My Beloved Jiuzhaigou

Every morning and afternoon, there are bullet trains from Chengdu to Zhenjiangguan Town. After getting off at Zhenjiangguan Town, you can take a bus directly to the hotel at the foot of the scenic area. Overall, the transportation is relatively convenient. The Chengdu-Zhenjiangguan trip takes 1.5 hours, and Zhenjiangguan to the scenic area takes 3 to 3.5 hours, with a total travel time of about 4 to 5 hours. The bus ride may pass through midday, so you can buy two hot corn cobs for 5 yuan each before boarding. It is recommended to buy disposable raincoats in advance; here and all the way to the scenic area entrance, they cost 10 yuan each. Additionally, the bus will experience altitude changes, which may cause mild altitude sickness. (The return trip is the same: bus to the town and then intercity train or direct flight.)

This is the highest point along the journey.

2. Accommodation and Dining

We arrived at the pre-booked hotel in Jiuzhaigou on the same day, and the bus would stop along the way according to demand. We stayed at the Four Seasons Fairy Tale Hotel, which was decent. There are many hotels nearby, not too far from the scenic area entrance. Around the area, there are local yak meat hotpot, Tibetan cuisine, and music restaurants. We arrived at the hotel around 4:30 PM, rested for half an hour, then went downstairs to check out the dining options. We chose the Luobulinka Tibetan Restaurant and had the local yak hotpot. The yogurt was good, but there were a lot of radishes.

3. Weather and Clothing

On the day of arrival, it was cold due to rain, so we needed to wear a jacket. Wearing a windbreaker in the rain was not overkill. We hadn't bought a windbreaker before coming, so we bought a 'cheap one', as my companion said, 'For a 40-yuan windbreaker, what more can you expect?' Haha, that cheap one served as our jacket. Back to the point: there are many convenience stores below the hotel selling windbreakers for over 100 yuan, which is acceptable. Their waterproof, warmth, and windproof performance are acceptable. We bought them and wore them directly.

The next day, the weather cleared up. We still needed to wear the windbreaker in the morning and evening. After entering the scenic area, as the sun came out and we walked, our bodies warmed up, and we could change clothes, gradually removing layers.

4. Sightseeing within the Scenic Area

The scenic area mainly consists of three valleys: Shuzheng Valley, Zechawa Valley, and Rize Valley. After entering, you must take the sightseeing bus. The buses have two routes: left and right, going to the highest points (Left Line: Long Lake; Right Line: Primeval Forest). The route is assigned by the scenic area based on crowd and actual conditions.

We went in June and took the Right Line directly to the Primeval Forest. At Panda Lake, some passengers got off, unable to resist the excitement of the scenery. But I advise everyone: you must go to the Primeval Forest. It's a natural oxygen bar. Although the altitude is 3,060 meters, you can't help but take a few deep breaths. It was refreshing. I had slight altitude sickness on the sightseeing bus, but after getting off, a few breaths of oxygen almost made me 'oxygen drunk'. My companion said it felt like the forest from Twilight. Backed by high mountains, there was still a little snow on the mountaintops in June, making one feel relaxed and happy.

Walking down, we arrived at Grass Lake and Swan Lake. Along the way, we enjoyed the grass and streams meeting, with beautiful small flowers and emerald-green small lakes complementing each other. I heard Swan Lake used to have swans, but this time I saw a duck instead.

After Swan Lake, we took the sightseeing bus to Arrow Bamboo Lake. We admired Arrow Bamboo Lake and Arrow Bamboo Lake Waterfall. I wondered if those small plants were arrow bamboos. Past Arrow Bamboo Lake were Panda Lake and Panda Lake Waterfall. Rumor has it that Panda Lake is the favorite lake of pandas.

At Panda Lake, there was also a sightseeing bus stop. Taking the bus downhill, we arrived at Five Flowers Lake. Five Flowers Lake amazed my eyes once again. It was like a clear underwater world, with all kinds of life growing, another ecosystem, pure and full of sediment. It was indescribably beautiful.

Continuing on, we reached Pearl Shoal and Pearl Shoal Waterfall. Pearl Shoal Waterfall is a filming site for the 1986 version of Journey to the West. Looking back from here, you could see even more stunning snow-capped mountains.

By then, it was already past 1:30 PM. The next stop was Mirror Lake, but due to time, we didn't get off. Looking at Mirror Lake from the sightseeing bus, it truly reflected like a mirror. We went directly to Nuorilang Center and transferred to the Left Line bus. We reached the highest point of the Left Line: Long Lake, at an altitude of 3,060 meters. Long Lake is the largest lake in the park, with an agate color, like a huge piece of agate.

Going downhill was the Five-Color Pond, known as the Eye of Jiuzhaigou. It is the smallest lake. Since it was June, the Left Line overall showed signs of drying up, except for Long Lake. So we only visited Long Lake and Five-Color Pond on the Left Line.

After Five-Color Pond, we took the sightseeing bus back to Nuorilang Center and walked to Nuorilang Waterfall. Nuorilang Waterfall is known as the widest waterfall in China. 'Nuorilang' is a transliteration of Tibetan, symbolizing grandeur. Here we could sit and rest while admiring this travertine waterfall. (By then, we had walked over 25,000 steps, and our legs were almost dead.)

After resting, we returned to Nuorilang Center. It was already past 4:30 PM. Along the way back, which was Shuzheng Valley, there were Rhinoceros Lake, Tiger Lake, Spark Lake, Shuzheng Lakes, and Bonsai Shoal. On the sightseeing bus, a guide gave real-time introductions to each spot, telling us where to get off and what attractions there were.

Bonsai Shoal was our last stop. It was already 6 PM. The scenic area closes after 6 PM. We took the sightseeing bus back to the visitor center, and our day trip to Jiuzhaigou ended.

Back at the hotel, we rested for half an hour, then went downstairs for a tomato yak meat hotpot. The sunset in western Sichuan is relatively late. We sat by the window, enjoying the view outside. With a few friends, we talked about the beautiful scenery of the day, reminiscing about the surprising Jiuzhaigou trip.

Jiuzhaigou is the cleanest scenic area I have ever visited, with the most comfortable guides, reasonable prices, and the most beautiful water. It truly lives up to the saying, 'After Jiuzhaigou, no need to see other waters.' The clear lakes are purer than a child's heart, washing away the worldly dross of the soul. Leave your love in Jiuzhaigou and imprint the beauty in your mind. I believe everyone who has walked through Jiuzhaigou will be enchanted by its beauty.