Jiu Zhai Gou:
You've already seen Jiu Zhai Gou - pictures of this Sichuan provincial nature reserve are in most every brochure of China's destinations - often warranting front page presence. And you've probably thought, "Oh, it's pretty enough, but why'd they go and 'PhotoShop®' those pictures. No lake can possibly be that blue."
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That lake is that blue - in Jiu Zhai Gou! The reserve's name, variously translated as "Nine Stockades Gully," or "Nine Village Gully," - hardly raises a pulse, but with one visit here Jiu Zhai Gou may come to top your list of China's scenic memories. This Y-shaped valley was "discovered" in the 1960s; by 1992 it was designated a UNESCO World Heritage site. Due to its variations in altitude, the park takes in diverse ecosystems. Landscape features include jagged "karsts" (giant, limestone outcroppings) and spectacular waterfalls rivaling the best Yosemite has to offer! Zoologists estimate 140 bird species live here.
Just listen to the place-names of some of Jiu Zhai Gou's sights: "Five-colored Pool," "Pearl Beach Falls," and "Ladder Waterfalls." About 130 ethnic Tibetan families live within the park - otherwise off-limits to habitation. But some days it may seem as if every living Chinese citizen is traveling through, so choked the highways and venues can be. (Americans: think "Yosemite or Yellowstone on the 4th of July weekend.") But your "Lets Travel China" visit gives you 2 days and 3 nights here - so you're able to move away from the crush.
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Jiu Zhai Gou - home to impossibly-blue lakes, snow-capped mountains, lime-encrusted waterfalls, and - according to the Park's zoologists - the year-round residence for up to seven Giant Pandas hidden within its deep, dense bamboo forests! You're unlikely to spot one, but it's nice to know not all pandas live in zoos!
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Featured Hotel: (subject to change)
- Sheraton Jiuzhaigou Resort
Jiu Zhai Gou Scenic Spot
Sichuan Province, 623402 China
Tel: (86) (837) 773 9988
Fax: (86) (837) 773 9666
5-Stars - 482 rooms
This property was Sheraton's first resort in China. Located just over a mile from the park entrance, the resort makes an ideal "hub" for your Jiu Zhai Gou touring. The hotel pulls design cues from Tibetan and Qiang elements and offers a fitness facility with massage and steam baths.
For a link to the Sheraton Jiuzhaigou Resort site click here.
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Jiu Zhai Gou
is featured
on the following tours: |
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