June 18-19, Jiuzhaigou, Sichuan, China

Jiuzhaigou (9 Village Valley) is China's most popular and I believe oldest national park.  It's location in the very north of Sichuan province makes access a bit tough but that doesn't dissuade the crowds.  The ticket prices are the highest of any attraction in China at 320RMB per day but still the hordes descend on the place.  The scenery is supposed to be compelling and almost everybody says it's worth the price and the hassle of dealing with massive Chinese tour groups.  I mentally braced myself for the exorbitant entrance price and prepared to enter one of the most intensely touristed places in all of China.  Actually it wasn't all that bad.  Less-than-stellar weather kept some of the punters away and the scenery was certainly amazing - it would have been simply jaw-dropping to come here before the place was developed to the level it has been (and back when you could, legally or otherwise, just go off and hike on your own and camp in the valleys) but the way the park has been preserved is for the most part world-class, and I can commend the Chinese on a job well done (this is one of the very few places in China that I cannot be very critical of - they have in all honesty done an excellent job of presenting and preserving the park).  Development in the 2 main valleys has been very strictly limited to a very few areas - this is a very nice change from the normal Chinese approach of building hotels and shops all over mountains, valleys and other formerly natural areas.  One thing that shocked me (in a good way) was the almost total lack of litter - of course it's due to a fastidious pick-up team not public training, but the result certainly the cleanest and most pristine place I've been in China - cities, parks and remote mountains all included.  The much-hyped scenery lives up to it's reputation too.  The waters are crystal clear like no others I've ever seen (certainly not in China), the waterfalls and lakes beautiful, unique and unlike any others I know of, the variety of colors breathtaking and the fact that the entire valley floors are basically flowing rivers amazing - there's almost no dry land anywhere so the network of state-of-the-art raised walkways provides access to some stunning spots that would be otherwise all but inaccessible.  The only complaints I'd make are of course the ticket price, the total inappropriateness of the smoke-belching fleet of "green" (in color only) buses (these are essential for park access since the place is over 25km from end to end but must be changed to gas or electric or some honestly green means of propulsion - black diesel smoke just doesn't fit in with a green image) and the almost total lack of access for independent camping.  I suppose the ban is to limit the impact on the land, but if rubbish management were enforced (like by fining people), people were trained to respect the waterways, and campsites were provided and their use enforced I think this would be a really great way to experience the park's unique environment.  Right now the only way to legally camp is to take a 600RMB per day ($100USD) guided tour.  If I go back I am seriously tempted to simply ignore the rules and take off on my own.  Some photos of the highlights are below.