Tibetan Hotel in China's Jiuzhaigou National Park

On our journey through Jiuzhaigou National Park in northern Sichuan province, we decided to spend a night in Shuzheng, a Tibetan village inside the park. There are plenty of hotels and hostels, and more luxury accommodations under construction, in the town outside the park gates, but they don't offer the charm of the quiet village. Our main reason for staying within the park was that during national holidays ticket prices were inflated and only valid for a single day (during off-peak travel times the tickets were valid for two days). The choice of accommodation was more about saving money than following the rules.

When we first arrived in town, we did not know where anything was-it was after dark and raining, forcing us to make hasty decisions. Had we walked 15 minutes down the road, we would have encountered a lively backpacker-friendly area. However, with the exhaustion of hiking earlier in the day, the temptation of staying out late in the bars and restaurants of the area would have prevented us from getting an early start on our trek through the exquisite beauty of Jiuzhaigou.

The greatest obstacle for tourists who want to stay inside the park is that it is illegal. Those caught staying in Jiuzhaigou after the gates close at 7 pm are subject to significant fines and possible criminal charges. However, the owners of local hotels are more than willing to help visitors skirt the law. They do make a point of informing guests to not venture outside of the hotel after 7 pm.

For 100 RMB (current exchange rate is approximately 6.8 RMB = US$1) we had a private room that included a light Tibetan dinner with other guests and the family that owned the hotel. The quality of the small Tibetan hotel was far superior to our previous accommodation in town that cost more than twice as much. The Tibetan-style architecture and colorful paintings around the building made it more appealing than the drab two- and three-star hotels that we could afford. Unlike many of the hotels in town that only have hot water at specific hours, our hotel had 24-hour hot water for our shower. The only thing it lacked was heat-as it was the first week in May in the mountains, the weather was cold. Fortunately, the quilt that was provided was warm enough for the evening.

Because we stayed inside the park, we were able to wake up early to catch the morning sun shine on the surrounding mountains before the first tour bus pulled up to the village. We spoke with other guests of the hotel who had been in Jiuzhaigou a few days and offered us advice on routes for sightseeing and hiking that most tourists miss. We avoided the long line to enter the park on the second day, which saved us time that we spent leisurely hiking along the trails in an effort to avoid the enormous holiday crowds (in some locations it was impossible).