Jiuzhaigou National Park is a nature reserve in the north of Sichuan, a province in south western China. It is known for its many multi-level waterfalls and colorful lakes, and was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1992. It belongs to the category V (Protected Landscape) in the IUCN system of protected area categorization.
Known in English as Jiuzhai Valley it lies at the southern end of the Minshan mountain range, 330 km (205 mi) north of the provincial capital of Chengdu. It is part of the Jiuzhaigou County (formerly Nanping County) in the Aba Tibetan Qiang Autonomous Prefecture of northwestern Sichuan province, near the Gansu border.
The valley covers 720 km2 (278 sq mi), with buffer zones covering an additional 600 km2 (232 sq mi). Its elevation, depending on the area considered, ranges from 1,998 to 2,140 m (at the mouth of Shuzheng Gully) to 4,558 – 4,764 m (on Mount Ganzigonggai at the top of Zechawa Gully).
The climate is cool temperate with a mean annual temperature of 7.2 C, with means of -1 C in January and 17 C in July. Total annual rainfall is 661 mm, 80% of which occurs between May and October.
How to save money?
(1). Get to Chengdu first. There are buses heading to Jiuzhaigou every day from Chengdu Xinnanmen Bus Station. (the first bus starts at 8:00 am) The ticket price is 94 rmb for one person and you can buy your tickets 2 days in advance. The window seat is better than the aisle seat because you can see the beautiful views from the bus window. The chance for carsickness is lower too. Tel for the Chengdu Xinnanmen Bus Station: (028) 85433609, 85442046. The trip (Chengdu-Jiuzhaigou) is about 438 km and takes 10-12 hours.
(2). When you leave Jiuzhaigou, you can take the bus at the Jiuzhaigou Keyunzhongxin (means bus station for the tourists). The cost is 92 rmb for one person. Available on 6:30 am, 7:00 am, 8:00 am. This bus can take you direct to Chengdu Xinnanmen Bus Station. Tel: (0837) 7739900.
(3). You can choose the hotels or hostels near the entrance of Jiuzhaigou National Park and this will help you to save some money. Lots of people recommend Jiulvjiari and Guibinlou. They are both in a good location and the cost is not high. (Jiulvjiari costs 180 rmb for a standard room and Guibinlou costs 150 for a standard room)
(4). For the transportation, you don’t need to worry at all. There are hundreds of taxi cabs here in Jiuzhaigou and the cost is not high. They can take you to all the hotels or restaurants you want.
(5). There are an Agricultural Bank of China at the entrance of Jiuzhaigou. (near the Tourist Service Center) If you need to find a China Construction Bank, there is one near the Yinxin Hotel.
(6). Admission fee for Jiuzhaigou National Park is 310 rmb (including a 90 rmb bus fee). If you wanna save this 90 rmb bus fee, you will need to walk about 1 hour to the Heyezhai (about 5 km). You can take the free buses then at Heyezhai bus station.
(7). There are some IC telephones at the entrance of Jiuzhaigou National Park and they can help you to make some long distance calls. Your cell phone is good to use too in most places of Jiuzhaigou.