Traveling to Jiuzhaigou Off-Peak but Ended Up Lonely

I originally thought there would be far fewer people after the National Day holiday, but in reality, it was extremely crowded. Can you believe it took almost half an hour stuck in traffic from the bus stop at Five Flower Lake to actually see Five Flower Lake? We were taking photos squeezed in tight spaces. Personally, I think you must not miss: 1. Five Color Pond (blue and clear, although it's on the left route) 2. Five Flower Lake (weather and angle matter; I think the area near the bus stop looks better) 3. Shuanglonghai Waterfall (you can see my last two photos) Other alpine lakes like Changhai, Jianzhuhai, and Panda Lake are actually quite similar to Rhinoceros Lake and Spark Lake below, so if you’re short on time, just pick and choose. - If you want to go to the left route, be sure to consider if you have enough time because it takes about 20 minutes one way from Nuorilang Central Station to Changhai, plus waiting in line, so the trip will definitely take about an hour. The left route is mainly to see Five Color Pond, which you reach by getting off at Changhai and walking about half an hour (but Five Color Pond is, in my opinion, the most beautiful with no substitute). Choose based on your own situation. - Also, the hike from Rhinoceros Lake to Spark Lake is quite worthwhile. You can drink mountain spring water along the way, and the lakes are super blue. Most importantly, there are basically no people!!! - Finally, because I was in a hurry, I didn’t get to visit Pearl Shoal and Nuorilang Waterfall, only saw a bit from the sightseeing bus. If I had to choose next time, I would skip Jianzhuhai and start from Panda Lake because I actually wasted quite a bit of time walking from Jianzhuhai to Panda Lake.