Hi, friends! This week, let me take you to Jiuzhaigou, a dream destination for nature lovers. It’s another stunning place to satisfy your eyes, mind, and soul 🏔️🌿💖
If you read my previous blog about Huanglong, you’ll know I struggled to breathe because of the altitude.
Don’t worry, Jiuzhaigou isn’t as high as Huanglong, so most people don’t experience altitude sickness.
Actually, Huanglong is the northern end of Jiuzhaigou. People who come to Jiuzhaigou will go to Huanglong too because they’re near.
That’s why I wrote about the more difficult trip first before posting this one, hehe! 😉
If you love nature and have a limited budget, both places are good choices because they offer stunning landscapes at more affordable prices than Europe or Canada.
Travelling to Jiuzhaigou, How Much Is It? But I Can’t Speak Mandarin!
My 9D7N Jiuzhaigou trip cost around RM5,000 / 1,050 USD, all-in (same-gender room sharing).
It included return flight tickets (Kuala Lumpur-Chengdu), hotel, meals 3x a day, entrance fees, local guide, Malaysian tour leader, and tipping.
Of course, there were some catches. First, the local guide spoke Mandarin, so on the bus or during the walking tour, I had to stay close to my tour leader to hear the English translation.
But don’t worry. Since both are national parks, you’ll have hours of free time exploring them yourself.
Another catch was the food. Generally, Sichuan food is nice and spicy.
By the way, Sichuan’s level of spiciness is called ‘numb spice’, because the locals use an ingredient that will make your tongue feel numb.
Please note that there aren’t many restaurants near Jiuzhaigou and Huanglong. In addition, getting ingredients at such high places is difficult. Therefore, the food there, in my opinion, is either edible or okay.
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Remember, this is my personal opinion. Maybe my group tour didn’t come to the right places?
In Jiuzhaigou, there’s a buffet-style canteen where tourists usually eat. This is what I had for lunch in Jiuzhaigou:
Normally, in Chengdu, you can eat better Sichuan food in restaurants. For example:
You can join a Muslim group tour if you want an English-speaking guide.
However… if you’re not a Muslim, of course, you want to eat pork when travelling to China, right? How could you miss dong po rou (braised pork belly)???
Dong po rou is a nutritious food full of collagen. Although it looks fattening, it’s slow-cooked thus all of the fat is gone = fibre + protein + collagen + vitamins ✨✨✨
So, which Jiuzhaigou tour do you want to join? The choice is yours! 😊
Also read: “I Almost Died in the Breathtaking Huanglong Scenic Area, China”
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The Best Time to Visit Jiuzhaigou National Park
When is the best time to visit Jiuzhaigou, Tibet?
Yes, Jiuzhaigou National Park is considered to be in Tibet! In addition, Jiuzhaigou (aka Nine Settlement Valley) is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and a World Biosphere Reserve.
Okay the best time to visit Jiuzhaigou, in my opinion, is during autumn, around mid-September.
In mid-September, the colourful autumn leaves blended beautifully with the blue lake and snow-capped mountains.
It’s also the peak season, so the downside is you must wait patiently for your turn to take photos. Remember, it’s mid-September, don’t get there too late!
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I went to Jiuzhaigou the first week of October. I thought it would be okay since I was just a little bit late, but I was wrong. Most of the trees were already bald 🥲🥲🥲
But don’t worry, the scenery was still stunning. Plus, it was less crowded and the tour price was cheaper because it wasn’t peak season.
“Clara, the national park is so huge. What if I wanna go to the toilet?”
Don’t worry! There are many public toilets in Jiuzhaigou, like this:
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The Romantic, Au Naturel Jiuzhaigou
Jiuzhaigou is very romantic! Whether you come alone or with someone special, Jiuzhaigou is a walk to remember.
The weather in early October was already super duper cold, I think it was around 4°C. My hands were dry and freezing.
My Canon DSLR, which was fully charged last night, suddenly had only 1 bar battery after a few minutes of walking in Jiuzhaigou.
I was worried my camera would be damaged, so I put it into my backpack. So, most of the photos that you see in this blog post were taken by my phone.
It was tragic… I came to Jiuzhaigou with my Canon but could only take photos with my phone camera 🤧🤧🤧
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Sun Wukong’s Waterfall, Jiuzhaigou
Sun Wukong/Sun Go Kong/Monkey King is a famous character in the Chinese novel “Journey to the West”. The story is very popular hence it’s made into a movie.
One of the filming locations is this waterfall, in Jiuzhaigou. That’s why some people cosplayed as Sun Wukong and his friends there. If you want to take photos with them, you need to pay.
When I was a kid, I watched “Journey to the West” series on TV every evening. After I returned from school, I would have lunch, took a nap, studied for a while, then watch the series.
Thank you for making my childhood full of laughter, Sun Wukong!
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Passing By a Tibetan Village in Jiuzhaigou
On the way to the bus station, I passed by a Tibetan village in Jiuzhaigou. I didn’t go inside because it was almost meetup time.
Luckily, some travellers were wearing Tibetan costumes, so I had free models for my photo collection, hehe! 😄
My mom and sister said that I should rent the costume too since I’d come from far, far away to Jiuzhaigou.
However, I didn’t want to use the makeup brushes and costumes because I believed they were used by hundreds of travellers. Only God knows how often they change the brushes or wash the costumes!
It’s ok, I could save money and enjoy the moment exploring Jiuzhaigou!
Alright friends, I hope you enjoyed our Jiuzhaigou tour. If you love nature and hiking, you won’t regret travelling to Jiuzhaigou 🏔️☀️🌿
💖 15% OFF ALL TOURS! Click below and enter my discount code: 💖
CLARA15
Click “Add Promo Code / Voucher” and enter CLARA15 when you checkout at onelifeadventures.com
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