Huangshan Classic Hiking Tour

Welcome to Huangshan! When you arrived at the airport and walked to the arrival hall, you will see your guide holding your name sign and waiting for you. Then, the guide will escort you to the hotel and help you check in.

This morning, your Huangshan Hiking Tour will begin! You will be driven for about an hour to Mount Huangshan, approximately 60 miles away from downtown Huangshan. Mount Huangshan was listed as World Heritage Site in 1990 and was designated as Global Geopark by UNESCO in 2004. The mountain is characterized by five breathtaking wonders, namely oddly-shaped pine trees, grotesque rocky peaks, the mystical sea of clouds, hot springs, and winter snow.

Upon arrival at the Mount Huangshan Scenic Area, you will first take an electric sightseeing car to the Yungu Temple (Yugu means Cloud Valley). It was built in the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644) and then it has ceased to exist. Nowadays, it has been replaced by Yungu Villa, a Hui-style architecture (featuring well-arranged, up-and-down horse-head walls in black and white). And then, you will take a Yungu Cable Car, and the cableway has a total length of 2666 meters, which only takes 8 minutes from the bottom to the top. As the cable car inches its way up Mount Huangshan, you may feel like floating in a wonderland. You can see clouds and fog around the mountain and also can overlook various grotesque peaks.

After arriving at the top, you will walk to the Begin-to-Believe Peak, which is 1,683 meters above sea level. It is one of the 36 little peaks of the Mount Huangshan range. It is believed that the essence of Mount Huangshan is on the Begin-to-Believe Peak, with picturesque rocks, verdant pines, and breathtaking landscapes all year round. You may wonder why it has such a name. There is a story about it. In the Ming Dynasty, Xu Xiake, a famous traveler, took a trip here and acclaimed Mount Huangshan as the most beautiful mountain. However, an official in the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911) thought that Xu exaggerated the beauty of the mountain. So he decided to visit Mount Huangshan by himself. Standing on the Begin-to-Believe Peak and seeing the stunning landscapes, the official began to believe that Mount Huangshan indeed was the most beautiful mountain. Hence the name. You can come here to see with your own eyes whether it is really that beautiful.

Then, you will go to the Cloud Dispelling Pavilion on foot. The pavilion is a rectangular sightseeing structure made of granite, with 4-meter in depth, 5-meter in width, and 5-meter in height. And the clouds disperse in front of the pavilion, so it got its name Cloud Dispelling Pavilion. Standing on the pavilion, you can overlook the magnificent landscapes of Mount Huangshan and enjoy the Xihai Grand Canyon. The canyon is famous for the mystical sea of clouds, steep peaks, ancient pine trees, and unique rocks. As the clouds move around, the peaks appear indistinctly, like numerous islands on a boundless ocean. Withstanding centuries of wind and rain, the ancient pine trees in all kinds of grotesque shapes and sizes show their staunch perseverance and unyielding will. Besides, the rocks also have bizarre forms, including Inverting Boot, Lady Playing Piano, and Man Walking on Stilts. Today, you will spend one night on Mount Huangshan, you will have enough time to hike on the mountain. If the weather is good, you can witness the gorgeous sunset.

Mount Huangshan

Cloud Dispelling Pavilion

This morning, you will get up early to watch the sunrise, which is one of the most unforgettable and interesting experiences on Mount Huangshan. Sunrise time is different in different seasons, so the guide will tell you when to get up. The temperatures between day and night vary differently. It will be chilly and windy in the early morning, so you should wrap up warm and wear your hat, scarf, and gloves if necessary. Then, you will go to the Dawn Pavilion. It was originally called “Wenguang Pavilion”, and then it was renamed Dawn Pavilion because it is one of the best places to watch sunrise and sunset. The pavilion is made of cement and stone, with an area of about 10 square meters. And pavilion is small and exquisite, with four columns. Standing on the Dawn Pavilion, you can appreciate strangely-shaped peaks and rocks in the south, a rolling sea of clouds in the west, and Lion Peak and other famous scenic spots in the north.

Then, on the way north, you can see an interesting rock, called Stone Monkey Watching the Sea. Most of the peaks in Mount Huangshan are named according to their shapes or legendary stories. In fact, the money is not seeing a real sea but the sea of clouds. There is a fairytale about a monkey and a beautiful girl. It is said that an intelligent monkey has been learning and practicing supernatural skills for thousands of years, and he can transform into 36 different appearances. One day, he fell in love with the girl at first sight. So he turned into a handsome and talented young man and came to the girl’s home to propose. Then, the girl and her parents accepted the proposal. However, on their wedding day, the monkey got too drunk and reveal his true form. She was frightened and run away. On the next day, the monkey woke up and couldn’t find the girl anywhere. He sat regretfully and mournfully on the mountain looking towards the girl’s home days and nights. Year after year, he eventually became the stone monkey we see today.

The last scenic spot of today is Lion Peak. As the name implies, the peak resembles a crouching lion, with its head facing west and tail in the east. The lion lifts its head toward Purple Cloud Peak and the original Lion Forest Temple lies at the open mouth of the lion. The lion takes Qingliang Pavilion as its waist, and Dawn Pavilion as its tail. Standing on it and looking around, you can have a breathtaking view of lots of natural landscapes, such as Purple Cloud Peak, Bright Summit, Flower-Scattering Valley which is packed with bright clusters of flowers, picturesque rocks, and overlapping peaks. After enjoying the magnificent landscapes of Mount Huangshan, you will walk to the cable car station, and then take a cable car down the mountain. Your Huangshan hiking tour comes to an end. Then the guide will transport you to the airport according to your flight schedule. Welcome to China again! There are more interesting theme tours waiting for you to explore!  

Lion Peak

Stone Monkey Watching the Sea

Author: Zhang Yibo