Samehere

Source: http://blog.yoyoor.com/

If you are visiting China, chances are you are visiting Shanghai, Hangzhou, Suzhou or Nanjing. And if you are visiting these cities, chances are you will also be looking for a chance to escape the hustle and bustle for a few days. Yellow Mountain (Huang Shan) and the surrounding Huizhou villages are a great place to do this. Even though Yellow Mountain can have tourists flocking to it on the weekends, there are still plenty of places to escape the crowds and get some fresh air.

There are 2 parts to this trip: the first is to Huangshan itself, which requires at least 2 days to visit (with one overnight stay at the peak). The second part of the trip is a tour of the villages around Huangshan, which do not take much time to see but feature charming and traditional style Huizhou architecture.

I suggest leaving for Huangshan from Hangzhou, with buses leaving about every 30 minutes starting at 7:00am. The earlier you go, the better, as you want to beat the cable car and ticket lines once you get to the mountain. With the new expressway completed last December, it now takes 2.5 hours to get from Hangzhou to Huangshan City (3 hours straight to Huangshan). In 2004, the same trip took me almost 7 hours. The new highway is fast and comfortable. Buses go from the West Bus Station in Hangzhou straight to the base of the mountain.

After you buy your tickets, you have the option of taking the eastern steps up to the top (4 hours), or taking the new Yungu cable car (15 minutes). I suggest trying the new cable car as the eastern steps are not as exhilarating as the rest of the mountain, and you want to save your energy for the West Sea Canyon up top.

Once you get to the top, your best bet is to find a place to stay and put down your luggage. There are 3 or 4 main hotels at the top of the mountain; all of the hotels are pretty much the same. Because all items are brought to the hotels by porters, and because Huangshan is one of China’s top tourist attractions, the hotels are expensive. However, it is worth staying at the peak for the sunrise and “Sea of Clouds” the next morning.

After getting lunch, you can spend the rest of the afternoon in the West Sea Canyon. The West Sea Scenic Zone features the most beautiful landscape on Huangshan. There are hundreds of peaks, deep gorges, stairs built onto the faces of cliffs, and old pavilions. It truly does feel like you are walking in a real-life landscape painting. This is also a great place to be in the afternoon, as it gets some of the most interesting sunsets.

By the end of the West Sea Canyon tour, you should be exhausted, and it’s best to go back to the hotel, have a nice meal and get some sleep for the sunrise.

The sunrise the next morning is not to be missed, as you will see by the crowds of tourists standing in rows to watch it at the designated sunrise viewing pavilions. Bring your camera, especially if you are lucky enough to get the “Sea of Clouds” phenomenon (most frequently occurring in the Spring). After the sunrise, most will head back to their hotels for breakfast. This is your time to explore the peak while nobody else is on the mountain.

After exploring the peak, if you are physically fit for it, the Western Steps are the most breathtaking way back down the mountain. It takes about 6 hours to climb down the Western Steps from the peak, including time for plenty of rest stops and the occasional wrong turn. The Western Steps feature Heavenly Capital and Lotus Peak, both of which are actually higher than the main peak of Huangshan, even though they are located almost halfway down the Western Steps. The pathways and views from this area will for sure take your breath away. Be sure not to rush!