The Jiuzhaigou National Park in China is located about 330km north of Chengdu in the province of Sichuan. The remote region was inhabited by various Tibetan and Qiang peoples for centuries, and was not officially discovered by the government until 1972. The area was made a National Park in 1982, opened to tourism in 1984, and inscribed by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site in 1992 and a World Biosphere Reserve in 1997.

The name of the place, Jiuzhaigou, is derived from the nine Tibetan villages which were once located within it. It comprises of three valleys arranged in the shape of a “Y”, which are known respectively as the Shuzheng Valley, the Rize Valley, and the Zechawa Valley.

The unique and most attractive features of Jiuzhaigou are its crystal-clear, blue-, green- and turquoise-colored lakes, its distinctive waterfalls, and its Tibetan villages. The lakes have a high concentration of calcium carbonate, and their water is so clear that the bottom is often visible even at great depths.