy Milk Is Perfect To Counteract Spicy Foods

Summary
Huang Long Valley and its glens are worth the journey for its uniqueness.  The area is filled with a number of natural wonders.  Plus you will get to visit a different part of China far from the coastal cities.  You will most likely meet some of China's nationally recognized minorities as Sichuan province is akin to a cross roads for a variety of regional cultures and ancient mountain tribes.  Sichuan's food is quite unique in its spiciness and taste.