Started a thread on Jiuzhaigou with the hopes to maintain all questions/posts/TR's to one thread. Recently spent 3 days in Jiuzhaigou and will try to post as much details as I can. The first post is general logistical info, the second a review of the hotel, and third post the review of the park. It's long, but I hope to get out as much valuable info as I can.

Links:
FT Link on Award Travel to Jiuzhaigou
Wiki Travel
Wiki Page
Official Park Page

Travel/Getting there:
Other than hiring your own transport which some do from Chengdu, the options are bus or flying.
1. Bus. Plenty of info on buses at the above mentioned links. Locals told me it takes around 8-10 hours, real time not sure.
2. Flights. I flew from CTU (flights also from SHA,CTU, and PEK) which has your most options. Due to my 1 week decision of going, I was stuck paying nearly full fares on CA & HU, but it appears this airport has little discounts if best 30% of full fare. Recommend going to the airport early to get window seats, and try to sit on the left side of the plane if coming from CTU. This was definitely one of the most beautiful approaches I've ever had, rivaling landings at ANC and JAC. If you do it right, you can book award from cities like PEK/PVG. If using DL miles, you can use CZ/MU but you'll have to connect as no direct flight PVG/SHA-CTU. Use EF to confirm availability, but CZ does have it and can be used.

Transportation to/from JZH and around Jiuzhaigou:
1. JZH. Links above talk about buses from the airport, but if you don't want to wait you can hire your own cab. Cabs are pretty much negotiable, as drivers will not want you to use the meters. There is actually a big sign outside the airport listing the fares which are a "guide" for pax and drivers alike. You can try to negotiate, but they were pretty firm. Here are a few details regarding what I saw:
- JZH-Jiuzhaigou 200 RMB. Night time is 260 RMB. "Night" starts at 2030 in "summer", 1830 in "winter" - no mention of when winter starts. I paid 200 RMB to go to the IC Hotel. Was 65km and took about 55 min.
2. Hotels & the park: at the IC, there was always a cab waiting around or you can have the hotel call a cab for you. You can also have the hotel book a car for you for more. At the park (esp in the PM), there is ALWAYS long queue's of cabs waiting to happily drive you where you want, so cabs are very easy to catch.

Tip: If you fly here, the best probably is to negotiate with a driver for the whole time you are here. I did this and it ended up being really nice. 200 RMB to/from the airport to the IC, and 50 RMB each way from IC to Jiuzhaigou. I was able to tell the driver the times I wanted and would call him 30 min before I wanted pickup and he was there. Also was great as I got to talk to the driver the whole weekend asking about the local culture, customs, facts about the park etc. He ended up taking me to go buy some of the local specialties to at some local store. I'm sure I could have negotiated better than 600 RMB for the whole weekend (to/from JZH and 2 day trips to the park), but it was fair and I'm sure the driver was happy (he didn't work other than drive me).

BTW, I did watch the meter a few times as the drive used it to show to other pax that he was driving me. From the IC-Jiuzhaigou OW was actually 64 RMB via meter, and to the airport was 164 RMB, so in the end I really paid about meter prices, but got the convenience of the same driver every time.

When to go:

Anytime is great actually, as EVERY season will be different and thus a new experience (the locals told me), but keep in mind summers are crowded (esp weekends) and the the peak fall colors will be VERY crowded (as will hotels) be expensive. Best time though is fall as the colors are VERY pretty. I went Nov 5-8 which was about 2 weeks past fall colors, but crowds were definitely less. My recommendation would be to try to go RIGHT after National Holiday or at the tail end of peak colors. I would say end of Oct is a good balance of colors and less crowds, though around Oct 20th would be the best time IMO.

Where to stay:
Plenty and plenty of hotel options if you want to use ctrip/travelzen. If you want international brands, you are limited to IGH (IC or Holiday Inn) or Sheraton. I wanted to burn IGH points so I used it at the IC (full review below). The IC (called TianTangJiuzhaigou Jiu Dian 天堂九寨沟酒店) is about 4km north of the HI (which is located in Jarpo town), both about 30min south of Jiuzhaigou. On Google Maps the IC is called "Jiazhai Paradise Jiafan Ancient city. The Sheraton is a lot closer and cheaper. Note, I was NOT able to book a reservation at the HI online and neither was PC when I called them, so something may be going on at the hotel like the IC running both. Either way, the hotel is still a HI (at least from the outside) but looked rather quiet.

Otherwise, tons of Chinese hotels closer to the park in the town of Zhangzazhen (漳扎镇)

Altitude Sickness:
JZH is high, it is at 3500m and you will likely feel it unless already acclimitzed. So go slow. They actually announce on the plane (ok, in Chinese) that the cabin is depressurized to high altitude so you will actually start feeling light-headed on the approach. The IC was located at about 2800m and the park from 2200m-3100m. Stay hydrated, and take it slow and you'll be fine.

Weather:
Since I was here in Nov, it has pretty large temp swings. But expect this any time in this area where the air is dry and the altitude is high. During the day it probably got near mid 60s F (18C) but at night below freezing for sure, maybe 25F (-4C). I was definitely needing a hat in glove when hiking in the AM (see park review).

Where to eat:
The JZH airport has a few shops, and one restaurant inside security. Otherwise, there are are local restaurants in every town and of course the IC/Sheraton have restaurants inside (with higher prices). At the entrance of the park there is a large food area with fast food (KFC knock off), snack stands, and a restaurant (was closed when I was there). Also, half-way up the park there is a restaurant (which was closed when I was there).

I stayed at the Intercontinental. It is part of the IHG chain (again was not able to book at HI online or by calling Amb services). It is priced higher than the Sheraton and costs 40K pts/night. Rates were around 1350 RMB/night when I was here (again post peak fall, Nov 7) and Sheraton was going for around 850 RMB/night (taxes included).

The skinny:
I was an AMB when I stayed here, but overall was slightly disappointed with this property with regards to elite benefits. First, I was only "upgraded" to a regular room at a higher floor. Apparently for AMB their is no upgrade to suites. They do have a club lounge, but it was closed and the staff told me they only have it open in Sep/Oct. So, ended up only with a "higher floor" room as an UG. However, I did get fruit delivered to my room and free breakfast coupons for each day I was there.

Rooms:
Again, while I didn't get an upgrade to a suite or club room, the regular rooms are quiet nice. All have new flat screen TVs, beds are nice and comfortable (had a nice big king), and there is a slight extended section which contains a sitting area and gas fireplace. I'd say the std rooms are about twice the size of a regular IC hotel room. You won't feel cramped, but definitely comfortable. As well, each room as it's own balcony with varying outdoor views. No super impressive views, but it certainly is pretty to look outside.

Bathrooms are basic and meet your needs, glass shower, tub. Nothing fancy, but better than a basic hotel bathroom.

Other than the fireplace and generally spacious feel of the room, nothing really stood out in memory. I didn't come to Jiuzhaigou to sit in a hotel room.

Restaurants:
There are quite a few restaurants to choose from. Most of them are in the big atrium/dome area where you enter the hotel. This is kind of a neat area to walk around, take pictures, etc. The best ones according to the staff is the Sichuan restaurant. I ate there two nights and the food was good, the prices were just overpriced. Ended up around 200 RMB/night for dinner. Restaurant is clean and service is good though.

Breakfast is at their buffet cafe which is on the side of the big dome area. Breakfast area is big, and crowded. I was there daily at 630am and it was already pretty packed. I can't imagine 730am on peak days. Breakfast was pretty good, but wasn't necessarily impressed with anything. Like any other hotel breakfast at any western chain, nothing to brag about but meets your needs.

Others:
The pool was closed for the season when I was here, so I didn't try. TA has info about you having to pay for the pool, but not sure if they would give this free for Plats/AMB/RA. Otherwise, you can kind of walk around the campus but otherwise there isn't a lot to see or do. Not really any walking trails.

There are a few boutique shops and souvenir stores, but with the rest of the hotel it was overpriced.

Internet was 100 RMB/day.

Tickets:
Tickets are 220 RMB/day during peak (which doesn't end til Nov 15) and you can only buy day tickets. You are also required to buy a bus ticket for 90 RMB (unless you want to walk the entire park), so account for 310 RMB/day. I confirmed with the locals that this is the most expensive park in China (unconfirmed though). I used my student ID so you get a 50 RMB discount on the entry ticket, no discount on the bus ticket. I was only able to buy single day tickets, dunno about non-peak if you can buy two day tickets. Prices likely will be the same though.

Visitor Center/Other Facilities/Bathrooms:
All located at the entrance or at the mid-point of the park. VC is rather drab, few pictures and some info, probably could see it in 10 min max. But you can stop in here to pick up a map (have English maps too). So don't waste time when you get here, save it for the end of the day.

Snacks/restaurant at the entrance, and restaurants at the mid-point of the park ("Nouriang Travel Center"). If not in peak summer time, some restaurants may be closed or have limited food. There are no peddlers in the park though hawking food, just Tibetan clothing to rent and little trinkets.

Bathrooms at the VC and TC are relatively clean, and at many of the popular sites there are toilets. You will be able to find the sit type and TP seemed to be available, but bring hand sanitizer/TP as backup. Sinks were not working at many of the sites, but worked fine at the main buildings. There seems to be a lot of construction going on with many new buildings going up, and I know on the trails/sites they were building LOTS of new bathrooms. So by next year I anticipate new facilities to be open.

When to arrive/buses:
Due to the crowds, I HIGHLY recommend going right at opening. I read on wiki that to avoid crowds go before 9am or after 330pm, I'd adjust that to before 9am or after 4pm. Park (when I was here) opened at 730am, and I pretty much got here right then each day. I didn't have to wait to buy a ticket and was on one of the earlier buses which give you a much more pleasant experience before the Chinese tour masses arrive. Keep your tickets on you all day, as it gives you access to the shuttles and you can hop on and off as you please. Just confirm where the bus is going as it seems rather random mid-day. After the entrance though, my ticket was never checked again.

Tip: In the AM, they were only running the smaller shuttle buses vs the larger city ones. Though the right side has the 1 seat and the left side has the two seat, sit on the left side for better views going up. As well, depending on how you want to see the park I advise either getting off the bus right away to see the sights low in the park to avoid the crowds, or stay on the bus until it gets to the very end (vs getting off at the earlier stops with all the Chinese). Buses all have a driver and a "tour guide" with neat info about the park (all in Chinese though). See more info below.

Day 1:
When I was here, in the early AM buses only go to the Rize Valley (end stop Primitive Forest). To see the ZechAwa Valley (end stop Long Lake) you have to catch a bus at the Nouriang Travel Center and they don't start until 9am. Thus, day 1 I took the early bus all the way to the Primitive forest and took the hiking path (plankwalk) all the way down to Bonsai Shoals (about 32km). Bus from the entrance takes about 30-45 min, depending on how many stops you take.

The primitive forest area is rather drab, with just a forest and few views of some high peaks. Start heading down the plank trail which starts near the bathrooms on the west side of the road (road is on your right as you head down). It's 18km down to the Nouriang Travel Center. This upper part of the trail is VERY LIGHTLY TRAVELLED so you're likely to have a wonderful hiking experience. Even Grass and Swan Lake no one really stops so it is a very nice hike (except for the occasional bus roaring by).

Due to the lack of sights in between, about 99% of the tourists hop on and off the bus like sheep. But I would not miss out this part of the trail. While not as scenic as the popular sights, it is very pretty and gorgeous as you basically walk along side the water that flows down the valley. It was a wonderful experience walking in the trees looking at the fall colors, hearing the roar of the river, and seeing the beautiful colors of the water. A few times the boardwalk goes right over the water for some neat pictures. The section between Swan Lake and the next big site is a bit far, but again provides some wonderful hiking in the woods and following the stream down. Took me about 2.5 hours to hike from the Primevil forest to Panda Lake. There was part of the trail that was "closed", but I stayed on it anyway and I was convinced this didn't make a difference for the few people. Trail was still fine and nothing wrong with it.

Once you reach Bamboo Lake/Falls it only gets more and more crowded as you head down. Stay on the west plank trail to minimize crowds, but you'll want to cross over the boardwalks to the other side to get good views of the waterfalls. Since all the great waterfall sights are in this area, expect lots of people. This means the typical Chinese tourist experience (loud crowds, people sitting in the middle of the trail having lunch, snapping pictures of everything, talking loudly on cell phones, feeding wildlife, and the standard littering). Though I will have to admit, the overall cleanliness of the park was impressive. Overall, I think the Chinese don't litter as much here as it is clean - mostly because the cleaners in the park were pretty good. I still did my part to pick up trash though. The park was actually happily smoke free too, as you're not supposed to smoke in the park.

I reached the Nouriang Travel Center around and kept hiking down, but as I said it only got more and more crowded. The lower sections were just as pretty but again crowded. The only time I didn't see people was on a section of the trail near Dragon lakes, but that's only because the trail was closed for reconstruction (which I ignored). They are redoing the plank trails and will have to say the trail system in the park is pretty amazingly maintained.

Tip: If I were to do day 1 again, in the early AM ask the driver to drop you off at Bonsai Shoals. This area in the lower part of the park is gorgeous and is really crowded in the PM when everyone is on their way down. It would be wonderful to catch say around 730-930am when the crowds are all going up high. I'd say stop off at Bonsai Shoals, then hike your way up to the visitor center which should take around 2-3 hours is the best way to go, you're likely to have this area to yourself.

Day 2:
For today, I wanted to hike the Zechawa valley. As I discovered, this would be a VERY different experience as Zechawa valley is very different from Rize as there is little to no water (no streams). So it is more of a forest and lake hike. But you will get to see a variety of climate zones as there is some really gorgeous transitions from deciduous to conifer to alpine zones on this hike. As well, since there are no buses going up til 9am, if you get here early in the AM you can only hike which actually makes for a pleasant experience. But you are hiking up, so it can be a slight workout as the Nouriang Travel Center is about 2400m and you have to hike up to 3100m at Long Lake. Despite the little water, I am convinced that this hike has two huge advantages:

1. It is even more remote, so if you want a real solitude experience this is the place to go. As well, the plank trail is slightly more "adventurous".
2. This is an absolutely gorgeous fall hike given my experience was wonderful despite it being after peak. The trees/colors are absolutely gorgeous. Further, the signs of wildlife are much much higher here than the Rize valley. Despite not seeing any pandas (which I really hoped for), there were a LOT of game trails and a lot of fresh scat. I secretly wanted to dress up as a panda and videotape the Chinese tourists going crazy and throw my video on youtube, but unfortunately was by myself and couldn't pull it off.

What I did was again hit the 730am bus. Tell the driver you want to get off at the Nouriang Travel Center (I said it in Chinese). I simply got off with a few of the workers. The tourists all heading up to Primeval forest will look at you weird (or think they will want to get off too), and the workers will all remind you there is no early shuttle bus (as they assume no one hikes). Get off here, and start heading up the road towards the Tibetan Village. Once you reach the village, you will reach a flat section and shortly see a parking lot on your right hand side (west side). Watch out for a wooden plank path that starts and disappears in the woods and that's your trail.

As I mentioned this trail is more adventurous. Meaning the trail is not maintained and there are sections where the planks disappear outright (leaving you a regular hiking path), sections where the cross planks disappear (giving the opportunity to do some balance beam walking), or parts of the trail near cliffs where big boulders have come down to take out parts of the plank path. Overall though, the trail is not difficult nor dangerous. The tricky sections you can simply not balance beam and walk on the ground, or just simply walk around the broken sections in the wood. I'd say ~90-95% of the trail is in decent condition. The higher you get the better the condition.

Anyway, after heading into the woods on the plank path about 30 min later the planks will disappear and you're on a small trail in the woods. This only lasts about 300m or so, so don't fear. About 45 min into the hike you reach your first lake, Lower Seasonal Lake, which is a gorgeous display of colors. At the lake though, the trail follows a cliff on the west side of the lake where boulder bombs have come down on the trail. Similar to the Rize valley, the plank trail is covered here with wire mesh which reinforces the trail and it is actually quite safe (minus the parts where the bombs took out some planks - nothing too difficult though). Just don't dillydally in the parts where you see rocks, as I wouldn't want to be there if more rocks come down. This is a good place to take a short break (not where the rocks come down of course), so find a nice spot as the next section is a bit long. At this point, you've gone 4.8km.

Depending on your speed, the 9am buses will start roaring past you here. Buses really don't get busy until around 930, but from then on it's a constant flow of people. However, if you hike at a good pace you can reach the top around lunch hour which is a slow hour, so at the top the crowds are less.

After the lake, its a long 9.8km to the next Lake (Upper Seasonal) but the hike is quite pretty. There is a balance beam section where the cross planks were missing for about 200m after the lake, but like I said you can simply walk on the ground if you want instead. The next stop is 10km to Upper Seasonal Lake. This section includes some really neat transitions of different forest types and you might get lucky to see some wildlife. The path unfortunately does go next to the road a few times and buses are quite plentiful (hence my panda idea) but still a very nice hike. There isn't really a good place to stop to rest/eat (i.e. great views), but you can certainly stop. The trail does start ascending here so take your time and enjoy the views.

Once you go through a really really pretty conifer zone (reminded me a lot of the Canadian Rockies), you will reach another path where you're near a steep cliff and rocks have rained down on the path. Again don't dilly-dally here. While I didn't see any workers, there were definite signs of doing plank path repair though and they had lots of building materials laid across the plank path.

Again, pending your speed this section will take you about 2 hours to do. The last 45 min is a slow but constant stair climb (more gradual than stairs though) but it's pretty and the increasing views are worth it. When you reach a flat section that goes around a corner with the road, you only have about 15 min to the next lake and a few more stairs. When you reach the Upper Seasonal Lake, it's again beautiful and a great place to take a break (I had lunch here). There is some major trail construction going on here (as again the trail was bombed with rocks) and there were quite a few people working on the trail. Further, they are building some structures near the lake so by next spring it should be done.

After the lake, it's a short 10min or 1.5km hike to the 5 color pool where you should expect to see your first sign of people and crowds. From the pool, its a 15 climb (yes I mean climb) where the stairs are slightly steep to Long Lake, but you might as well hike it as you did the rest of the hike. I reached the Long Lake at 1pm (spent 30 min at Lower Lake, and 1:15 at Upper Lake) and the crowds weren't too bad. There are bathrooms here as well as the hawkers renting Tibetan stuff. Don't forget to hike down to the lake and walk the small board path for some neat pictures and escape from the crowds.

To descend, simply hop on the bus at the Long Lake stop and ride it down 5 min to the 5 color pool. Here, hop off the bus when it drops off the loads of people and hike to the front bus who are queued up to take people. From there, this bus will take you to the Nouriang Travel Center where you can go somewhere else or head home.

Tip: This trail will give you a vast different experience from Rize valley, so take your time and relax. I think the going up route was the way to do it, but you can also take the first bus up at 9am and then hike down. Time your breaks appropriately, as the stretch between Lower and Upper Seasonal lakes can take 2+ hours. You can of course stop in between for a quick break/snack, but I like places with outstanding views.

Great review...brought back good memories.

Thanks for the great review!

Great stuff. Thanks so much for the review.

Do you recommend 2 days? Or would you recommend more days? We're thinking 3 or 4 days. It sounds like you'd need a lot of energy.

Also, does anyone have any comparisons between the Sheraton and the IC?

Thanks !

Can only speak of the Sheraton we stayed at a few years ago.

It is only ok.

What we didn't like was the food. Western wasn't western, it was a Chinese take on Western and it was stale.

The Chinese food was not tasty at all.

This was the hotel that had the waitress was scraping the food off the table and onto the carpet.

However after saying that, we were grateful we had a nice bed to sleep in.

Great review!

I'm planning a trip to Jiuzhaigou and have a few questions regarding when it is best to visit. I know autumn is ideal, but I only really have time to travel in May and June. My Chinese friends keep telling me it isn't a good time to go, but I don't seem why it would be THAT big of a deal.....

Looking into the IC as well - The prices seem reasonable enough, and hopefully I can snag a decent fare. There seems to be a CZ connection available from CAN which I don't think was mentioned and I can't seem to find the SHA fare that was mentioned....any ideas? Not really worried about the cost, but rather would like to avoid any significant time in Chengdu and would like to spend as much time as possible in Jiuzhaigou

AFAIK, this direct CZ flight has a stop-over in Chongqing.

CZ flights can change seasonably, I suggest using Ctrip to check with CZ's major hubs around (CKG, CAN, DLC, PEK, SHA/PVG, SHE, CTU) or use the ST tool:

http://www.skyteamtimetable.com//update.html?20110219

As for seasons, Jiuzhaigou has a different experience for each season, so you can't go wrong going in different seasons. All are beautiful from what I hear.

I never stayed at the Sheraton, but keep in mind that the Sheraton is VERY close right outside the park while the IC will require about a 30 min drive from the IC to the park entrance. Not bad, but figure it in with your trip. Again, I suggest finding a driver the whole time you are here.

As for timing, 2 days is doable if you want to see the majority of the park and move fast, 3 days is good. If you want 4 days, I suggest seeing some of the other sites in the area. Again, depends if you want to do the hiking at all, that of course will take longer but is a better experience IMO.

Yeah - The one I checked didn't connect in Chongqing but in Chengdu....doesn't really matter - I really prefer flying from CAN to most other airports now for China domestic....HKG taxes and fares can be silly sometimes....

I really really would prefer to stay at the Sheraton over the IC based on the location, but those points and upgrade would be nice, and it looks a lot nicer than the Sheraton....I read something about a HI, but nothing showing up online when I search...any idea on this?

Looks so beautiful in all the pictures - really can't wait to go

So the HI does exist and it's kind of a weird thing. It still is a HI and still is part of the IHG chain, but you can't book award or paid stays using ihg.com or pc.com. I even called the PC Plat line to book, and they also were unable to. They had to call the hotel directly to inquire of the rates. It seems too that the control of the hotel is actually done by the IC, so maybe it's one parent company taking over both? The HI is pretty close, I think 3km or so further, but a good option as should be a lot cheaper than the IC.

Read my post above about UG, don't expect anything phenomenal and check to see if the Exec lounge is open as it is seasonal. You'll get breakfast cpns though which is nice.

Bus from Jiuzhaigou to Chengdu.

Anyone with any experience with taking the bus from jiuzhaigou to chengdu.

Will I have time to catch a 2230 flight at Chengdu Shuangliu airport to Shanghai if I take the morning bus out from Jiuzhaigou?

Thanks!

I had a friend ride this bus, I'll ask. Do you only want to know how long it takes?

The road for part of the way has been upgraded as of earlier this year and new bridges/tunnels are still being completed. Current reports are Chengdu-Songpan (possibly worth a stopover): 6 hours, and Chengdu-Jiuzhaigou: 8 hours. I would allow an extra cushion of time however, if you are trying to connect up with a night flight the same day. Get the earliest bus you can back to Chengdu. You'll need to allow time to get from bus station to airport, and for check-in. In other words, get back to Chengdu city by around 19:00. If flights are halfway reasonable, I'd probably fly J-->C