Airport transfer to Sheration Jiuzhaigou

Hi, I am planning to stay at Sheration Jiuzhaigou during my visit there this June. I am travelling with my wife, my elderly mum, and 2 kids (8 and 10 years) with some luggage. Is it better (conveneince as well as price) to take the bus or taxi? Where does the bus drop us at jiuzhaigou? Is it walking distance from Sheraton? Do they have bigger taxi or van that take 5 persons, or I have to take two taxis? How much will each type of transport cost? Would value your input to help me in my planning. Thanks a lot.

BTW, beside Sheraton, are there any other good hotels walking distance from the Park?

Airport transfer to Sheration Jiuzhaigou

I was there in Nov 2008.I stayed at Sheraton Jiuzhaigou,it is not walking distance to park,you need taxi to there,since there are 2 kids,if you negociate with the taxi driver from your hotel to park will be fine

From airport to hotel,it is better to ask hotel to arrange a van to pick you up.Jiuzhaigou airport is small,there not lots of taxis(maybe when i was there it snowed so not lots of taixs),so if you use their taxis you have to pay what ever they asked.and 5 in one taxi doesn%26#39;t work,have the mountain road.From airport to hotel around 1 hour(i met snow,so took me 1.5 hours i think)

No other good hotels there.I arrived Jiuzhaigou first,then try to find hotels,the Chinese standard 4 or 3 stars,not nice at all.

From last year,the tickets to Jiuzhaigou only work for one day,So it is better to start early then you can finish all the sites in Jiuzhaigou within one day.

Huanglong also nice,the only trouble for you is the transportation.You probabaly need van to there.Sherton charge a lot i believe

Airport transfer to Sheration Jiuzhaigou

From the airport to Jiuzhaigou - Taxis cost 200 RMB and that price is set by the local government. They do not use the meter.

The drive from the airport takes about 75mins and if the children are small the taxi driver might allow you to put 5 in one taxi.

During the summer there is also a comfortable shuttle bus which costs 45 RMB per person that will leave the airport when there are at least 5 passengers. This will drop you off at whatever hotel you are staying in.

You can order a car from the Sheraton but I imagine the cost would be more.

There are some other 4* hotels near the Sheraton that are of a reasonable standard but not as good as the Sheraton. The Sheraton is about a 15-20 min (approx 1.5km) walk from the park entrance for an adult.

You can see more information on the plan your visit section of the Jiuzhigou English language website - www.jiuzhai.com/language/english/visit.html

If you have a few days it is recommended that if you arrive early, you go straight to Huanglong and then go to your hotel in Jiuzhaigou that evening. If you have enough people for the bus (it should still be 5 people) or if you are in a taxi they should wait outside Huanglong for you with your luggage and then bring you to Jiuzhaigou. The bus will cost 100 RMB per person.

I%26#39;m not sure what the price of a taxi would be - I think 300 or 350 RMB for the same trip.

Hi folks, thanks for the advice. The summer shuttle bus look interesing to me. I will be there on 17 Jun, will it be operating by then? How can I book that, or do I book at the airport when I am there? Do they have a counter there at the airport, what%26#39;s the name? I am arriving at Jiuzhaigou airport about 1-2 pm, will I still have time for Huanglong? Thanks for your further advice.

The bus should be running at that time and you book it when you get to the airport. It%26#39;s a small airport and the ticket desk is right in front of you when you exit the baggage claim area.

If you%26#39;re arriving at that time it would be a bit late to do Huanglong properly since it closes at around 6pm. With children and an elderly person it would be very difficult. You could get a cable car to the top quarter of the park, see the most stunning lake and then get the cable car back down but that really would be a waste.

Your other option would be to go straight to Jiuzhaigou, enjoy that evening and on your last day, depending on your flight time go to Huanglong early in the morning before flying out.

Dear WoodlandsSingapore,

My family of four (2 Ad 2 Pre-teens) have finalised our trip to Sichuan, esp JiuZhaiGou during the March Holidays. Could we swap notes if you have any good deals whilst there?

Iracubet (iracubet@gmail.com)

Dear WoodlandsSing,

We have recently booked our MArch trip to sichuan and Jiuzhaigou for 2 Ad 2 Teens. If you have any good %26#39;lobangs%26#39;, let%26#39;s swop notes. We travel DIY annually to China.

FellowSING

Sure, no problem. I am not sure whether I have sufficient knowledge of that place so far to be of much help to you. You could be much more advanced in your preparation than me. But I am willing to exchange notes, no problem. We can converse thru private messages.

When we arrived last August at Jiuzhaogou, the shuttle bus was running, but you must wait for it to fill. They said maybe 30 minutes, maybe two hours. So we took the taxi at the fixed price of 200 yuan. We tried to bargain with two drivers, no deal.

Set aside Huanglong for a separate day and do not try to do it upong arrival. First, you are going to be tired, getting up early, etc. Second, you want a full day there to take the cable car up and walk down. But at first you must walk across from the cable car to the main park, and then walk up to some fantasic water pools. So it is a lot of energy saved for a restful and relaxed day.

Bear in mind, Jiuzhaigou is all about walking. I do not want to discourage you with children and elderly as much as prepare you that the days might be 10 km in the least of walking to see the lakes, waterfalls and other natural wonders. The wooden plant paths are easy to navigate but geared to walkers only, as there are a lot of steps up and down.

There truly is no easily condensed tour of Jiuzhaigou Park, as at every turn there are more wonders to see. You do not have to walk every trail, skipping many in the upper middle branches, but still there are at least 30-40 km total of interesting and fabulous trails. The bus helps you skip the upper parts. You do not see much from the bus, by the way. You must get off and walk up down and around to see the natural beauty.

If you are walking slowly, then you might plan three days at least at Jiuzhaigou, a costly but worthwhile proposition as the daily entrance fees and bus tickets are steep.

Jiuzhaigou and Huanglong are two remarkable and unique parks that are world-class attractions. I do not know if children will fully appreciate them, but for a 62-year-old, I was truly amazed as I had seen nothing like them in the world. There are so many fabulous vistas and setting that the visit tends to get intense, in the sense there is so much fine quality in so little time. Elsewhere in the world, people walks kms just to see one of the lakes or ponds or waterfalls. Here you literally have many dozen.

My advice is to splurge. Spend a week, take your time and enjoy one of the finest natural settings of beauty on the earth.

Dear SoBeSparky,

Thanks for the tip. Guess what? Our whole family are all %26#39;training%26#39; for the many walks at JiuZhaiGou by running every night 5-10km. Hahahhaha...

Anyway, I want to know whether the hostel next to the park is of sufficient quality for the 4 of us? Our requirement is simple...Hot water shower and clean beds!!!! hahahahah...

Someone told me to take the bus in the park to the end and walk back. Then next day, do the same thing for another route. What do you think?

Final request? Would you know where to purchase discounted flights for march? Usually, we book them at Youth Hostel at 50% off the published rates when we travel in China. If you could help, I would be most grateful.

Ctrip.com is usually the best place for cheap flights...unless you know a hostel that beats their prices. Usually leaving it until a week before the flight is the cheapest, but it is also a little bit riskier.

The good thing about travelling in March (peak season starts on April 1st) is that you can enter for two days on the one ticket - but you do have to pay for the bus on both days. For ticket prices etc. see www.jiuzhai.com/language/english/visit.html.

There should be sufficient hotels with hot water, and clean beds for you not to worry. The villages of Zhang Zha Zhen, Peng Feng and Huo Di Ba should all be able to provide this. There is also the Gui Bing Lou right at the park entrance that is run by the park administration. Which is the hostel that you are referring to and I can check for sure? When you arrive in March if you are not satisfied with your accommodation you will be easily able to change hotels.

Inside the park you should take the bus to the higher parts of the park and walk back down as much as possible - You%26#39;re talking a vertical rise of over 1,000m on around 60km of road....and then back down if you wanted to walk it all!! (Entrance - Long Lake - Arrow Bamboo Lake - 60km...and then back to the entrance!).