Jiuzhaigou Valley, China

Jiuzhaigou Valley is a superb work of nature with its enchanted landscape and vast nature reserve. The valley is given a dreamlike eloquence that is unmatched anywhere else by its blue lakes, mountains, and lush forests.

Jiuzhaigou, a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1992 and a World Biosphere Reserve since 1997, is a jagged 72,000-ha valley in northern Sichuan Province, with the highest peaks in the southern Minshan Mountain reaching 4,800 m. It has incredible landscapes with narrow conic karst land forms, limestone terraces, multi-level waterfalls, blue-, green-, and purple-hued lakes and pools, caves, and snowy peaks. Locals believe that the Goddess Semo dropped a mirror made of Dago's wind and clouds, shattering it into the hundreds of lakes that dot the valley. Five Flower Lake, a brilliant cyan-colored pool flowing over numerous downed, ancient tree trunks, is a must-see location in the Jiuzhaigou valley. Around 140 different bird species can be found in the region's diverse forest ecosystems, in addition to a number of critically endangered species of plants and animals like the giant panda and the Sichuan takin.

The well-preserved quaternary glacial remnants add to the scenic and aesthetic majesty of the Jiuzhaigou Valley. Unfortunately, the region's beautiful nature has suffered as a result of forestry activities, with many initiatives being undertaken to restore the lost precious materials through tree planting and strict management and protection of water quality, air quality, and forests. Although it is recommended that human interception in the area be limited in order to preserve the valley's precious natural life, the breathtaking views are not yet prohibited, though one must seriously consider the consequences of the ecological footprint.