ONE OF A KIND AUTUMN PARADISE IN THE WORLD

Jiuzhaigou (northern Sichuan, China), which means valley of 9 Tibetan villages, is known as “paradise on earth” with spectacular vistas like beautiful paintings. It has attracted a lot of crews coming to make many famous movies such as Journey to the West (1986), Hero (2002), Hero of the Condor (2006) …

108 crystal clear emerald green lakes are surrounded by white snow-capped peaks with elevations of from 2,000 to 4,000m, Jiuzhaigou is a UNESCO world cultural heritage in 1992, the World Biosphere Reserve in 1997,  in the category 5A of China – landscapes that highly need protecting.

1. The most beautiful season in Jiuzhaigou

In each season, Jiuzhaigou has its own beauty. In summer (from June to late August), it is covered by the green that stretches to horizon. In winter (from late October to mid March) it is covered by the white that makes you feel like being lost in a romance fairy woods with frost and snow. Spring (from mid March to end of May) is the time for trees to bud after snow has melted.

For many visitors, the most beautiful season is late autumn in October (from 15/10 – 31/10). This is the time when immense green forest turns yellow and red, contrasting with the clear turquoise lakes.

2. How to travel?

There is no direct flights or car from Hanoi / Saigon to Jiuzhaigou. The most popular way is to fly to intermediate city – Chengdu, capital of Sichuan Province. Then catch a bus or book domestic flight to get there. Buses from Chengdu to Xinamen downtown bus station or Chandianzi bus station usually run for 10 hours, starting at 8h00 or 8h30.

Or from Hanoi, you can also catch a bus to Nanning, China for  500,000VNĐ. Then from Nanning, you can buy domestic air tickets to get there.

3. Where to go in Jiuzhaigou?

If you don’t have much time to visit all destinations of Jiuzhaigou, then come to the most prominent places.

The first to mention is Pearl Waterfall – this is where Tang Monk and his students went by in the movie “Journey to the West” that makes this place become very famous.

Five-Color Pond: Although the lake is the smallest but one of lakes that have most spectacular sights. In this place, you can take pictures with Tibetan traditional costumes which is very romantic.

Reed Lake: is the swamp with reeds and is about 1.375m long. It is surrounded by zig zag turquoise stream. Here comes the especial contrast in the fall when reeds turn yellow.

4. Jiuzhaigou’s specialties

In Jiuzhaigou, you can choose an accomodation among many hotels and guest houses with diverse prices and services. Try some dishes that are much preferred such as:

Yak beef: Made from yak, a cow species that lives in the south of the Himalayan region of Central Asia, including Tibet plateau and stretching to the north to Mongolia. This kind of meat is very tender and tasty with distinctive flavor. It is processed in several ways: stew, dry or spicy. Each stall always has a small area  for visitors to sample.