Tourists stranded at Jiuzhaigou valley in 'golden week' misery

There was anger and chaos in Sichuan’s world-famous Jiuzhaigou valley on Wednesday as thousands of “golden week” holidaymakers found themselves stranded for hours inside the park after shuttle buses failed to show up as scheduled.

As visitors are not allowed to stay overnight in the park, many say they were forced to walk for miles before they could catch a bus to exit the valley.

The famous national park, known for its multi-level waterfalls, colourful lakes, and snow-capped peaks, stretches over 180,000 acres of land. Tourists rely on electric shuttle buses - the only transportation allowed on the site - to get around. It takes hours to hike from one bus stop to another inside the park.

But while disgruntled holidaymakers accused the park for selling too many tickets to visitors they couldn’t possibly accomodate, Jiuzhiagou authorities said all of their 400 buses were running yesterday and it was tourists who had blocked roads and caused terrible congestion.

Media reports said some tourists had tried to stop buses from driving away after they failed to get on, causing hours of delays. Police officers were sent inside the park after chaos broke out.

Photos posted on Weibo showed that thousands of angry visitors, after exiting the park, had gathered near the ticket office and demanded refunds.