Travel from Langmusi to Jiuzhaigou

Langmusi is a quaint town in the border of Gansu Province and Sichuan Province. It is a haven for travellers and backpackers, who are visiting to experience authentic Tibetan culture. The nomadic culture, vast grasslands, hiking trails, high mountains, and pleasant monasteries are some of the crowd pullers to Langmusi. Namo Gorge, Saici Monastery, and Geerdi Monastery are main tourist attractions. This place is culturally and religiously sound as you can find mosques and temples in walking distances. It is also famous for its horse trekking and camping in the Amdo-Tibetan plateau just outside Langmusi. Lots of tourists use Langmusi as a starting point to get to Jiuzhaigou. The best time to visit Langmusi is from June to August.

Langmusi Town

Best Way to Get from Langmusi to Jiuzhaigou

The overland from Langmusi to Jiuzhaigou via the Southern Gansu - Northern Sichuan route is a very simple and beautiful route. It is the best way to get to Jiuzhaigou from Langmusi. There is no dearth of scenic beauties and attractions along the way. This is also one of the most popular overland routes in China.

By Northern Sichuan - Southern Gansu Overland

The Northern Sichuan – Southern Gansu route starts from Chengdu and goes all the way till Lanzhou via Jiuzhaigou. The total highway is about approximately is about 1,300km long. The distance from Langmusi to Jiuzhaigou is about 390km long. It will take about 6hrs- 8hrs. This route mildly explores the Tibetan Autonomous Region. This route is recommended to be taken only during warmer months, as during winter the temperature in Langmusi and Xiahe drops below zero.

The Southern Gansu - Northern Sichuan route is a very simple and beautiful route

Attractions along the Way

Like mentioned before, there is no dearth of attractions or touristy things to do along the way. Here are some of the things you can do along the way:

1) Things to do in Langmusi:

You can visit the two famous monasteries - Saichi and Geerdi Monastery. Saichi monastery is located in the Gansu side of the region. It is famous for its architecture and the sky burial site behind the temple. Sky burial is a funeral tradition where the bodies of the dead are chopped and left for the vultures to take them to heaven. Geerdi Monastery is vast, 600 years old and it takes almost 2hrs to see the whole place.

Sun Buddha Festival in Saichi Monastery

Another must do activity in Langmusi is the horse trekking. They range from 1 day to 3-5 day treks. You can stay with the nomadic families for an authentic experience. You can also hike around the Namo Gorge and visit other cultural sites like Hui Mosque, KirtiGompa, and SertiGompa.

Horse trekking in Langmusi

2) Tangke - The First Bend of the Yellow River:

Located in the junction of Sichuan, Gansu, and Qinghai, the First Bend of the Yellow River is a magnificent S-shaped bend formed by the yellow river and white river in Tangke Township. If you climb one of the small hills, the view is simply spectacular. Flowing through wildlife, grasslands, and mountains the east side of the Sichuan and the west side is Gansu.

The First Bend of the Yellow River

3) Ruoergai grassland – Flower Lake

Covering about 10,800 sq. km, the vast Ruoergai grassland houses many other attractions within. One of the most popular attractions is the Flower Lake. Also known as Huahua, the name comes from the flower shape of the lake. The reflecting waters, bright colour flowers and the boardwalk all make it pretty romantic to visit that place.

Ruoergai grassland – Flower Lake

4) Jiuzhaigou Valley National Park

There are lot of places to visit in Jiuzhaigou Valley. In fact, one day will not be enough to cover all the attractions. Some of the most popular attractions are Nuorilang Waterfalls, Shuzheng Waterfalls, Sleeping Dragon Lake, Five Flowers Sea, Mirror Lake, Swan Lake, Pear Shoal Waterfall, and lots more.

Nuorilang Waterfalls

5) Huanglong National Park

Huanglong National Park neighbours Jiuzhaigou and is just as pretty and amazing. The snow-capped mountains, colourful lakes, clear ponds all make up Huanglong. Some of the most popular attractions are Zhengyan Ponds, Five-Colour Ponds, Yingbin Ponds, Mirror Ponds, Red Cloud Valley, Red Star Cave, Xinshen Grotto, Four Ravines scenic area, and lots more.

Zhengyan Ponds in Huanglong

Langmusi to Jiuzhaigou by Bus

There is no direct bus from Langmusi to Jiuzhaigou. So you have to get in the Lanzhou- Jiuzhaigou bus when it stops at the Langmusi Bridge. The bus stops at around 3:30pm in the Langmusi Bridge, from there on the journey is about 6hrs long.

3 Days Jiuzhaigou Valley and Huanglong National Park Local Tour

Another option is to get till Songpan and then leave to Jiuzhaigou from there. There are no direct buses to Songpan. Get on a bus to Ruoergai and from there to Songpan. Bus to Ruoergai from Langmusi start by around 7:00- 7:30. From Songpan there are two buses to Jiuzhaigou, at 9:00am and 1:00pm. The ticket prices for these journeys are between CNY 25- CNY 50.

Langmusi to Jiuzhaigou by Chartered Car

You can arrange a car in advance through your travel agency itself. But, mind you, it may cost more than CNY350. This way is more popular among tourists who want to explore places on their own pace along the way. Since there are so many attractions along the way, some tourists stay overnight in cities in between.

You can use to the car to explore Jiuzhaigou Valley park too. Since the park is too big to cover by hike, people who want to drive up and look around at their own pace go for this option. Even though there are internal shuttle buses in the Valley Park, it is almost always full. So, with a car, you will not have the hassle of running towards a bus and sitting cramped between the tourists.

Altitude Changes along the Way

Weather Condition along the Way from Langmusi to Jiuzhaigou Valley

Since this part of the Southern Gansu- Northern Sichuan route, i.e. from Langmusi to Jiuzhaigou is in a fairly high altitude. There is bound to be mild chillness all around the year. The average temperature in Langmusi is only about 10oC. In winter months the average temperature drops to as low as -9oC. Because of the high altitude, altitude sickness is common to be experienced in this route. There is altitude difference even within Jiuzhaigou. It is advisable to have enough warm clothes even during summer months, and to arm yourself with altitude sickness medication prescribed by your physician.

4 Days Chengdu Jiuzhaigou Huanglong Overland Tour

Price From: USD 490

Where to Live

The accommodations in Langmusi are pretty basic and there are a lot of youth hostels like Nomad Youth Hostel, HuaJian Youth Hostel, Boke Youth Hostel, and Tibetan Barley Youth Hostel. There are few hotels like Sana Hotel, Dacanlangmu Siachi Monastery’s hotel, Langmusi Binguan and Zhaxi Guesthouse. Langmusi is also the only place along the route where western food is available.

Boke Youth Hostel

In Ruoergai you can stay in the scenic area, or in the county. There are tents that can be rented to stay near First Bend of Yellow River and Waqie. In the Western Pasture of Ruoergai there are five star and four star hotels of you want a comfortable stay. If you decide to stay in Hongyan County, some of the recommended hotels are Hongmao, Hongyuan, and Century Xiangbala. Choose the hotel of the First Bend of Yellow River to enjoy the sunrise in the majestic Yellow River.

Hongmao Hotel in Hongyan County

In Jiuzhaigou, there are accommodations ranging from youth hostels to inns to fiver star hotels. Star hotels like Sheraton, Intercontinental, and Minjiangyuan International can be found here. It is better to book in advance if you are going to Jiuzhaigou during peak season.

Sheraton Hotel