When you travel around such a great country as China, you want to cover as much of the new and unusual as possible. Thankfully there is something there. Not one, not two, but many, many country trips. But there are places that are so fabulous that once you see them, you want more and more. And in such places, China is ahead of the rest. Thrice! I climbed into Tiger Leaping Gorge, visited Lijiang the same number of times. And now, Jiuzhaigou is definitely one of those places. I really wanted to come here again. Especially since the season has changed. A couple of years ago I was here in December, and October is completely different! In general, Jiuzhaigou in the fall (together with Huanglong) is something for which we did not hesitate to buy two domestic flights and spend three days of a precious vacation. Moreover, we still had to somehow wait for our last participant - Olga.

Jiuzhaigou is a classic example of a Chinese tourist site. Almost no one in the whole world knows about him, although even I am trumpeting at full in social networks how cool is that. Perhaps the reason is simple - no one is able to pronounce this name the first time. For the Chinese, it is simple and clear - "Valley of Nine Villages". That is how many settlements were counted here at the time of the opening of the National Park. Strangely, it is believed that Jiuzhaigou was "discovered" only in 1972. Apparently for the "outside world", since it is obvious that the inhabitants of the Nine Villages lived quietly for themselves here and did not discover anything new. I love such stories very much, about "White Spots" in geography. Or at least almost white. The same Valley of Geysers in Kamchatka was discovered only in 1941, and even then its normal exploration had to be postponed until the end of the war.

It turns out that only in 1972 the outside world (and in fact all the same Chinese, but not quite local ones) were amazed at the beauty and began the processes that led to the organization of the National Park and tourism. The first 5,000 tourists set foot on this land in 1984, now, in the tenth years of the 21st century, the number of tourists per year is estimated at one and a half million. Should I speak. that 99.9% of this figure is the Chinese themselves. Jiuzhaigou Airport and the tourist city of Jiuzhaigou soon appeared. The airport is far from the park itself, apparently these are the conditions for the construction of the airport. It takes 1.5-2 hours to drive to the tourist town of Jiuzhaigou. There are no locals in this city. More precisely, there is, a little bit. Employees of the park, hotels, restaurants and more. All buildings in the city are either hotels or restaurants. The city just rages in October, at the peak of the season, and completely dies out in December-January. Exactly what is dying out, at least shoot a post-apocalyptic movie. Nobody here. So it was in the winter of 2009-10, perhaps something has changed, every year there are more and more tourists.

People move from the airport to the city, drink a lot and have fun, and go inside the Park early in the morning. A full day passes there, in the evening they return to the city, drink again and have fun, in order to fly home the next morning. You can’t spend the night in the park, but sometimes. Despite the fact that some ethnic villages remained inside. The park, like all Chinese National Parks, is huge. It is difficult to master it even in a day. But using some rules, this can quite work out:

How to communicate with Jiuzhaigou:

It opens at 7:00. It's better to be there at this time. be there at this time
- Try to go immediately away up (If you understand the names bus routes inside the park, there are several). You just drive to the very end, and then gradually go down the valley. The park is shaped like a Y. Go one way, go down to the intersection, go to the other end, go down and further to the very bottom. Perhaps some key places will be completely deserted in this format.
- Even in this format, the distances are still huge. Therefore, combine buses and pedestrians when descending. For example, on the left branch of the Y-ka, it is better to go up and down. On the lower stick Y-ka - already according to the situation, depending on how much time remains. The park really closes at 18:00, and employees start running around it and urging everyone on. As a result, by 20:00 he is completely free. And most importantly, the buses completely stop running. And as it was written above, there is absolutely nowhere to spend the night there, and at night it is very cold in these mountains. Entrance to the valley at an altitude of 2000 meters, the farthest point of the public - 3100 meters.
- It is better to take food and even water with you. Inside it is expensive, and time is even more expensive - if you wait for it to be cooked in the restaurants of these villages. There are many carts with noodles, snacks - also expensive. And because of the size of the park, sometimes you have to walk a couple of kilometers to the nearest gas station. The Chinese themselves, without exception, drag with them doshiraks and thermoses with boiling water. It's about something.
- Use hiking trails, not bus roads. They usually go on the other side of the lake from the highway. By the way, if the entrance to the hiking trail is closed or fenced, it's worth climbing over and going. Law-abiding Chinese do not do this, which means you will find absolute silence and immersion in the beauty of Jiuzhaigou. They are closed, as a rule, either due to poor condition (on the left branch) or due to icing in winter of wooden paths near the waterfalls. Icing is not terrible, they personally checked it!

There is another unwritten rule. From my own, so to speak, bitter experience. It does not refer to Jiuzhaigou, but to the whole of China. Do not plan your trips to any National Parks and Main attractions that fall on National holidays, especially in the period from about 27.09 to 06.10. At this time, a full vacation is announced throughout the country, dedicated to the anniversary of the founding of the PRC. A billion people are waiting for this long-awaited vacation. to take off and move either to the province to relatives, or on a tourist trip. You can’t get tickets for trains, hotels are overcrowded and you really have to waste time and look for a suitable one, transport inside the parks is packed to capacity and there are constant queues. In Jiuzhaigou, this is not yet felt so strongly, since it is huge, and the great Chinese people simply spread and dissolve in it. But this fact cannot be overlooked, especially for us, who have been in the deserted winter Jiuzhaigou.

Main entrance at 7 am

A Chinese tourist, once in Tibet and adjacent areas, first of all acquires a cowboy hat as a souvenir. And he lights a cigarette. In general, Tibet, and along with it all this Qinghai, the Northwest and West of Sichuan, the mountainous part of Yunnan - purely geographically for the average Chinese - the "Wild West". However, the Tibetans themselves also love pompous hats.

It is difficult to tell about some history of the Valley of Nine Villages, because it is natural object. There is a story, though, and it's pretty straightforward. Some nameless, but very jealous devil forced the goddess Vunosemo to break the magic mirror, presented to her by the handsome Dage (god of war). This mirror shattered into 118 fragments, which later became the lakes of the park. It is the lakes, the color of the water in them, the surrounding vegetation (including at the bottom) that give this area the charm for which Jiuzhaigou Airport receives a day and a half dozen flights from Chengdu, six flights from Xian, five flights from Chongqing, three flights from Shanghai, two flights from Guangzhou, and there seem to be other cities (Beijing for example), but I did not find it. I emphasize once again that there is no large permanent population here, it's all tourists flying!

Full of birds. Fearless. The most different, but at least this one posed

suddenly something red is added

don't forget to meet

There are wooden walkways throughout the park. all day you can never touch the real earth at all

The peculiarity of the park is not only the lakes, but also the trees inside them. Because of the cold water, they keep well.
sometimes it feels like they were specially stuffed there

The play of shadows and light, bushes and water, rocks and moss. Complete chaos and complete harmony. You can take a picture at random and start enjoying it only after 10 months, having seen some kind of beauty that is elusive at first glance.

some memorable photos at the Pearl Falls

our friend, companion and irreplaceable comrade Sergey

We got to the top point of the right branch of Y-ka: "Virgin Forest". To be honest, nothing special: the forest is like a forest. But the flywheel of the tourism industry has already started and the Chinese are clicking the shutters of cameras near each tree. And indeed, it is a little unusual in the reserve of the lakes that some attention is paid to the forest.

Like rivers flowing around trees, paths also flow around them. Not a single tree was harmed during the construction of this attraction.

you can even collect mushrooms

and again rivers, backwaters, lakes and aquatic vegetation:

there are even fish

Panda waterfall.
no pandas have obviously ever been found here (they eat bamboo). But in the most beautiful places in China, they simply cannot do without Panda. panda lake, panda waterfall, panda pavilion, panda viewpiont, etc.

here somewhere it was time for a lunch break (already around noon). Hundreds of Chinese dragged out the doshirak from the bins, sat down along the path and began to dine.

We are packed and moving on. There are so many amazing lakes ahead

this is the very beginning of Five Flower Lake if you go from above.
The meaning is clear - in one lake you can observe five different colors. (Same meaning for Five Color Lake at the top of the second branch). All these colors are somewhere in the range of green-blue, but really different. This is the result of the work of algae, dissolved minerals and just a different angle of view on this lake.

family portrait

the wind whipped up ripples. the sun is at its zenith and is reflected in the water mirror.
apparently not the best best time for observing underwater trees

The TOP places are full of Chinese:

mirror lake. The wind does not allow you to enjoy the mirror, in winter it was much more Mirror
just like in the description that promised "birds flying in the water and fish swimming in the clouds"

1. A couple of Chinese features in one frame. The ubiquitous pandas, penetrating even the painting of buses, the bandage - as a method of combating SARS (or what?), the eternal curiosity of Chinese women for babies.
2. No wonder Petra quickly learned the V gesture that all Chinese take when taking pictures.

This is the highest and farthest lake on the left branch of the Y. Long Lake 3100 meters above sea level.

Sun. Petra likes

If one of the dads does not know yet, then the favorite game of children is flying up to heaven or the ceiling in reliable father's hands. They really just squeal with delight and just rejoice! Although, of course, some aunts listened to some program on the First, where they were told that the baby was getting a concussion like that. So Petrochka gets a concussion 10 times every day. And she is completely happy!

One of the main wonders of Jiuzhaigou: Multi-color lake
multi here is not very multi, but the color is really fantastic. the most that neither is "avatar color"

appears suddenly, through dense thickets

no photoshop needed here. just take a picture and that's it...

with such a pandemonium, a lifeline will not seem completely superfluous here
You can't swim in the lake at all. and I don’t want to at all, the ecosystem looks painfully fragile. it seems to touch it and everything will collapse, become cloudy, become the most ordinary.

What are all the Chinese doing?

some advertising of the First Channel)

it is better to climb a little higher and shoot this avatar lake through a palisade of blushing trunks of autumn trees

By the way, we hoped to see the golden autumn here, in which Jiuzhaigou is especially beautiful. However, it turns out that she will come here a little later. Somewhere in mid to late October.

But since it is still 3000 above sea level, then in the upper reaches of the left stick Y-ka autumn begins earlier and yellowed trees are already visible

On the lower stick of Y-ka, after the two upper ones, neither the strength nor the time is already enough.
But it is here that you understand why Jiuzhaigou is compared to the Plitvice Lakes in Croatia. And vice versa. Only Jiuzhaigou is still several times larger ...

A few words-pictures about the inner villages.
They are definitely Potemkin. A new building, though sustained in a certain style. Still beautiful, because you get into them on a wave of admiration for the nature around. After nature, you can wander a little here. A hint at the Tibetan-Buddhist way of life and way of life. But there is one "but". All prayer wheels spin the other way. Consciously. Maybe that very small percentage of Bon-professing Tibetans lived in these valleys?!

flags are unrealistically huge

so small, but it is already starting to "wind up" karma bonuses

making sweets: crushing cookies, nuts and honey with huge giant hammers

Pandascaps and Pandaindustry! Cows also clung imperceptibly to the pandas. Like black and white

1. Visual confirmation that the rotation of the reels is wrong here. Or more precisely - correct from the point of view of bon. Counter-clockwise
2. Fountain - beverage cooler.

Chinese checkers. not to be confused with mahjong!

the elephant, although an animal and revered, is forced to prop up a stack of firewood in the backyard

somewhere here the village already ends.
Anyway, tourists don't come here.

over the sea of ​​roofs

Prayer drums. They spin with the wind. Or maybe it's birdhouses? Or mobile phones?
It's hard to remember after 10 months what it was, but for some reason I took pictures...

Carvers and painters worked perfectly!

two bears

All these National Parks are full of brides and grooms. But this is not a wedding. This is a special purely Chinese feature, even before the wedding, create a wedding photo shoot. It even turns out to be an anti-honeymoon, when future newlyweds go on a tour of national parks and take pictures, take pictures ... A wedding dress, along with vibrams and typically Chinese North Fake jackets, looks curious. But if a Chinese has already gone out into the mountains, then in addition to a hat, he must also buy in an outdoor store.

Where did we live?

It's hard to believe, but for the first time in my long travel experience, I used Booking.com services only in September 2014. When I booked Zhuo Ma Hostel. Just read in the guide book, I liked it and decided to book. Of course, this turned out to be more expensive than if we were looking for it on the spot, and even more so, the most expensive place in general in all of China, with a minimum of comfort. But I really wanted to live in a real Tibetan village, with all the consequences. The results are positive, I would rather recommend than not (Zhuo Ma, not Booking.com)

The hostess herself is called Zhuo Ma - an amazing grandmother. She even speaks a little English (it’s a pity that her brother (or husband?) Doesn’t speak, who was looking for us at the bus station for three hours, but never found). She is a real authority in this family, a real matriarchy. When we tried to ask something from the English-speaking Chinese guests, everyone just answered: "Zhuo Ma will come, Zhuo Ma will decide." Her sister keeps in tourist city Tibetan cuisine restaurant with a real Lhasa-trained chef. The prices there, by the way, are the same as in a Moscow Tibetan restaurant, but the people are crowded, the waiters dance and sing goodbye. Well, for real. Although the kitchen itself is meager in its definition, but not here.

in the described restaurant, one of the dishes is this: pieces of yak meat and carrots are wrapped in foil like candy. displayed in a vase. pour vodka and set on fire

This is a hospitable hostess

in the kitchen-dining room in the Hostel:

There are places in the world whose beauty is hard to believe until you see them with your own eyes. One of them is the Chinese Jiuzhaigou National Nature Reserve, located in the north of Sichuan province. It is difficult to describe in words all the splendor of the local nature. Those who have visited these places say that they have been in a fairy tale. The park is called both heaven and hell. Paradise is for photographers and hell is for artists. Masters of landscapes are not able to fully convey to the canvas all the riot of colors that is present here.

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For centuries, this remote area was inhabited by Tibetans and the Qiang people. Jiuzhaigou translates as "Valley of the Nine Villages". Seven of these villages are still inhabited. People here have preserved their way of life and traditions, willingly share them with travelers. The bittersweet taste of tea with yak fat, which the local residents have been drinking since ancient times to keep warm, various dishes of national cuisine, will be remembered by visitors to the park for a long time. Handmade souvenirs will decorate the interior and remind you of people living in marvelous natural conditions.

In 1982, 10 years after the official discovery and merciless deforestation, the government declared this area a national park. And two years later it was opened for tourists. The park covers an area of ​​more than 300 square kilometers, and is located at an altitude of 2500m above sea level in the Chinese mountains of Minshan. 60 km of wooden sidewalks have been laid for hiking in wonderful places in the vicinity of wonderful lakes.

national park

Two-thirds of the valley is covered with virgin forests, which are inhabited by various birds and animals. Many of them are listed in the Red Book. Some are found only here. A variety of plants that cover mountains and gorges amaze with their abundance and splendor. Dozens of lakes, each of which is unlike any other, captivate visitors to the core. The water is very cold and rich in minerals. Of the fish, only one species of cyprinids, completely without scales, can live in such conditions. But algae - a great variety, more than two hundred names. Thanks to them, the lakes have different colors. One of them is called “Five Flowers”.

The mountains, some of whose peaks are covered with snow all year round, are reflected in the water and amaze with calmness. Amazing waterfalls conquer with their originality and power.

The park consists of three lowlands forming the letter "Y". They are called Zhije, Zechawa, Shuzheng. Each of them is rich in attractions. In Zhije, the Mountain River, meandering through the gorges, ends up on a huge sloping terrace covered with calcite rapids. It spreads over it in a wide shallow stream. In some places there are islands with bushes and trees. This is the famous "Pearl Shoal", which grows into a grandiose waterfall. Its height is 28m, width is 310m.

Why did the waterfall get its name?

Against the background of such impressive dimensions, it is stunning how the water falls. In a thin layer, along the shallows, breaking into small droplets-pearls, streams envelop round stones, forming a white bumpy surface. Further, the water meets large boulders, also divides into thinner streams and then falls down, still meeting the same turned round stones along the way ... Nebulae and rainbows add a special charm to the spectacle.

In winter, when everything freezes and is covered with snow, everything around especially resembles pearl placers in the middle of a white forest, bewitching with deafening silence from the world of dreams. And in the spring, when the trees are covered with bright greenery, the first flowers bloom, the waterfall wakes up with a new roaring force, fed by melt water.

In the summer, walks here add not only psychological health, but also physical. Karst caves, into which tourists are happy to pass through the streams of water, provide the desired coolness and produce an inhalation effect. A myriad of splashes filled with useful minerals saturate the air with them. Many people specially come here to strengthen the bronchopulmonary system and improve skin condition.

Autumn is a special time for the Jiuzhaigou Nature Reserve. Mixed forests are dressed in clothes of various colors and shades. Photographers from all over the world, professionals and amateurs flock here to capture amazing moments from the life of a wonderful reserve. And the local nature does not disappoint anyone. Any frame, even made at random, is fraught with some kind of unique beauty. Stunning views of this park adorn many exhibitions, websites and just home albums.

What else to see in the park

In addition to the Pearl Falls, there are many magnificent places in the reserve. The primeval forest, which is surrounded by many mountains and abysses, as well as the Sword rock, 500m high. "Grassy Lake", covered with patterns of aquatic plants, "Panda" lake, which strangely combines green and blue colors, very calm "Mirror" lake, reflecting the sky and all the colorful decoration of the forest. "Long Lake", very large and deep, up to 40 meters, in which, according to legend, a monster lives. The mountain of "Four sisters", always covered with clouds, Nozhilan waterfall, Shuzheng, are also known for their unsurpassed color and originality.

The beauty of Jiuzhaigou is extraordinary. This is probably why there are many myths and legends about these places. All of them are as charming as the reserve itself. Here is one of them. Once upon a time, a young man named Dage presented an amazing mirror endowed with magical properties as a gift to his beloved beautiful goddess Vonaosemo. She accidentally dropped it and broke it. More than a hundred fragments scattered across the valley and turned into lakes of amazing beauty. To this day, these lakes amaze with their fabulous views. Locals call them "haizi", which translates as "son of the sea", probably because their colors are not typical for fresh water.

Until recently, the road to Jiuzhaigou was long and perilous. Travelers traveled 10 hours by bus along the road along the Minjiang River, which is dangerous with frequent rockfalls and landslides. Now a small airport has been built in the valley, from which you can get to the reserve in an hour.

B - all the details in our lifehack.

Jiuzhaigou National Park

(Jiuzhaigou Valley), China

world heritage site
Jiuzhaigou Valley Scenic and Historic Interest Area
(Landscape and Historical Landmark Area of ​​Jiuzhaigou)

There are miracles in the world! And one of them is the unreal beauty of Jiuzhaigou 九寨沟 Jiǔzhàigōu Nature Reserve.
It is located in the southwest of China, among the most beautiful mountains Minshan, 330 km north of Chengdu, Sichuan Province. Translated "Valley of the Nine Villages". The territory of the Jiuzhaigou Nature Reserve covers more than 600 square kilometers.
The park got its name from the nine Tibetan villages found in the valley.
The entire valley is filled with beautiful rivers, lakes, and is surrounded by snowy mountains.
The park is considered such an important natural wonder that it has been classified
as one of the representatives of the World Network of Biosphere Reserves..

Jiuzhaigou Valley in China is rich in many beautiful colorful lakes. The locals call these lakes Haiqi, which means Son of the Sea. These lakes also have a glacial origin, the water here is very transparent and visitors to the park can easily see the bottom of these lakes./

The Lake of the Sleeping Dragon, the Lake of the Five Flowers, the Grass Lake - just from the names fanned with oriental mystery and romance, fairy tales of extraordinary beauty begin to appear in the imagination. Not by chance national park Jiuzhaigou enchants every traveler who has come here at least once, and beckons to him again and again. After all, everyone wants to return, even if not for long, to a fairy tale or a beautiful dream.
Due to its inaccessibility, tourism in this region began to develop relatively recently.

In Chinese, Jiuzhaigou literally means "Valley of the Nine Villages". This name, of course, is no coincidence, in the valley there are indeed nine villages inhabited by Tibetans and representatives of the Qiang people. Today, seven of these villages are inhabited and two villages are uninhabited. Farming and animal breeding are prohibited in the valley, therefore locals live off government subsidies, and of course, on the tourists who come to the valley. So here it will not be a problem to buy souvenirs, which are products of traditional crafts, or taste local regional cuisine.
Jiuzhaigou National Park is made up of three valleys: Rijie, Zechawa and Shuzheng. The valleys have beautiful and varied nature, broad-leaved virgin forests inhabited by birds and animals, some of which (such as pandas and golden monkeys) are listed in the Red Book, fast mountain streams and majestic waterfalls. But still, one of the main symbols and the main attraction national park Jiuzhaigou is considered to be of indescribable beauty, multi-colored lakes, of which there are more than a hundred.
The legend says that the lakes are nothing more than a fragment of a mirror that the god Dage gave to his beloved goddess Volo Symo. But, by negligence, the goddess dropped it, the mirror broke into many pieces, and now we have the opportunity to enjoy the beautiful lakes. However, prosaic science explains the transparency of local lakes by the fact that the water contains a high percentage of calcium carbonate.
The largest lake in the reserve is called Changhai, and is located at an altitude of 3000 meters above sea level. Of course, you can endlessly list the beautiful local lakes, but it’s better to come and see everything with your own eyes, namely: Grass Lake, Panda Lake, Sleeping Dragon Lake, Swan or Long Lake (which is more than 2 kilometers long), Five Flower Lake, in which according to legend, the gods wash themselves, and their “make-up” paints the lake in an incredibly beautiful color.
The beauty that awaits the wanderer who has endured the hardships of the way to the national park is difficult to convey in words or photographic film.
Another lake, Uhuahai, which is shaped like a deer's foot, is also associated with a legend. A long time ago, in these mountains, a deer was hunted by a spirit, and the moment the spirit-hunter shot the beast, it turned into a lake.

Another symbol of the Jiuzhaigou National Park is its clear, swift waterfalls falling down the slopes of the rocks and through the trees. It will be difficult for a tired traveler to resist the temptation to admire the falling streams of water, and forgetting about all worries, plunge into the world of nature, under the mesmerizing bewitching sound of water.

Nuorilan waterfall
Nuorilan Waterfall is the widest waterfall located in a valley called Jiuzhaigou. Its waters fall from a height of 20 m, so the spectacle is truly beautiful. The waterfall is one of the six outstanding waterfalls in China. And its name is translated from the Tibetan language as "great and magnificent."
There is a legend according to which once there was no waterfall at this place, but there was a terrace. And when the famous monk Jarmoda returned from long journeys, he left on this terrace parts of the mechanism that are used for spinning. The girl Royi, who was not only beautiful, but also very smart, immediately understood how to use these mechanisms and began to teach her sisters how to spin.
But the envious Luozha thought that Royi was doing something evil and destroyed the mechanism. But the stream of the spring broke Luozha against the rocks. And there was a waterfall. The Nuorilan waterfall is a truly magnificent sight, because it is located immediately between two gorges. And in the light of the sun, especially at sunrise, the waterfall plays with all the colors of the rainbow, which makes this place a truly magical place..

Waterfall Pearl

Getting to Jiuzhaigou is not an easy task. Due to its remoteness and isolation, the park is difficult to access. A traveler who is going to touch the local beauties will have to be patient - the journey by bus or car will take about 10 hours of driving along mountain roads. But this, perhaps, not the easiest journey is worth it - the beauty that awaits the wanderer who has endured the hardships of the path is difficult to convey in words or photographic film.

The Jiuzhaigou Valley is made up of three valleys that together form a Y-shape. The Ridze and Dzechawa valleys originate from the south and join in the center, there they form the Shuzheng valley, directed north from the mouth of the valley. The area of ​​these gorges is connected by 55 km of roads for regular buses, as well as by gates and small pavilions. Gati are usually located on the opposite highway side of the lakes, which protects them from destruction by the wheels of buses.

Jiuzhaigou National Park (Chinese: 九寨沟; translated: "Valley of the Nine Villages"; Tib. Zitsa Degu) is a nature reserve in the north of Sichuan Province in central China. Known for its multi-level waterfalls and colored lakes, declared by UNESCO world heritage in 1992.

Jiuzhaigou Valley is located at the southern end of the Minshan mountain range, 330 km north of the provincial capital Chengdu. It is part of Jiuzhaigou County (formerly Nanping County) in the Ngawa-Tibet-Qiang Autonomous Prefecture of Sichuan Province, near the border with Gansu.

The valley covers an area of ​​720 km², the buffer zone of the reserve - another 600 km². The height above sea level ranges from 1998 to 2140 m (at the mouth of the Shuzheng Gorge) and up to 4558-4764 m (on Mount Ganjigonggai at the top of the Zechawa Gorge).

This remote region was inhabited by Tibetans and Qiang people for centuries, but was not officially opened until 1972. Intensive deforestation in the region continued until 1979, when the Chinese government banned such activities. In 1982, the region was declared a national park. In 1984 a government committee was founded and the area was opened to tourism; in 1987, the rules of the national park were formalized. The valley was recognized by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site in 1992 and as a World Biosphere Reserve in 1997.

Since opening, the number of tourists has increased every year, from 5,000 people in 1984 to 170,000 in 1991, 160,000 in 1995, 200,000 in 1997, including about 3,000 foreigners. In 2002, the number of guests was 1,190,000. Since 2004, the reserve has been visited by an average of 7,000 people a day, with the number of visitors rising to 12,000 during the tourist season.

Zhize Valley(日则沟, pinyin: Rìzé Gōu), 18 km long, is the southwestern branch of Jiuzhaigou. It has the most attractions and is usually visited first. On the descent from its top point, you can find the following attractions:

• Primeval Forest (原始森林 Yuánshǐ Sēnlín) protected ancient forest landscape. Surrounded by breathtaking views of abysses and mountains, including the 500-meter blade-shaped rock of the Sword (剑岩 Jiàn Yán).

• Swan Lake (天鹅海, Tiān'é Hǎi) is a picturesque lake 2250 m long and 125 m wide, which got its name because swans and ducks visit it.

• Grass Lake (草海, Cǎo Hǎi) is a shallow lake covered with intricate patterns of aquatic plants.

• Arrow Bamboo Lake (箭竹海, Jiànzhú Hǎi), 170,000 m², is a shallow lake with a depth of 6 m. Lying at an altitude of 2618 m above sea level, the lake was the setting of the 2002 Chinese film Hero.

• Panda Lake (熊猫海, Xióngmāo Hǎi) has amazing combinations of blue and green. Multi-level Panda waterfalls flow from it into several streams, falling 78 m in three steps.

• Five Flower Lake (五花海, Wǔhuā Hǎi) is a shallow multicolored lake whose bottom is criss-crossed with fallen tree trunks.

• Pearl Shoal (珍珠滩, Zhēnzhū Tān) is a wide, slightly sloping terrace with calcite deposits covered by a thin layer of flowing water. The famous Pearl Falls flows from it, which is a curtain of water 28 m high and 310 m wide. The stage for the television production of Journey to the West was filmed here.

• Mirror Lake (镜海, Jìng Hǎi) is a quiet lake that reflects the surroundings when its surface is calm.

Tsechawa Gorge(则查洼沟, Zécháwā Gōu) is the southeastern branch of Jiuzhaigou. Its length is approximately equal to the length of the Zhije Gorge (18 km), but the walls have a greater height (3150 m in the Long Lake area).

• Long Lake (长海, Cháng Hǎi) is the highest, largest and most deep lake in Jiuzhaigou, 7.5 km long and up to 103 m deep. It has no directional flow, is fed by melting snow and loses water due to bottom seepage. Local folklore claims that a monster lives in the depths of this lake.

• The Five Colored Pond (五彩池, Wǔcǎi Chí) is one of the smallest yet most remarkable lakes in Jiuzhaigou. Despite its limited size and depth, it has a rich multi-colored underwater landscape and clear and transparent water.

• Seasonal Lakes (季节海, Jìjié Hǎi) are a sequence of three lakes (Lower, Middle, and Upper) along the main road, emptying and refilling each year.

Shuzheng Valley(树正沟, Shùzhèng Gōu) is the northern (main) branch of Jiuzhaigou. Its length is 14.5 km. On the descent from the intersection of the gorges to the exit from the valley, visitors meet:

• Nozhilan Waterfalls (诺日朗瀑布, Nuòrìlǎng Pùbù), located near the junction of the gorges, are 20 m high and 320 m wide. It is the widest mountain waterfall in China and one of the symbols of Jiuzhaigou.

• Nozhilan Lakes (诺日朗群海, Nuòrìlǎng Qúnhǎi) and Shuzheng Lakes (树正群海 Shùzhèng Qúnhǎi) are chains of 18 and 19 lakes, formed during the glaciers' disappearance and then separated by natural dams. Some of them have folklore names such as the Rhinoceros, the Unknown and the Tiger.

• Sleeping Dragon Lake (卧龙海, Wòlóng Hǎi) is one of the lowest-lying lakes in the area. At a depth of 20 m, it is remarkable for the lime runoff clearly visible at its bottom in the form that is compared to a dragon lying at the bottom.

• Reed Lake (芦苇海, Lúwěi Hǎi) is a 1,375 m long reed-covered swamp with a clear turquoise zigzag channel. A special contrast occurs in autumn, when the reeds turn yellow.

Zazhu Valley(扎如沟, Zārú Gōu) is located southeast of the main gorge of Shuzheng and is rarely visited by tourists. The valley begins at the Buddhist monastery Zazhu and ends at the lakes Red, Black and Daling. The Zazhu Valley is an ecotourism destination in Jiuzhaigou. Open to a small number of ecotourists wishing to hike and camp along the suggested route. Visitors can choose a one-day or multi-day itinerary. Knowledgeable guides guide ecotourists through the valley, sharing their knowledge of the unique diversity of nature and the natural culture of the national park. The Zazhu Valley represents 40% of all plant species growing in China and this the best place in order to admire the wildlife of the national park from the inside. The main route of the trek follows the path of the local Buddhist Benbo pilgrims, bypassing the sacred mountain of Zha Yi Zha Ga, 4,528 m high.

Lovely pool(神仙池, Shénxiān Chí) is located 42 km west of Jiuzhaigou and features travertine pools that are very similar to those of the nearby national reserve Huanglong.

The name Jiuzhaigou (translated as "Valley of the Nine Villages") comes from the nine Tibetan villages along the valley. Seven of them are still inhabited today. Settlements such as Heye, Shuzheng, and Zechawa are available to tourists, serving tourists along the main road with a variety of handicrafts, souvenirs, and food. In the smaller Zharu Valley is Rexi, and beyond the village of Heye are the villages of Jianpan, Panya and Yana. The villages of Guodu and Hejiao are no longer inhabited.

The villages of Pengbu, Panxing and Yongzhu are located along the road that passes through the city of Jiuzhaigou/Zhangzha outside the valley.

In 1997, the permanent population of the valley was about 1,000 people, or about 130 Tibetan families. Since the area is a protected area, agricultural activities are not allowed in it, so the locals live on income from tourism and government subsidies.

One of the most famous features of Jiuzhaigou is its dozens of blue, green and turquoise lakes. The local Tibetan population calls them in Chinese "haizi", which means "son of the sea". The lakes appeared as a result of the blocking of streams originating from the melting of glaciers, rock fragments and other obstacles that were held together by carbonate deposits. The water of some lakes has a high concentration of calcium carbonate and is so transparent that the bottom is often visible even at great depths. Lakes differ in color, depth, bottom sediments and surroundings.

Some of the natural dams and formations have been reinforced artificially and tourists are prohibited from touching lake waters and other landscape features.

Most visitors travel by shuttle bus to the end of the Zhije and/or Shuzheng Gorges and then hike down the walks.

Compared to other frequently visited landscape attractions in China, Jiuzhaigou is difficult to access by land. Most tourists reach the valley after a 10-hour bus ride from Chengdu, following a road along the Minjiang River canyon, which is occasionally prone to rock falls and, in the rainy season, landslides.

Eastern Tibet. Lakes: Five flowers, Mirror, Pandas. Waterfalls: Pearl, Nozhilan. Pearl Shoal.Jiuzhaigou National Park. Lake of the Five Flowers. Mirror lake. Pearl Shoal. Pearl waterfall. Nojilan waterfall.
A not even two months have passed and I am again ready to continue my photo story about the most wonderful, fantastic and fabulous place in China (and not only): Valley of the Nine Villages in the Chinese province of Sichuan. Today I will show what I saw in the second half of the first of 2 days.

Orientation for photo-timeline observers:

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Before I start, I want to show you a map of the park with Russian names and the route that will be "passed" in today's "half of the day". I will also add links to the same map with english and chinese names and one more illustrated map

1. Lake Panda. Here I stopped in the previous "" - from here I will continue. So far I've been lucky. Despite the fact that it was calm here only in the mornings and the sun was already high, the breeze that had already begun subsided and peace and quiet still took place.

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2. And I seized the moment. And I shot and shot .. The clouds were reflected in the water, and it played with various shades from dark blue to bright green. Panda Lake is known for its two-tone blue-green color scheme.

But then the lull ended and the breeze picked up again. Light ripples appeared on the surface of the lake. Eh, to remember this feature while planning the order of lakes, forests and waterfalls - what to watch earlier, what later. The most beautiful lakes (Five Flowers, Panda, Mirror) had to be set at the very beginning of the day, and only then take a bus to the Primordial Forest and go down from there - after all, the wind is not a hindrance in the forest. And then move closer to the Nozhilan waterfall .. It's good that I had one more day left and the next morning I did just that: I started from the Five Flower Lake, and then to the waterfall.

3. But let's not run too far. I will only say that the mountains, the sun and the air were favorable and at times the breeze subsided. And then it was possible to photograph lakes in "full growth". But even with the breeze it turned out well sometimes ..

I would like to note the excellent livability of the Jiuzhaigou National Park. Among other things, the paths there are wonderful and believe it or not - these paths were visually perceived as something "finished" and did not mix in perception with virgin nature in all its beauty. And accordingly, something like that kept me from crossing the "invisible line" and getting off the track. Perhaps here, too, they heard about the theory of broken windows and therefore the park is maintained in an exceptionally impeccable condition: cleanliness and order in the highest manifestation. And it works. After all, the main visitors to the park are the Chinese, and many of them can husk seeds on the floor in the bus, throw garbage anywhere, etc. and so on. We saw - we know. But in the park they behaved "well". It was simply difficult to recognize the Chinese - they seemed to have been replaced. At first I thought there were surveillance cameras everywhere))

5. But why there was no water in this cascade of the Panda waterfall, I can’t understand. Indeed, in others there was more than enough water (I showed the two previous cascades at the end of the previous ""). Some kind of mystery .. Here take a look this waterfall taken at another time.

6. I cheerfully went down the stairs (the height difference between neighboring lakes is 118 meters) and finally ended up near the most beautiful and at the same time mysterious lake of the Jiuzhaigou Valley - Lake of the Five Flowers. I got lucky again and the wind calmed down. The surface of the lake shook the imagination - you can’t say otherwise. The low-hanging shaggy branches of the trees really add to the look, don't they? Where the shadow of the branches falls on the reflection of the sky, the deep blue of the lake water becomes even thicker and it is even more difficult to take your eyes off.. Blue is my favorite color..

The landscape of Jiuzhaigou is formed by high mountain karsts formed as a result of glacial, hydrological and tectonic activities. It is located in a large fault in the mountain range between the Tibetan Plateau and the Yangtze Plateau, earthquakes have also shaped this landscape. Rock formations consist mainly of carbonate rocks such as dolomite and limestone, as well as sandstone and shales. The valley includes a drainage area of ​​three gorges (which are also often referred to as valleys because of their big size) and is one of the headwaters of the Jialing River, part of the Yangtze River system. One of the most famous features of Jiuzhaigou is its dozens of blue, green and turquoise lakes. The locals call them in Chinese "haizi", which means " son of the sea ». The lakes appeared as a result of the blocking of streams originating from the melting of glaciers, rock fragments and other obstacles that were held together by carbonate deposits. The water of some lakes has a high concentration of calcium carbonate and is so transparent that the bottom is often visible even at great depths. Lakes differ in color, depth, bottom sediments and surroundings. Some of the natural dams and formations have been reinforced artificially and tourists are prohibited from touching lake waters and other landscape features. Source: wikipedia

7. Each of the lakes of the Jiuzhaigou Valley is somehow different from all the others, but the Five Flower Lake (五花海 is translated from Chinese as "five-color sea") still stands apart among them.

8. What is the peculiarity of the Five Flowers Lake among the already beautiful mountain lakes with crystal clear water? Maybe a lot of trees that have fallen into the water and created their own unique pattern against the background of a white bottom covered with a 5-meter thick blue water? No, not only that..

9. The lake seems to be divided into five sections of irregular shape. And each of them has its own color - green, blue, orange, golden and even purple. It is unlikely that it will be possible to see all the colors at once "from the ground". That's why I've added "enlargement" extras below this image: amazing photos taken from above by the AirPano team using drones. Take a good look at these pictures and you will see all five colors.

Source: www.airpano.com

In addition, the lake has another inexplicable feature - it never dried up and did not freeze: once Jiuzhaigou suffered a great drought, during which even the full-flowing Panda Lake dried up, but the Five Flower Lake did not dry up. And besides that, Five Flower Lake never freezes, while all other lakes in Jiuzhaigou freeze in winter. Due to the above reasons, the locals are in awe of the mysterious reservoir. Secrets and mystics are added by the fact that many locals claim to have noticed bubbles emerging from the depths to the surface of the lake. Fang Xiao, a professor of geology at Sichuan University, has devoted many years to studying Five Flower Lake. He came to these places with divers, because he really wanted to find out the reason why the reservoir never freezes. He hypothesized that there are hot springs in the lower part of the lake, which provide a constant temperature even in winter and compensate for the lack of rainfall during dry seasons. However, the existence of these hot springs has never been proven. Be that as it may, the lake is unique not only for its magical properties, but also for its beauty. The test carried out showed that the water in the "Lake of Five Flowers" is so clear that it would be possible to view the bottom to a depth of 40 meters, of course, if it were that deep. After much research, Professor Fang and his colleagues have finally found a small underwater cave. The search along the fault line has yielded results. In addition to this cave, several smaller limestone caves have been found. It turned out that the found limestone caves are rich in stalactites, which are usually found in variable zones, they can very rarely be found at an altitude of more than 3000 meters. Scientists measured the angle of inclination of the fault line, which appeared as a result of the earthquake, it was 45 degrees. It turned out that Five Flowers Lake is connected by a tunnel to Long Lake, which is located in the neighboring Tsechawa Valley. Underwater spring water flows into Five Flower Lake through this underwater tunnel. After analyzing the water in the tunnel and in the lake, the scientists found that the concentration of lime in the tunnel is 20 times greater than in the lake. When water passes through the limestone tunnel in spring, a large number of impurities. White sands containing travertine accumulate in the lake in the same way that sands accumulate in a tropical coral sea. Therefore, depending on the concentration of travertine, the algae change color. The professor suggested that, thanks to the accumulation of travertine, a fabulous underwater landscape is born. Source: interest-travel.ru/udivitelnoe-ozero-v-kitae/html

10. Like this unusual lake. And it is unusual not only for its exceptional beauty, but also for all of the above. This same need to what "twisted the plot." It remains only to add the deposit of the largest diamonds at the bottom of this lake or chests with gold coins at worst. And then fse!! oil painting!! Full cape!! :-)

11. It is clear that the beauty and unusualness of this lake attracts photographers in considerable quantities. And when there are a lot of photographers, then according to the laws of statistics, sometimes you can see something like that. So I was lucky to see something unusual .. Just look at this photo unit!

12. Wooden decks and observation decks made of wood fit in quite organically.

13. And again, dress-up rides - they are very popular with the Chinese. In a couple of minutes, after admiring the Chinese beauties in national costumes and photographing them, I went south - then very beautiful waterfalls awaited me.

14. The waters of the Five Flowers Lake flow down the Peacock River. The river is very short, but at the same time it is so beautiful and unusual that it was nevertheless given a name. From it, in turn, amazingly beautiful waterfalls flow. These waterfalls in China are said to be “Pearl of Shallow Water Falls”.

15. This is the Pearl Bank. And again we have to state the fact that it is difficult to see this natural phenomenon in all its glory from the ground level. Once again, wonderful shots from the AirPano team come to the rescue. They're right below this picture - don't forget to check them out.

Source: www.airpano.com

16. Walking along a wooden path laid over the Pearl Bank, I got to a long staircase installed right next to the Pearl Falls (on the east side). It was indescribable! A powerful stream of water made its way down with noise, and this unforgettable view opened up to my eyes! Blue sky, autumn colors, pearl strands of a waterfall.

17. The width of the Pearl Falls is more than 300 meters, and the height is 28 meters. Over the course of many millennia, a shoal was deposited here with crystals of calcareous tufa sticking out above the water. Water finds its way among thousands of "shark teeth" - many small rapid jets are formed. The streams running along the shallows sparkle with splashes of water, like pearl strands, and then fall down like pearl jets.

18. The day was drawing to a close and I hurried south again. I still remember that the view of the Pearl Falls, the proximity to such a beautiful and so powerful natural phenomenon just stunned me. And by the way, what's next beautiful place that I saw was Mirror Lake. The seething emotions gradually subsided. This is a very calm place. It was quiet there, and by the end of the day there were much fewer visitors in the park. There was no wind and Mirror Lake showed what justifies its name.

19. In a quiet backwater nearby, I took a good look at another local sign. And where else can you see such static natural elements, where grass, shrubs and two young trees grow on a tree that fell into the water a long time ago? This log froze, as if in weightlessness .. Without touching the bottom, at least in the frame. There, behind the scenes, something keeps him, of course .. But this creation of nature is wonderful, whatever one may say)

21. The day was drawing to a close. And as it happens in the mountains - the blue sky with white fluffy clouds was replaced by dense gray clouds. In the meantime, I reached the Nozhilan waterfall. The Tibetan word "nozhilan" means a male spirit, it is also used in the derivative meaning tall and tall.

There are 17 waterfalls in the Jiuzhaigou Valley. Most of them can be classified as "delicate waterfalls". There is no huge height and a cloud of small spray and sometimes they are broken into several cascades. These waterfalls usually start on gentle slopes, sometimes small lakes block the way to these growing small waterfalls. Many of the waterfalls make their way through the forests, creating a unique picture of "trees growing in the water and water flowing in the middle of the forest." Only 2 of the 17 waterfalls differ from the rest by 30 meters in height: the Pearl and Nozhilan waterfalls. We already talked about the Pearl a little earlier, and the Nojilan waterfall .. This is the widest waterfall of all the waterfalls, not only in the Jiuzhaigou Nature Reserve, but throughout China. With a waterfall width of 320 m, the height of the water fall reaches from 20 to 30 meters (the estimates given in various sources vary, but I myself did not measure). It is not surprising that the Nozhilan waterfall has become a symbol of the Jiuzhaigou protected area.

22. In the center of the waterfall, many wooden decks are equipped for visitors, as well as Observation deck slightly raised above the ground, but this seemed to me not enough, and the next day I nevertheless "went off the path" and climbed a little higher. But more on that in the next issue.

23. Minutes-hours ticked inexorably and the closing hour of the park was rapidly approaching. From the Nozhilan waterfall I decided to run one more stop, but it was possible to take a bus. That's because the appetite - so much in a day I saw and everything was not enough for me. I didn’t see anything special, only I took this picture, and even then with my phone. Apparently he was in a hurry..

This is how this amazing day in Jiuzhaigou ended. But I had one more day to spare. On this day, I made more correct proper planning and early in the morning went to myself beautiful lake. It was something unimaginable. More on that in the next issue. Stay tuned my friends!

PS: in this photo report, in addition to my photos, I used 4 pictures taken by the AirPano team. The guys did a great job and made 19 wonderful aerial panoramas in the Jiuzhaigou Nature Reserve. I recommend .

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