Quotient TravelPlanner's Blog

Jiuzhaigou or Jiuzhai Valley is a nature reserve in the north of the Sichuan province in southwest China. It is well-known for its spectacular scenery as well as being the natural habitat to the Giant Panda and Golden Snub-Nosed Monkey.

While mass tourism is increasingly becoming a problem and a threat to the nature park, the landscape, made up of lakes, waterfalls and mountains covering an area of 720 square kilometres is still stunning. With the park’s highest point reaching an altitude of 4,700 metres above sea level, the changing scenery of Jiuzhaigou is dramatic – from grasses and reeds in the lower regions of the valley, to bamboo forests in the middle, to deciduous trees and conifers in the upper ranges of the valley. Adding to the breathtaking sight are the snow-capped peaks of the Min Shan Mountain Range beyond.

The colour of Jiuzhaigou’s lakes vary from blue to green to turquoise, depending on the depths, residues and surroundings. The waters are also very clear and the bottom is often visible even at high depths.

While Autumn is said to be the best time to visit the park, owing to the cool weather, and contrasts of red and gold leaves set against the greys of the bamboo forest and the dark greens of the conifers, all other seasons offer different views and are beautiful in their own right. Winter, for example, offers magnificent sights of frozen lakes and waterfalls.