The hook
A remote valley in the Sichuan highlands filled with lakes so clear and so vividly coloured, turquoise, jade, cobalt, that the fallen logs and travertine terraces on their beds look suspended in glass.
01Why it's worth it
Jiuzhaigou ("Valley of Nine Villages," for the Tibetan settlements within it) is a Y-shaped park of stepped lakes, travertine dams, and waterfalls climbing into snow-dusted mountains on the edge of the Tibetan plateau. The water is the whole point: mineral-rich and startlingly transparent, it shifts through blues and greens depending on depth, light, and season, and in autumn the surrounding forest turns gold and red and doubles itself on the surface. It is a designated UNESCO site and a national showpiece, which means it is also carefully managed, boardwalks keep you off the shallows, and a shuttle-bus system moves large numbers of visitors through, so it can feel busy and controlled rather than wild. A 2017 earthquake damaged parts of the valley and prompted a long restoration and visitor caps. Come for the colour, not for solitude.
02How to experience it
Enter early, ride the shuttle to the top of the valley, and walk the boardwalks downhill past the best lakes (Five Flower Lake, Long Lake, the Pearl Shoal falls). Autumn is the classic season for colour; book timed entry in advance since numbers are limited, and go on a weekday. Give it a full day, and consider adding nearby Huanglong's terraced pools.
From the locals
When China travellers list the country's genuine natural highlights, Jiuzhaigou lands on it: "some of the best natural places are Zhangjiajie in Hunan Province, Jiuzhaigou in Sichuan," one wrote, grouping it with Huangshan and the great waterfalls as the scenery worth crossing the country for.