Perhaps Norway is where Mother Nature has created one of her finest works of art. But in other parts of the world, she has managed to leave her mark as well. In this post, I would like to invite you to the South West of China, to Jiuzhaigou (Jiuzhai Valley) and enjoy another masterpiece of nature.
It is said that if there should be paradise on earth, Jiuzhaigou must be one of them. According to Tibetan, there is no equal elsewhere that has overwhelming sceneries as this valley, which combines serene crystal clear lakes, thundering waterfalls, lush green forests and snowed-capped mountains. The landscape is even more dreamlike when the leaves change to the colour of autumn, turning the whole valley into a sea of red and gold.


I found the myth of Jiuzhaigou pretty interesting. It began with the deity of mountains named Dago who had a crush on the goddess Semo. In order to win her heart, Dago bestowed a mirror that was made of wind and cloud to her. However, unforeseen circumstances brought evils in the lovers’ path and the goddess dropped the mirror inadvertently. The mirror shattered into 108 pieces, which fell down to the earth and 108 sparkling gem-like lakes were formed.


Practical information
- Regular buses run between Chengdu Bus Station and Jiuzhaigou Valley, depart at 07:00 and 08:00. You should ask your hotel receptionist to book the ticket in advance. We did and that saved us time. The trip lasts about 10 to 11 hours, so bring some snacks with you. It will be a very long day.
- There is a maximum capacity of tourists per day. So I would recommended to buy the ticket in advance from their website (you can only buy when you switch to the Chinese version) or show up at the ticket office early.
- A free translation app such as Pleco is useful while travelling in China. For a paid version, you can photograph the symbol and the app will translate for you.
Cửu Trại Câu: Thiên đường hạ giới
Người Tây Tạng nói rằng, nếu thiên đường có thật thì có lẽ nơi đó cũng sẽ giống như Cửu Trại Câu. Với những hồ nước trong vắt màu xanh ngọc bích, những thác nước tung bọt trắng xóa và những khu rừng xanh mướt, vẻ đẹp của Cửu Trại Câu thực sự mê hoặc lòng người. Khung cảnh càng kì ảo hơn khi trời vào thu, lúc này những cánh rừng bắt đầu thay lá, sắc vàng và đỏ bao phủ toàn bộ thung lũng.


Có một truyền thuyết khá thú vị về Cửu Trại Câu mà mình muốn kể cho mọi người. Câu chuyện bắt đầu với vị thần núi Dago đem lòng yêu vị nữ thần Semo. Để bày tỏ tấm lòng của mình, Dago đã làm một chiếc gương từ mây và gió để tặng Semo. Nhưng vì một lí do nào đó thì yêu quái xuất hiện và khiến cho Semo vô tình đánh rơi chiếc gương xuống hạ giới. Chiếc gương vỡ tan thành 108 mảnh, và tạo nên 108 chiếc hồ trong như thủy tinh ở Cửu Trại Câu.


Kinh nghiệm du lịch Cửu Trại Câu
- Từ Việt Nam có chuyến bay đi Thành Đô, khoảng 5 tiếng (transit ở Quảng Châu). Từ Thành Đô thì có bus đi Cửu Trại Câu. Vé bus cũng cần đặt trước. Chuyến đi khá dài, mất khoảng 10 tiếng. Bạn có thể nhờ hotel đặt vé hộ.
- Cửu Trại Câu đẹp nhất có lẽ là vào mùa thu, khi rừng cây thay lá. Tuy nhiên, đó cũng là mùa cao điểm nên bạn sẽ phải chen chúc với rất nhiều người.
- Số lượng vé vào Cửu Trại Câu được giới hạn ở mức 41000 vé/ ngày. Nên đặt vé trước trên website (chỉ bán khi chuyển sang version tiếng Hoa) hoặc là đến phòng vé sớm. Phòng vé mở cửa từ 07:00.
- Bản thân tôi cũng không biết tiếng Hoa nên những app dịch từ tiếng Hoa ra tiếng Anh như Pleco rất hữu ích khi đi Trung Quốc. Với bản nâng cấp, bạn có thể chụp mấy cái kí tự lại, app sẽ dịch ra cho bạn.
Wow the nature is absolutely stunning here! I did not even know about the existence of this place, so beautiful! When I go to China, I will check it out 😘
Indeed, it is totally contrast to the image of a polluted Beijing. The air here is fresh and the water is so clear you can even see the bottoms of the lakes 🙂
Truly paradise
It is indeed 😉 Thanks for visiting
What a beautiful place! did you take photos in autumn or trees are so colorful all the time? 🙂
No no only in autumn. I was there at the end of September, but last year 🙂
Genuinely paradise…Wow the nature is completely staggering here!…
Thanks, for visiting 🙂 I reminded that there was no wind at all. The only objects, which are moving, are us – the tourists. It looks just like a painting.
Somehow I don’t remember China as being so pretty, or human-free! 😉 Definitely postcard perfect in your shots though. Do you mind if I ask what camera you use?
Haha it is never human-free in China, even in this national park. Actually, I was surrounded by a legion of tourists while making this photo. For my camera, I am using the Fuji X30. Relatively small camera, it can fits even in my coat, but the quality is quite ok 🙂
I plan to share your post in my blog https://hellocreativestimes.com. Since you have enabled sharing on your post, I am assuming that you are allowing others to share this post. However, if you have any objection to sharing your post, please let us know as soon as possible. Thank you.
🙂
So sorry for my very late response! Akismet somehow filtered your comment. Surely you are welcomed to share my post 🙂 Thank you
So nice to say. Thank you so much. 🙂
🙂 Absolutely BEAUTIFUL!
Have a very HAPPY week 🙂
Thank you 🙂 Have a happy week too!
Great article! 🙂
Thank you very much! 🙂
Lovely shots!!
Thank you 🙂
Your photos are absolutely incredible! What a beautiful place
Many thanks! 🙂
Absolute stunning pictures. Very beautiful and breathtaking place.
Thank you! 🙂
Beautiful!
Thank you! 🙂
Your photos are beautiful. I like how balanced the colours are and how they complement each other. Very vivid – it makes me want to visit so I can see it through my own eyes.
Thanks for the very kind word, Viilar 🙂 I really appreciate it.
Stunning photos!
Thank you! 🙂
It’s indeed looks like heaven.. love the way u describe the places too
Many thanks! 🙂 I am glad that you love it.
Translation apps are definitely needed in China! Pretty much no way to get around without them.
Those apps are real lifesavers! I had studied Chinese before, but it was still a huge challenge for me to get around. I could speak some basic sentence, but I forgot most of the Chinese characters 🙂
My goodness, that’s beautiful! It’s like visual overload, but in a good way 🙂 How did you drag yourself away after you took the photos!?
Actually I was pushed away 🙂 You don’t see it in the photos but there were a massive crowd surrounding me. They don’t mind pushing other people to get a selfie spot.
What a beautiful place and your photos are fantastic! The contrast of colours is really striking!
It’s indeed breathtaking! Thank you for your compliment 😉
Wow! Stunning! Thank you for sharing!
My pleasure! 😉
Wow! That’s a long journey but it looks absolutely beautiful. The fall colours make it even more extraordinary. What part of fall was this?
I was there in October 🙂 I guess it was early autumn because the majority of trees are still green.
What a find! Adding it to our list!
Highly recommended! 🙂
These pictures are stunning!
Many thanks! 😉