Jiuzhaigou Valley

UNESCO-listed Y-shaped alpine valley with 100+ travertine pools and lakes ranging emerald to turquoise to sapphire. Reopened progressively after 2017 quake.

Jiuzhaigou ('Nine Village Valley') is named for the nine Tibetan villages historically along the Y-shaped valley system. The 240 km² UNESCO site contains around 100 travertine-bottomed pools and lakes, 17 named waterfalls, old-growth conifer forest, and Tibetan religious sites. The colour palette of the lakes — Five Flower Lake, Long Lake, Mirror Lake — is the result of mineral concentration in the travertine and is genuinely the same range you see in postcards. The 2017 Jiuzhaigou earthquake (M7.0) damaged sections; reopening continued through 2023, with most areas accessible.

Visitors take a mandatory in-park shuttle bus along the valleys; trails connect the lakes for short walks. A full day covers the major lakes; two days allow for the side valleys.