Luoyang to Jiuzhaigou, Huanglong and Songpan 5 Days 4 Nights

A morning train from Luoyang Longmen, a change at Xian North, and Chengdu East by late afternoon. Drop the bags at the hotel, then walk out for a bowl of sweet water noodles or a loop through Kuanzhai Alley. Autumn in Chengdu is mild enough to carry your jacket over one arm.

Attraction introduction: Chengdu East is the hub where the Xian-Chengdu line meets the line to Guiyang, and the run from Xian North spends most of its time inside tunnels cut through the Qinling range. Kuanzhai Alley is three Qing era lanes, Kuan, Zhai and Jing, with grey brick walls and gatehouses still largely intact.

Tips: The first day is mostly transport, so no sightseeing is scheduled. Guests generally find the metro from Chengdu East easier than a taxi, which tends to sit in the second ring road traffic at dusk. In practice we eat dinner near the hotel and turn in early, because the next morning starts with an early train.

An early departure from Chengdu East reaches Huanglong Jiuzhai station in a little over an hour, with mountains straight ahead of the platform. A shuttle then climbs toward Songpan. The afternoon is spent inside the old town, where the city wall rests on a Ming foundation and cart ruts are worn into the stone of the gate passages.

Attraction introduction: Songpan, once called Songzhou, was a key town on the tea and horse road. Its wall runs more than six kilometres, with gates such as Jinyang and Yanxun still standing. Inside, a mosque and a city god temple face each other across a lane, a trace of the Han, Tibetan and Hui communities that lived here together.

Tips: Songpan sits at about 2,800 metres, so keep the first hot shower short and skip alcohol. Guests generally find the first night of sleep broken, then settle by the second day. In practice this night is deliberately placed in Songpan rather than at the valley mouth, so the body climbs in two steps.

Queue at the gate by half past seven and ride the shuttle all the way to Primeval Forest, then work back stop by stop. Arrow Bamboo Lake is ink green, the boardwalk at Panda Lake hugs the water, and Five Flower Lake only shows the colour of its sunken logs from the lower platform. Lunch at Nuorilang, then switch to the Zechawa branch, where Long Lake and Five Colour Pool sit at either end.

Attraction introduction: The valleys form a Y, with Shuzheng, Rize and Zechawa meeting at Nuorilang. Five Flower Lake takes its colours from travertine and submerged timber; Long Lake is the largest of the lakes and is fed by meltwater; Five Colour Pool lies downstream, shallow and intensely tinted.

Tips: Shuttles stop only at marked points, and a wrong direction costs a long loop. Guests generally find the Rize valley busiest around ten in the morning, and half an hour earlier makes a visible difference. In practice we take the first buses to the furthest stop and see Five Flower Lake while the boardwalk is still quiet.

The road climbs from Chuanzhusi in long switchbacks. Above three thousand metres the boardwalk has to be taken slowly. Terrace after terrace leads to the pool at the top, where the water separates into bands of colour inside rims of deposited calcium. If the legs object, ride the cable car up and walk down from the top.

Attraction introduction: Huanglong lies below Xuebaoding, the main peak of the Minshan range in Songpan county. Its calcite valley runs about 3.6 kilometres, with terraces stepping down the slope. The top pool sits near 3,500 metres, and its water shifts between blue, green, yellow and brown as sediment and algae catch the light.

Tips: At this altitude a fast pace leaves you short of breath, and benches are spaced along the walkway. Guests generally find cable car up and walk down easier than a return on foot, with less chance of altitude discomfort. In practice Huanglong comes after Jiuzhaigou, once two days have passed at height.

Leave Chuanzhusi for Huanglong Jiuzhai station, take the train to Chengdu East, and change for Luoyang. Out of the window the Min River cuts steadily downward and the ridges flatten. You reach Luoyang in the evening, most likely with a bag of dried yak beef in the luggage.

Attraction introduction: The Chengdu-Qinghai railway runs from Chengdu East through Qingbaijiang and Maoxian to Huanglong Jiuzhai station, crossing the Longmenshan fault zone on a route that alternates between tunnels and river gorges. At Dujiangyan the Min River splits into inner and outer channels that irrigate the Chengdu plain.

Tips: Keep the last day free of sightseeing and leave a real margin between the two trains. Guests generally find a tight connection at Chengdu East is the one thing that goes wrong, so an extra hour is worth having. In practice we book the afternoon departure and keep ninety minutes in hand.