Jiuzhaigou Travel Guide

Jiuzhaigou County is located in Aba Tibetan and Qiang Autonomous Prefecture, about 450 kilometers (280 miles) north of Chengdu, the capital of Sichuan Province. Its neighboring areas are Qinghai, Gansu, Shaanxi, Hubei, Hunan, Guizhou, and Yunnan Provinces, Tibet and Chongqing. The major residents here are Tibetan, Qiang, Hui and Han. Covering an area of 5,290 square kilometers (2,042 sq mi), Jiuzhaigou is a piece of high altitude karst land featuring calcareous tufa shoals, waterfalls, stepped lakes, high mountains and forests. 

Water is the soul of Jiuzhaigou - lakes, springs, waterfalls, streams, rivers and shoals, running fast or slow, can all be seen here. Illuminated by snow-capped peaks, blue sky, red leaves, and green trees, they seem colorful and fascinating. 'You will not wish to see any other mountains after returning from Mt. Huangshan, and to see other rivers from Jiuzhaigou' - the saying tells all.

 Legend 
Established during the Qin Dynasty (221 - 207 BC) and renamed to Jiuzhaigou County in 1998. The name Jiuzhaigou originates from a beautiful legend. It is said that the deity master of all living things had 9 pretty, kind, clever and brave daughters. They rose above the sky of the 10 snow-clad peaks, and saw the snake devil poisoning the water, which killed many humans and animals. After defeating the devil, the girls stayed in this beautiful place and married 9 Tibetan men, and generation after generation 9 tribes were formed in 9 villages. Hence the name Jiuzhaigou, meaning 'Nine-Village Valley' in Chinese.

 Climatic Feature 

Cool temperate, damp and cold on the high mountain slopes and cool and dry in the valleys. Average annual temperature is 7.2 degrees Centigrade. Vibrant spring temperature ranges from 9 to 18 degrees Centigrade; the temperature of stable summer is 19 to 22 degrees Centigrade; fall temperature from 7 to 18 degrees Centigrade; and winter temperature under zero. 

Jiuzhaigou in mid and late October is the most spectacular, when the scenery is changeable; while in early summer or winter it is also filled with different charms. Especially in winter, it looks quite spectacular with ice and snow. The Southern Ice and Snow Festival of Sichuan also known as the Ice-waterfall Tourist Festival of Large Jiuzhai, is also held during January and February, when many ice or snow related activities are performed in Jiuzhaigou. But if you go there for the first time, autumn is better.

 Transportation
Almost all tourists choose to visit Jiuzhaigou from Chengdu. Two choices are available here: by bus and by air. Jiuzhai-Huanglong Airport is located in Chuanzhusi Town of Songpan County, 83 kilometers (52 miles) away from Jiuzhaigou. The flight from Chengdu lasts about 45 minutes, and it takes about 2 hours to get to Jiuzhaigou from the airport by bus. The flight may be cancelled during the winter, so it may be wise to have flexible plans during this time. For transport by bus, there are two routes: 

 Chengdu - Dujiangyan - Wenchuan - Mao County - Songpan - Jiuzhaigou; with attractions like Dujiangyan Irrigation Project, Qingcheng Mountain, Diexihai Lake; 440 kilometers (273 miles).
 Chengdu - Wenchuan - Li County- Hongyuan - Waqie - Yuanba; with attractions like Hongyuan Grassland, 'Rope Bridge' of Qiang people, Tibetan villages, Miyaluo Scenic Area; 740 kilometers (460 miles), better road condition.

You can combine the two when traveling, coming by the first convenient one and returning by the second attractive one. 

 What to see: Jiuzhaigou Valley Scenic Area