Despite whatever they tell you, lodging in the park is illegal.
camping
As of July 2009 hiking and camping have been made available within the Zaru Valley (http://www.jiuzhai.com/la...) of the national park. Zaru Valley has an amazing 40% of all the plant species in the whole of China and if you are to see any of the wildlife of the national park, this represents the best chance. The main hike is a 3-day hike, following the pilgrimage of the local Bebbo Tibetan Buddhists around the 4,500 m+ 14,764 ft+ Zhayizha Ga Mountain.
lodging
There are no hotels or commercial accommodation within the park. It used to be possible to stay at the home of a local villager for a small fee. The authorities however do not approve of the practice and as such it is not recommended.
There are now a number of 5 star, 4 star and 3 star hotels and cheap hostels just outside the park.
The price for a 5 star hotel such as the Jiuzhaigou Xilaideng International is from Â¥600-1,000. Also there is a Sheraton that can be had for about ¥500-800/night through travel agents.
For 4 star hotels like Chang Qing binguan é¿é宾é¦, the Geshang hotel, the Chinese Travel hotel, and the Golden Harbour Hotel room prices are from Â¥400-900.
A 3 star hotel such as the Xing Long binguanï¼é«é宾é¦), Qianhe Hotel etc. is from Â¥300-800.
A lot of the hotels have different level "rooms" within the hotel which are priced accordingly. Thus you see a great deal of price ranges within the same hotel.
Prices vary according to the season and booking in advance is essential. Provided you speak and read mandarin bookings and purchase of tickets can be done online at [www.jiuzhaigouvalley.com].
There is one authentic homestay (http://www.cnngo.com/shan...) others are "Tibetan themed" often outside owned run by a local family a 15 mins drive from the park entrance. They do not have a website but they can be contacted at mailto:[email protected]. There are also two hostels in the immediate area.
There are a number of cheap hostels to the West of the park entrance. You should be able to get dorm rooms for around ¥35 and double bedrooms for ¥100.
One that is the sister hostel of Sim's in Chengdu comes recommended wifi, hot water, nice staff:
Uncle Jiang's family house, Peng Feng Village, Jiuzhaigou Park Entrance. They have free pick-up and offer packed lunches sandwiches for ¥20.
Using the local travel websites will allow you to purchase price for cheaper, kind of how the aggregate websites will allow you to get a room for cheaper. However, they are pretty hard to find unless you search with Chinese characters.
There is lodging located in the villages along the street outside the park entrance. For budget travelers the best option is the Jiutong Bingguan ä¹éå µå® located next to the bus station. Touts crowd around arriving buses and can lead you to alternative budget options.