| Jiuzhaigou Valley 九寨沟 风景 名胜 区 | |
 | |
| Area type | Natural reserve |
|---|---|
| State | China |
| Territory | Sichuan |
| Surface | 720 km² |
| Foundation year | 1978 |
Jiuzhaigou Valley (九寨沟 风景 名胜 区 in Chinese, གཟི་ རྩ་ སྡེ་ དགུ་ in Tibetan) is a protected area located in Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture and Qiang of Aba.
To know
Jiuzhaigou is an asset protected byUNESCO since 1992, it is best known for being the natural habitat of the giant panda and for its magnificent tiered waterfalls and spectacular lakes.
Also called Jiuzhai Valley (Jiuzhaigou) is one of the main features of the Sichuan Scenic Area, located 350 km north of Chengdu, the capital of Sichuan province. Jiuzhaigou is located at the northeastern end of this scenic area in the Min Shan Mountains. It is part of the Aba Tibetan and Qiang Autonomous Prefecture. The main viewing area stretches 80km in length in the form of a letter Y made up of three main valleys - Shuzheng, Rize and Zechawa which cover 720km² and offer breathtaking views of lakes, waterfalls and mountains. The name means "Valley of the Nine Villages", derived from the 9 ancient Tibetan villages that are part of it. Its highest point is 4,700m above sea level, with the main tourist areas between 1,980m and 3,100m above sea level.
Geographical notes
The Jiuzhaigou landscape is made up of high altitude karst phenomena shaped by glacial, hydrological and tectonic activity. It is located on the main fault lines on the divergent belt between the Tibetan Plateau and the Yangtze Plate, and earthquakes have also shaped the landscape. The rock layers are mostly made up of carbonate rocks such as dolomite and tuff, as well as some sandstones and clays.
The valley comprises the drainage basin of three badlands (which due to their large size are often called the valleys themselves), and is one of the sources of the Jialing River, part of the Yangtze River system. The 720 km² area of the Minshan Mountains constitutes the catchment area of the Jiuzhaigou water system.
Jiuzhaigou's best-known feature are the dozens of blue, green and turquoise lakes. Originating from glacial activity, they were dammed by landslides and other natural phenomena, then consolidated by carbonate deposition processes (travertine). Jiuzhaigou water has a high concentration of calcium carbonate, which makes it so clear that the bottom is often visible even at great depths. Lakes vary in color and appearance depending on their depth, debris and the surrounding environment.
Flora and fauna
The area is home to two of the most endangered species in all of China: the giant panda and the golden or orange rhinopith. Given the abundance of the territory and the number of hikers, however, it is rather difficult for these animals to be approached, let alone sighted. Among the other species present there are numerous birds, insects and fish some of which are found only here and nowhere else in the world. Despite the presence of large bodies of water, mosquitoes are almost completely absent here.
Almost 300 km² of the main viewing area is covered with virgin mixed forests. The flora changes greatly with altitude. In the lower regions of the valley, grasses and reeds abound. These are quickly replaced by bamboo groves which in turn give way to deciduous and coniferous trees at the top of the valley. Beyond them, the rocky slopes and snow-capped peaks of the Min Shan range dominate the view.
When to go
The park welcomes a steady stream of visitors throughout the year. Autumn is the most beautiful season because the foliage in the woods fills the whole valley with colors. Many visitors prefer winter: despite the temperatures close to freezing and the snow-covered landscape, you can spend time in absolute silence and still admire the natural beauty of the region. Conversely, spring and summer are an explosion of life characterized by an alder climate but always very pleasant.
Background
The remote region has been inhabited for centuries by various Tibetan and Qiang peoples, but was only officially discovered by the government in 1972. Extensive logging took place until 1979, when the Chinese government banned such activities. The area was transformed into a national park in 1982. An administrative office was established and the site was officially opened to tourism in 1984. The layout of the facilities and regulations was completed in 1987. The site was registered by the UNESCO as a World Heritage Site in 1992 and as a World Biosphere Reserve in 1997.
Today there are thousands of visitors who reach this area every day. The need to find a balance between the growing tourist flow and the preservation of the unique environment of this area is the most important challenge that the park administration has to face.
How to get
By plane
Chengdu remains the ideal starting point to reach this remote area. The journey takes about 10 hours, and for this reason many choose to take the plane to Jiuzhaigou airport (however, the flights are all internal, infrequent and expensive).
By car
An alternative for those who can afford it is to travel by car, in this way you can make several intermediate stops and visit many other places.
By bus
However, the 10-hour bus journey allows you to admire the natural landscape. There are also night buses that offer space for sleeping.
Permits / Rates
The Jiuzhaigou Administrative Center houses the ticket office. Tickets are on sale from 7:00 to 17:00 every day (the park is open from 7:00 to 19:00). If you have a Chinese credit card you can use one of the self-service 24/7 vending machines to purchase tickets. During the low season (November 16 - March 31), the park ticket office opens at 8:00 am and closes at 4:00 pm (the park itself closes at 6:00 pm). The price during the high season is ¥ 220, and there is an optional insurance fee of ¥ 20. Disabled visitors, seniors between 60 and 70, students and soldiers get a discounted rate of ¥ 110. Children no taller than 1.3 meters, government employees and seniors over 70 enter for free. A day ticket for the bus costs 90 yuan. The ticket is mandatory and you need one as it is over 30km from the entrance to the top of the park which is certainly too far to walk in one day.
Tickets are valid for one day only. Previously there were two day passes which are no longer on sale during the high season. These are on sale in the off season.
How to get around
To move around the park it is advisable to use the many internal buses and then walk. The park regulations in fact prohibit any means of transport, including bicycles, but there is still a network of buses that shuttle between the various most important points of the valley.
What see
Jiuzhaigou is all about seeing! The colors of its lakes, trees and mountains are breathtaking and cannot be adequately described. The variations in altitude within the valley generate continuous variations of flora, which give each lake and waterfall a unique quality. Although Jiuzhaigou is a great place to visit at any time of the year, spring and autumn are the best. In winter, some lakes are frozen while others are not. The blue-green color of the water is clearly visible even in winter, but it is not as impressive as during warmer weather against the backdrop of the surrounding greenery. Furthermore, daytime temperatures are very low and accessibility by road is neither easy nor guaranteed. Summers can be quite busy with good sunshine in the first few weeks and frequent rains in July and August. Fresh air and lack of humidity make it a great break from other cities in Sichuan province. Autumn is, according to many, the best of the seasons. Be aware of the huge numbers of people everywhere and the terribly high prices during the fall. From late September to October to early November, the color contrasts of the red and golden leaves against the grays of the bamboo forest and the dark greens of the conifers provide the perfect backdrop for the lakes of blue, cyan and bright green.
In Jiuzhaigou there are 114 waterfalls and lakes, below is a selection of the most important and characteristic:
- Long Lake (长 海) (At the bottom of the Zechawa Valley). With its 3,060 m of altitude it is the largest and deepest lake in Jiuzhaigou. The lake has an area of about 30 sq km and an average depth of 44 m. On clear days its wooded hills and blue waters are seen against the backdrop of the 5,000m snow-covered Min Shan Mountains. This lake does not have a major inflow and receives water from underground sources. The local Tibetans have their own name for this lake, which means "The lake that never dries up". Take the bus to the long lake and the Five Colors Pond as it is too far to walk.
- Pond of the Five Colors (五彩池 or Jade pond). A smaller lake but offers truly unique colors. 6.6 meters deep at an altitude of 2,995 m and with an area of 5,600 sq km.
- Lake of the Grass. The highest in the Rize Valley, covered with lake algae.
- Panda Lake (熊猫海). It has an average depth of 14m and, as the name suggests, is in the heart of the panda country. This 90,000 m2 lake at 2,590 m above sea level is surrounded by bamboo forests and a mixture of deciduous and coniferous forests. In autumn it is a show of colors. The lake is home to many small and curious Songpan carp which are a protected species and forbidden to feed. The water that comes out of the lake forms the Panda Falls, 120 meters high with different terraces and whose waters fall into the Lake of the Five Colors.
- Lake of the Five Colors (五花海). At 2,472m and only 5m deep it is referred to as the soul of Jiuzhaigou. Its shallow cyan colored waters provide the visitor with an exceptional display of bottom sediments which contain trees, bushes and leaves in a great variety. Its waters flow through the "Peacock River", locally considered the shortest and most beautiful river in the world, to one of Jiuzhaigou's most attractive waterfalls, the "Pearl Bank Falls".
- Mirror Lake. The name derives from the extraordinary reflective capacity of its crystal clear waters. The lake at an altitude of 2,410m is located in a sheltered part of the valley that runs east-west and which produces its reflective and glassy surface, which appeared in the Zhang Yimou Hero film. Its waters flow out through a series of ponds to one of the park's main attractions, Nuorilang Falls.
- Nuorilang Waterfalls (诺 日 朗 瀑布). They are located, at an altitude of 2,365 m, at the intersection of the Zechawa, Rize and Shuzheng valleys. The best thing to see from the Shuzheng Valley Road is the 250m wide veil of water that gushes from the thick shrubs and bushes of Rize Gully to fall 24m into a small ravine below the road.
What to do
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Other projects
Wikipedia contains an entry concerning Jiuzhaigou Valley
Commons contains images or other files on Jiuzhaigou Valley
