China's Hidden Gem
I recently spent 10 jam packed days in China exploring all of the popular tourist areas; Beijing and The Great Wall, Chengdu and the Pandas and Shanghai and the bustling city life. But there was one area that was included on our itinerary that I had never heard of before and couldn’t for the life of me pronounce. It was a little town in the Sichuan Province on the Tibetan border which went by the name of Jiuzhaigou. For the uninitiated, it is pronounced like ‘Ju-Jai-Go’. It is located high in the mountains and the little airport is located 3448m above sea level. The area has a Tibetan/Nepalese influence and the locals are all Tibetan.
Juizhaigou Town is small and not at all what I expected! The main area looks like a movie set. It is bustling with lots of shows, bars, little shops, neon lights and loud music. English is very poor in this area as well as it is so remote. The reason people come here though is for the UNESCO and World Heritage listed Jiuzhaigou Valley. When you google images of Jiuzhaigou, you will see these breathtaking shots of beautiful lakes and rainbow like surroundings. I have never seen anything like it in my life- it is beyond stunning. Surrounded by huge mountains, the area consists of 3 main valleys and 9 local villages. There are 140 beautiful lakes and countless waterfalls. Pictures really can’t do this place justice. It has to be seen to be believed and is a photographers dream. We were still classed as travelling in the low season when we were there in May as the high season starts from June and goes through until November. They have a daily limit of 50,000 travellers through the gates every day at that time. You can get around to the different areas by scheduled busses, or you are able to organise private transport and a guide like we did. It was well worth it. If you are planning a trip to China, definitely pop aside a few extra days to visit this stunning part of the country, you won’t be disappointed!
A x