City guide · Henan

Yuntai Mountain travel guide: Red Stone Gorge, the 314 m waterfall and how to beat the queues

A UNESCO geopark in Henan where red-stone gorges squeeze a river to a slot, a 314 m waterfall drops in one plunge, and every path leads to another pool.

  • Known forRed-stone gorges & waterfalls
  • Typical spendAbout ¥800 / day
  • Ideal length2 days
  • PaceWalk-heavy, orderly
Plan this trip Yuntai Mountain tours

Reviewed by our Beijing team Updated 2026-10-10

The short version

Yuntai Mountain rewards 2 days: give day one to the gorges — Tanpu, Quanpu with the 314 m Yuntai Sky Waterfall, and the red-stone slot of Red Stone Gorge — and day two to Zhu'yu Peak at 1,308 m and the Diecai Caves road. The peak-season ticket is about ¥210 including the shuttle, and because the ticket lasts two days you never need to rush. Private cars are banned inside, so everyone parks at the gate and rides the 22-stop green shuttle.

  • The ticket is a two-day pass (¥210 peak, ¥135 winter) and includes the ¥60 shuttle.
  • Red Stone Gorge is a one-way 1.5 km walk — start before 9am to dodge the queues.
  • The 314 m Yuntai Sky Waterfall, at the end of Quanpu Gorge, is the highest in China.
  • No private driving inside: park at the gate, switch to the green shuttle at its 22 stops.
  • Start early on holidays — the shuttles fill fast and the gorge entrances back up.

City guide

First impressions

Photographs from the coast, and what other travellers wrote afterwards.

The red-stone slot canyon of Red Stone Gorge.
The red-stone slot canyon of Red Stone Gorge.
The 314 m Yuntai Sky Waterfall plunging into its pool.
The 314 m Yuntai Sky Waterfall plunging into its pool.
Springs, cascades and pools along the gorge boardwalks.
Springs, cascades and pools along the gorge boardwalks.
Zhu'yu Peak, the 1,308 m summit above the gorges.
Zhu'yu Peak, the 1,308 m summit above the gorges.

Travel is a search, and the beautiful scenery is always on the road. Tonight the train rolls slowly and the moon is especially bright — I can't tell whether it's welcoming me or whether Yuntai is the reason I can't bear to leave.

Traveller's note, Rain, Water and Yuntai Mountain

Wandering here, there is no city noise and no daily worry — it feels like retreating into the hills. The water falls with the mountain, free and easy. If I were a fish in that pool, I'd be content too.

Traveller's note, Yuntai Mountain, Oh Yuntai Mountain

Yuntai Mountain is the water-and-stone showpiece of the North China plain, tucked into the far north of Henan where the Taihang range falls away toward the Yellow River. What pulls people here is not one peak but a whole family of gorges cut into red quartz sandstone and fed by springs that never dry — the local boast is 'three steps, a spring; five steps, a cascade; ten steps, a pool'. UNESCO listed it among its first Global Geoparks for exactly this northern karst landform.

The gorges are the heart of it, and each has its own character. Red Stone Gorge squeezes a river into a slot barely wide enough for one path between walls of deep crimson rock. Tanpu Gorge throws waterfall after waterfall across the walk. Quanpu Gorge ends at the Yuntai Sky Waterfall, which drops 314 m in a single fall. Above them all stands Zhu'yu Peak at 1,308 m, where Wang Wei wrote the festival poem that every Chinese child learns by heart.

It is also remarkably easy to navigate for somewhere this dramatic. Private cars are banned; everyone rides the same green shuttle, which runs to 22 stops, and the boardwalks, signposts and per-sight check-ins are so orderly that even a public holiday moves along. Go midweek out of season if you can — but Yuntai handles a big day better than almost any mountain in China.

Yuntai Mountain

Don't leave without

Seven things that are worth rearranging a day for.

  1. Walk the red-stone slot of Red Stone Gorge before the coaches arrive.
  2. Stand under the 314 m Yuntai Sky Waterfall in Quanpu Gorge.
  3. Climb to the top of Zhu'yu Peak for the view Wang Wei wrote about.
  4. Ride the 19-tunnel Diecai Caves road down the mountain.
  5. Watch the free macaque show in Macaque Valley.
  6. Eat 'noisy-broth' donkey meat and the ten-legged scorpion, if you dare.

Highlights

What not to miss at Yuntai

Red Stone Gorge

The signature walk — a one-way, 1.5 km slot canyon between walls of crimson rock, a river rushing along the bottom and a sliver of sky overhead. About 1.5 hours, and best done early.

Yuntai Sky Waterfall

At the end of Quanpu Gorge, water falls 314 m in a single plunge into a green pool — the highest waterfall in China. The 3 km gorge takes about 2.5 hours, part of it by electric cart.

Tanpu Gorge

The gentlest and most playful gorge, a 2 km walk where waterfalls and pools follow in quick succession — the Lovers' Waterfall and the Y-shaped waterfall are the favourites.

Zhu'yu Peak

The 1,308 m summit, reached by a long flight of steps and, higher up, a cable car. Wang Wei wrote his festival poem here, and the clear-day view runs north into the Taihang and south over the plain.

The Diecai Caves road

Nineteen linked tunnels and hairpin bends drilled through the mountain, climbing 912 m in 4.8 km. You ride it by bus, watching the plain unfold between tunnels.

Macaque Valley

A reserve for China's northernmost macaques, with a wild troop and free shows six times a day — an easy hour-long stop with children below the Xiaozhaigou car park.

Routes

Suggested itineraries

Two days: gorges, then the summit

2 days days

The classic split — all the water on day one, all the height on day two.

  1. Day 1

    Tanpu · Quanpu · Macaque Valley · Red Stone Gorge

    Start at Tanpu Gorge for the gentlest walk, then Quanpu Gorge for the 314 m Sky Waterfall, stopping at Macaque Valley for the monkey show on the way through.

    Finish at Red Stone Gorge — Red Stone Gorge is a one-way 1.5 km walk, so leave yourself enough daylight and go early if the queues have built.

    Stops: Tanpu GorgeQuanpu GorgeMacaque ValleyRed Stone Gorge

  2. Day 2

    Zhu'yu Peak · Diecai Caves · Wanshan Temple

    Climb Zhu'yu Peak in the morning for the summit view south over the plain, then come down by the Diecai Caves road, riding through its 19 tunnels.

    If time allows, add Wanshan Temple at the foot, half an hour's visit, before heading back to Jiaozuo.

    Stops: Zhu'yu PeakDiecai CavesWanshan Temple

Three days: add the neighbours

3 days days

The two-day core, plus a day out to the surrounding scenic areas.

  1. Day 1

    The gorges

    As per the two-day route — Tanpu, Quanpu with the Sky Waterfall, Macaque Valley and Red Stone Gorge, all in one full walking day.

    Stops: Tanpu GorgeQuanpu GorgeMacaque ValleyRed Stone Gorge

  2. Day 2

    Zhu'yu Peak and the Diecai Caves

    Summit in the morning, the tunnel road down in the afternoon, with Wanshan Temple and the nearby Fenglin Gorge if you still have legs left.

    Stops: Zhu'yu PeakDiecai CavesWanshan Temple

  3. Day 3

    Qingtian River and Shennong Mountain

    Use the third day for the wider Jiaozuo scenic belt — Qingtian River, known as the 'Three Gorges of the North', and Shennong Mountain, home to the 1,028 m Zijin summit and its Taoist terraces.

    Stops: Qingtian RiverShennong Mountain

Sights

The gorges and sights worth your time

Red Stone Gorge (Hongshixia)

Must-see

Red Stone Gorge (Hongshixia)

A slot canyon between walls of crimson rock, with a river running along the bottom and the classic 'sky line' crack overhead. The walk is a one-way 1.5 km, and it collects the biggest queues of anywhere on the mountain.

Walk
One-way, 1.5 km, about 1.5 hrs
Best time
Before 9am
Also called
Wenpan Valley

Tip Go early or the path becomes a shuffle. The far exit puts you on the main road, so wear shoes that grip the wet stone.

Quanpu Gorge & the Sky Waterfall

Tallest fall

Quanpu Gorge & the Sky Waterfall

The 'Little Jiuzhaigou' gorge, 3 km of springs, pools and rapids ending at the Yuntai Sky Waterfall — a 314 m single drop, the highest in China. Geological relics along the walls record the area's marine past.

Walk
3,000 m, about 2.5 hrs
Highlight
314 m Yuntai Sky Waterfall
Shortcut
Electric cart ¥5 a leg

Tip The fall is at its most powerful after summer rain — and at its most photogenic from the viewing platform a few hundred metres back.

Tanpu Gorge (Xiaozhaigou)

Family favourite

Tanpu Gorge (Xiaozhaigou)

The friendliest gorge, a 2 km walk where a waterfall, a spring and a pool follow one another in quick succession. Look for the Lovers' Waterfall, the Water-Curtain Cave and the Y-shaped waterfall, plus the old 'Immortality Spring'.

Walk
2,000 m, about 1.5 hrs
Markers
Lovers' fall, Y-shaped fall
Pace
Gentle, good with kids

Tip Do this one first while you are fresh — it is the best warm-up and an easy reintroduction to steps and spray.

Summit

Zhu'yu Peak

At 1,308 m, the main peak of Yuntai, thickly wooded with ancient trees and a forest-cover figure the park likes to quote at 93%. Wang Wei wrote his famous festival poem here; the summit views run north into the Taihang and south over the plain.

Height
1,308 m
Walk
Long stair ascent; cable car up top
Time
About 30 min on the summit

Tip The ascent is the most demanding walk on the mountain — take it slowly, and use the upper cable car if the steps look too much.

Road trip

The Diecai Caves road

Nineteen tunnels and hairpin bends drilled between 1977 and 1987, climbing 912 m over 4.8 km — an average of 5 m of height every 100 m, with 180-degree turns inside. Between tunnels the plain opens out below.

Tunnels
19, total 4,831 m
Ridden by
Shuttle bus, 20–30 min
Built
1977–1987

Tip Sit on the side that faces the valley — the whole point is the view that unrolls between one tunnel and the next.

With children

Macaque Valley

A national reserve for the northernmost macaque troop in China — hardy, thick-coated monkeys that live on the cliffs. There is a free show six times a day, and the valley is an easy hour's stop.

Shows
6 a day, free
Walk
About 1 hr
Location
Below the Xiaozhaigou car park

Tip Keep snacks hidden and don't tease the monkeys — they are wild, quick and used to people.

Short stop

Zifang Lake

The largest lake in the eastern part of the park, 4 km long and up to 65 m deep, named for the Han strategist Zhang Liang who is said to have retired here. At its north end, a hill shaped like a giant Buddha is a local curiosity.

Length
About 4,000 m
Time
10–20 min
Optional
Speedboat, ¥20 a ride

Tip A quick stop on the way between gorges — worth it for the early-morning or late-afternoon mirror on the water.

Food

What to eat in Yuntai

Ten-legged scorpion (shizu quanchong)

The local delicacy — a scorpion with two extra legs, fried golden and eaten as a medicinal snack said to ease rheumatism. It looks worse than it tastes.

Mountain chive and egg

A homely dish that tastes better here than anywhere — free-range mountain eggs, small and deep-gold, with wild chives that are spicy and fresh.

Naotang donkey meat

'Dragon meat in heaven, donkey meat on earth,' as the saying goes — a Jiaozuo specialty, tender and rich, best as a cold plate or in soup.

Honey-steamed Chinese yam

Local wild yam steamed and dipped in honey — soft, sweet and gently medicinal, from the 'four Huai medicines' the region is famous for.

Achyranthes chicken stew

Free-range chicken simmered with the local root achyranthes — a warming country stew said to build strength after a day of walking.

Henan braised noodles (huimian)

The plain, filling noodle bowl of the region, about ¥10 a person — the everyday lunch in the service areas and Jiaozuo.

Where to eat

Restaurants and food streets

In-park

Shore village farmhouse tables (Anshang)

The Anshang service area, a kilometre from Red Stone Gorge, is the best place to eat inside the park — farmhouse kitchens turning out mountain vegetables, wild mushrooms and free-range chicken.

Best for
Farmhouse cooking
Where
Anshang service area
Note
Order dishes carefully — hot plates run about ¥50

Quick

Yuntai Mountain fast-food restaurant

Inside the park, the fast-food outlet does burgers and set meals for anyone who wants to keep moving between gorges.

Best for
Speed between sights
Where
Inside the scenic area
Cost
Budget set meals

Jiaozuo

Sunshine Xiaodian

A comfortable dish restaurant on Chaoyang Road in Jiaozuo, good for a table of three or four; expect about ¥30–40 a person.

Best for
A sit-down meal in town
Where
Chaoyang Road, Jiaozuo
Cost
About ¥30–40 a head

Evening

Dongfanghong Square night market

One of Jiaozuo's main street-food clusters, with the Industry Road strip nearby — the place to graze on local snacks once the park closes.

Best for
Street snacks
Where
Dongfanghong Square / Industry Road
Atmosphere
Loud, cheap, local

Where to stay

Hotels and farmhouse inns

Official

Yuntai Mountain Villa

The park's own hotel, inside the scenic area, with 80 beds, restaurants, meeting rooms and a car park. The most dependable base if you want to be on the mountain before the day-trippers arrive.

Price
Standard ¥300 peak / ¥260 low season
Where
Inside the scenic area
Phone
0391-7709062

Budget farmhouse

Xiaoli Farmhouse

A farmhouse inn in Anshang village doing rooms and meals — standard, single and triple rooms with air-conditioning and private bathrooms, plus home-style mountain cooking.

Price
Standard from ¥88 · triple from ¥108
Where
Anshang village, Xiuwu county
Phone
13938161759

Family inn

Chuncheng Farmhouse

A larger family inn in the Gudongyao service area, seating and sleeping 100-plus. Adds campfires in the fields, orchard walks, horse rides and fruit picking in season.

Price
From ¥80
Where
Gudongyao service area
Phone
0391-7709081

Near Red Stone Gorge

Beijing Renjia Hotel

A hotel five minutes from Red Stone Gorge, with a shuttle stop at the door. Offers rooms, meals, parking, ticket booking and station transfers.

Price
From ¥50
Where
Heishiling service area
Phone
0391-7709551

Where to base

The five service areas

Accommodation inside the park is grouped into five service areas — Wujiatai, Gudongyao, Front and Rear Heishiling, and Anshang. Anshang is the biggest, closest to Red Stone Gorge (1 km) and handiest, with ticket points and a bank.

Largest
Anshang (1 km from Red Stone Gorge)
Others
Wujiatai, Gudongyao, Heishiling F/R
Outside
Jiaozuo or Xiuwu for better hotels, 8 km+

Getting there

How to reach Yuntai and get around

By train

Most people come to Jiaozuo or Xiuwu, with direct services from Beijing, Shanghai, Xi'an, Wuhan and Jinan. From Jiaozuo station the tourist bus to the gate runs 37 km in about 1.5 hours for ¥4.

To
Jiaozuo or Xiuwu station
Tourist bus
37 km · 1.5 hrs · ¥4
Departures
06:20, 07:20, 15:20, 15:50

By plane

There is no airport at Yuntai; fly into Zhengzhou Xinzheng (CGO), Henan's main international airport, and drive about 2 hours via the Zheng-Jiao-Jin expressway.

Airport
Zhengzhou Xinzheng (CGO)
To the gate
About 2 hrs by road
Route
Zheng-Jiao-Jin expressway

By coach

Direct coaches run to Yuntai from several cities: Zhengzhou's tourist bus station (08:30, ¥45), Luoyang (09:00, ¥45) and Xinxiang (07:30 and 13:20). Most travellers arrive on one of these.

Zhengzhou
08:30 · ¥45
Luoyang
09:00 · ¥45
Xinxiang
07:30 and 13:20

Scenic shuttle

Private cars are barred inside. The green shuttle has 22 stops, a guide on board, and is normally bundled into the ticket at ¥60 — show the ticket to hop on and off at any stop.

Cost
¥60 (usually included in the ticket)
Stops
22, every sight
Extras
Some gorges have carts at ¥5 a leg

Driving & parking

If you drive, park at the gate's 5,000-space lot and ride the shuttle. Parking is ¥10 a car a day for under-9-seaters, ¥15 for 9–19 seats and ¥20 above, with a fresh charge after midnight.

Car park
5,000 spaces at the gate
Charge
¥10 / ¥15 / ¥20 by vehicle size
Note
No private driving inside

Shopping

What to take home from Yuntai

The 'four Huai medicines'

Rehmannia, Chinese yam, achyranthes and chrysanthemum, grown for centuries in the old Huaiqing prefecture. The classic Jiaozuo gift, sold here and abroad as health tonics.

Haichangong century eggs

Preserved eggs from Xiuwu, made from ducks that feed on the mineral springs at Wuliyuan — once served at imperial banquets and prized for their aroma.

Wuzhi oil tea

A traditional roasted-flour tea from nearby Wuzhi, warming and easy to brew — a Qin-dynasty recipe still sold in every shop.

Jiaozuo persimmon cakes

Sun-dried persimmons that turn white with sugar and split into a 'chrysanthemum heart' when cut — dried, compact and easy to carry home.

Practical

Tickets, hours and good to know

The ticket is a two-day pass but each sight can be entered only once — plan your days so you do not double back. Kiosks only sell at the gate and the service areas.

Peak ticket¥210 (Mar 1–Nov 30) incl. ¥150 entry + ¥60 shuttle
Low-season ticket¥135 (Dec 1–Feb 28)
Ticket validityTwo days from purchase; per-sight check-in, no re-entry to a sight
Children under 1.4 mFree entry and free shuttle
Half priceStudents, 60–65s, disabled visitors, provincial model workers
Carts & boatsGorge carts ¥5 a leg; Zifang Lake boat ¥20
Parking¥10–¥20 by vehicle size, at the gate
Official websiteyuntaishan.net

Tips

Things that make Yuntai easier

Start early

The shuttle and the gorge entrances fill fast after 9am. Being at Red Stone Gorge or Tanpu by 8am buys you quiet paths and better light.

Wear shoes that grip

The gorges are permanently wet and the boardwalks slick — proper shoes, waterproof clothing, and skip the skirt; the walks are long.

Work against the crowd

Most tour groups hit Red Stone Gorge at midday. Do the harder walks early or late and save the gentler ones for the busy middle of the day.

Pack a layer

The mountain runs cooler and damper than the plain and the gorges stay shaded — a light jacket is worth carrying even in summer.

Skip if time is short

If your day is tight, drop Wanshan Temple and Macaque Valley — they are pleasant extras, not the reason you came.

Watch for power and crowds

Power cuts happen in this area and holiday weekends are genuinely packed; keep phones charged and start before the coaches do.

Background

The landscape and its story

A young geopark on old rock

Yuntai Mountain rises in Xiuwu county in the far north of Henan, where the Taihang range meets the North China plain. Its red quartz sandstone gorges, springs and waterfalls were carved by water working on ancient marine limestone, and the park still shows the geological relics — oolitic limestone, cross-bedding, collapsed blocks — that record it.

UNESCO listed it among the first Global Geoparks in recognition of this northern karst landform and its pristine forest cover. Four seasons change the mountain completely: spring blossom, summer torrents and the 314 m Sky Waterfall, autumn red leaves, and winter, when the gorges freeze into white columns of ice.

Sages, monks and the Seven Worthies

For all its scenery, Yuntai is also a cultural mountain. In the late Han and early Wei, the emperor Xian was enfeoffed as Duke of Shanyang and made his seat below the mountain; he and his empress summered at Baijiayan, and he was buried at its ancient Han hill.

The mountain's lasting fame, though, comes from the Seven Worthies of the Bamboo Grove — the third-century scholar-recluses, Ji Kang among them, who gathered here for some twenty years, drinking, playing the qin and writing the poems that made the place a byword for cultivated retreat. Later generations of writers came to walk in their footsteps, and the poems and essays they left have kept Yuntai's name alive for centuries.

Travel with them

Watch and read before you go

Film

Goujian, Sleeping on Brushwood (卧薪尝胆)

Dir. Hou Yong

A historical TV epic set in the Spring and Autumn period, the era of the Seven Worthies' ancestors — a vivid picture of the world that made these hills a refuge.

Book

The Spine of History: Lives of the Seven Worthies (历史的风骨)

Rulai Shenzhang

A portrait of the Bamboo Grove scholars as men of their age — the searching, the compromise and the resistance behind the poets who retreated to Yuntai.

Culture

The seven worthies of the bamboo grove

—

The third-century scholar-recluses who made Baijiayan their gathering place for twenty years; their story is the human thread that runs through the mountain's history.

The questions visitors ask us most about Yuntai Mountain, answered plainly.

Frequently asked questions

Prices and practical details are reviewed every month by our Beijing team and updated the day a rule changes.

How many days do I need for Yuntai Mountain?

Two days, and the ticket is valid for two days from purchase. Give day one to the gorges — Tanpu, Quanpu with the 314 m waterfall, and Red Stone Gorge — and day two to Zhu'yu Peak and the Diecai Caves road, with Macaque Valley and Wanshan Temple fitted in. A third day adds Qingtian River and Shennong Mountain.

Can I drive my own car into Yuntai Mountain?

No. Yuntai has a strict internal-traffic policy: all private cars park at the gate, and everyone switches to the green sightseeing shuttle, which has 22 stops and on-board guides. The shuttle is usually bundled into the park ticket at ¥60, and you show the ticket each time you board.

What is the best time to visit Yuntai Mountain?

April to May and September to October, when the water is full and the weather is mild; the crowds swell on the May Day and National Day holidays. Summer is the liveliest for waterfalls but hot and busy, and winter turns the gorges into ice sculptures with far fewer people and a cheaper ¥135 ticket.

How busy does Yuntai get, and how do I avoid the queues?

It gets very busy on holidays and summer weekends. Start early — be at Red Stone Gorge before 9am — and work the gorges in the reverse direction to the tour groups, doing the harder walks first. The shuttle system is efficient, so most of the delay is at the gorge entrances, not the buses.

How do I get to Yuntai Mountain from Zhengzhou?

By road, about 2 hours. A direct bus runs from Zhengzhou's tourist bus station at 08:30 for ¥45, or you drive the Zheng-Jiao-Jin expressway and exit at Xiaoxugang. By train, come to Jiaozuo station and take the tourist bus, ¥4 and about 1.5 hours, leaving at 06:20, 07:20, 15:20 and 15:50.

What should I eat in Yuntai Mountain?

Jiaozuo and Huaiqing cuisine: 'noisy-broth' donkey meat, 'four Huai medicines' dishes built on local yam and rehmannia, mountain vegetables with free-range chicken, and the ten-legged scorpion — a local delicacy that tastes better than it sounds. Simple Henan noodles cost about ¥10 a person; hot dishes run nearer ¥50.

Is Yuntai Mountain suitable for families?

Yes, for most of it. The gorge boardwalks are flat and stroller-friendly, Macaque Valley has shows six times a day, and the shuttle removes the driving hassles. The climb to Zhu'yu Peak is the demanding part — skip it, or use the upper cable car, if you are travelling with very young children or anyone unsteady on their feet.

What should I wear and pack for Yuntai Mountain?

Proper walking shoes with grip — the gorges are wet and the boardwalks can be slippery — plus a waterproof layer, since spray and rain are constant in the gorges. Bring a light jacket even in summer; the mountain runs cooler than the plain. Girls, skip the skirt: the walks are long and the steps are steep.

Plan this trip

Prefer it arranged for you?

The same places, with a driver, an English-speaking guide and the tickets already bought.

Yuntai Mountain Yuntai Mountain Henan · 0 tours Yuntai Mountain is a UNESCO Global Geopark in Xiuwu county, Jiaozuo, Henan — a maze of red-stone gorges, spring-fed pools and the 314 m Yuntai Sky Wat
See Yuntai Mountain tours & prices Yuntai Mountain tours

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Wuhan Wuhan City guide · 12 tours Three towns, two rivers and the best breakfast in China — a huge, blunt river city of bridges, lakes and cheap, brilliant street food. Changsha Changsha City guide · 12 tours Hunan's loud, young capital: a 3,000-year-old city that eats chilli-hot food, stays up all night and treats foot massage as a civic duty. Fenghuang Ancient Town Fenghuang Ancient Town City guide · 12 tours The stilt-house river town of Shen Congwen's 'Border Town' — glowing lanterns, stepping stones and the best two nights in western Hunan. Lushan Lushan City guide · 12 tours A cloud-wrapped granite mountain with a Victorian hill station on top, waterfalls in three tiers, and the mist that Su Shi said you could never see through. Wuyuan Wuyuan City guide · 12 tours China's 'most beautiful countryside' — dozens of white-walled Huizhou villages strung along streams and terraced into the hills, and two weeks a year of gold. Mount Heng (Hengshan, Hunan) Mount Heng (Hengshan, Hunan) City guide · 12 tours The South Great Peak: a pilgrimage mountain of 72 summits where the temples run all the way to the top, and the sunrise over the cloud sea is the whole point. Huangshan Huangshan City guide · 12 tours Yellow Mountain: 82 granite peaks of twisted pines and grotesque rock, a sea of cloud that changes by the hour, and hot springs at the foot. Wudang Mountain Wudang Mountain City guide · 12 tours The Taoist first mountain of China — a gilded bronze hall on a 1,612 m summit, temples hung off cliff faces, and the birthplace of tai chi. Luoyang Luoyang City guide · 12 tours Thirteen dynasties, 100,000 Buddhas carved into a river cliff, China's first Buddhist temple — and a whole city that turns peony-pink every April. Rizhao Rizhao City guide · 12 tours A low-key Shandong beach town where the sun rises straight out of the Yellow Sea, the sand runs 60 km and a seafood dinner costs less than a coffee in Shanghai. Yantai Yantai City guide · 12 tours A northern Shandong port of fairy-tale cliffs, wine cellars and long golden beaches — where emperors once hunted the elixir of life and China's wine industry still begins. Lianyungang Lianyungang City guide · 12 tours A working Jiangsu port with a myth in the middle of it — the Flower-Fruit Mountain of Journey to the West, a sea causeway to a big island beach, and some of the cheapest seafood on the coast. Sanqing Mountain Sanqing Mountain City guide · 12 tours A vertical forest of granite pillars in Jiangxi — the Python Out of the Mountain, the Goddess of the East Sea, two cable cars and a cliff-hugging walkway at 1,660 metres. Tianjin Tianjin City guide · 12 tours Beijing's port city next door — a river of 24 bridges, 2,000 colonial villas, and the best street breakfast in northern China. Datong Datong City guide · 12 tours A frontier capital of carved Buddhas — the Yungang Grottoes, a temple pinned to a cliff, and the oldest wooden tower in China. Taiyuan Taiyuan City guide · 12 tours Shanxi's provincial capital and noodle heartland — the spring of Jinci, two Ming pagodas, and a museum that explains the whole province. Pingyao Pingyao City guide · 12 tours China's best-preserved ancient walled town — a Ming wall, the first Chinese bank, and two temples of painted clay just outside the gates. Wutai Mountain Wutai Mountain City guide · 12 tours China's foremost Buddhist mountain — fifty-plus temples in one valley, crowned by five flat-topped peaks up to 3,058 m. Hulunbuir Hulunbuir City guide · 12 tours China's finest grassland — a 263,000 km² sweep of steppe, birch forest and border river, best driven with the windows down. The Forbidden City The Forbidden City City guide · 12 tours Beijing's 600-year imperial palace — 8,700 rooms behind a 72-hectare wall, and the largest surviving wooden palace complex on earth. Sanya Sanya City guide · 12 tours China's only true winter-sun coast — four very different bays, a coral island and a 108 m sea Buddha, all at 18° north. Haikou Haikou City guide · 12 tours Hainan's capital is the island's living city — 600-year-old arcade streets, a volcanic village, and a morning-tea-to-midnight food culture. Beihai Beihai City guide · 12 tours 24 km of fine white sand on one side, a volcanic island of coral and lava on the other — plus a 19th-century arcade old street in between. Nanning Nanning City guide · 12 tours Guangxi's green capital is a gateway to Detian Falls, Beihai and Vietnam — and a genuinely excellent food city if you let it slow you down. Guangxi Guangxi City guide · 12 tours One autonomous region, a dozen landscapes — limestone peaks and rice terraces in the north, a Vietnam border and a warm gulf coast in the south. Huizhou Huizhou City guide · 12 tours A free West Lake, a Taoist mountain and 200 km of white-sand coast — the Pearl River Delta's most underrated weekend. Beidaihe Beidaihe City guide · 12 tours Northern China's classic beach escape — one sunrise headland, 10 km of calm swimming water, and a bird flyway overhead twice a year. Shanhaiguan Shanhaiguan City guide · 12 tours The town where the Great Wall stops being a rumour of mountains and walks into the Bohai Sea. Baiyangdian Baiyangdian City guide · 12 tours The biggest freshwater lake on the North China Plain — and almost none of it can be reached except by boat. Qinhuangdao Qinhuangdao City guide · 12 tours 126 km of Bohai coast in one municipality — a working port, two famous resorts, and the only desert dunes that meet this sea. Yesanpo Yesanpo City guide · 12 tours Gorge country where the Taihang and Yan ranges collide — 52.5 km of canyon walls, a cave that spits fish, and a river to fall off. Zhuhai Zhuhai City guide · 12 tours The delta's slow city: a 28 km promenade, 146 islands, oysters fattened where the river meets the sea. Wuyi Mountain Wuyi Mountain City guide · 12 tours Nine bends of clear water, red sandstone cliffs, and the tea that made a mountain's name. Jiuzhaigou Jiuzhaigou City guide · 12 tours 108 mineral-blue lakes in one 55 km valley — the place that ruins water everywhere else for you. Mount Siguniang Mount Siguniang City guide · 12 tours Four snow peaks, three valleys, and the friendliest 5,000 m mountain in China to stand on top of. Hailuogou Hailuogou City guide · 12 tours A glacier that comes down to 2,850 m, hot springs in the forest, and Gongga Shan filling the sky above both. Daocheng Yading Daocheng Yading City guide · 12 tours Three 6,000 m sacred peaks, glacial lakes at 4,600 m and twenty hours of road — the hardest, highest payoff in Sichuan. Shunan Bamboo Sea Shunan Bamboo Sea City guide · 12 tours Seventy thousand mu of bamboo over twenty-eight hills, a red sandstone corridor under a closed green roof, and a banquet made entirely of bamboo. Dujiangyan Dujiangyan City guide · 12 tours Not a monument but a machine: three pieces of engineering with no dam, still doing their job after 2,270 years. Qingcheng Mountain Qingcheng Mountain City guide · 12 tours The mountain where Daoism was organised, and the one Chengdu escapes to when the basin turns into an oven. Qingdao Qingdao City guide · 12 tours Red-tiled roofs, cold beer and a granite mountain that walks straight into the sea — the easiest good time on the Yellow Sea. Mount Tai Mount Tai City guide · 12 tours 1,545 metres, 6,290 stone steps and three thousand years of emperors — the one mountain in China that is also a document. Jinan Jinan City guide · 12 tours A provincial capital with 700 springs under the pavement — people still queue at the spouts to fill their kettles. Weihai Weihai City guide · 12 tours 1,000 km of clean coast, a free bathing beach, the island where the Beiyang Fleet died — and thousands of wild swans every winter. Qufu Qufu City guide · 12 tours One family, two thousand years of steles, and a ¥150 pass that covers the lot — the easiest serious day trip in Shandong. Penglai Penglai City guide · 12 tours China's immortals' coast — a Song-dynasty naval harbour you can walk for free, a mythology nobody ever found, and the ferry to 32 islands. Changdao Changdao City guide · 12 tours 32 islands, one causeway, a ¥150 land pass, tens of thousands of gulls and nowhere you can drive — the place where everything happens by boat. Nanjing Nanjing City guide · 12 tours Capital of six dynasties, capital of the Republic, and the city that eats more duck than anywhere else on earth. Suzhou Suzhou City guide · 12 tours Two thousand five hundred years of canals, sixty surviving gardens, and a city that shuts its gates at half past five. Zhouzhuang Zhouzhuang City guide · 12 tours Nine hundred years, fourteen bridges, one ticket — and a town that only makes sense before eight in the morning. Tongli Tongli City guide · 12 tours Fifteen canals, seven islets, forty-nine bridges — and a town that still gets up at dawn because it lives here. Wuxi Wuxi City guide · 12 tours Taihu on one side, a Grand Buddha on the next hill, and ribs sweet enough to argue about — the most underrated city on the Yangtze delta. Yangzhou Yangzhou City guide · 12 tours A city built by salt merchants who had more money than restraint — gardens, a narrow lake, and the best breakfast in China. Zhenjiang Zhenjiang City guide · 12 tours Three hills, one ferry landing, and an unreasonable share of Chinese literature — the Yangtze city people drive past. Changzhou Changzhou City guide · 12 tours A 2,500-year-old canal city that built a dinosaur park and refuses to apologise for it. Wuzhen Wuzhen City guide · 12 tours A town that is two towns: the older, quieter East Zone and the lit-up West Zone you sleep inside. Xitang Xitang City guide · 12 tours Nine canals, 122 lanes, one long roofed corridor — and a town that still works for a living. Hangzhou Hangzhou City guide · 12 tours A lake in the middle of a city, a tea village in the hills, and two thousand years of getting the mood right. Xixi Wetland Xixi Wetland City guide · 12 tours Ten square kilometres of marsh inside Hangzhou, and the only way into half of it is a boat. Ningbo Ningbo City guide · 12 tours A 7,000-year-old port with Asia's oldest private library, a free waterfront 20 years older than Shanghai's, and the best seafood before the islands. Mount Putuo Mount Putuo City guide · 12 tours A Buddhist island with no cars, three great temples and a ¥10 lunch that is the point of the place. Qiandao Lake Qiandao Lake City guide · 12 tours A thousand islands that did not exist sixty years ago, and the cleanest big-lake water in China. Shaoxing Shaoxing City guide · 12 tours Two and a half thousand years of water-town China, and Lu Xun's house is free. Zhoushan Zhoushan City guide · 12 tours 1,390 islands, one road bridge in, and a harbour that lands more fish than almost anywhere on earth. Hengdian Hengdian City guide · 12 tours A backlot the size of a town, where the palaces are copies and the film crews are real. Yandang Mountain Yandang Mountain City guide · 12 tours A volcano that weathering turned into scenery — 500-odd sights of peak, cave and waterfall across eight scenic areas. Zhejiang Zhejiang City guide · 12 tours One small, mountainous, absurdly rich province that holds a lake, two canal towns, a Buddhist island and a dead volcano. Hong Kong Outlying Islands Hong Kong Outlying Islands City guide · 12 tours Two hundred-odd islands, half an hour of ferry from the financial district, and not a car on three of them. Hong Kong Shopping Hong Kong Shopping City guide · 12 tours A duty-free port where the tag starts lower, two citywide sale seasons knock a third off, and every mall sits on an MTR exit. Macao Macao City guide · 12 tours Four hundred years of Portuguese streets, a fake Venice under a painted sky, and the best egg tart in Asia. Urumqi Urumqi City guide · 12 tours The city furthest from the sea, with a snow range on its doorstep and dinner starting at nine. Hong Kong SAR, China Hong Kong SAR, China City guide · 11 tours A harbour skyline you already know by heart, dim sum trolleys at dawn, and 260 islands an hour from the neon. Taiwan, China Taiwan, China City guide · 11 tours Night-market alleys, high-mountain railways, and a coastline that changes character every hundred kilometres. Qinghai Lake Qinghai Lake City guide · 12 tours A 4,400 sq km inland sea at 3,200 m, ringed by rapeseed gold, prayer flags and the best cycling road in China. Mount Emei Mount Emei City guide · 11 tours A 3,099-metre Buddhist summit you can reach by cable car before lunch — and a mountain full of monkeys that will absolutely rob you. Beijing Beijing City guide · 11 tours Six centuries of imperial red walls, a Great Wall you can climb before lunch, and the best roast duck on earth. Taipei Taipei City guide · 11 tours A 24-hour bookstore, a night market that never stops sizzling, and a city that apologises when you bump into it. North Xinjiang North Xinjiang City guide · 11 tours Alpine lakes the colour of poured enamel, a village of log cabins under birch trees, and the last tear the Atlantic ever sheds. Lanzhou Lanzhou City guide · 11 tours A city split in half by the Yellow River, where beef noodles are a breakfast ritual and the Silk Road still runs through the streets. Mount Hua Mount Hua City guide · 11 tours Five granite peaks, one plank road bolted to a cliff face, and a sunrise that justifies the 2am start. Dunhuang Dunhuang City guide · 11 tours A desert oasis where Buddhist cave art survived a thousand years and a crescent lake refused to dry up. Gannan Gannan City guide · 11 tours 433 kilometres of the Yellow River's first bend, a 3.5 km prayer-wheel circuit, and Tibetan grasslands almost nobody has commercialised yet. Sichuan–Tibet Highway Sichuan–Tibet Highway City guide · 11 tours 2,142 kilometres of cliff-edge switchbacks, four of China's most beautiful mountains, and a road the Tibetans walk on their knees. Kangding Kangding City guide · 11 tours The town that gave Asia its most famous love song, a 7,556m sacred peak on its doorstep, and the last real Tibetan town before the road climbs to Lhasa. Lhasa Lhasa City guide · 12 tours A city of prayer wheels and butter lamps at 3,700 metres, where the sun shines 3,000 hours a year and the world's highest palace watches over it all. Nyingchi Nyingchi City guide · 11 tours Tibet's greenest corner — peach blossom valleys, a 7,782 m peak that hides from almost everyone, and the world's deepest canyon. Namtso Namtso City guide · 11 tours A 1,920-square-kilometre sheet of impossible blue at 4,718 metres, ringed by snow peaks and prayer flags. Chongqing Chongqing City guide · 12 tours A vertical city of fog, cable cars and cliff-side stilt houses, where the火锅 never stops boiling and the night skyline outshines Hong Kong. Qiandongnan Qiandongnan City guide · 11 tours A thousand Miao households stacked up a mountainside, drum towers and wind-rain bridges in Dong villages, and a 600-year-old Ming garrison town on the road to Guiyang. Libo Libo City guide · 11 tours Emerald rivers threading through karst peaks, a 600-metre forest growing out of a riverbed, and China's largest wild plum grove. Guiyang Guiyang City guide · 11 tours China's summer capital at 1,100 metres, where the nights run on sour fish soup, street-side barbecue and mahjong that never quite stops. Zhenyuan Zhenyuan City guide · 11 tours A 2,000-year-old river town where the Wuyang River carves an S through the mountains and every lane hides a story. Huangguoshu Huangguoshu City guide · 11 tours Asia's biggest waterfall, and the only one on earth you can walk behind, above and around — plus 600-year-old Ming dynasty villages a short drive away. Harbin Harbin City guide · 11 tours Minus 30 degrees, a frozen river you can walk across, and a cathedral built by Russians who never went home. Yunnan Yunnan City guide · 11 tours Snow mountains, tropical rainforest, twenty-five minorities and a plate of rice noodles — all in one province. Shanghai Shanghai City guide · 11 tours A 1920s waterfront of colonial banks facing a science-fiction skyline, soup dumplings you eat with a straw, and 20 million people moving like clockwork. Zhangjiajie Zhangjiajie City guide · 11 tours Three thousand sandstone pillars straight out of Avatar, a glass skywalk bolted to a cliff, and a cable car that leaves from downtown. Guangzhou Guangzhou City guide · 11 tours A 2,200-year-old trading port where dim sum is a religion, colonial islands sit beside 600-metre towers, and the food never stops. Guilin Guilin City guide · 11 tours Karst peaks rising straight out of a green river, rice terraces carved into mountainsides, and the best bowl of noodles you'll eat in China. Shenzhen Shenzhen City guide · 11 tours A fishing village that became a megacity in forty years — and it still has 500-year-old banyans, empty beaches and dim sum worth the border crossing. Chengdu Chengdu City guide · 11 tours A 3,000-year-old city where the schedule is tea, mahjong and hotpot — and the pandas are just the opening act. Xinjiang Xinjiang City guide · 11 tours Snow peaks, grassland, desert and oasis — one-sixth of China, and the longest road you will ever ride. Xi'an Xi'an City guide · 14 tours Thirteen dynasties of emperors, a terracotta army buried for 2,200 years, and a walled city you can cycle in 100 minutes. Qinghai Qinghai City guide · 11 tours China's high-altitude blue heart: a salt lake you can walk on, a 3,200-metre sea, and yak butter tea at the roof of the world. Tibet Tibet City guide · 11 tours A plateau the size of Western Europe where the sky starts at your feet, prayer flags carry the wind, and the roads run past 8,000-metre peaks.

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  • The ticket is a two-day pass (¥210 peak, ¥135 winter) and includes the ¥60 shuttle.
  • Red Stone Gorge is a one-way 1.5 km walk — start before 9am to dodge the queues.
  • The 314 m Yuntai Sky Waterfall, at the end of Quanpu Gorge, is the highest in China.

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