July and August are the months when I don't want to travel. This is because firstly, there are many people; secondly, it is hot. So much so that there is no interest in traveling. Using this time, I made a self-driving tour plan in Sichuan in October. The first choice is to fly to Chengdu and rent a car. However, because the new crown epidemic occurred from time to time, for the sake of insurance, I finally decided to abandon the plan of flying to Chengdu and renting a car, and instead drove directly from Shanghai. Although it took a few more days, I could adapt to the situation on the road. The route has also been changed to bypass Chengdu and nearby scenic spots. The final itinerary is: Shanghai - Hailuogou - Mugecuo - Xindu Bridge - Aden - Litang - Tagong Grassland - Bamei - Yala Snow Mountain - Lianbao Yeze - Aba County——Shenzuo Village——Hongyuan Grassland——The First Bend of the Yellow River’s Jiuqu——Zoige Flower Lake——Langmusi——Tiebu Town——Zhayana——Shenxian Pool——Jiuzhaigou——Huanglong—— Muni Valley - Bipeng Valley - Mount Siguniang - Shanghai. Departure on October 5th, return to Shanghai on October 29th, total 25 days, travel 8222 kilometers.
On October 5th, depart from Shanghai for a self-driving tour in Sichuan. The first stop is Hailuogou. I have been on the road for four consecutive days, except for the last section of the road to Hailuogou, basically on the highway. He stayed in Yingshan, Hubei, Wushan, Chongqing, and Ziyang, Sichuan. On the fourth day, from Ziyang to Hailuogou, because there is plenty of time, I specially detoured from the Yaxi Expressway. Walking along the highway from Ya'an to Menghuo City, take a look and walk the 10-kilometer mud mountain tunnel, half of which is a tunnel and half is an elevated double helix. It's just driving at high speed, but it's far less shocking than drone aerial photography.
Mud Hill Tunnel
Hailuogou
Hailuogou is located in Moxi Town, Luding County. It is a very mature scenic spot, and it is very convenient to eat and live in the town. On May 29, 1935, the "Moxi Conference" was held when the Red Army passed by here during the Long March, so there are many red ruins in the town, so you can take a look. It takes only ten minutes to walk from the town to the gate of the scenic spot. Hailuogou is the same as most scenic spots now. After buying a ticket to enter the scenic spot, you have to take a Jingjiao bus for about 55 minutes to reach the end point - Ganheba. From the dry river dam, you can take the cableway to Camp No. 4 and watch the Great Ice Falls. Because of the bad weather, we had to give up. As a result, I only visited the next section, walking from Ganheba to Camp No. 3, taking a short battery car, walking on the boardwalk to see the ice tongue, and then returning to Camp No. 3, crossing the Glacier Forest Walkway to Caohaizi. Finally, we arrived at Jingjiao Station and returned to the gate by car.
After visiting, I feel that the charm of Hailuogou Glacier Forest Park has been greatly reduced with the degradation of glaciers. Of course, bad weather is also one of the factors. Therefore, the ice tongue is not worth mentioning, and the forest is still worth seeing. As we walked through the forest walkway, a group of monkeys blocked our way, glaring at us with ill intentions. I didn't see any other tourists before and after, and I couldn't help feeling timid in my heart. After a stalemate with them for a while, you had no choice but to bite the bullet and walk over. The monkey grabbed you. Fortunately, you ignored it, and it didn't bother you much. It was passed without any risk.
moxi town
Red Seal of Moxi Town
The so-called ice tongue is like this
malicious monkey
Mugecuo
It is an alpine lake belonging to Kangding County. In order to attract tourists, it was named "Kangding Love Song Scenic Area", which means "big money". It costs 190 yuan to add a ticket to the scene and pay a car. It's not a little bit expensive anymore. The scenic spot claims to have six scenic spots: Dujuan Gorge, Fangcaoping, Seven Color Sea, Yaochi Boiling Spring, Red Sea Grassland and Mugecuo. But the scenery is really too ordinary. Except for the lake in Mugecuo and some hot spring tourists in Yaochi Boiling Spring, there seems to be no impression of others.
Medicine Pond Boiling Spring
From Mugecuo to Xinduqiao, take provincial road 434. Passing through Kangding Airport at an altitude of 4238 meters, this road is closer than going to Xindu Bridge from National Highway 318, and the scenery is beautiful. Grasslands, mountains, blue sky, and white clouds accompany all the way. Looking at the endless mountains in the distance from the viewing platform, one can't help but feel small.
In front is the runway of Kangding Airport
aden
Needless to say, Aden's reputation. There are usually two options for visiting Yading accommodation: Shangri-La Town and Yading Village. Shangri-La Town is about 7 kilometers away from the newly built tourist service center in the scenic area, and Yading is in the scenic area. Self-driving cars can only park at the Tourist Service Center. After buying the ticket, enter the scenic spot and take the scenery to hand over the car. Jingjiao will arrive at Yading Village in about half an hour, and will stop to pick up tourists staying in the village. It takes about 45 minutes to arrive at the terminal - Chonggu Temple. When you arrive at Chonggu Temple, there are long-term and short-term routes. The short-term route goes to Pearl Sea on foot; the long-term route takes a battery car to Luorong Cattle Farm, and then walks back and forth for 12 miles to Milk Sea and Five-color Sea. This 12-mile journey is really a test of physical strength and perseverance. We entered the scenic spot at 8 o'clock in the morning and left the scenic spot at 6 pm. For ten hours, except for taking the scenery and delivering the car, the rest of the time was spent climbing the mountain. The weather did not disappoint us, the scenery is really good, and the people are really tired. But when you go through hell, it feels like it's all worth it. It is recommended to go to the milk sea first, and then to the five-color sea. Although the journey is the same, it is relatively easy. For people with high altitude and physical strength to the limit, it still saves a lot of energy. You can also ride a horse from the five-color sea and milk sea on the Luorong cattle farm, but it is not recommended, because first, there are few horses, and there is a time slot, so you have to wait for his time; So you can't save a few miles. The vast majority of people in Aden take long lines, and it usually takes about 6 hours to go back and forth from Luorong Cattle Farm to Milk Sea and Five Color Sea. In addition to Jingjiao car, etc., it is relatively normal to travel in Aden for 10 hours, so it is appropriate to go early.
Aden Village
Yang Maiyong
Pearl Sea, the snow mountain behind is Xiannairi
sea of milk
colorful sea
Tianlu Eighteen Bends
From Xinduqiao to Litang, you have to go through the famous 18th bend of Tianlu on National Highway 318. There is a viewing platform, parking lot and toilet on the 18th bend. Because there are too many people who want to park to watch the 18th bend, and the parking lot is not big enough, there are often traffic jams.
National Highway 318
Aden - Litang
From Aden to Litang, I saw all the free attractions on the road this day. This is the advantage of self-driving tour, stop and see all the way. From Aden to Litang, there are: 10,000 mu Poplar Forest, Zunsheng Tower Forest, Red Grassland, Haizi Mountain, Rabbit Mountain, Wuliang River and other scenic spots; then from Litang along National Highway 318 to Maoya Grassland and Sister Lake.
10,000 Mu Poplar Forest
Honor Tallinn
red grass
Haizi Mountain
Rabbit Mountain
Litang National Highway 318 check-in place
Maoya Grassland
sister lake
immeasurable river
Tagong Grassland
From Xindu Bridge to Tagong Grassland, walk through the scenic corridor. Small rivers, grasslands, green hills, and green trees accompany you all the way. Arrived around noon. The sun was shining brightly and it was very hot. Looking at the not-too-high uphill road, I really didn't want to climb up. I stayed in the parking lot for five minutes before heading to the next stop.
Bamei Moshi Park
It is the only plateau stone forest landscape in my country, which is quite unique. The tour route is to take the Jingjiao bus (now the Jingjiao bus is a must-have for tourist attractions and the main means of making huge profits) to the mountain (only a few minutes, but the price is 20 yuan), and then walk along the wooden plank road all the way to see . Finally, go to another exit, and then return to the parking lot by car. Of course, you can also enter the scenic spot from the exit parking lot, which can save the money for the scene to pay for the car. The premise is that you are willing to go back and forth. The scenery of Moshi Park is acceptable, but the road down the mountain to the exit of the scenic spot is a bit long.
When I woke up in Bamei Town in the morning, the power went out for the first time when I entered Sichuan. It was dark and dark, and I couldn't do anything. The electronic door lock couldn't work normally, so I had to wait for dawn.
Yala Snow Mountain
It is a new scenic spot. There are two main attractions: Yalayucuo and Sister Lake. The Jingjiao car is driving all the way, the surrounding scenery is quite beautiful, but it does not stop. The 16-kilometer Jingjiao car charges 90 yuan for a round trip, which is expensive enough. The rest of the way can only be done on foot or on horseback. The mountain roads are extremely bad, they are all sand and gravel roads, and it is definitely not suitable for walking on rainy days. The price of horseback riding is divided into two sections, the long-term to the sister lakes, and the short-term to the Yala Wetlands. And Yala Youcuo has to walk a section of mountain road after arriving at the Yala Wetland. The essence of the scenic spot is in Yalayoucuo. If it is in the right season and the weather helps, it will be quite good. The sister lakes are remote and the scenery is quite ordinary. Not recommended to go. The day we went was a cloudy day, with occasional light rain and a little bit of precious sunshine—it happened to be in Yalayutso. It makes the scenery much more beautiful. By the way, there is a power outage in the scenic area, and there is no payment system, only cash can be used. Thankfully we were prepared. Unfortunately, there are a few tourists behind us who are not allowed to enter the scenic spot because of insufficient cash.
Yalayutso
rainbow after rain
beautiful valley
sister lake
lotus leaves
Located in Aba County, Sichuan, it belongs to the same mountain system as Nianbaoyu in Qinghai, and its name is very similar. Nian Bao Yu closed in April 2018. So Lianbaoye suddenly emerged and replaced it. The scenic spot is characterized by strange peaks and rocks, snow-capped mountains and lakes. The biggest feature of this scenic spot is: there is no Jingjiao car, so there is no other way but self-driving. The fare is 120 yuan per person, although expensive, but worth it. The scenic spot is very suitable for self-driving tour. The roads and parking lot are well maintained. Very close to the attractions, quite humane. You can enjoy the beautiful scenery at high altitudes with little effort. It is recommended to park where you can park and drive all the way to the highest point on the mountain! Guaranteed not to let you down. Lianbaoye is fully qualified to be called a paradise for self-driving tours.
Gomo Temple
It is 13 kilometers away from Aba County. With a history of more than 200 years, it is one of the three major Gelugpa temples. The temple covers an area of 18,000 square meters, complete with pagodas, scripture corridors, and scripture turning halls. It is large in scale and is still under construction. Its Bodhi Great Pagoda has seven floors for the relics of Master Tsongkhapa, the founder of the Gelug Sect. It's a pity that due to a power outage, the elevator didn't work, and the stairs couldn't be found, so I couldn't go upstairs to see it, so I could only look outside and on the first floor. But also shocking enough!
Shenzuo Village
The village is built along the mountain, quiet and beautiful. It has won the reputation of "the most beautiful Chinese paradise". We made a bend along the way from Aba County to Hongyuan County. Surprised that there were no other tourists besides us and the parking lot was empty. Due to the construction of the Jiuma Expressway, the Wacha Ring Road we took was crushed by heavy trucks under construction, making it very difficult to travel.
The Red Army stayed here during the Long March—see also the red mark
Hongyuan Grassland Moon Bay
There are some sightseeing platforms on the Jiuhong Grassland Sightseeing Road, where you can stop to watch the magnificent scenery of the Hongyuan Grassland. After seeing the beautiful scenery along the way, I didn't have too many expectations for Moon Bay in Hongyuan Grassland. Because I have time, since I have passed by, let's take a look. The scenic spot is not too big, so it doesn't take much time. It's still the old routine: hand over the car at the scene, and change the battery car. A viewing tower has been built in the scenic area, and the elevator goes directly to the viewing platform. Looking from afar, the scenery is still good: the winding Baihe River flows at the foot, the sky is blue, the wild is vast, and the wind blows the grass and the cattle and sheep are low. Some travel notes think that it is beautiful enough to see the Hongyuan Grassland on the road, and feel that it is not worth spending money to see Moon Bay. But I don't think it's the same thing as a free sightseeing platform, and the money still needs to be spent.
Hongyuan Grassland
observation tower
The First Bend of Nine Twists of the Yellow River
The confluence of the Baihe River and the Yellow River forms the first bend of the Yellow River's nine bends. Take the 13-level escalator to the viewing platform. Looking around from the viewing platform, you can have a panoramic view of the winding Yellow River. This is also the place where the Red Army went on the Long March. Looking at the vast world, I remembered Mao Zedong's words: "Ask the vast land, who is in charge of ups and downs?".
Zoige Flower Lake
From the first bay of Jiuqu of the Yellow River to Ruoergai Flower Lake, you must take Tangre Road. Along the way, we walked through the Ruoergai grassland with beautiful water and abundant grass, with few vehicles and pleasant scenery.
Ruoergai Flower Lake Scenic Area still has to take a scenic bus, and you can’t walk if you want to. After the Jingjiao bus arrives at the point, it takes a long straight wooden plank road to reach the water's edge. The day we went was sunny and cloudless. The surface of the water is shimmering with golden light; the water plants in the lake are dotted with clusters of water, which is really beautiful. Walking along the Huahu wooden plank road for about an hour and a half, there are some viewing platforms for taking pictures, and the viewing is excellent.
Zoige Grassland
Flower Lake
Langmusi
There are two Langmusi in one Langmusi town, one belongs to Gansu and the other belongs to Sichuan. Gansu does not need money, Sichuan 20 yuan. In order to go to the source of Bailong River and the Grand Canyon of Bailong River behind Langmusi, we choose Langmusi in Sichuan. When I went there, I encountered road construction at Langmusi Temple in Sichuan, and the sky was gray. After visiting Langmusi Temple, I walked to the back of the temple with great interest. There is basically no development here. The dirt road along the Bailongjiang Canyon has to pass through the Bailongjiang River (a small stream) from time to time. The road is very difficult to walk, and the scenery is so-so. At this time, the Bailong River was just a small stream a few meters wide.
It was cloudy when we left Langmusi, and there was a power outage. The street was dark and deserted. Find a small restaurant for lunch. The store immediately turned on the small generator and cooked lunch for us. It can be seen that power outages are the norm, and the impact of the new crown epidemic seems to be not small.
The road to Bailongjiang Grand Canyon via Langmusi Temple
Source of Bailong River
Randuo Village, Tiebu Town
On the way from Langmusi to Zhayana, there is a very beautiful small village beside the road with a very beautiful poplar forest. A small river flows by the edge of the forest. There is no charge for parking and sightseeing. So some tourist buses also park here, which is a good place to rest and check in.
Zagana
Because of the route arrangement, this Sichuan trip also went to Zhayana in Gansu. On the day of arrival, the epidemic had already appeared in western Sichuan, Yinchuan and other places. When entering the scenic spot, I encountered the first registration inspection of this trip. It seems that the people infected with the new crown are running ahead of us. Fortunately, measures are behind us. When we left the next day, it was said that the scenic spot already needed a nucleic acid test report. If you go to the county hospital for nucleic acid testing, you might as well give up! From bottom to top, Zhayana’s accommodation is Dongwa Village, Yeri Village, Dari Village, and Daiba Village. There are many viewing platforms and parking lots. You can watch the panorama of Zhagana from different heights. Further up is Locke's Road. Endless mountain roads, desolate and desolate mountain scenery. The entire section of the road is under construction and is not paved.
Zhagana does not seem to be as attractive as people say, it should be said that it did not meet expectations. Maybe it's because of the bad weather.
The climate in the mountains is unpredictable. It snowed lightly in the middle of the night. When I woke up in the morning, I saw a vast expanse of whiteness.
Locke Road
It was like this on the day of arrival
the next morning it was like this
fairy pool
Shenxianchi is called Nenen Sangcuo in Tibetan. It is about 40 kilometers away from Jiuzhaigou. It claims to be a combination of Jiuzhaigou and Huanglong. It does have that kind of meaning. As long as you go to Jiuzhaigou and Huanglong, you don't need to look at the Immortal Pool. Not only is the scale small, but the scenery is also a level worse. After going to Jiuhuang, why are there gods? Surprisingly, the day we went was not a weekend, and the transportation to Shenxianchi was not very convenient, but there were quite a lot of tourists. Is it a good ad?
28 road turns
There are 28 turns on the way from Shenxianchi to Jiuzhaigou. I think the drone aerial photography must be very spectacular.
The first turn at the foot of the mountain
The twenty-eighth turn on the mountain is simply two worlds
Jiuzhaigou
After the earthquake on August 8, 2017, the scenic spot was damaged, and it was not reopened until September 28, 2021. We kind of caught up. After purchasing the ticket in the tourist hall, enter the ticket gate and hand in the bus directly to the scene. Because there are many tourists, the first point of the tour is arranged by the scenic spot, not up to you. In order to stagger the tourists, Jingjiao took us to the Rhino Sea. Jiuzhaigou Scenic Area is in a Y shape, and the middle point is Nuorilang, the tourist center of Jiuzhaigou, where restaurants, shops, stops and transfers are all located. One end of Y is the long sea, and the other end is the virgin forest. There are many scenic spots scattered among them. Suggestions for sightseeing: You don’t need to go to the primeval forest, just walk back from Fangcaohai. This is the second time I have traveled to Jiuzhaigou. This revisit, I feel that the scenic spot has spent a lot of effort, and the scenic spot has recovered quite well. As for the scenery, there is no doubt about it. At any time, Jiuzhaigou is beautiful and worth visiting.
Huanglong
Because of the bad weather, the experience was extremely poor. Whether to take the cableway up the mountain is a dilemma for you. Let's take the cableway, spend money, line up, and walk a lot. This section of the road is quite long and there is no scenery. If you don't take the cableway, it doesn't seem worthwhile to walk back and forth. The scenery varies according to the weather and personal feeling. The day we went was really not good. The 170 yuan ticket and the 80 yuan ropeway ticket were a bit sorry for us. In my opinion, Huanglong's cableway is the most unreasonable cableway I have ever been on, not one of them.
Munigou
The scenic spot is composed of Erdaohai and Zhaga Waterfall. About 20 kilometers apart. Because of the remote location, there are few tourists. You can buy joint tickets for the two scenic spots. Munigou Scenic Spot is famous for its calcified ponds, primeval forests, and alpine meadows. Erdaohai has been developed quite well, with a wooden plank road all the way. There are many scenic spots and the scenery is not bad, it is worth a visit. Zhaga Waterfall is much smaller, basically there is only one waterfall to see. If time is limited, you can give it up.
Zhaga Waterfall
Bipenggou
The highways in western Sichuan are not well developed. Walking from Hailuogou all the way, we made a big circle in western Sichuan. It was not until Mao County went to Bipenggou that we got on the highway among the mountains in Wenchuan. Looking at the towering mountains all around, I couldn't help but tremble with fear. Bipenggou is only 200 kilometers away from Chengdu, and it coincides with the weekend, so there are a lot of self-driving tourists, and they have to queue up to enter the parking lot. The way to visit is: first take the scenic bus to Longwanghai, then walk around, cross the lake, and then take the scenic bus to the tourist service center. Take a battery car at the service center to Panyang Lake, which is the essence of the scenic spot. From Panyang Lake, you can also take a battery car to Swallow's Nest. We did not go to the swallow's nest due to time. Instead, after visiting Panyang Lake, I walked back to the Tourist Service Center along the trail. Finally, take the scenery and transfer the car back to the gate of the scenic spot. Bipenggou in October should be the most beautiful season, with snow-capped mountains, lakes, and poplar forests complementing each other. Compared with the 130 yuan ticket, it is still worth the money.
Mount Siguniang
The itinerary to Mount Siguniang was the tightest day. But everything seems to slow us down by half a beat. First of all, breakfast at the hotel where we stayed did not start until 8 o'clock. Already half an hour behind schedule. And it took a lot of time to visit Bipenggou. Therefore, it was already nightfall when we arrived at the Panshan Highway in Balang Mountain, and the rain and fog hit at the same time, making the sight line extremely poor. To ensure safety, the car is like a turtle. And the most annoying thing is: finally only a few kilometers away from the homestay where we stayed, but there was a traffic jam during the epidemic to check the health code. Just such a small matter, let us stand in line for an hour.
There are three scenic spots in Siguniang Mountain Scenic Area: Shuangqiaogou, Changpinggou and Haizigou, and tickets are sold separately. We went to Shuangqiaogou and Changpinggou.
The Shuangqiaogou scenic area is very large, and the way to visit is very simple. The Jingjiao car will take you to the farthest place, and then follow the Jingjiao car to travel back from stop to stop. There are forests, small lakes, and meadows, but there is no Mount Siguniang! Blame our ignorance, it turns out that Shuangqiaogou can't see Mount Siguniang at all.
For Changpinggou, you can take a bus from the ticket office of the scenic spot to the entrance of the scenic spot. The whole tour is completely on foot or on horseback. What is more worthy of the name than Shuangqiaogou is that you can see Yaomei Peak of Siguniang Mountain at the gate of the scenic spot. The wooden plank road in the scenic spot goes all the way, and it is said that the more you go in, the more beautiful it is. It's a pity that time is limited, we only went to the dead tree beach. The woods, mountains, and creeks illuminated by the setting sun, the scenery is still good.
shuangqiaogou
Chong Chong Foot Waterfall
dead tree beach
The best place to see Mount Siguniang is said to be at the Maobi Bridge Observation Deck by the road. We passed by when we left, but unfortunately because of the bad weather, we couldn't see the figure of Mount Siguniang. The entire Siguniang Mountain tour did not see the complete Siguniang Mountain, which seems to have nothing to do with Siguniang Mountain.
Not long after passing the bridge of Maobi, we arrived at the Panshan Highway of Balang Mountain. It snowed lightly last night, and the whole road of Balang Mountain was covered with whiteness. Fortunately, the snow was not deep. Because it is daytime, the difficulty of driving is lower than that of rain and fog at night, so just be careful. After descending Balang Mountain, there was no trace of snow. Soon, get on the expressway - return to Shanghai at full speed.
Maobi Bridge Observation Deck
Nothing can be seen on the viewing platform of Balang Mountain
go home
On October 26, set off from Mount Siguniang to return to Shanghai. At that time, there was already an epidemic in Chengdu, and nucleic acid testing and daily temperature measurement reports were required to return to Shanghai via Chengdu. Fortunately, we avoided Chengdu, passed through Qu County, Dangyang, and Anqing, and returned to Shanghai on October 29. The self-driving tour in Sichuan ended successfully. God is very kind to us. Although we have passed the new crown epidemic in Ruoergai Huahu Lake, Zhayana and other places, it has not had any impact on us.
Every trip, the weather plays a decisive role in the scenery. There are many scenic spots in Sichuan, and they are also very beautiful. This self-driving tour is only a part of it. If I were to choose among these attractions, I think the most worthwhile ones are: Aden, Lianbao Yeze, Jiuzhaigou.
This year, the epidemic is still occurring from time to time across the country. We in Shanghai have experienced the most painful city closure. We consciously closed ourselves at home throughout the spring. Apart from doing nucleic acid testing, we wrote this miscellaneous note in boredom.
After a long 70 days, it gradually returned to normal starting from 6.1. I was thinking, facing the strict prevention and control of the epidemic all over the country, I wonder if I will have the opportunity to continue my self-driving tour this autumn.
June 1, 2022
