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Published: August 7th 2007
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Introduction JiuZhai Gou is only 35 minutes away from Chengdu by flight. From the airport to the entrance is another 1.5 hr car ride. This is the best conserved national park so far in China. It's been said that you don't need to look at any water any more after you visit JiuZhai. While it might not all be true, it really says something about how clear the lakes and streams are in JiuZhai. There are waterfalls everywhere, from the happily singing little ones in the forest to the thundering big NuoRiLang fall. The algae in the lake give the water variable shades of blue and green. Lots of fallen logs in the lakes. The water is so clean that the logs never rot. A truely unique phenomenon.
We were also amazed at how well the park has been managed considering this is China. The shuttle buses take you to the three main attractions in the park (the route is a big "Y" shape). Schedule is frequent enough. A little bit of pushing and shoveling are required to get on. Signs are everywhere and well made. There is a tour guide on every bus. In general, they seem nice and
are willing to answer all kinds of park related questions, and decent knowledgeable, an obvious sign of proper training. Bathrooms are almost everywhere yet not too gross. Lots of trash recycling stations. Trails are well built. Overall a golden stardard of the Chinese national park system.
What to do in the Park There are three main attraction area in the park (check out the map picture): ShuZheng (bottom of Y shape on the map), WuHua Hai, Pearl Shoal et al (the right side of Y), and Chang Hai (the left side of Y). The first two attractions are must sees.
The left side of Y has much less scene: a small seasonal lake, a larger one, a colorful little pond, and the Long Sea at the end. The Long Sea is the actual water source of JiuZhai. That is why the water here is so clear since it is all underground spring water rather than the glacier melt water which ususally gives it a milky bluish color. You can ride the bus all the way to Long Sea, get off, see the nice panoramic view, and ride the bus back to NuoRiLong.
The right side of Y is
the most crowded area. We rode the bus from NuoRiLong all the way to the end (The Forest), which there is really not much to see if you've been to the Red Wood Forest in California. Then we rode down to JianZhuHai (the panda bamboo lake). From there we walked all the way back to NuoRiLang. This is about 10 km (6 miles), took us 3 hours. The trails are well built, but there were so many people, it was hard to get by from time to time. Also, we stopped frequently to take pictures, which turned out to be time well spent. It is best to ride the bus up and walk your way down, since there are more bus stops for down-going direction than up.
My favorite part is near ShuZheng. This is right at the first bus stop at the bottom of Y. Most tourists just got off the bus, wonder around in the vincinity of 100 yards, took their pictures with the lake and left. We got off, walked our way backwards toward Double Dragon Lake. We started from the left side of the lake, cross over a bridge, then looped back from the other side
of the lake. This turned out to be a very wise move. We saw very few people the whole time. I've never seen streams so happy, water so clear, and trees so amazing. They grow from the little islands right in the middle of the running streams. Wonder how they planted their root in the first place.
Be aware that the park closes fairly early even in summer. We stayed till 6:30 and the park ranger literally escorted us out of the park. He said we were the last ones left on trail at that time. It was nice to be able to take pictures without having to avoid somebody's head. If only you know how many people were in the park that day. And this is not even the busies time of the year. We will definitely come back in the future, preferrably in fall, to catch the foliage and snow capped mountains. JiuZhai is truely a heaven on earth.
Some facts:
1. Transportation
From JiuHuang airport to JiuZhai Gou, most people go with the tour starting from Chengdu. If you are on your own, the cab ride (about 1.5hr to the entrance) is 240
yuan (pretty hefty in Chinese standard). There is a company running mid-size bus, only charge 50 yuan per person. They sell tickets near the arriving gate in the airport. They will take you directly to your hotel door.
2. Fee
Entrance fee 220 yuan, plus 90 for shuttle in summer. Can be used for 2 days. But you have to have your picture taken right after purchasing the ticket. They will print your picture on the ticket so you can use it the next day
3. Weather
Summer is comfortably in the 20oC. T-shirt with a light jacket will do. Cooler in the morning and at night. Snow falls in Oct.
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