Jiuzhaigou (九寨沟)
The 18 km (11 miles) long Rize Valley (日则沟) is the south-western branch of Jiuzhaigou. It contains the largest variety of sites and is typically visited first. Going downhill from its highest point, Merlion Wayfarer passed the following sites:
Feel the 180-degree thunder of the water in this video taken from the bottom of the falls...
Sichuan (四川), China (中国)
March-April 2013
Rize Valley (日则沟)
The 18 km (11 miles) long Rize Valley (日则沟) is the south-western branch of Jiuzhaigou. It contains the largest variety of sites and is typically visited first. Going downhill from its highest point, Merlion Wayfarer passed the following sites:
Mirror Lake (镜海)
Mirror Lake (镜海) is another quiet lake casting beautiful reflections of the surroundings when the water is calm. Located 2,390m above sea level, it is 925m in length, 11m in depth and covers an area of 196,840 suare metres. It is formed from the rocks and mud of landslides filling up the valley,
The lake got its name from its mirror-smooth surface with the blue sky, white clouds, snowy peaks and colourful trees reflected upon it. Merlion Wayfarer was initially disappointed to see a choppy surface, until Tour Guide E explained why - The mirror-like calmness is only present daily before 0700 hours and after 2100 hours in the evenings.
The lake got its name from its mirror-smooth surface with the blue sky, white clouds, snowy peaks and colourful trees reflected upon it. Merlion Wayfarer was initially disappointed to see a choppy surface, until Tour Guide E explained why - The mirror-like calmness is only present daily before 0700 hours and after 2100 hours in the evenings.
Five Flower Lake (五花海)
Five Flower Lake (五花海) is a shallow multi-colored lake with a bottom criss-crossed by ancient fallen tree trunks. With an area of 90,000 square metres, and an elevation of 2,472m, its water covers a spectrum from pale blue to aquamarine to emerald green at different depths from the average of 4.59m to the deepest at 11.2m. The colour changes are caused by a combination of travertine, algae, aquatic weeds, and minerals in the water stream. Because of underwater springs bubbling up from the lake bed, the lake maintains a steady water level in both dry and wet periods.
At only 5m deep, the clarity of the fallen trees is simply astounding...
Somehow, seeing the GIGANTIC trees buried in water so blue and clear was also kinda chilling...
(Compare the size of the people in the pictures vs the tree trunks)
(Compare the size of the people in the pictures vs the tree trunks)
The turquoise-blue water is habitable enough that large schools of fish thrive in its depths...
Also called Peacock Lake,
the name was derived from the fan shape of the lake when viewed from above...
the name was derived from the fan shape of the lake when viewed from above...
Away from the maddening crowd and the quieter paths, Merlion Wayfarer noticed that the colour of the water slow changes from clear blue to yellow green...
Merlion Wayfarer had to walk all the way to the other side of the lake to see this -
The algae and cyan combination is simply stunning!
The algae and cyan combination is simply stunning!
Lots of willing models in such a scenic environment...
The streaks on the water surface are caused by the reflection of the sparse winter trees on the calm surface, with the snow-capped mountains as a backdrop...
Panda Lake (熊猫海)
Panda Lake (熊猫海) contains curious color patterns of blue and green. Though there have been no sightings for many years, it is said that the lake got its name because Giant Pandas were said to have come down here to drink. The lake empties into the multi-stream, multi-level Panda Waterfalls, dropping 78m in three cascading steps.
A no-panda and nondescript gully...
Arrow Bamboo Lake (箭竹海)
Arrow Bamboo Lake (箭竹海), covering an area of 170,000 m², is a shallow lake with a depth of 6m. Named for the arrow bamboo that thrives along its shoes, it lies at an elevation of 2,618 m, and was a main film location for the 2002 Chinese film Hero starring Jet Li. Tour Guide E describes avidly the amount of wires rigged to allow Zhang Ziyi to "fly" across this lake.
(Source : DailyCollage)
This looks nothing like what was in the movie.
OK, OK, maybe winter-spring is not the correct season to go...
Pearl Shoal (珍珠滩)
Pearl Shoal (珍珠滩) is a wide, gently sloping area of active calcareous tufa deposition covered in a thin sheet of flowing water. It empties into the famous Pearl Waterfalls (珍珠滩瀑布), where the shoal drops 162.5m wide curtain of water. A scene of the television adaptation of Journey to the West was filmed here.
The flatlands of calcium carbonate rock which have turned green with algae and mineral deposits...
Water is crystal clear and cold from melted snow...
The water flow appears gentle, but do not be deceived -
The surface is very slippery with algae growth!
Even in the rush, a moment of stillness prevails with the tranquility of a single bloom...
Pearl Shoal Waterfall ( 珍珠滩瀑布)
Located in Jiuzhaigou within the Rize Valley, Pearl Waterfalls (珍珠滩瀑布) lies at an altitude of 2,433m above sea level. The top of the waterfall is 162.5m in width and has a height of 40m.
The top of the waterfall is a deceptive view of calmness before the mad rush down the vertical rocky drop...
Regardless of which angle, smooth velvety streams plummet down the heights...
Thousands of years of incessant water flowing on soft rock creates fascinating facets -
Hmmm, is that the face of a man or a monkey?
Hmmm, is that the face of a man or a monkey?
The sheer magnificence of the waterfall in its horizontal splendour...
Feel the 180-degree thunder of the water in this video taken from the bottom of the falls...
Even after the main waterfall, the water gushes down several cascades...
And pours down several gullies...
小桥流水 - A lone man stands on the bridge to admire the scenery...
Triangular sets of steps...
After following a short boardwalk,
the path finally ends in a luscious green valley with a view of snow-capped mountains...
the path finally ends in a luscious green valley with a view of snow-capped mountains...
