Jiuzhai Valley National Park

Introduction

Jiuzhaigou (九寨沟) or Jiuzhai Valley is a national park situated in the north of Sichuan province. It is bordered by Huanglong National Park. It is thought by many to be China's most beautiful spot inspiring numerous poets over the years. It has not inspired many painters, however. It is said that due to the intensity and sheer amount of colours Jiuzhai Vallley is a photographer's paradise but a painter's nightmare!

Jiuzhaigou is Chinese for "nine village valley", named after the nine local Tibetan villages that inhabit it. It was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1992 and also has UNESCO Man and Biosphere, Green Globe 21 and various Chinese national accreditations.

Geography

Jiuzhai Valley lies at the southern end of the Minshan mountain range, 330 kilometres north of Chengdu. It is part of the Jiuzhaigou County (formerly Nanping County) in the Aba Tibetan Qiang Autonomous Prefecture of northwestern Sichuan province, near the Gansu border. The valley covers 720 km2 and the elevation, ranges from 1,998 to 2,140 metres (at the mouth of Shuzheng Gully) to 4,558-4,764 metres (on Mount Ganzigonggai at the top of Zechawa Gully).

Sights and Activities

Jiuzhai Valley has gained such recognition not only for the spectacular scenery but also for the wildlife that it is home to. The most famous inhabitants are the giant panda, snow leopard, Sichuan golden monkey, Sichuan takin and the red-belly golden pheasant. These are just some of the over 300 species of wildlife in the national park.

Opening Hours

Cost

Getting There

By Plane

Jiuzhai Huanglong Airport (JZH) serves the park as well as Huanglong. The latter is about 53 kilometres from the airport, the Jiuzhai park 88 kilometres (1 hour). There are regular flights to/from Chongqing, Chengdu, Beijing, Shanghai, Kunming and Xi'an.

By Train

By Car

By Bus

Buses from Chengdu take about 10 hours.

By Boat

Eat

Drink

Sleep

Budget

Mid-Range

Upscale

External Links

Jiuzhai Valley National Park Website