Strolling Through Jiuzhaigou

A Digression

Back in college, I often heard friends rave about Jiuzhaigou. I remember that the year I graduated, my dorm mates took a graduation trip to Jiuzhaigou and came back somewhat disappointed, which left me without any strong urge to go, and I never made a special trip to Sichuan just for Jiuzhaigou. But because my wife really wanted to visit Sichuan this time, I casually suggested we might as well swing by and see Jiuzhaigou. Looking back now, thank goodness I tossed out that suggestion; otherwise, going to Sichuan without visiting Jiuzhaigou would truly have left something missing.

Here’s a quoted introduction to Jiuzhaigou:

Jiuzhaigou is located in Zhangzha Town, Jiuzhaigou County, Aba Tibetan and Qiang Autonomous Prefecture, in the southern section of the Minshan Mountains in northwestern Sichuan Province, on the northeast side of Gonggangling in the southern Minshan range. More than 400 kilometers from Chengdu, it is a large tributary at the headwaters of the Baishui River, in the upper reaches of the Jialing River of the Yangtze River system. The Jiuzhaigou Nature Reserve slopes from high in the south to low in the north, with deeply cut valleys and dramatic elevation differences. The mouth of Jiuzhaigou at the northern edge sits at only 2,000 meters, the central peaks are all above 4,000 meters, and the southern edge reaches above 4,500 meters; the main valley is over 30 kilometers long.
Jiuzhaigou is a World Natural Heritage Site, a national key scenic area, a national AAAAA-level tourist attraction, a national nature reserve, a national geopark, and part of the World Network of Biosphere Reserves. It is also China's first nature reserve established with the primary purpose of protecting natural scenery.

Guide

Going to Jiuzhaigou doesn’t really require any elaborate guide; I’d suggest just two things:

1. Remember to book your tickets online in advance.
2. I’d recommend flying directly to the airport nearest Jiuzhaigou and then taking ground transport. I’d suggest a chartered car, since renting and driving yourself can be pretty tiring.

We first flew to Chengdu and then drove to Jiuzhaigou. It happened to be the October 1st long holiday. We drove from Chengdu to Jiuzhaigou, setting off at 8 a.m., stopping a few times to eat and rest, stuck in traffic the whole way, and didn’t reach the hotel until 10 p.m. For 400 kilometers, we spent over 12 hours in the car. I will never again get on the highway on the first or last day of one of these toll-free holidays, no matter what.

Itinerary

The recommended route is to take the shuttle bus at the entrance all the way to Jianya, then slowly walk down; if the next stop is far, take the bus, working your way along to Nuorilang Waterfall, then transfer to the shuttle to the Five-Color Pond. After seeing the Five-Color Pond, take the bus back to Nuorilang, stopping along the way at Rhinoceros Lake, Shuzheng Waterfall, Nuorilang Lake, Shuangong Lake, and so on.

At the very front, Swan Lake, Grass Lake, and Arrow Bamboo Lake offer stunning scenery the whole way; we walked and snapped photos.

Golden Bell Lake

Panda Lake Waterfall

Mirror Lake

Nuorilang Waterfall

Long Lake. When we reached Long Lake, hail was falling from the sky; peanut-sized hailstones pelted down with a clattering racket.

The famous Five-Color Pond, whose colors are remarkably rich.

After that, we walked for 3 hours along the way. Since we were going downhill from the top, it wasn’t all that tiring, so it was fine. Along the way we took in Rhinoceros Lake, Tiger Lake, the Shuzheng lakes, Shuzheng Waterfall, Wolong Lake, and Shuangong Lake, and finally

The last attraction, Reed Lake