Jiuzhaigou - China's Yosemite

[JNHenry]

Greetings, All.

Long time reader, first time poster.  Wanted to share my recent experience traveling to Jiuzhaigou, China.  Jiuzhaigou is sometimes referred to as China's version of Yosemite, and is an incredible example of a protected nature park/reserve in the Middle Kingdom.  Unfortunately, the amount of English language information available on Jiuzhaigou is limited.  I tried to find out what I could searching the web in English, and after not finding much switched to Chinese.  I hope the information below will intrigue fellow travelers (especially those who like to travel with tripods, filters, and megapixels or film) about the park, and help in planning a visit.  I can think of no better place to post such information than on Michael's website, which has taught me much; my turn to contribute a small piece in return.

The short version is that if you are interested in landscape and nature photography, and are visiting China, Jiuzhaigou needs to be on your itinerary.  It is, without a doubt, the most beautiful place I've been in China (in fact, probably worldwide).  The air and water are pristine and the colors and landscapes are magnificent.  The park is big, so you can easily get away from the crowds and feel as if no one else is within miles.

Jiuzhaigou (Nine Village Valley) is located in Sichuan Province (western central China).  Though China doesn't have a National Park system (yet), Jiuzhaigou is one of the best examples of a nature preserve park in all of the country.  The park is extremely well maintained, with an excellent system of sturdy boardwalk-like trails running throughout it.  It appears every effort has been made to minimize the impact of the large number of tourists visiting the park, while at the same time making the park as easily accessible as possible.

The beauty of the Park comes from the mixture of healthy forests, beautiful and numerous lakes, and an abundance of waterfalls.  But, it is the water that makes the park what it is, in my opinion.  The water is crystal clear, and due to mineral deposits is seen in brilliant displays of turquoise blue and emerald green.  The clarity of the water allows one to see into the lakes and streams to almost every depth.  This view into the underwater world unlocks Jiuzhaigou's other natural beauty: the deposit and growth of calcium sediments on trees long since submerged beneath the water.  These submerged sculptures can add an unique photographic element to an already incredible landscape.

Maybe people will say a two day visit to Jiuzhaigou is sufficient, and some will even do a single day visit to the park.  I was there for three days, and easily could have enjoyed one or two more days.  Your time requirement will vary based on your priorities, but to put things in perspective, I was there for (in priority order) relaxation, photography, hiking, and to clear my lungs of Beijing's pollution.

From a photography standpoint, the park does pose some challenges.  The park does not open until 7 am, which means that is when the first ticket is sold.  It then takes a while to reach a suitable location to begin photographing the landscape.  Unfortunately, this effectively rules out sunrise photography.  Sunset photography is possible, depending on the time of year.  The park technically closes at 6 pm, but you have to take into account when/where the buses will be to get you out of the park.  Also, 6pm is Beijing time, and the park is far west of Beijing (China only has one timezone, Beijing time)  Now, I did hear of tourists who stayed in the park overnight (not officially allowed), but these were from Chinese tourists who could more easily blend in.  The local residents of the villages inside the park are subject to large fines if they provide accommodation to "Outsiders" (anyone without a local residency permit).

The park breaks into three relatively equal sections:  Park Entrance to Nuorilang Visitor Center (14.5 km), Nuorilang Visitor Center to Long Lake (eastern section, 18 km), and Nuorilang Visitor Center to Arrow Bamboo Lake and Primeval Forrest (western section, 18 km).  Traveling within the park is easy: you either walk, or you take a free bus and get off at one of the many stops.  Most of the buses go directly from the park entrance to Nuorilang Visitor Center nonstop, and then continue to either Long Lake or the Primeval Forrest.  Most people take the bus to the "top" of the park (Long Lake or Primeval Forrest) and begin walking down.  This is easiest because you are walking downhill, vice uphill, all day long.

Here are my suggestions and thoughts on each of the park's sections:

Nourilang Visitor Center to Long Lake:  Take the bus all the way up to Long Lake.  If you do this early in the day you'll have fewer people to contend with (most begin the day on the western section of the park).  Long Lake (picture below) is a beautiful lake sitting at 3,100 meters, and is 4 km in length.  Most visitors get off the bus and look at the lake from the large viewing area (maybe 100 meters above the lake).  But, there is a path (to the right of the viewing area) that leads down to the lake front.  There is a nice trail that runs along the lakeside for several hundred meters.  While there were maybe 500 people up on the viewing area, I was one of maybe 10 down on the lake.  From Long Lake, either walk or take the bus to the first stop (Five Color Lake).  Five Color Lake (picture below) is an excellent example of the water color and clarity you can see throughout Jiuzhaigou.  After viewing Five Color Lake, you can either hike all the way back to Nourilang Visitor Center or take the bus.  Visitors are encouraged to take the bus, and there is no bus stop between the lake and the Visitor Center (probably 15 km).

Nuorilang Visitor Center to Arrow Bamboo Lake:  Most people start the day at Arrow Bamboo Lake and work their way north (down) as the day progresses.  I spent an entire day hiking and photographing along this route.  IIf you get off the bus at Arrow Bamboo Lake, spend some time there, and then walk south (left) and take the first trial that  branches away from the road (heading right).  This will take you to the far side of the lake, where you can turn right (north) and walk along that side of the lake with much fewer people.  I walked along that side of the lake, which then led to Panda Lake, Five Flower Lake, Mirror Lake, and more.  The other side of the lakes is where the road is, so the people density is much higher.  But, at Five Flower Lake, cross back to the road and walk south (right, and up the hill), you'll soon reach a new view point overlooking Five Flower Lake.  The bus drives by this view point, but despite cries from everybody inside will not stop.  From Five Flower Lake, continue down to Mirror Lake and the Rize Gully/Lakes

Nuorilang Visitor Center to Park Entrance:  Departing the Visitor Center heading to the park entrance, you will soon pass Nuorilang Falls, one of the more popular areas in the park.  Continue hiking and you'll soon get to Rhinoceros Lake.  This was one of my favorite places, and where I took more pictures.  I walked along the east side of the lake (opposite the road) with fewer people.  It was a very nice hike on an older trail, and offered some good views across the lake.  At the northern end of Rhinoceros Lake you can cross to the road side and there are several view points with good line of site to the lake and surrounding hills.  Continuing north, Unknown Lake, Tiger Lake and Shuaheng Lakes are all worth seeing.  After you get to Sleeping Dragon lake, I suggest you cross back to the road and take the bus to the park entrance.  It's a long walk (over 8 km), with not much to see since the trail is next to the road anyways.

If you have the time, take the bus to the Primeval Forrest, and then hike back to Arrow Bamboo Lake.  It is about a 8 km hike, and you'll likely have the trail to yourself.  Mainly downhill, and usually adjacent to a fast flowing stream/river.  Different scenery than in other portions of the park.

The park is very easy for the non-Chinese speaker.  All signs are in multiple languages (Chinese, Tibetan, English, Korean and Japanese), and some of the staff are proficient in other languages.  The visitor guides on the buses did not appear to speak English, but I'm sure if you shouted "stop" the driver would get the idea and let you off where you wanted.

Several websites, including the official website, indicated tickets could be purchased one day in advance; this is not correct.  Tickets can only be purchased on the day of admission.  Several websites also stated that if you ask for it when purchasing the ticket you can get a 2-day ticket.  The two day ticket is only possible during the period of late November through mid-March (with the exception of the Spring Festival/Lunar new Year holiday).  Tickets, including the bus ticket, is RMB 300 (about USD 44 as of November 2009).  The only place to buy food and bottled water inside the park is at the Visitor Center, so stock up there (expensive) or outside the park if you are going to be hiking all day.

There are many hotels near the park entrance.  The only Western/International hotel near the park is the Sheraton.  I stayed there and it was decent.  There is an Intercontinental and a Holiday Inn, but both are about 20 minute drives from the park, while the Sheraton is a 10 minute walk.

Weather was good in late September when I was there, with a daily average of about 15 C.  Highs in July reach about 23 C, while lows in January are about 2 C.  I was there just as the levaes started to change color, so a trip in mid-October would probably be perfect (this would also mean you aren't there during the National Day/mid-Autumn Festival holidays, which is a national 8-day holiday in China).  Pretty much any time of your would be good.

Getting to Jiuzhaigou isn't hard, but it isn't fast and easy either.  It is in a pretty remote area, requiring first a 2.5 hour flight from Beijing to Chengdu (or Chongqing), a second 40 minute flight to the Jiuzhaigou airport, and finally a 90 minute car ride from the airport to the park.  With regards to travel, I highly recommend two things.  First, get your hotel to provide car service to/from the airport, instead of using a taxi.  It will be more expensive, but it will be safer.  Second, if you are traveling via air to Jiuzhaigou from early October until March, buy a first class ticket.  Why, you ask?  Airlines and airports are run differently in China.  A first class ticket can be used on any airline in China, not just the airline you purchased it with.  To illustrate: when I departed my hotel on October 3rd, it was raining.  One hour from the airport it was snowing, and 15 minutes later it was almost a blizzard.  Though it was only lightly snowing at the airport, inbound and outbound flights were being canceled left and right.  With a first class ticket, the airport staff not only changed my flight three times, but also the airline twice, and made sure my checked baggage was on the flight I was on.  The end result was that I got out of the airport easily 10 hours before I would have had I purchased an economy ticket.  Also, the first class ticket was only USD 100 more than an economy ticket, each way.    Worth it in my opinion.

Lastly, a few things to consider and prepare for.

     - The Chinese love cameras.  Carrying around a good camera, lenses and accessories is safe, but be prepared for people to inquire into your gear.  Whenever I set up my tripod and other people were around, they always came up and wanted to look through the viewfinder or at the live view.
     - I'm not a professional photographer (far from it), but as a foreigner with a camera and tripod I looked the part.  This resulted in everybody nearby concluding I had some special insight into why that location was the right place to take pictures.  Quickly people would swarm near me trying to get a similar shot.  Be prepared to attract other people to your exact location.
     - Be prepared to wait a good amount of time to get the picture you want.  This isn't just due to light and composition, but the boardwalk-like trails, which transfer vibration to your tripod easily.  I spent lots of time waiting for people to pass by, or to stand still long enough that I could get a vibration-free exposure.
     - A polarizer is a must.
     - Be careful with official maps of Jiuzhaigou.  North is to the BOTTOM of the map, not the top.
     - It's very difficult to get lost in the park.  Just stay on the trails and eventually to get to a road and be able to wave down a bus or other vehicle.

A few of my pictures are posted below.  Comments, criticism, and suggestions are welcome.  Should anyone have any any other questions about Jiuzahigou, or other photo locations in China please feel free to send me a personal message; I live in Beijing and am always willing to provide suggestions or recommendations.  For what it's worth, I think Huang Shan (Yellow Mountain) is the second most beautiful place in China for landscape photography, and believe there is an article on it on the site.  Huanglong is another park within driving distance of Jiuzhaigou, which is also supposed to be very nice.

Best Regards, and Happy Travels,

Jeff

[MichaelChmilar]

I have been to Jiuzhaigou twice, once in October of 2002 and again in October of 2006. I would like to compliment Jeff on his excellent and informative description of this beautiful place. I agree that it is not only the most beautiful place in China, but one of the most beautiful places in the world.

I will add a little more information that I gleaned during my two visits.

Perhaps the best time to see the Jiuzhaigou area is when the fall color is blazing. This typically happens in mid to late October. The timing can change due to weather conditions, so having flexibility in your schedule can help to hit it at the peak time. There is a symphony of bright red, orange, and yellow colors, complemented by the strange blues of the lakes, and greens of the mosses.

On both of my trips, I traveled by bus from Chengdu to Jiuzhaigou. It is a trip of around 11 hours. In 2006, road improvements were underway which would shorten the time, but the 2008 Sichuan earthquake severely damaged parts of the road, so the gains may have been erased. While the bus journey is long, it is not entirely boring, as the bus grinds up through a long and deep canyon for much of the distance.

Huanglong:

I made a side trip to Huanglong in 2006. While it is close to Jiuzhaigou, the transportation schedule may require you to stay overnight. If you have private transportation (or use a taxi) you could visit Huanglong during one day. I found it easy to get a bus to Huanglong, but returning to Jiuzhaigou proved challenging, and I ended up taking a taxi to Songpan (about halfway), and then a bus from Songpan back to Jiuzhaigou. Most Chinese tourists travel in tour groups with buses that take them to all of the sights, so transport for independent travelers can be sparse.

Huanglong has a cable car to take tourists to a point above the main attractions (which are a monastery, and travertine terraces). From there, you walk downhill all the way to the park exit. Unfortunately, due to the ease of access afforded by the cable car, the terrace area is swarmed by a throng of tourists, all posing for photographs and crowding the best views. Many Chinese tourists rise early, so even though I got an early cable car ride up, the photographic opportunities were limited by the mass of people.

The terrace area is fairly small, and half of a day is plenty of time to see and photograph it.

Now back to Jiuzhaigou:

As Jeff mentioned, the first buses of the morning tend to race up to one of the two road termini, packed with the early risers. You may or may not be able to request an earlier stop depending on the driver and your skills of persuasion. Also, if you disembark early, you may have trouble catching an uphill bus to continue your journey. For the first couple of hours in the morning, the buses are packed and may not stop.

By mid-morning, it is easy to travel freely up and down on the buses.

I recommend the same strategy Jeff describes, which is to ride to the end of the line, and then start hiking back. Use downhill buses to fill the gaps in the trail. (In 2002, the wooden plankway extended completely through the park. However, in 2006, some of the infrequently used sections of the plankway had fallen into disrepair, and they are blocked off.) If you will be visiting for many days, then you can start to choose midway locations to begin at in the morning, but plan to avoid heading uphill on the buses until later.

Because the Jiuzhaigou valleys run mostly North-South and the sides are mostly steep, tall mountains, one side will be in shadow until mid-morning, and the other from mid-afternoon onwards. There are few opportunities for low-angle light. You should plan to photograph in particular locations at particular times of day, based on the need for sunlight or shade.

I found that the park and shuttle ticket options had changed significantly from 2002 to 2006. I suggest that if you have time on your arrival day, you should visit the ticket office and read the instructions there so you will know the options before you go to buy your tickets the next morning. Your goal in the morning should be to get your tickets and hop onto a shuttle as quickly as possible. As far as I am aware, you must purchase your tickets on the day of use. I found the early morning crowd around the ticket office to be very disorganized, so a little preparation can help you avoid wasting time waiting in the wrong line or other mishaps.

[BernardLanguillier]

Thanks indeed. I loved the area too! I would advice people visiting Chengdu area to also try out huang Long and Sukunianshan, although the later is more challenging to get to.

Some pics take in the area 3 years ago.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/bernardlangui...57594364221841/

Cheers,
Bernard

[Khun_K]

Thanks indeed. I loved the area too! I would advice people visiting Chengdu area to also try out huang Long and Sukunianshan, although the later is more challenging to get to.

Some pics take in the area 3 years ago.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/bernardlangui...57594364221841/

Cheers,
Bernard

Indeed a beautiful place, I was there first time almost 20 years before it was a national part, at that time, it is a timber farm and its beauty is out of the world, but it was luckily saved. The other post has much information covered already, but I just add that it is not likley to cover the entire national part in one day - which is RMB 300 per person, include the part busese (electrical run) which you can hop on and off.  You may buy several days pass, will be cheaper than daily pass, and the part open as early as 0630am, give you plenty of time, using the multiple day pass - suggest at least 3-4 days.  Not only that you can buy muiltiple day pass - will be issued with a pass you can use with those given days, you can also buy group ticket that cover as many days as you wish to purchase, the part will have a digital camera to take your (or your group) picture, printed the permit as a postcard, then you can use it as a ticket as a well as a souvenir later.  
There are several good hotels aroud the park, many in walking distance, which will be easy to access.
Now, for those die-hard photographer, me included, is to buy the ticket of the day, get in, and stay inside the park at the Tibetan house, rent varies, between 150-250 RMB per night, no fancy anything, simple meal and primitive bath area but yes, with electricity and hot water, but it gives you practical unlimited itme inside the part, and you can stay as long as you pay the Tibetan rent. Now the trciky part is, because the daily ticket cover the daily bus ride only, after your first day inside the part, you may no longer hop on and off the bus, unless you are not afraid of getting caught (mind you, they do check your pass, particularly when you became familair), so there are two ways (1) walk (2) rent the Tibetan's car - most likely it is owned by the one who also rent you the house, price up to negotiation.  I usually get in one day, survey what I will do, then everyday I ask them to send me to where I want, and I will tell them where and when to pick me up, RMB 150 per day. The longest time I stay inside is 9 days.
it is a beautiful place, good for 4 seasons.
Nowadyas you can fly from Chendu to Jiuzhaihou, you may also drive - 8-9 hours each way, but you will drive thru beautiful landscape as well, passing the 4-syster peak and some world class scenery.  The entire great west of China (include Tibet if it is counted), particular Hoh Xil http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hoh_Xil - regarded as the last frontier of China, of a region averaged above 4,000 meter (12,000 ft, that is), and to Xinjinag. I have been going back for the last 6 years and still more to cover. The entire great western China is to me, considered the most beautiful place on earth.  

Regards, K

[MichaelChmilar]

I too went to Siguniangshan (Four Sisters Mountains) during my 2006 trip. As Bernard says, Siguniangshan is more difficult to visit than Jiuzhaigou - but it is definitely worth visiting!

Siguniangshan is near the town of Rilong. It is another day-long bus trip from Chengdu, and requires driving over a 4800m pass. The trip is quite scenic, and on the return you can stop at the Panda Center in Wolong.

Rilong and Siguniangshan are not as developed for tourists as Jiuzhaigou. The only English speakers I encountered were some students who were also visiting the area, so be prepared for communication difficulties. Having a phrasebook and good mime skills are important.

A good description of the area can be found here:

http://www.travelchinaguide.com/attraction...guniangshan.htm

The photographic attractions are the tall, jagged peaks and, in the fall, the Larch trees turn color.

To visit the Panda Center, I showed the bus driver that I wanted to depart there, and he stopped at the entrance. The Panda Center has a hotel, where I stayed overnight.

For more Juizhaigou, Huanglong, Siguniangshan, and Wolong stories, here are the blog posts I made in 2006:

http://chmilar.wordpress.com/2006/10/13/ji...rn-and-crowded/

http://chmilar.wordpress.com/2006/10/13/ji...on-destination/

http://chmilar.wordpress.com/2006/10/13/dr...ve-photo-taken/

http://chmilar.wordpress.com/2006/10/16/huanglong/

http://chmilar.wordpress.com/2006/10/20/an...ht-i-was-crazy/

http://chmilar.wordpress.com/2006/10/26/mt-siguniang/

http://chmilar.wordpress.com/2006/10/26/wolong-pandas/

[ChrisJR]

Perhaps the best time to see the Jiuzhaigou area is when the fall color is blazing. This typically happens in mid to late October. The timing can change due to weather conditions, so having flexibility in your schedule can help to hit it at the peak time. There is a symphony of bright red, orange, and yellow colors, complemented by the strange blues of the lakes, and greens of the mosses.

On both of my trips, I traveled by bus from Chengdu to Jiuzhaigou. It is a trip of around 11 hours. In 2006, road improvements were underway which would shorten the time, but the 2008 Sichuan earthquake severely damaged parts of the road, so the gains may have been erased. While the bus journey is long, it is not entirely boring, as the bus grinds up through a long and deep canyon for much of the distance.

I travelled around China in July 2007 and really enjoyed Jiuzhaigou, it's one of the very few places in China I would go back to again. As you said the best time to visit is around the autumn. My wife and I went there during Chinese holiday season so it was absolutely packed with tourists, making some photos difficult to get but unfortunately that was the only time we could go.

We also travelled by bus from Chengdu to Jiuzhaigou but it was an absolute nightmare. My wife's uncle is Chinese (she's actually Taiwanese) and he offered to book us on a coach and hotel package, which we actually paid for, but the total cost of the bus with hotel was no more than flights both way. We also had to endure horrendously tacky singing by the tour guide on the bus for 11 hours.

One thing we still find quite scary is we travelled on the same roads that were destroyed by the earthquake almost exactly one year before.

Thanks indeed. I loved the area too! I would advice people visiting Chengdu area to also try out huang Long and Sukunianshan, although the later is more challenging to get to.

Some pics take in the area 3 years ago.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/bernardlangui...57594364221841/

Cheers,
Bernard

Chengdu has one really nice temple/garden, the hotpot there is awesome, but very spicy and the pandas are beautiful but apart from those I wouldn't hang around Chengdu, it's otherwise extremely dull.

My recommendation for people going to Sichuan is spend 1 day max in Chengdu then head off elsewhere.

[BernardLanguillier]

We also travelled by bus from Chengdu to Jiuzhaigou but it was an absolute nightmare. My wife's uncle is Chinese (she's actually Taiwanese) and he offered to book us on a coach and hotel package, which we actually paid for, but the total cost of the bus with hotel was no more than flights both way. We also had to endure horrendously tacky singing by the tour guide on the bus for 11 hours.

We had actually flown from chengdu to Jiuzhaigou and took the local bus back from Huanglong to Chengdu... did acutally find that to be good fun.

Cheers,
Bernard

[MichaelChmilar]

My wife's uncle is Chinese (she's actually Taiwanese) and he offered to book us on a coach and hotel package, which we actually paid for, but the total cost of the bus with hotel was no more than flights both way. We also had to endure horrendously tacky singing by the tour guide on the bus for 11 hours.

Yes, I have found that one of the perils of travel in China is that a "group tour" typically means that you will be subjected to terrible karaoke, and lots of annoying stops at temples, caves, souvenir shops, and other tourist traps. I recommend traveling on the regularly scheduled long distance buses, which just make meal and toilet stops, and rarely have sing-along karaoke.