The northwest, mountainous part of the province is mostly inhabited by Tib*tan and Qiang people. I spent a couple of days sightseeing in the area with a tour group and will do a few posts about the trip.
Huanglong (yellow dragon) is so named because from the air it looks like a yellow dragon stretched out in the valley. This usually booming tourist area has been very quiet this year since the earthquake closed the roads, but visitors can still fly in.
The limestone terrace ponds filled with blue-green glacial water are the main draw here.
It's a good hike with beautiful scenes all around you. I think waterfalls are at their best when frozen.
My visit comes slightly after what is considered the best time of year to go there, but the weather is perfect (about ten degrees C) and there is still plenty of autumn colour on the trees.
At these heights, some people have trouble with altitude sickness. There are a couple of these oxygen stations on the way up. I did quite quickly feel a higher heart rate/shortness of breath even though it was a pretty gentle climb of only 3 km. But those who often climb with me (you know who you are) probably think that is de rigeur anyway.
The sand waterfalls.
Five flower pool at the top of the climb:
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