Every color of the Rainbow

Asia » China » Sichuan » Jiuzhaigou
October 14th 2007

Published: October 17th 2007

Edit Blog Post

SF Girl

Jiuzhaigou

I arrived Jiuzhaigou from Songpan after a 3 hour pretty painless ride. I had a hotel booked, but at last minute the hotel/hostel backed out and I showed up to look for a three night stay. A lot of the hotels were fully booked or looked a little suspicious. There are a zillion hotels in Jiuzhaigou. I ended up at Jin Long Harbor for 800 rmb a night, which is a complete rip-off in hindsight. The hotel claims to be a 3* hotel, but it should be like 2.5*. Oh well. It worked out fine and I'm alive. I stayed in Jzg alone that night and visted the park by myself the next day.

I headed out early the next morning and got to the entrance of the park gate at 7:30 am. There was hardly a line! The tickets to Jzg are super expensive: Y220 entry plus Y90 for the mandatory bus ticket. However, the entrance fee is for 2 days. However, the cost of the ticket is well worth it.It started to snow during the morning and I was freezing and a lot of the scenic spots were too snowy to see. I was a little disappointed but

Jiuzhaigou

This is 5 color pool in Jiuzhaigou. The water is a unique aqua color - very stunning. The water is so so clear too!

headed down the mountain and where it was clearer and got to enjoy the breath-taking scenery. Absolutely beautiful. The colors of the lakes at Jiuzhaigou are unbelievable. Green and blue colors, and drinking-water clear. The fall colors of the leaves were reds, oranges, browns, and greens. Up in the mountains there was snow and it made the scenery different. Absolutely charming. I was captivated by the trees and mountains as much as the lakes and pools. The park itself is pristine - truly beautiful.

I will go back to Jiuzhaigou one day. It is definitely one of the most beautiful places I've ever seen. There are thousands of people at the park, but if you take the back paths, there are fewer people. Most of the tourists ride the bus from point to point and just snap pictures at each scenic viewing point. The walks through the back path makes the park so peaceful and really special. The pictures don't do justice - my pictures don't capture all the mountains, multi-colored trees, fresh air, striking colors of the water, etc.

A friend (M) from Shanghai met me in Jzg that evening and we walked through the park together

Jiuzhaigou

Liked the autumn colors and reflection. The water was so still.

the next day. For some reason, the park was much more crowded that morning (7:30 am). The ticket line was an absolute nightmare - pushing, shoving, unorganized lines, yelling. It was totally horrible. Kind of an unpleasant way to start out a morning. However, the weather was perfect the second day and even more beautiful. I loved it. I would love to see the park again in the spring and hike the entire valley (40+km). We had a great time together! I must of said the phrase "ahh, so pretty" at least 20 times.

Additional photos below

Photos: 18, Displayed: 18