The forest reflecting perfectly on the crystal clear waters of one of the lakes at the park.
The best time to visit China is always in autumn, right after the national holidays.
Popularly called the Golden Week, the week-long public holiday begins on Oct 1. This is the time when the entire country seems to go on holiday, with cross-regional passenger trips often hitting more than a billion.
The end of October is then regarded as the “quiet season”, when mainlanders and holidaymakers have all gone back to work, or resumed their daily schedules.
The weather would be cool during this period – but not quite freezing yet, which is what winter usually feels like in almost every corner of China.
The quiet season is the window period for travellers looking to get some really good deals for China tour packages, but my recent trip to the Jiuzhai Valley National Park, or simply Jiuzhaigou, proved otherwise.
I had imagined a peaceful season with trees still covered with golden leaves, misty lakes, empty trails and perhaps even some light snow settling over the mountains.
Instead, my fellow Malaysian travelling companions and I ended up inching forward in a slow-moving line of tourists at the park entrance.
The queue was overwhelmingly massive as we stared at the sea of people. Needless to say, it was worse for our women friends who also had to endure long lines at the toilets.
The only consolation was that the park had a special lane for foreigners, though it was still a pretty long queue. In China, foreigners only had to show their passports to get on these special lanes.
Once we were done with the queues, we quickly made our way to the private coach, which our Chinese tour guide had managed to hire for us to get around the sprawling national park.
Awesome cascading waterfalls at Jiuzhaigou.
With the coach, we could just hop from one scenic spot to another without having to line up (again and again!) for the public buses.
“Dear Malaysian guests, you are now in China. I am sorry that you will have to jostle and fight for space when taking photographs – forget about the good manners you have been taught,” our guide warned us.
Jiuzhaigou, or “Valley of Nine Villages”, clearly has no true “off-season”. This may be attributed to the new-ish high-speed rail service from Chongqing to Jiuzhaigou, which has made it much easier for local and international tourists to get there.
Was it worth visiting though? Absolutely! The first glimpse of one of Jiuzhaigou’s famed lakes is enough to stop any traveller in their tracks.
The park offers the most stunning landscapes, featuring crystal clear, multi-coloured lakes, cascading waterfalls, snow-capped mountains and lush forests.
It was a sight to behold, seeing the vibrant hues of the lakes which range from turquoise to green, a result of mineral deposits.
They were simply spectacular, and certainly added a magical and fairytale quality to the place.
Credit must go to the park authorities for keeping the place spotlessly clean, and the trails free of litter despite the huge number of visitors that go there daily.
The writer with his wife, Florence Teh, at one of the beautiful waterfalls at Jiuzhaigou.
Five Flower Lake, perhaps the park’s most photographed jewel, shimmered in shades of turquoise, sapphire, and emerald.
The surrounding forest – a patchwork of pine, birch, and larch – framed the scene in soft hues of green and gold, with traces of lingering frost glinting on the branches.
Jiuzhaigou’s landscapes are so surreal they almost seem imagined – a place that belongs more to myth than reality.
The lakes are so clear that one can see the reflection of snow-dusted peaks and drifting clouds on the crystalline water.
The park sure is vast, with over 700sq km of pristine forest, alpine meadows, lakes and Tibetan villages.
At the end of the day trip – the park closes at 6pm and there are no hotels within, though there are restaurants and shops at the visitor’s centre – we felt tired but awed and humbled by what we had seen.
Indeed, Jiuzhaigou lived up to every bit of its reputation. It is a breathtaking and extraordinary place that one must go, at least once. Of course, for those who can, a visit during every season is also recommended just to experience the difference.
(It is said that the park does look different each season – colourful in spring because of the flowers, incredibly green in the summer when the trees come alive, a beautiful mixture of red and gold in the fall, and powdery white in winter.)
It’s easy to understand why no one can stay away from this place, no matter the season, and why it was full with both international and domestic tourists even though the Chinese holiday season had ended.
Jiuzhaigou is not just a feast for the eyes but it is good for the soul to still see nature at its best.
Stunning crystal clear lakes at Jiuzhaigou.
