Stretch­ing over 72000 ha in the north­ern part of Sichuan Province, the jagged Jiuzhaigou val­ley reach­es a height of more than 4800 m, thus com­pris­ing a series of diverse for­est ecosys­tems. Its superb land­scapes are par­tic­u­lar­ly inter­est­ing for their series of nar­row con­ic karst land forms and spec­tac­u­lar water­falls. Some 140 bird species also inhab­it the val­ley, as well as a num­ber of endan­gered plant and ani­mal species, includ­ing the giant pan­da and the Sichuan takin.