Jiuzhai Valley National Park – Eco-tourism (original) (raw)

October 2011
Road from Chengdu to Jiuzhai Valley
The new "tunneltastic" road from chengdu (as described by the Lonely Planet China 2011) has not yet been completed and as of November 2011 the journey takes about 8 hours by bus in normal weather and traffic conditions. As work continues on the road and new tunnels and bridges continue to open it is claimed that times will be reduced by a number of hours.
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August 2011
Jiuzhai Valley Blogs in the New York Times:
The below blogs give an insight into some of the ongoing research by the Jiuzhai Valley science department. The blogs were written by Amanda Schmidt, an assistant professor of geology at Oberlin College, who was based in Jiuzhai Valley National Park's Sceince Department for 10 months during 2010.
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August 2010
Weather update:
Jiuzhai Valley National Park has experienced no affects of the bad weather that has devestated other parts of China during the summer. There have been no mudslides or landslides in the national park or the area outside of the park where visitors will stay. Click here for more information.
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5 June 2010
World Environment Day:
On the 5th of June we celebrated World Environment Day 2010. The United Nations has declared 2010 the International Year of Biodiversity and the theme of this year’s World Environment Day was “Many Species. One Planet. One Future.” It echoes the urgent call to conserve the diversity of life on our planet. A world without biodiversity is a very bleak prospect and this is something that we in Jiuzhai Valley National Park are very aware of.
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June 2010
Summer 2010 in Jiuzhai Valley:
Jiuzhai Valley National Park is open from 7am every morning. We advise you to enter the park as early as possible to get the most from your experience. It’s a great time of year to take part in one of our eco-toruism hikes. For more details click here.
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May 2010
Jiuzhai Valley featured on Tides of Time:
For the third consecutive year, UNESCO have partnered with the International Herlad Tribune and Jaeger-LeCoultre to raise awareness and funds for the preservation of endangered ecosystems. View the features on Jiuzhai Valley on UNESCO's website and on Jaeger LeCoultre's.
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17 May 2010
Zharu Eco-tourism on Reuters:
Hiking into the heart of Tibetan “Paradise”. Jack Li, our eco-tourism manager accompanied this journalist and her family into Zharu Valley in April. Read her account here.
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5 June 2009
World Environment Day:
Jiuzhai Valley National Park, UNESCO World Heritage Site, will be supporting UNEP World Environment Day on June 5th. The theme of this year’s World Environment Day – “Your planet needs you” – is meant to inspire all of us to do our part.
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1 June 2009
Children’s Day:
June the 1st is International Children’s day and on that day all children under the age of 14 will enjoy free admission to Jiuzhai Valley National Park.
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12 May 2009
The busiest day in the history of Jiuzhai Valley National Park.:
A big thank you to all the friends and guests who came to Jiuzhai Valley on the 12th of May 2009. It was the busiest day in the history of Jiuzhai Valley and provided a much needed boost to the local economy.
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12 May 2009
Earthquake anniversary ceremony:
To cememorate the devestating Sichuan earthquake and those who lost their lives, Jiuzhai Valley will offer free entry to everybody on May 12th 2009.
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Spring 2009 Update
Spring time has arrived in Jiuzhai Valley and so the park’s opening hour’s will be 7am – 6:30pm from May 1st.
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1 April 2009
2nd day ticket from April 1st 2009:
From April 1st until June 30th 2009 your entry ticket is valid for two days (bus ticket is valid for one day).
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Eco-Tourism 2009
Eco-tourism, including hiking and camping is close to being opened in the park for the first time this year.
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1 March 2009
Jiuzhai Valley in the March ‘09 issue of the National Geographic Magazine.
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Eco-tourism was opened in Zharu Valley in July 2009. Now getting off the beaten track is possible for all visitors. In the past, hiking off the beaten track within the national park was not possible. The main hiking route is a spectacular three day hike around the 4,528m tall Zha Yi Zha Ga Sacred Mountain. If that proves too difficult or does not fit into your time schedule, shorter, tailor-made one and two-day hikes are also available in the Zharu and Qu Nae Valleys. It is not possible to hike without a guide and guests will be assigned a guide before entering the national park.
Although home to spectacular scenery, Zharu and Qu Nae’s principal appeal are their rich biodiversity, which until now has been undiscovered by the many tourists who explore the other valleys of the park. Thus the diverse and pristine environment, a rare treasure of China, lays untouched and awaiting exploration.
There is a minimum of five people required for all over-night hikes. If there are less than five in your group you can register your interest for a certain date and if there is interest from others we can put you together to make a group.
In 2012 we introduced the Qu Nae Valley Forest Hike to our eco-tourism schedule. This is a one-day hike that requires no further fee after the purchase of your park entry and bus tickets.
Camping and cooking equipment, will be supplied by your guide for the Zharu Valley treks. For pricing and further information contact zharuecotour@jiuzhai.com or ring +86 (0)837 7737070. If you do not have the opportunity to contact us in advance please enquire at the visitor centre on your arrival.

Zharu valley

Zharu Valley is a steep sided limestone and granite valley inside the Jiuzhai Valley National Park. A clear blue stream runs down its centre, with its numerous tributaries winding down through thick pine and fir forests from the surrounding mountains on both sides of the valley. From the peak of the Zha Yi Zha Ga (the name of the Tibetan king of all mountains) Sacred Mountain to the valley entrance, the altitude ranges from 4,528m to 2,026m. One of Jiuzhai Valley’s nine Tibetan villages, Re Xi, is nestled beneath the mountains only a few kilometers into the valley. A majestic Buddhist temple guards the valley entrance like a sentinel.
The plant life of Zharu includes 40% of the total number of the seed plant families that exist in the whole of China. The rich forests and mountains of Zharu Valley are also home to 63 mammals, including the Sichuan golden monkey, Sichuan takin, giant panda, red panda, leopard cat, black bear, musk deer, blue sheep, wolves and the rare Duke of Bedford’s vole. All of Jiuzhai Valley’s bird species are present in Zharu which creates a paradise for bird-lovers. The activities that are currently available will appeal to any nature lover and include hiking and camping along interpretive trails.
Hiking through Zharu Valley offers a completely different view of the national park. The walking trails lead you through old abandoned villages, Chinese civil war hideaways to deep forests to alpine meadows, right up to well above the tree line.
There are a total of 55km of trails in Zharu Valley which pass a number of sacred Tibetan sites and the now abandoned village of Guo Du. The main three day hike around the Zha Yi Zha Ga Sacred Mountain offers spectacular views and features an array of flora and fauna, is a challenging and at times steep route that will bring you to altitudes of over 4,150m.
The guides who will accompany you as well as the local villagers, will help you to share in and, above all, experience traditional Tibetan culture and hospitality.
The biodiversity of Zharu Valley is a rare treasure in China that presents exciting opportunities for enjoyment and exploration. Visitors who have an appreciation for exploring such pristine and diverse environments now have the chance to come and experience these natural wonders during their visit to Jiuzhai Valley National park. For further information, please contact us at zharuecotour@jiuzhai.com.

Qu Nae Valley

Qu Nae Valley is located at the South West of the national park near to the Virgin Forest. This forest hike starts at 2,960m and takes you through an untouched forest that has until now not been open to tourists. The isolation of this valley means that there is a lot of animal and bird activity. The Sichuan Takin and Chinese Goral are two of the more common animals in this valley and have been spotted by tourists in the past.
The hike finishes at around 3pm and then you will be free to explore the Shu Zheng Valley before leaving the park that evening. It is suggested that you spend at least two days in the park if you take part in this hike. On your other day (we recommend that you visit Qu Nae on your second day in order to aclimatise to the altitude) you can explore the Ri Ze and Ze Cha Wa Valleys.
This is a high altitude, 5-6 hour hike that brings you to above the tree line to 3,450m. Because we are restricted to getting the last bus back to the Shu Zheng Valley in the afternoon we have to turn back for the road by 1pm whether we have reached the top or not.