One of China’s most scenic reserves, Jiuzhai Gou (Nine Stockades Gully) covers 620 sq km of mountain valleys dotted with Tibetan villages. Beneath the snow-capped mountains, the valley floors are strung with almost 100 extraordinarily blue lakes, said to be the broken slivers of the Tibetan goddess Semo’s mirror. Broad waterfalls, heavily encrusted with lime deposits, connect many of the lakes. Aside from herds of yaks, birds are the most evident wildlife, including rare mandarin ducks; a panda sighting is unlikely.