Huangshan is one of the most famous mountain scenic areas in China. It will be recommended to you constantly by guidebooks, other travellers, locals and hostels alike. It is often offered as an excursion to those working or studying in Beijing or Shanghia and should definitely be done if you have this chance.
The locals recommended the area with this translation of a Chinese phrase:
“You don’t need to climb any mountain if you climb the Five Sacred Buddhist Mountains (Wuyue). And you don’t need to climb them either if you climb Huangshan”
I’m not entirely sure this is fair considering I enjoyed Huashan and Yading as much or more but can’t argue that this place is extremely worth a visit.
The large mountain area is located in East China, southwest of Shanghai and Hangzhou. The whole area is comprised of towering cliffs of rock and surrounded with wooded slopes that make for some amazing hiking.
This is also one of the most developed of all mountain summits in China. While staying at the summit is often possible, here it is the norm with half a dozen high quality hotels providing insanely expensive accomodation by Chinese standards.
Basic Travel Information
- Province – Anhui
- Route there – high speed train from Shanghai or Hangzhou
- Duration: full day or 2 days
- Recommended: Absolutely during any season if you have a good weather forecast. Not at peak travel periods or weekends
I should explain about the names of places here because they can be confusing. Huangshan is a Prefecture level city with multiple urban centres. This is a Chinese designation combining multiple separate towns into 1 functioning “city” but can make travel confusing. Here is what you need to know
- Huangshan Scenic Area – this is where you want to go
- Huangshan High Speed Rail Station – this is close to the Huizhou urban area. There is a large bus station next to the train station which can connect you with all of the other areas
- Tunxi (sometime referred to as Huangshan town) – this is the main urban centre of Huangshan where Huangshan station is for low speed trains. It has the most accomodation options including cheap hostels
- Tangkou – this town is right outside the scenic area and is the best place to stay for hiking the mountain. The town itself is split between 3 areas with the long distance bus station in the central one
- Huangshan district – this contains the scenic area, Tangkou and Huangshan urban area which is north of the scenic area. In almost all cases you will enter the scenic area from the south but there is a trail and cable car from this area as well
My Story
I have actually been to Huangshan twice. The first time was in November 2018 and I ended up staying in Tunxi having really not worked out where the different areas all were. Sadly the weather was far too bad for me to climb the mountain. Heavy thunderstorms and more forecasted all week meant that I explored Tunxi and then moved on. It was a nice town with interesting markets and great food but not somewhere I was prepared to stay for long in the hope of better weather.
For the second visit I had learned from the previous trip and planned better. I arrived to the high-speed train station and caught an evening bus to Tangkou. I was surprised when the bus actually terminated in a separate area of the town but managed to pile me and my backpack into a cheap taxi with some very confused Chinese tourists.
My aim was to stay at the summit of the mountain and to see the sunset and sunrise over the cliff views. However despite a lot of effort calling hotels and a lot of help from the Chinese staff at an earlier hostel I had been unable to find an affordable room or any hotel that would confirm that they had a dorm. The hostel owner in Tangkou also wasn’t sure if there would be anything but gave me some suggestions.
The Hike
I set off early to get the first tourist bus to the bottom of the Western steps. The route was lovely and peaceful since almost everyone takes the cable car up. The path up the valley is shared only with the porters who carry goods up to the top of the mountain to supply the hotels and shops. It’s a backbreaking job and the men in question are seriously impressive.
After about an hour I cleared the tree line and the dramatic cliffs started to rise from every side. From here the view gets continuously better all the way to the summit. Unfortunately in the off season the Tiandu and Lotus peaks are always closed but they made for excellent pictures regardless.
Then I got to the top and was dropped back into typical Chinese chaos. It’s an unfortunate consequence of hiking up, no matter how early you start the tour groups have plenty of time to pass you on the cable car. There is nothing less welcome in an area this beautiful than the cheap loudspeakers carried by all of the tour guides. You can hear them for miles! I made a point of zooming past the tour groups as fast as possible, probably pretty rudely, and made it to the highest peak when it was still nice and peaceful.
Then my hunt for a dorm bed got going and I went into all the hotels as I passed with my pre prepared Chinese phrases to try and find anything I can afford. The trouble with these phrases of course is even if I’m understood the answer is rather trickier to work out! Circles and crosses on a map worked best.
The rest of the day’s hike was incredible. The west grand canyon is stunning and well worth a hike around even though the steps are insanely steep! The views from “Monkey Gazing at the Sea” Peak and “Beginning to Beleive” Peak were particularly spectacular.
As it got later into the afternoon, with no sign of a place to stay I headed towards the eastern steps to go down before the light faded and the steps got truly dangerous. There was only one more place to check….
I’m not making it up, I’d checked almost every place on the mountain including all the ones I’d read about online but it was the very last shot that worked! Yes it was the most expensive single night I booked anywhere in China! Yes the dorm room looked awful but who cares! I had my bed and it was within the price range I’d been willing to pay.
The sunset made it worth every single yuan. I took a guess based on my earlier exploring as to where would be best and empty of people and found a couple of astonishing places to watch the glowing sky as the sun set over the misty hills. Even the loud tourist group that showed up couldn’t ruin it, it was too perfect!
The night was awful, bad food, uncomfortable bed, freezing cold, insanely loud snoring, look just stop reading this bit and look back at the sunset pictures!
The sunrise was very nearly as glorious. I got up early, put on every piece of clothing I had with me and went to “Dawn Pavilion” to watch it in complete peace, hardly anyone else came to the spot despite its perfection. One of the few benefits of the heavy pollution in this area of China, it gives fascinating light effects to the sunrise.
I had considered hiking the southern side of the Grand Canyon as well but decided to just head down the Eastern steps so I would have an easier time getting to Suzhou for my Christmas shopping plans.
There may have been better ways to do Huangshan, there may even have been much cheaper options. But my December hike gave me perfect weather, amazing views and even an unplanned place to stay to get the incredible sunset and sunrise. I’m extremely glad I decided to come back, Huangshan should not be missed!
Hiking Details
I’ve included the route map and some rough timings for my hike. I generally walk very quickly and am used to the endless Chinese steps.
- Western Steps – 2.7km, 800m ascent, 1hr35
- Western Steps to Bright Summit – 2.4km, 200m ascent, 1hr
- Bright Summit to Canyon – 1.6km, 200m descent, 0hr30
- North side of canyon (both ways) – 2.2km, 256m very steep descent/ascent, 1hr25
- Canyon to “Beginning to Believe” Peak – 1.8km, flat, 1hr
- Eastern Steps – 3.7km, 800m descent, 1hr10
Logistics & Prices
Getting to the Scenic Area:
- Regular buses from Huangshan North High Speed Station to Tangkou, 23rmb, last bus 17:30. Go to the large Passenger Transport Centre on your right as you leave the station
- Tangkou bus station is 30 minutes walk or a 10-20rmb taxi to the scenic area and hotels
- You can also get a bus directly into the scenic area from the bus station
- The first scenic area buses are at 6:30 on season (7:20 off season). 19rmb. These get you to the cable car stations or the bottom of the hiking paths
Inside the Scenic Area:
- Entry fee: 190rmb allows 2 entries over a 3 day period
- Cable car: There will only be 1 cable car from the south operating at any given time, they alternate for maintenance
Food is expensive on the mountain, buy as much as you can before you go up.
Recommendations
For Huangshan my main recommendation is to try to stay at the summit. The sunset and sunrise were what made my visit there truly special. If you don’t have the time or money for that then you can still see a huge amount in a full day hike.
Hostel Recommendation
I checked out almost every hotel at the summit looking for cheap dorm rooms that I could stay in. My only success was at the White Goose Hotel, near the top of the Eastern Steps. The dorm was uncomfortable and cost 180rmb.
If you have a higher budget you could stay in one of the many hotels available at the summit. The cheapest I heard of for this was 1000rmb for 2 people.
Places Nearby & Trip Planning
I would include this in an East China or Shanghai trip along with the following:
- Shanghai
- Suzhou
- Nanjing
- Hangzhou
When to Visit
All seasons are possible but summer may be too humid and hazy for clear views
Highly dependent on the local forecast
Further Information
These websites were my favourite sources of general information for this location:
Last Updated: January 2020
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