Briefing
The climate is subtropical to temperate monsoon with a mean annual temperature of 7.8 °C, with means of -3.7 °C in January and 16.8 °C in July. Total annual rainfall is 761 mm but in the cloud forest it is at least 1,000 mm. 80% of rainfall occurs between May and October.
Climate Data Table for Jiuzhaigou
Month
Item
|
Jan
|
Feb
|
Mar
|
Apr
|
May
|
Jun
|
Jul
|
Aug
|
Sep
|
Oct
|
Nov
|
Dec
|
average temperature
(℃)
|
6.7
|
8.3
|
12.2
|
17.5
|
21.5
|
24
|
26
|
25.8
|
21.7
|
17.3
|
13.9
|
8.8
|
Rainfall (mm)
|
20.8
|
31.9
|
50.
|
90.0
|
129.4
|
181.0
|
369.6
|
433.6
|
206.6
|
98.3
|
56.5
|
20.9
|
Days of rainfall
|
13.3
|
16.1
|
18.6
|
17.8
|
19.1
|
19.3
|
20.1
|
18.8
|
20.8
|
20.4
|
16.3
|
12.6
|
Tips for Jiuzhaigou Weather
► Best Time to Visit
The best season to visit Jiuzhaigou valley is summer and autumn. At this time, the water resource is very adequate, lots of waterfalls and brook here and there; you can fully understand why Chinese people always say” one will not see the natural landscape after visiting the Jiuzhaigou valley”.
Nearly 300 km2 (116 sq. miles) of the core scenic area are covered by virgin mixed forests. Those forests take on attractive yellow, orange and red colors in the autumn, making that season a popular one for visitors.
The winter is also a good season, you can enjoy the snow view on the valley, but the transportation may be influenced by the snow, besides, the Huanglong may be closed on account of snow.
► Jiuzhaigou Accommodation in Peak Season
Because this is a remote place, the food there is much more expensive than other places, because everything is transferred from other areas. In the peak season, the accommodation is really hard to find, outside the valley lie lot of hotels and hostel, you can find one for your budget. Remember tourists are prohibited camping in the valley.
► Clothes for travelling
Because Jiuzhaigou locates in the margin of the Tibetan Plateau, there is a very huge temperature difference between day and night. Make sure bundle up in the night and bring some warm clothes. Touring in the valley, you need waterproof clothes and mountain shoes. If you don’t have any, don’t worry about that. The local hotel and hostel provide warm clothed rent services.
The sun there is really hot, bring your umbrella or some sunshine-blocking cream.
► Avoid Peak Holidays
It is not a good idea to travel in China during Chinese holidays when huge numbers of Chinese people are travelling around. The busiest three national holidays in China are Chinese Spring Festival (usually in late Jan or early Feb.), International Labor Day (May 01 to 03) and National Day (Oct 01-07). Spring Festival is an especially crowded time to travel. The advantage of being in China at this time is that you will get the opportunity to experience "first hand" the significance of these celebrations in Chinese culture.
Other Tips on Jiuzhaigou Tours
► Transportation to Jiuzhaigou and Haunglong
The frequent asked question is how to get to Jiuzhaigou, Jiuzhaigou is located on the edge of the Tibetan Himalayan Plateau, compared to other high-traffic scenic spots in China can be difficult to access by land, usually, and people always first get to Chengdu or Chongqing municipal and then take a plane to the Jiuhuang airport and then take a taxi to Jiuzhaigou valley. It is about 5oo kilometers away from Chengdu to Jiuzhaigou. Bus also will do, it takes about 8 hours by bus, and this is for the tourists who are on a budget.
If you want to go to
Huanglong, you need to take a bus or charter one, Huanglong lie 125 kilometers away from Jiuzhaigou. The whole way is twisting mountain road; do slow down your vehicle. Huanglong is higher than Jiuzhaigou in altitude, not recommend stay overnight here.