Jiuzhaigou, a heady mix of colourful nature and Tibetan culture

The Star

5 days ago

After a groggy morning navigating through crowds of tourists and winding roads in high altitude at the Jiuzhai Valley National Park, we saw our first lake.
At last, that gorgeous blue lake we'd seen hundreds of times online yet refuse to believe is real or not digitally enhanced, was finally in front of us.
Then we drove past it.
'We'll come back. We'll also see more beautiful ones,' said our guide in Mandarin. She had an English name – they all do, to accommodate non-Chinese-speaking tourists – but I didn't catch it. I was too busy gawking at the 'not-so-beautiful' aquamarine blue lake.
The park is located in Jiuzhaigou county in the Aba Tibetan and Qiang Autonomous Prefecture of China's Sichuan Province. It is surrounded by the Min Mountains and sits on the edge of the Tibetan Plateau.
The name 'Jiuzhai' translates to 'nine villages', pointing to the nine Tibetan villages that are scattered throughout the park. While most of the village areas have been around for centuries, the houses and buildings are either reconstructions or newly-built structures.
However, a majority of the Tibetan communities who live in these villages still hold on to their traditional way of life.
Inscribed on the Unesco World Heritage Site list in 1992, the sprawling park – simply known as Jiuzhaigou – is 72,000ha (to compare: Singapore is 73,570ha). The drive from the park entrance to the Tourist Centre, which is the halfway point, took about 30 minutes. And in that time we passed by a number of blue lakes, each one more striking than the other.
'Wait till you see the Five Flower Lake,' said Cassie Yang, marketing and communications director at Conrad Jiuzhaigou. Cassie was our translator, unofficial guide and all-round caretaker during our visit in late March. It was the beginning of spring, and in the highlands, that means cool and incredibly dry weather.
In early spring, Long Lake, the biggest and deepest lake at Jiuzhai Valley National Park, was still frozen.
Bodies of water
We started our tour at the Long Lake, the largest and deepest at the park. At an altitude of 3,060m, the lake was still frozen and parts of the mountains were covered in ice and snow.
Nearby, the small Five-Coloured Pool had retained just enough water to show off its hues to visitors. The pool starts to dry sometime in November and will be all filled up just before summer or when there is more rainfall.
But with the weather becoming so unpredictable these days, this may not be the case every year.
'The water is not blue,' said Cassie, as we made our way to the next lake. 'The water is clear. It only looks blue because of the minerals underneath,' she explained, initially struggling to find the English word for 'minerals'. I helped her out, not because I understood Mandarin but because we walked past a signboard earlier which explained this phenomenon.
Non-Chinese-speaking tourists do appreciate a good information board.
When we finally got to the Five Flower Lake, it was already a little crowded. You could hear hints of Malaysian, Singaporean and Indonesian accents throughout (there were very few Western tourists), but generally the crowd was mostly made up of locals.
According to 'Hilton's 2025 Trends Report, Asia Pacific', in China these days, families and the younger generations (Gen Z and Alpha) use travel to connect with their cultural identities. They're learning or relearning about their culture and traditions, choosing destinations around the country that reflect their heritage.
Truly, China's domestic tourism numbers are unmatchable and enviable. But then again, it is a huge country with plenty of amazing places to see and cultures to experience.
Tourists taking the chance to pose with spring blossoms. The lady in red is wearing a traditional Tibetan costume.
But back to the pretty lake.
The Five Flower Lake (altitude: 2,472m) is so called because of the travertine deposits on the lake floor, as well as the many varieties of algae that grow in it. Surrounding vegetation also influences the 'colours' of the lake: sometimes emerald, sometimes aquamarine, other times turquoise, and with hints of orange and gold.
Remember, the water is actually clear.
There are boardwalks around the lake, and at the drop-off area there are vendors selling traditional Tibetan hats, scarves and souvenirs, as well as photo services. If you want your picture taken 'professionally' while wearing a Tibetan costume with hair and makeup to boot, just walk up to one of these booths.
Prices vary depending on how detailed you want your whole 'look' to be (you don't have to take the makeup option, for example), but remember to negotiate the price before you agree on anything.
Generally, the prices are reasonable, and the photographers really know what they're doing. They may set you up in the most ridiculous poses at first, but the pictures will turn out great.
If the Five Flower Lake is too crowded for you, then head over to the Mirror Lake, my favourite of all the spots we visited that day. It somehow gave off a peaceful vibe, even when there were numerous people walking about, taking selfies and videos.
Other notable lakes include Rhinoceros Lake, Tiger Lake, Panda Lake and Reed Lake.
Nearby Zhongcha Village, walk up the hills where the yaks and goats graze and enjoy the view.
Jiuzhaigou has 114 individual lakes (this is according to its official website; other websites report 108) and three valleys. The Shuzheng Valley is the biggest and has over 40 lakes within it. The Nuorilang Waterfall is also found in this valley, and the Pearl Shoals Waterfall is nearer to the Rize Valley.
While you are allowed to eat snacks and have your drinks all around the park, you are encouraged to eat your meals at the Tourist Centre, where there are several restaurants and cafes to choose from. There are also convenience stores here that sell pre-packed food and drinks.
Toilets and other facilities are fairly clean in the park and there are sanitation workers at all the major spots. Get used to the ice cold water running from the taps during the cold season, though.
New train
While it is feasible to check out Jiuzhaigou in a single day, I do recommend you spend two days to properly explore the park. Jiuzhaigou is famously known for its changing colours – the place looks vastly different in every season, and surely you will have different experiences too.
For Larry Gao, cluster general manager of Conrad Jiuzhaigou and Hilton Jiuzhaigou Resort, autumn is his season of choice. 'The golden foliage against the blues and greens of the water make the whole place seem like a fantasy world,' he said during one of our chats over dinner at Conrad.
Gao has been at the property – Conrad and Hilton sit side-by-side at the Jiuzhai Beautiful China Resort – since the thick of the Covid-19 pandemic (Conrad opened in 2021), and is happy to see more international visitors coming into the county.
'I think Jiuzhaigou is a good tourist destination overall, especially for travellers who are looking to surround themselves in nature and just relax,' he shared. His statement goes in tandem with the hotel brand's trends report, which states that global travellers are increasingly embracing slow travel, and prioritising rest and rejuvenation.
'Of course, the high-speed rail and new train station here have also helped with not just our business but in the county overall. Previously, it would take at least 10 hours by bus from Chengdu to get to Jiuzhaigou,' Gao added.
The high-speed rail in question is the Chengdu-Jiuzhaigou route, which began operating in September 2024. The 90-minute or so train ride from Chengdu terminates at the Huanglongjiuzhai Railway Station.
From there, it's another 90-minute ride, this time by road, to Jiuzhai Beautiful China Resort.
We took the train from Chengdu on a Monday morning, and it was nearly full. There were hundreds of people lining up at the turnstiles – a border control of sorts – just for this single route.
But it's China, so everything ran smoothly and we were in line for no longer than five minutes.
The train ride itself was uneventful; you really can't feel how fast it goes. The seats are on the smaller side and if your luggage is huge you may have problems storing it. I suggest hauling it in the overhead shelf (which is narrow), or simply bringing a smaller bag.
Otherwise, prepare to sit with your legs propped up on your bag.
There's no reason why you can't have a 15-course feast for lunch at the Jiuzhai national park.
At Huanglongjiuzhai station there were many tourist buses, taxis and private cars all waiting to transport tourists to their destination. Business was definitely thriving.
While on our way to our hotel, we saw several international chain hotels that were either already opened or still in development. There were also local guesthouses and budget-friendly hotels.
We drove past a small touristy-looking area with plenty of hotpot restaurants – I spotted halal logos on a few of them. While pork is served in the county, beef and mutton dishes seem to be the go-to protein source.
And of course, yak meat. And yak milk. And yak yogurt.
These big, hairy docile creatures are found in most fields in Jiuzhaigou, and they are reared for their meat and milk.
'Back in the day, they were also killed for their leather and fur, because the winters are really cold here in the highlands,' said Ke Jia, a laundry supervisor at Conrad, whose home we visited one dreary afternoon.
Tibetan culture
Ke Jia's house at Zhongcha Village is special because it was built using traditional Tibetan methods, and of course, features Tibetan architecture.
His pride and joy is the living area, which doubles as a space to perform prayers.
It took him several years to complete the house, particularly the living area, as he had to regularly consult with Buddhist monks to make sure everything was done in accordance to their beliefs.
Paintings of deities that were made by the monks cover the walls, as do colourful hand-painted wooden tiles.
'I am truly blessed to be able to build this house, and to show my Tibetan heritage through it. Hopefully, more foreign tourists will visit my home, so I can tell them more about our culture,' he shared.
Ke Jia and his wife, Ze Lang Chu, offered us Tibetan yak butter tea and some wholesome snacks, as well as homemade barley wine.
Butter tea is an acquired taste, but the snacks were good and the wine, better.
Back at the resort, we had a tsampa-making demonstration led by Mai Ren Zuo, a chef at Conrad's staff canteen. Tsampa is a Tibetan staple – it is essentially roasted barley flour. You mix the flour with butter tea (or just regular tea) and then roll to shape the dough. Traditionally, you eat the dough as is.
'In the old days, we don't buy our food from the shops. We had to hunt for meat, and gather herbs and plants to eat. Most times, it would take a whole day to do this so we took tsampa with us for sustenance,' said Mai.
Later at night, we bumped into Mai again at the square just next to the hotel. She was with a group of people, and music was blaring through some speakers. They were dancing in unison, with two people shouting the instructions, leading the way.
This habit of dancing at night, usually after dinner, is commonly seen all over China. It is similar to the group qigong or tai chi practices you see daily at parks in the morning.
Both cultivate and encourage a healthy, active lifestyle.
But if you're not into group dancing in public, then you could always head back to your resort to rest, or for more servings of yak yogurt or barley wine.
A colourful Tibetan teapot makes for a wonderful souvenir.