Rize-Tal

Rize Valley is one of the two main branches of Jiuzhaigou Valley, the UNESCO World Heritage Site of northern Sichuan, and the branch that contains the greatest concentration of the park's most famous lakes, waterfalls, and viewpoints. Running up the right-hand fork of the great Y-shaped valley, it is the heart of most visitors' experience of Jiuzhaigou, and walking its length, or riding the shuttle bus between its stops, is the central activity of a day in the park.

The branch is strung with a chain of extraordinary lakes and waterfalls, each with its own character and its own palette of colors. Among the celebrated sights along the Rize Valley are Five-Flower Lake, the most vividly colored body of water in the park, with its kaleidoscopic surface and submerged ancient trees; Mirror Lake, whose still surface produces the famous reflections for which Jiuzhaigou is known; and Pearl Shoal Waterfall, a broad, dramatic cascade that fans out across a wide apron of travertine. The boardwalks and trails that follow the valley link these sights into a continuous walking experience through the finest scenery in Jiuzhaigou.

What makes the Rize Valley so remarkable is the concentration and variety of its water. Within a relatively short stretch of valley, a visitor can see turquoise lakes, mirror-still pools, thundering waterfalls, gentle rapids, and the deep alpine forest that frames them all, and the quality of the light, the color of the water, and the scale of the landscape shift constantly as one moves up and down the branch. The upper reaches of the valley, which climb toward the original, primeval forest, are wilder and quieter than the lower sections, adding another layer of contrast.

Rize Valley is explored as part of the standard shuttle-bus and walking circuit of Jiuzhaigou, and because it holds so many of the park's signature sights, most visitors spend the greater part of their day within it. Wear comfortable walking shoes, as the boardwalks stretch for kilometers, and bring layers for the mountain weather. For travelers trying to understand why Jiuzhaigou is counted among the most beautiful valleys on Earth, Rize Valley is the essential, unforgettable core of the experience.