Fairyland on Earth: Jiuzhaigou, don't fall into these traps in 2025!

🌄Jiuzhaigou is located in Aba Tibetan and Qiang Autonomous Prefecture, Sichuan Province. Its fairytale-like scenery has earned it a place on the World Natural Heritage list. It is famous for its six wonders: emerald lakes, layered waterfalls, colorful forests, snow-capped mountains, Tibetan culture, and blue ice. It is beautiful in all seasons, but especially so in autumn, a true gift from nature. 🌿Travel Highlights - **Five Flower Lake**: A palette overturned by God! Head there at 8am to see the water as calm as a mirror, reflecting the colorful forests and snow-capped mountains, with layers of vibrant colors. The new viewing platform in 2025 offers a panoramic view of the entire lake. Remember to wear light-colored clothing to complement the scenery. - **Nuorilang Waterfall**: The widest travertine waterfall in China. When the water volume is abundant in summer, the water flows like a silver river falling from the sky. In autumn, the waterfall is surrounded by red leaves, as if embedded in a golden frame. The viewing platform below the waterfall is an excellent spot for taking photos. - **Long Lake**: The largest alpine lake in Jiuzhaigou, at an altitude of 3,101m. The lake surface freezes in winter, and the melted snow in spring turns it as blue as a gemstone. The "Long Lake Prayer Platform" next to the lake is covered with prayer flags, and you can walk around it clockwise to pray for blessings. The new wooden boardwalk in 2025 extends to the west bank of the lake, and a 20-minute walk will take you to the "Old Man Cypress" scenic spot. - **Shuzheng Gully**: A miniature of Jiuzhaigou, composed of 19 lakes of varying sizes. The water flows down from the high-altitude lakes, forming layered waterfalls and shallows, reflecting Tibetan houses and prayer flags. You can walk into Shuzheng Village, drink a cup of butter tea, and listen to the Tibetan Ama tell the legend of the lakes. - **Pearl Shoal Waterfall**: Named for the pearl-like water droplets that splash up when the water hits the rocks, it is the classic filming location for the scene in the 1986 version of "Journey to the West" where the four masters and disciples wade through the water. When the water volume is large in summer, the waterfall hangs like a white curtain. In winter, parts of it freeze, forming an icefall spectacle, coupled with rainbows refracted by the sunlight, like a fairyland. - **Zharu Gully**: A brand-new eco-hiking experience that opened in 2025, with a 5 km wooden boardwalk connecting attractions such as Zharu Temple and Baojing Cliff. Along the way, you can enjoy coniferous forests and meadows. Azaleas bloom in spring, matsutake mushrooms grow in autumn, and you may even encounter Tibetan macaques. Zharu Temple is the only Tibetan Buddhist temple in Jiuzhaigou, and there is a free prayer ceremony every morning. - **Five Color Pond**: The smallest but most gorgeous lake in Jiuzhaigou. The colored patches formed by travertine deposits change in the sunlight, progressing from light green to dark blue. Since the pool is 30m deep, it is recommended to go after 10am, when the colors are most distinct when the sun shines directly on it. - **Zechawa Gully**: A less popular route with fewer people and beautiful scenery, retaining more of its original features. The Upper Seasonal Lake and Lower Seasonal Lake change in water volume with the seasons. The dry lake bed grows grass in spring, and the accumulated water is like a mirror in summer. Rhinoceros Lake is the deepest lake in the gully. Legend has it that Tibetans once drank divine water here to cure diseases. The lake water is blue like a gemstone all year round, making it suitable for taking reflection photos. - **Panda Lake**: Named because wild pandas used to drink water here. Arrow bamboo grows all around, and the calcified deposits at the bottom of the lake form black and white patches, like panda patterns. The new "Panda Observatory" in 2025 allows you to observe the arrow bamboo forest on the hillside through a telescope. If you are lucky, you may see wild pandas (probability of about 15%). 🎉Local Culture The Tibetan and Qiang villages around Jiuzhaigou preserve a rich ethnic culture. Here, you can taste authentic Tibetan cuisine, such as yak hot pot and mashed potatoes with honey, and enjoy enthusiastic Tibetan song and dance performances to experience the simple ethnic customs.