Jiuzhaigou is a forested, Y-shaped valley system in the Minshan mountains of northern Sichuan, famous for its chains of clear turquoise lakes, travertine shoals and waterfalls. Named after the nine Tibetan villages in the valley, it has been a nature reserve since 1978, a UNESCO World Heritage site since 1992 and a UNESCO biosphere reserve since 1997.
- UNESCO World Heritage (natural) · 1992
- UNESCO biosphere reserve · 1997
- National nature reserve
Key facts
Overview
Three valleys — Shuzheng, Rize and Zechawa — meet in a Y and hold more than a hundred lakes, linked by shoals and waterfalls. The water is so clear and so rich in dissolved lime that the lake floors, sunken tree trunks and travertine ridges are visible from the shore, and the lakes change colour from turquoise to deep blue and green with depth, algae and light.
The valley is home to Tibetan villages whose people have lived here for centuries; their prayer flags, water-driven prayer wheels and a Bon monastery belong to the landscape as much as the lakes.
How the landscape formed
Jiuzhaigou is a karst and glacial landscape. Glaciers carved the high valleys, and moraines and rockfalls dammed them into lakes. Water rich in calcium carbonate, draining the limestone of the Minshan, deposits travertine wherever it slows or splashes, building natural dams, terraced shoals and the curtains of the waterfalls — a process that continues today. The 2017 earthquake breached some of these barriers, showing how young and changeable the landscape is.
Highlights
Five Flower Lake
五花海
A shallow lake of shifting blue, green and ochre over submerged tree trunks, the most photographed view in the valley.
Long Lake
长海
The highest and largest lake, at the head of the Zechawa valley, fed by snowmelt and without a visible outlet.
Pearl Shoal Waterfall
珍珠滩瀑布
Water foaming over a broad sloping travertine shoal before dropping as a wide fall.
Nuorilang Waterfall
诺日朗瀑布
One of the widest travertine falls in China, where the three valleys meet.
Five-Colour Pond
五彩池
A small, vividly coloured pool near Long Lake.
Mirror Lake
镜海
A still lake that reflects the mountains best in the calm of early morning.
Plants and wildlife
The reserve lies in the transition from the Sichuan Basin to the Tibetan Plateau and spans some 2,700 metres of altitude, from mixed forest to alpine meadow. It is part of the wider habitat of the giant panda and holds many plant species endemic to south-west China.
Plants
Primeval forest
原始森林
Old-growth spruce and fir at the head of the Rize valley, draped with lichens.
Alpine rhododendrons
高山杜鹃
Flower on the upper slopes in late spring and early summer.
Wildlife
Giant panda
大熊猫
Present in the reserve in small numbers, but rarely seen.
Golden snub-nosed monkey
川金丝猴
A primate of the mountain forests of central and south-west China.
Takin
扭角羚
A heavy goat-antelope of the bamboo and rhododendron forests.
Culture and legend
The valley's Tibetan inhabitants tell of the mountain god Dage and the goddess Semo, whose mirror shattered into the lakes. Their villages, with timber houses, prayer flags and prayer wheels turned by streams, stand beside the road through the Shuzheng valley. The Zharu valley holds Zharu Monastery, a monastery of the Bon tradition.
九寨归来不看水Jiǔzhài guīlái bù kàn shuǐ.
“Back from Jiuzhaigou, you need look at no other water.”
— Modern saying, modelled on the older line about Huangshan (黄山归来不看岳)
Shuzheng village
树正寨
The largest of the Tibetan villages, on the terraces above the Shuzheng lakes.
Zharu Monastery
扎如寺
A Bon monastery at the mouth of the Zharu valley, where Tibetan communities gather for festivals.
History
Before the 20th century
Tibetan villages in the valley
The nine villages (寨) that gave the valley its name lived from farming, herding and forestry.
1970s
Logging and first surveys
Forestry teams working in the valley drew attention to its lakes, and logging was halted.
1978
Nature reserve established
Jiuzhaigou was placed under protection by the State Council.
1984
Opened to visitors
Tourism began on a modest scale.
1992
UNESCO World Heritage
Inscribed as a natural site, the same year as nearby Huanglong.
1997
UNESCO biosphere reserve
Added to the Man and the Biosphere network.
8 August 2017
Jiuzhaigou earthquake
A magnitude-7 earthquake damaged roads and villages, breached Sparkling Lake and broke part of Nuorilang Waterfall; the valley reopened to visitors in stages from 2019.
Through the seasons
Spring
Snow lingers on the peaks into May; the lakes are clear and the valley quiet while the forest greens.
Summer
The main season: waterfalls are at full flow and the meadows green, with afternoon rain common.
Autumn
Late September to October is the most celebrated season, when the forest turns red and gold around the blue lakes.
Winter
Frozen waterfalls and snow-covered lakes, very cold but uncrowded; some upper sections may close in bad weather.
Routes and ways in
Valley shuttle and boardwalks
Private vehicles are not allowed; the reserve's buses run through the three valleys and stop at the main lakes, which are linked by wooden boardwalks.
Rize valley
The south-western branch with Pearl Shoal, Five Flower Lake, Panda Lake and the primeval forest; the best section to walk downhill between bus stops.
Zechawa valley
The south-eastern branch, rising to Long Lake and Five-Colour Pond — the highest points visitors reach.
Shuzheng valley
The main valley from the entrance with the Shuzheng lakes, Tibetan villages and Nuorilang Waterfall at the junction.
Practical notes
- The valley floor lies between about 2,000 and 3,100 metres; the higher lakes can bring mild altitude symptoms, and nights are cold even in summer.
- Entry is managed with a daily visitor limit; reservations in advance are usual in high season.
- Swimming, fishing and leaving the boardwalks are prohibited to protect the travertine.
- Jiuzhai Huanglong Airport serves the area, and a high-speed line from Chengdu reaches Huanglong Jiuzhai station; the town of Zhangzha at the entrance has most accommodation.
Cities to start from
Frequently asked questions
Sources
- Jiuzhaigou Valley Scenic and Historic Interest Area — UNESCO World Heritage Centre (retrieved 27 September 2026)
- Jiuzhaigou Valley — Man and the Biosphere Programme — UNESCO (retrieved 27 September 2026)
- Sichuan Provincial People's Government — Sichuan Provincial People's Government (retrieved 27 September 2026)
More mountains and nature in Sichuan
- Nature reserve · 6,032 mDaocheng Yading稻城亚丁Three sacred snow peaks of the Tibetan borderlands
- National parkGiant Panda National Park大熊猫国家公园One park for the panda's mountains across three provinces
- GlacierHailuogou Glacier海螺沟A glacier on Gongga's eastern flank that ends in forest
- Nature reserve · 5,588 mHuanglong黄龙Terraced travertine pools below the snows of Xuebaoding
- Sacred mountain · 3,099 mMount Emei峨眉山Samantabhadra's mountain above the sea of clouds
- Mountain · 7,556 mMount Gongga (Minya Konka)贡嘎山The highest peak of Sichuan and the eastern Tibetan Plateau's rim
- Sacred mountainMount Qingcheng青城山The secluded green mountain where Daoism took root
- Mountain · 6,250 mMount Siguniang四姑娘山Four snow peaks above the valleys of the Qionglai range