Chengdu to Jiuzhaigou by Train - The High-speed Train through Chengdu-Lanzhou High-speed Rail in 2019

Chengdu and Jiuzhaigou are significant places on the map of China. Both being close to nature and surprisingly beautiful, it attracts tourists from all around the globe.The striking features of these places are the reasons that throughout the 12 months it is crowded by the tourists. If you are planning a Chengdu tour, then it is highly recommended that you must travel to Jiuzhaigou as well because it encompasses the abundant breathtaking flora and fauna.

Happy News About High-Speed Rail From Chengdu And Jiuzhaigou

The distance between Jiuzhaigou and Chengdu is 424.4kms. Situated in Aba City in the northeast part of it, Jiuzhaigou is a national park and hence people who visit Chengdu also visit Jiuzhaigou. But the absence of high-speed rail and bullet train makes the journey a pain.

Anyways, the latest good news is that soon Chengdu-Lanzhou high-speed railway will be complete with a stop at Jiuzhaigou. According to the news, by 2019 the railway station construction would finish and the train would start to run. The speed estimated is 200kms/hr covering 378km. This railway of Chengdu and Jiuzhaigou will cover a number of stations, namely, Sanxingdui, Shifang West, Mianzhu South, Anxian, Gaochuan, Maoxian, Longtang, Taiping, Zhenjiangguan, Songpan, Chuanzhusi, Huangshengguan, and Dalu. Thus, within 2 hours you will be able to reach Jiuzhaigou from Chengdu by bullet train. However, till the time when the high speed rail is yet to come into full picture, you can board onto a bus or flight from Chengdu to Jiuzhaigou.

High-Speed Rail

The idea of high-speed railway was proposed in 2010-2011 and the construction actually began in 26th February, 2011. However, this plan posed a problem to nature and wildlife endangering the life of exotic species of animals like Giant Pandas and Golden Monkeys and hence this project was stopped immediately. But still the project leaders did not lose hope and the plan was redesigned with a different route. Still the work was not simple and easy. Although now the nature was preserved and protected, but the design because of tunnels and bridges in order to skip the wildlife area, made the construction more difficult. This is why the construction took much time than expected. After a number of tunnels and excavations, finally on 19thJuly, 2016 a tunnel on the route of Chengdu and Jiuzhaigou railway line was excavated and now we are hoping that the estimated time of completion of the project is 2019.

What to See in Jiuzhaigou

Jiuzhaigou National Park has a special and a wide variety of flora and fauna. This place with greenery all around, and sun-kissed mountains and beautiful valleys make you realize that you have found heaven on earth. The etymology behind the name of Jiuzhaigou is the nine Tibetan villages that are down the border of Jiuzhaigou. Thus, the meaning of Jiuzhaigou is nine village valleys. Also, Jiuzhaigou was once known as Nanping but the name was changed to the present name in 1998.

Beautiful valleys in jiuizhaigou

Jiuzhaigou is placed in the lap of Min mountainsthat are beside the Tibetan plateau. It covers an area of about 72,000 hectares and forms a part of the Asia-Pacific region. The remarkable features of Jiuzhaigou include Rize Valley, Zechawa Valley, Shuzheng valley and many more.

When you visit these valleys you will find delightful sites and scenes nearby or while returning from the highest point of these valleys towards downhill. Following are sites that you can trace while going through these valleys.

1. Rize Valley – The Primeval Forest, Swan Lake, Grass Lake, Arrow Bamboo Lake, Panda Lake, Five Flower Lake, Pearl Shoal, Mirror Lake.

Mirror Lake in Jiuzhaigou

2. Zechawa Valley – Long Lake, Five-Color Pond, The Seasonal Lake.

Long Lake in Jiuzhaigou

3. Shuzheng Valley – Nuorilang Falls, Nuoilang Lakes, Sleeping Dragon Lake, Reed Lake.

Nuorilang Waterfalls in Jiuzhaigou

Apart from all pleasing valleys, there is another lake in the west direction of Jiuzhaigouabout 42kms away from it called, The Fairy Pool.

How to Get to Jiuzhaigou from Chengdu

The high-speed railway track would be accomplished in 2019 but till then you can follow the current mode of travelling for visiting Jiuzhaigou from Chengdu.

Skipping the rail route you have two modes of travel left to reach Jiuzhaigou from Chengdu – by air or by road.

1. Travelling from Chengdu to Jiuzhaigou by Air

With the help of direct flights available, it is easy to reach Jiuzhaigou fast and comfortably. However, the problem is with the fare. Since the distance between these two places is not much, you might expect that the airfare must be quite low but such is not the case. The fare, though affordable, but is quite high charging CNY 1K for economy class.

Travelling from Chengdu to Jiuzhaigou by Air

Once you reach Jiuzhaigou Airport you are still 88kms away from the Jiuzhaigou Valley National Park. Hence, you can take the local bus or other transport available and reach your destination in 1.5 hours.

3 Days Jiuzhaigou Valley and Huanglong National Park Local Tour

2. Travelling from Chengdu to Jiuzhaigou by Road

The road ways have to offer you a cheaper travel, but it will take at minimum 8 hours to 9 hours to reach Jiuzhaigou. You can board on the bus at Chengdu Chadianzi Bus Station.

Chengdu Chadianzi Bus Station

So, if you cannot wait till the year 2019 and you have to visit Jiuzhaigou instantly or sometime near then you can always travel through these modes and enjoy your tour.

4 Days Chengdu Jiuzhaigou Huanglong Overland Tour

Price From: USD 490

Chengdu Nearby Places To Visit

You took a nice time off from your tough, tight schedule and you cannot decide how to plan your trip to cover the nearby places to visit. If this is a situation with you too, then there are a few places near Chengdu, which you can visit along with your plan of Chengdu-Jiuzhaigou tour. They are, Dujiangyan, Mount Qingcheng, Leshan and Mt.Emei. These places have cultural and natural significance. The main part is that these places have high-speed rail running.

Dujiangyan Irrigation System

Once upon a time, when there was no technology, the people of Sichuan province were irrigating lands using an irrigation system. This was happening in the city Guanxian (now named as Dujiangyan). The name Guanxian was formed by two words, Guan and Xian. Guan means irrigation and Xian means county. Thus Guanxian was known for its irrigation system. However, this was the story back in time; presently the place is known as Dujiangyan or Dujiangyan Irrigation System specifically.

Dujiangyan Irrigation System

When you come to Dujiangyan, prepare a list of places that you will visit in this city.Also, there are local cultural festivals that you must be a part of. One such local traditional festival is Dujiangyanis Summer Night Beer Festival where people fill each other’s glass of wine and drink and dance. The people believe that by doing this peace and prosperity is spread.

Mount Qingcheng

Mount Qingcheng is popular for its Taoist Mountains and is known not just in China but in the entire world. The beauty of this place is that the scenic beauty and the trail of the trees in the great mountains are almost like an artist palette. It has 36 peaks in total and gives shelter to the Giant Pandas. If you look at the Taoist mythology you will realize that in early age Mount Qingcheng was the center of Daoist religion and hence has a number of temples. The famous Taost attractions in Mount Qingcheng include Ciyun Tower, Shangqing Palace, Saqing Hall, etc.

Mount Qingcheng

Leshan Giant Buddha

Leshan is another good place for the side trip to Chengdu. It was earlier known as Jiading. The main attraction of this place that binds the tourists and appeals them for coming to this place again and again isthe largest statue of Buddha carved from stone. This is why Leshan was declared World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 1996. Not only have the followers of the Leshan Giant Buddha, but also the architecture students and people with great interest in art come to visit Leshan every year. There are some traditional food of Leshan that you must try on your visit like Ma-La-Tang, Bo-Bo-Ji, Shao-Kao, Qian-Wei Bao-Bing and Dou-Fu-nao. Also, apart from the Giant Buddha, there are other places of attraction too to visit in Leshan. You should do two things without fail in Leshan; one, you should visit Lingbao Pagoda and roam around during the night time as the night view of this place will make your heart skip a beat.

Leshan Giant Buddha

Mount Emei

Mt. Emei is in Leshan city. It is the highest mountain in China, which you can visit. It is all green and calms your nerve rush and gives you serenity and peace. The power of the ambience of this place is so much that you will forget all your problems and will be lost in the enchanting beauty of the high towering mountain and the spectacular natural scene. This mountain is a home to over 200 different species of trees. There are certain places of attraction that you must stop over at; Baoguo Temple, Mt. Emei Museum, Quingyin Pavilion, Yixiantian, Joking Monkey Zone, Xixin Place, White Dragon Cake, Dragon Cave Lake, Jieyin Palace and Golden Summit are some of the places that you can visit at Mt. Emei.

Mount Emei