九寨沟
Jiuzhaigou
A UNESCO valley of 100 turquoise lakes, multi-tiered waterfalls, and Tibetan villages — arguably China's most beautiful natural site.
九寨沟
A UNESCO valley of 100 turquoise lakes, multi-tiered waterfalls, and Tibetan villages — arguably China's most beautiful natural site.
Jiuzhaigou is a national park in northern Sichuan that looks like it was painted by a color-obsessed god. Over 100 lakes (called 'haizi' or seas) fill glacial valleys with water so clear and so blue it seems artificial — the color comes from dissolved calcium carbonate and algae. Waterfalls cascade between lakes in multi-tiered steps, forests turn gold and red in autumn, and giant pandas (rarely seen) live in the bamboo forests above. The park is home to Tibetan and Qiang minority villages. In October, when the fall foliage reflects in the turquoise water, Jiuzhaigou is arguably the most beautiful landscape in China.
