Huanglong — Yellow Dragon — is a 7.5-kilometre valley high in the Min Mountains at around 3,500 metres, filled with the most vivid series of travertine pools in the world. More than 3,400 terraced pools step down the valley, their colours ranging from turquoise and emerald to milky white and gold depending on the angle of the light and the depth of the calcium deposits. A UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1992, it shares that listing with Jiuzhaigou to the south.
The valley rewards a full day. A boardwalk winds through the lower sections past pools of extraordinary colour; above, a Daoist temple sits beside the largest pool at the valley head. The surrounding forest is old-growth spruce and fir, habitat for golden monkeys and giant pandas further down the valley. Altitude sickness is a real consideration — the main temple sits at nearly 3,600 metres — so take it slowly and allow a day to acclimatise first.