Activities in China
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Lantau Island and Giant Buddha Day Trip from Hong Kong
8 hours (Departs Hong Kong, Hong Kong)
by Viator
Take a day trip to Lantau Island, Hong Kong's largest island, and discover pristine beaches, traditional fishing villages, lush valleys, soaring mountains and…Not LP reviewed
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Macau Motor Sports Club
This club runs a kartodrome (小型賽車場) which has a picturesque 1.2km professional go-karting circuit at the southern end of the Cotai Strip.
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Mountain Summit
The real highlight is walking up the mountain alongside the pilgrims, following a trail (天台正顶) that passes waterfalls, streams, and countless nunneries, temples and shrines. The summit is on a mountain range behind the village. The hike up takes a leisurely four hours; count on about two to three hours to get back down to the village.
You can begin just after the village's main entrance, where a 30-minute hike up the ridge behind Zhīyuán Temple leads you to Bǎisuì Gōng, an active temple built into the cliff in 1630 to consecrate the Buddhist monk Wu Xia, whose shrunken, embalmed body is coated in gold and sits shrivelled within an ornate glass cabinet in front…
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Nine Dragon Stream Scenic Area
This beautiful area winds along a stream out of the village, past Miao peasants labouring in the terraced fields, over bridges, alongside fields croaking with toads or seething with tadpoles (depending on the season), and into an astonishing landscape of peaks blotched with green and valleys carpeted with lush fields. At a bend in the path you will come to a point of entry for the Nine Dragon Waterfall, which leads to a fun 1.5km clamber past gullies and falls; however, if the weather is wet (when the falls are at their best), the climb is slippery and potentially dangerous, especially the slimy bridges. Continue to the end of the trail for the fantastic Liúshā…
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Nine Twists River
One of the highlights for visitors is floating down the river on bamboo rafts (zhúpái) fitted with rattan chairs. Departing from Xīngcūn (星村), a short bus ride west of the resort area, the trip down the river takes over an hour. The boat ride takes you through some magnificent gorge scenery, with sheer rock cliffs and lush green vegetation.
One of the mysteries of Wǔyí Shān is the cavities, carved out of the rock faces at great heights, which once held boat-shaped coffins. Scientists have dated some of these artefacts back 4000 years. If you're taking a raft down the river, it's possible to see some remnants of these coffins on the west cliff face of the fourth…
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Outdoor Activities
Hiking opportunities abound outside of town. The hills behind the monastery are one fine option. For more ideas, talk to Mr Zheng at Tiāntiān Restaurant or to the English-speaking managers at either Potala Inn or Peace Guesthouse.
Potala Inn can also help organise horse trekking, while Peace Guesthouse can arrange renting motorbikes for the day.
Lǐtáng has a sky burial site just behind the monastery. If you do attend a sky burial, be sure to remember exactly what you are watching and treat the ceremony, and all those involved, with the utmost respect. For more details, ask Longlife, the manager of Peace Guesthouse, or Mr Zheng at Tiāntiān Restaurant.
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Raft Tibet
Tibet Wind Horse Adventure offers half-/one-/two-day (Y600/760/1520) rafting trips between June and October, as well as day trips on horseback (Y760).
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River Cruises
Chóngqìng looks best from the water, especially at night when the city flashes with neon. Two-hour river cruises (游船 leave nightly from Cháotiānmén Dock at around 7pm. Buy tickets as you board the boats rather than from agencies or hotels. Most boats offer very similar trips and serve food on board for an extra cost. If you're stuck for choice, Jīnbì Huīhuáng, noticeable by its neon-gold crown, has been recommended by readers.
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Rock Climbing
Yángshuò is fast becoming one of the hottest climbing destinations in Asia. There are eight major peaks in regular use, already providing more than 250 bolted climbs. More are being bolted every year. China Climb, located inside Lizard Lounge bar, is the biggest climbing club in China and the most professional outfit in town. It offers local advice for experienced climbers and fully guided, bolted climbs for beginners. Prices start at Y300 per person for a half-day climb, with everything included. Also ask here for information on renting kayaks .
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Rongphu Monastery & Everest Base Camp
Before heading to the Nepal border, or as part of a five-day excursion from Lhasa, many travellers make the diversion to iconic Everest Base Camp (EBC; 5150m). The clear vistas (if you are lucky) up a glacial valley to the sheer North Face are far superior to anything you'll see in Nepal. Everest is known locally as Chomolungma (sometimes spelt Qomolangma), or as Zhūfēng in Chinese.
Private vehicles can drive on a gravel road to Rongphu Monastery (the highest in the world), and then proceed just a few kilometres more to a small collection of nomad tents set near a China Post kiosk (the highest post office in the world). From here it's a one-hour walk or shuttle-bus ride…
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Shànghǎi Sightseeing Buses
Daily tours from Shànghǎi Stadium to nearby canal towns (eg Tónglǐ, Nánxún). Convenient but less fun than visiting on your own.
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Sháo Peak
This cone-shaped mountain is visible from the village. The summit has a lookout pavilion, and the forest of stelae' on the lower slopes has stone tablets engraved with Mao's poems. From Sháoshān village you can take a minibus or motorcycle taxi (Y5) south to the end of the road at the cable-car station. Hiking to the top of the mountain takes about an hour.
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Shùnjiāng Horse Treks
Shùnjiāng Horse Treks have been catering horse treks to tourists for years. The majority of travellers are happy, but now and again some report somewhat apathetic guides. On offer is anything from one- to 14-day treks and trips can be tailored to suit you.
One of the most popular treks is a three- or four-day trek to Ice Mountain (雪玉顶; Xuěyùdǐng), a spectacular trip through unspoilt scenery.
Rates are around Y220 per person per day, all-inclusive. The guides take care of everything: you won't touch a tent pole or a cooking pot unless you want to. The only additional charge is entrance to the different sites and national parks visited on some of the trips, but…
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SISU
Night-time cycling tours on Wednesdays.
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Surfing Hǎinán
From May to September, Dàdōnghǎi gets decent surfing waves, while nearby Shíméi Bay has prime conditions from November to January. You can rent boards from Surfing Hǎinán, which was started in 2008 by three surfers from China, Japan and the US. Lessons (including lunch) and multiday packages for the experienced are also available.
Surfing is just starting to gain a tiny following in China and so far the majority of surfers out on the waters are still Westerners. This is not the next Indonesia but as part-owner Brendan says, 'The best thing about surfing Hǎinán is that it's empty.' Beginners will find this a no-hassle spot to try a sport they've always been curious…
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Sūzhōu Creek Boat Tours
Forty-five-minute boat tours running in between the M50 art galleries and Chángfēng Park (长风公园; Chāngfēng Gōngyuán) to the west. As this is a brand-new service, research it ahead of time in case of changes.
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Wan Kei Ho International
This place has a local and foreign following.
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Wǔdāng Shān Dàojiào Tàihé Wǔshùyuàn
In the town itself is this smaller school. The office is in a junior school on your right as you walk towards the museum.
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Wong Kei
Online resources.
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Yōng River Bridge
The river at the southwestern end of the modern Yōng River Bridge is a very popular swimming spot, particularly on summer evenings. For the less adventurous, nearby Yōngjiāng Hotel has a small outdoor pool (Y50).
Big groups of locals meet for a spot of dancing every evening in Bīnjiāng Park (滨江公园; Bīnjiāng Gōngyuán), just behind the riverbank where swimmers congregate. It's great to watch and anyone can join in.
On the eastern side of the bridge, just south of South Gate Market, is a small network of alleyways. Here you'll find some of Nánníng's older, low-rise housing, a stark contrast from the shiny shopping centres off nearby Chaoyang Lu, and an…
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Yúngǔ Cable Car
Shuttle buses (Y13) ferry visitors from Tāngkǒu to the cable car. Either arrive very early or late (if you're staying overnight) as long queues are the norm. Thankfully, a new cable-car station has shorted what was once three-hour queues to nothing more than 45 minutes.
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Yùquánxī Scenic Area
Cross the bridge over the river to visit this 2.6km-long scenic area, where you follow a path along a valley by the Yùquán Stream, past haystacks (consisting of stout wooden poles sunk into the ground onto which are tossed clumps of hay) and gorgeous belts of layered terraced fields. Walk along the valley for a good 1.5km before the path ducks into a small gorge, where you will traverse the river at several points, and continue on into a thick profusion of green. Cross the Jade Fountain Gate (玉泉门; Yùquán Mén) and follow the path to the waterfall, which spills down in a single thread of water. If you have the energy, climb the steps up to the Tiānwèn Platform…
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Aluguer de Bicicletas
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Big Bus Company
A good way to get your bearings in the city is on the hop-on, hop-off, open-topped double-deckers. Three tours are available: the Kowloon Route takes in much of the Tsim Sha Tsui and Hung Hom waterfront; the Hong Kong Island Route explores Central, Admiralty, Wan Chai and Causeway Bay; and the Green Tour goes to Stanley Market and Aberdeen.
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Country & Marine Parks Authority
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Cycling
There are two cycling trails in Taipa. The longer Taipa Grande trail can be accessed via a paved road off the Estrada Colonel Nicolau de Mesquita, near the United Chinese Cemetery; whereas the Taipa Pequena Trail (bus 21A, 33, 35) is reachable by way of Estrada Lou Lim Ieok, behind the Regency Hotel. Bicycles can be rented from a kiosk near the bus stop adjacent to the Museum of Taipa and Coloane History in Taipa Village. Cycling across the Macau–Taipa bridges is prohibited.
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