Gansu-Qinghai-Ningxia Road Trip (28) "King of Water Scenery" - Jiuzhaigou

Traveling with Ctrip Season 16 - Gansu-Qinghai-Ningxia Road Trip (28) "King of Water Scenery" - Jiuzhaigou Aba, Sichuan September 22, 2023 Overcast to cloudy, 10-19°C, maximum altitude 3,100 m. This is a long-awaited trip, and we have been keeping an eye on the weather forecast for days. The chance of rain has dropped from 80% to 40% to 15%. Thank God for the good weather. Jiuzhaigou, here we come (Photo 1). It is neither a holiday nor a weekend, but the famous scenic area is still crowded with tourists. At 8 am, tourists from all over the world are heading to Jiuzhaigou Scenic Area. Jiuzhaigou Scenic Area (5A) is located in Jiuzhaigou County (Photo 2). It is a World Natural Heritage Site, the first nature reserve in China to protect natural scenery, a national geopark, and a member of the World Network of Biosphere Reserves. It is rich in flora and fauna and has high aesthetic and tourism value. Jiuzhaigou is a valley over 50 km long, named after the nine Tibetan villages in the valley. Jiuzhaigou is known as the "King of Water Scenery" for its six wonders: alpine lakes, waterfalls, colorful forests, snow-capped peaks, blue ice, and Tibetan culture. We entered the park at 8 am and left at 4 pm, spending a total of 8 hours. We took the shuttle bus and walked to visit all three valleys of Jiuzhaigou. The scenery is stunning and a must-see in a lifetime. September and October are the best months to visit Jiuzhaigou, and the park is the most crowded. The autumn colors are starting to show, and the water is rich in color. The waterfalls are magnificent and full of water. The most impressive attractions in Jiuzhaigou Scenic Area this season are: "Five-Color Pond" in Zechawa Valley (Photo 3), "Arrow Bamboo Waterfall" (Photo 4), "Five-Flower Lake" (Photo 5), and "Pearl Shoal Waterfall" (Photo 6) in Rize Valley, "Nuorilang Waterfall" (Photo 7), "Rhinoceros Lake" (Photo 8), and "Sparkling Lake" (Photo 9) in Shuzheng Valley. The weather was overcast to cloudy during our visit, and it was about to rain but didn't, so we had a great time without any regrets. Traveling is hard work. Visiting two important destinations in two days is a big challenge for our physical strength. It is necessary to exercise regularly and build up our physical strength to enjoy the trip. Today we reached the southernmost point of our trip and stayed in Jiuzhaigou County. Tomorrow we will leave Sichuan and head north back to Gansu, to Longnan.