Live Your Best Lives
This is a May 2021 edition of the Jiuzhaigou travel guide, from the perspective of tourists, the author provides the most detailed Jiuzhaigou travel guide to donkey friends, including pre-departure preparations, route arrangements during the trip, and some travel suggestions.
It should be noted that as a national 5A-level scenic spot and a world natural heritage, Jiuzhaigou has developed a variety of tourism forms, including ecological tours, Tibetan tours, photography tours, etc. For these niche travel methods, the author has not done in-depth research and does not dare to speak falsely, so my guide is only used as a choice for ordinary tourists to travel for sightseeing and leisure. 
1. Pre-departure preparations:
1) Overview of Jiuzhaigou
1. Geographical location Jiuzhaigou is located in Zhangzha Town, Jiuzhaigou County, Aba Tibetan and Qiang Autonomous Prefecture, in the southern section of the Minshan Mountains in northwestern Sichuan Province, and is located on the northeast side of the Gonggan Ridge in the southern section of Minshan. More than 400 kilometers away from Chengdu, it is a large tributary of the source of the Baishui River in the upper reaches of the Jialing River in the Yangtze River system.
2. The origin of Jiuzhai The name of Jiuzhaigou comes from the nine Tibetan villages in the scenic area (Shuzheng Village, Zechawa Village, Heijiao Village, Heye Village, Panya Village, Yala Village, Jianpan Village, Rexi Village, and Guodu Village), and these nine villages are also known as "Heyao Jiuzhai". Because the Tibetans of the nine villages have lived here for generations, it is called "Jiuzhaigou".
3. Introduction to the scenic spot Jiuzhaigou The scenic spots of Jiuzhaigou are formed by three main ditches: Zechawa Ditch, Rizegou and Shuzhenggou, forming a "Y"-shaped distribution, with a total length of about 60 kilometers.
The right branch of the "Y" shape is Rize Ditch, which is the most important and essence scenic spot area in Jiuzhaigou, with primeval forest, fragrant grass sea, swan sea, arrow bamboo sea, arrow bamboo sea waterfall, panda sea, panda sea waterfall, five flower sea, peacock river, large and small golden bell sea, pearl beach, pearl beach waterfall, mirror sea, and nuorilang waterfall.
(Note: At present, the scenic spot is only open to Wuhua Sea, Pearl Beach Mirror Sea, and Nuorilang Waterfall on the right, and the rest have not yet been repaired.)
Theleft branch of the "Y" shape is Zecha Wagou, the main attractions are Changhai, Colorful Pond, Upper Seasonal Sea and Lower Seasonal Sea, of which the upper and lower seasonal seas are seasonal seas, sightseeing buses do not stop, and the walking distance is too far.
Below the "Y" shape is Shuzhenggou, and its main attractions include Rhino Sea, Tiger Sea, Shuzheng Waterfall, Shuzheng Mill, Shuzheng Village, Shuzheng Qun Sea, Wolong Sea, Flower Sea, Shuanglong Sea, Reed Sea and Bonsai Beach.
4. Ticket situation
Jiuzhaigou implements two prices in the off-peak season throughout the year, starting from April 1, The peak season opening time of Jiuzhaigou Scenic Area is adjusted to 8:00 a.m., and the peak season ticket price (ticket 169 yuan/person, ticket 90 yuan/person, scenic spot insurance premium 10 yuan/person) is implemented.
Off-season tickets are generally from November 16 to March 31 of the following year, with a ticket price of 80 yuan and a ticket of 90 yuan per person. If you are just sightseeing, you must buy a ticket, otherwise you will not be able to walk down the whole distance of 60 kilometers in the scenic spot.
But if you drive or walk, that's a different story. After purchasing the scenic delivery ticket, it can be used all day, in fact, there is only a ticket check at the boarding point at the door, and you only need to wait in the scenic spot.
2) Arrival method
1. Airplane
Jiuhuang Airport is located in Chuanzhusi Town, Songpan County, Aba Prefecture, Sichuan Province, and is the air traffic hub of Jiuzhaigou and Huanglong, a world natural heritage site, 88 kilometers away from Jiuzhaigou Gully, an hour's and a half drive away. Jiuhuang Airport is a plateau airport, one of the three major plateau airports in China, and after arriving at the airport, the airport passenger transport company has shuttle buses directly to major scenic spots.
After arriving at Jiuhuang Airport by plane, tourists and friends have to transfer to a passenger car to reach Jiuzhaigou Scenic Area. At the same time, you can also take a direct bus to Huanglong, Munigou, Hongyuan Wache Township, Ruoergehua Lake, Jiuqu Yellow River First Bay and Chuanzhu Temple at Jiuhuang Airport, the details are as follows:
2. At
present, you can choose Chengdu, Gansu and Mianyang to go directly to Jiuzhaigou by bus, please choose the best place according to the departure place and time.
1) Chengdu direction: Chadianzi Passenger Station and Xinnanmen Passenger Station have shuttle buses to Jiuzhaigou, Xinnanmen Passenger Station is located on Xinnan Road, Jinjiang District, the departure time is 7 o'clock in the morning, directly to Goukou; Chadianzi Passenger Station is located in Section 5 of the West Third Ring Road in Jinniu District, with a fast highway, and the bus stops at Zhangzha Town and goes directly to Jiuzhaigou County. Specific route: Chengdu (Chadianzi/New South Gate) - Wenchuan - Maoxian - Songpan - Jiuzhaigou
2) Gansu direction: Lanzhou, Gansu Province has shuttle buses to Jiuzhaigou every day: Lanzhou Automobile Center Station at 7:30 a.m., East Bus Station at 8:00 a.m., South Bus Station at 8:45 a.m. Specific route: Lanzhou - Linxia - Cooperation - Luqu - Ruoerge - Chuanzhu Temple - Jiuzhaigou
3) Mianyang direction: The direct bus from Mianyang to Jiuzhaigou sits at Pingzheng Bus Station, there are three flights a day, only two flights arrive at Jiuzhaigou Scenic Area, and the other bus goes to Jiuzhaigou County, so be sure to ask about the destination when buying tickets. The bus will take a break to eat on the way, so it is recommended to prepare snacks. Specific route: Mianyang - Jiangyou - Pingwu - Jiuzhaigou 
>3) Pre-departure equipment
1. Rain gear
Jiuzhaigou is a high-altitude mountainous and forest area, so the climate is changeable and there are often showers. When the wind is strong, umbrellas are useless, so there will be vendors selling ponchos and shoe covers at the entrance of the scenic spot, and you can bring your own before traveling.
2. Dry food
The entire scenic spot, only at the intersection of "Y", Nuorilang Center Store, has shops, can provide lunch, and at the same time, it is also the only smoking point in the scenic area. There is also only one restaurant, offering a buffet lunch of 60 yuan per person. It is recommended that tourists bring their own dry food, otherwise if they cannot make it to the restaurant during meal time, there will be no other supply points in the scenic spot. 
3. Cold-proof clothing
Now the temperature difference in Jiuzhaigou throughout the day, can be more than 20 degrees in a day, when you first enter the scenic spot in the morning, it is very cold, on the top of the mountain of Changhai, There is still snow to this day. By noon, when it is hottest, it can be more than 20 degrees.
But because it is at high altitude, if a cloud drifts in at this time, the temperature will plummet again. It is recommended that you bring a jacket that is cold and rainproof, easy to put on and take off, otherwise shawls are also sold at the entrance of the scenic spot, but they are not sold in the scenic spot.
4. Comfortable shoes
Although there is a scenic delivery, it is a point-to-point pick-up, and the tour of the scenic spots is all by walking, I walked more than 35,000 steps on the day I entered the scenic spot, and my legs were broken.
4) Recommended accommodation
Accommodation in Jiuzhaigou is divided into two situations, one is to live in a village outside the scenic spot, and the other is to live in a village in the scenic area.
1. If
you are not in a hurry in the scenic area and want to slowly visit the natural scenery in Jiuzhaigou and have a quiet journey, then you can live in the village of Jiuzhaigou.
However, it should be noted in advance that there are no standardized hotels in the village, and they are all homestays converted from private houses in the village, so the accommodation conditions cannot be too high.
second, the tourists disperse at night, and there are no entertainment activities in the village, so you can live a healthy life of going to bed early and getting up early.
Thereare also advantages, and now Jiuzhaigou implements a one-day ticket, so if you want to play for two days, it is more cost-effective to live in the village.Otherwise, if you re-enter the scenic spot the next day, you will have to buy tickets + tickets again, which is equivalent to buying less tickets + tickets for the next day.
2. Outside the scenic spot
Exit the Jiuzhaigou Scenic Area, walk two or three hundred meters to the left, and you can reach the village. The nearest standardized hotel is the Holiday Inn, and there are also some fast food restaurants downstairs. Continue walking further and you will reach the center of the village, where there are supermarkets, shops, hotels, B&Bs and more choices. It's just that all the supplies are brought here from outside, so the price is slightly higher.
If it's just an ordinary sightseeing tour, or you're short on time, and you can only stay in Jiuzhaigou for one day, then I suggest you stay at the entrance of the village outside the scenic spot. After all, the facilities are better, there are more entertainment activities, and it is convenient to catch the car the next day.
2. Route arrangement
1) Due
to the relatively tight time of the day, it is recommended to leave early in the morning to enter the scenic spot. The whole tour must be carried out by sightseeing car + walking. The specific route is as follows:
[Morning] Mizokou → Changhai (8:00-9:00 by sightseeing bus, about 30 minutes by car, tour time 30 minutes)
Changhai → Colorful Pond (9:00-9:15 15 minutes walk, tour time 15 minutes)
Due to the lack of water in the upper season sea and the next season sea, it is recommended to take a car directly back to Nuorilang Center Station after visiting the colorful pond.
Wucai Pond → Nuorilang Center Station (9:15-9:30 by sightseeing bus, about 30 minutes)
Noorilang Center Station → Wuhuahai (9:30-10:10 transfer to sightseeing bus, about 10 minutes by car, tour time 30 minutes)
Wuhuahai → Pearl Beach (10:10-11:00 walk about 20 minutes, tour time 30 minutes)
Pearl Beach → Jinghai (11:00-11:40 walk about 10 minutes, Tour time 30 minutes)
Jinghai → Norilang Quhai (11:40-11:55 transfer to sightseeing bus, about 5 minutes drive, tour time 10 minutes)
【Noon】Nozhilang Qunhai → Norilang Central Station (11:55-13:30 Nuorilang Restaurant Meal, 1.5 hours of dining and rest, you can see the Norilang Waterfall).
[Afternoon] Rhino Sea → Nori Lang Center Station (13:30-14:20 by sightseeing bus, about 30 minutes by car, tour time 20 minutes).
Rhino Sea→ Tiger Sea→ Shuzheng Waterfall→ Shuzheng Millhouse→ Shuzheng Village→ Wolong Sea→ Shuanglong Sea (14:20-15:30 walking + car, about 1 hour tour time)
Friendly reminder: From Rhino Sea to Shuanglong Sea, there are two roads around these lakes, one is the road, the other is the plank road along the valley, the scenery on both sides is slightly different, the road can take pictures of the valley, and the plank road can take pictures of the close-up view of the lake.
Shuanglong Sea → Bonsai Beach (15:30-15:50 by sightseeing bus, about 10 minutes by car, tour time 10 minutes)
Bonsai Beach → Zaru Temple (15:50-16:30 by sightseeing bus, about 10 minutes by car, tour time 30 minutes)
Zaru Temple → Gokou (16:30-16:40 by sightseeing bus, about 10 minutes by car).
two) two-day tour As mentioned above, now Jiuzhaigou implements a same-day ticket reservation system, if you want to enter the ditch for the second time, you need to buy a new ticket, it is recommended that you live in the village on the first day, Skip the hassle of getting in and out of the city.
As for the itinerary, it is even more comfortable.It is recommended to try not to do strenuous exercise on the first day, so the first day is the adaptation period, the main tour is Zawagou and Shuzhenggou, and the second day is mostly hiking, mainly visiting the essence of Jiuzhaigou.
【Day 1】Mizoguchi → Wuhuahai → Pearl Beach→ Jinghu → Norilang Center Station→ Norilang Waterfall→
accommodation【Day 2】Accommodation→ Changhai → Colorful Pond→ Nuorilang Center Station→ Rhino Sea→ Shuzheng Waterfall→ Shuzheng Qun Hai→ Shuanglong Sea→ Reed Sea→ Bonsai Beach→ Zaru Temple→ Goukou
< img src="https://dimg04.c-ctrip.com/images/0103w120008ml78hjA94D_W_671_0_Q90.jpg?proc=autoorient" />
3. Must-see attractions
1) Changhai
Changhai, 3,060 meters above sea level, about five kilometers long, more than 600 meters wide, with an area of 930,000 square meters, is located at the end of Zecha Valley. The peaks next to Changhai are covered with snow all year round, surrounded by forests and emeralds, standing on the Changhai Observation Deck, the blue sky and white clouds, the snow on the peaks are in full view, and it feels that the mountains and the sky are connected to each other, there is no distance, which is also a major landscape of Changhai. When I went, there was still snow on the snowy mountains, which was very beautiful, and when I went out in the morning, I must bring thick clothes.
2) The colorful pond
is1 kilometer down from the long sea to the colorful pond, which is 2995 meters above sea level. It is 6.6 meters deep and is hidden in a deep valley under the highway. Although the colorful pond is the least exquisite among the seas of Jiuzhaigou, its colors are the most colorful, comparable to the sea of five flowers.
Thecolorful pond is extremely clear, through the pool water, you can see the stone patterns on the rock surface at the bottom of the pool, due to the color difference of the sediment at the bottom of the pool and the different colors of the plants on the poolside, the originally blue lake surface becomes colorful. It is the essence of Jiuzhaigou Lake and the most exquisite sea, known as the Eye of Jiuzhai. In May, the snow-capped mountains have not yet melted, and the water volume is insufficient, so the water level is shallow, which is a slight regret.
3) The sea of flowers
Among the many seas in Jiuzhaigou, the most famous and beautiful is the Wuhuahai, which is rich in changes and has a variety of postures, which can be called the essence of Jiuzhaigou Scenic Area. Jiuzhaigou Wuhuahai is 2,472 meters above sea level, 5 meters deep, and covers an area of 90,000 square meters, known as "Jiuzhaigou a unique" and "Jiuzhai essence", above the Pearl Beach Waterfall, the lower part of Panda Lake is at the end of the upper reaches of the Peacock River in Rizegou.
Looking down from the tiger's mouth viewing point, the sea of flowers is like an open-screen peacock, colorful, dazzling, and beautiful, this is a real fairy tale world, a legendary color paradise! Many people who bring their own dry food choose to have lunch here. Dining in the green mountains and green waters is very comfortable.
4) Pearl Beach Waterfall Pearl
Beach Waterfall is 2445 meters above sea level, 21 meters high and 162 meters wide, It is a typical combined landscape in Jiuzhaigou, and it is the place where the Tang monk and his apprentice lead horses and wade through the water at the beginning of the TV series "Journey to the West".
Pearl Beach Waterfall is extremely rich in negative oxygen ions, hundreds of times higher than in plain areas, and is known as the "natural oxygen bar". There is a winding plank road on the left side of the rapids, which is the best angle to watch the waterfall and take pictures. Continue east along the plank road in the direction of the rapids to the east side of Pearl Beach. One of the must-check attractions, there are many quick photo spots, as well as group photos of characters and tourists from Journey to the West.
5) Zaru Temple
Zaru Temple is backed by a vein of Cangshan, facing the Treasure Mirror Cliff, with a golden top and red eaves, and five-colored prayer flags praying earnestly in the wind. It is the largest and most famous lama temple near Jiuzhaigou, and it is also a holy place for Bon believers.Known as "Ranwu Gompa" in Tibetan, it was built at the end of the Ming Dynasty and has undergone two renovations, with a strong Tibetan temple color. Zharu Monastery belongs to the "Yongzhong Main Religion", which is the Tathagata Dharma taught by the Buddha Xin Rao Miwo, and is also known as the oldest Xiangxiong Buddhism in Tibet.
The temple covers a total area of more than 100 acres and a construction area of more than 20,000 square meters, of which the landmark building of the temple is the "Yongzhong Laze Pagoda". There are 5 floors, the first floor is the museum, the second floor is the Hall of Manifestation, the third floor is the Hall of Tantra, the fourth floor is the Hall of the Heart Sect, and the fifth floor is the Pagoda of Buddha relics and 108 sets of the Tripitaka "Ganzhuer". I chatted with the lama on the fifth floor for a while, and he introduced me to the situation of the temple and the help of the party and the state for the repair of the temple after the Jiuzhaigou earthquake in 2017.
4. Souvenirs
Jiuzhaigou belongs to the Tibetan area, so the most distinctive souvenir is the Tibetan agricultural and sideline products here. Outside the scenic spot, you can taste authentic food and meals with Tibetan and Qiang characteristics: roasted whole sheep, highland barley wine, butter tea, milk tea, hand-grabbed meat, lamb chops, yak meat, etc., eat, drink and watch performances indoors in the first half of the collection, and dance the bonfire pot outdoors in the second half. 
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