Things to do in Huáng Shān
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Western Steps
The 15km western steps route has some stellar scenery, but it's twice as long and strenuous as the eastern steps, and much easier to enjoy if you're clambering down rather than gasping your way up. If you take the cable car up, just do this in reverse.
The western steps descent begins at the Flying Rock (飞来石; Fēilái Shí), a boulder perched on an outcrop half an hour from Běihǎi Hotel, and goes over Bright Summit Peak (光明顶; Guāngmíng Dǐng; 1841m). Look out from Bright Summit Peak to Áoyú Peak (鳌鱼峰; Áoyú Fēng; 1780m): you'll notice that it looks like two turtles!
South of Áoyú Peak en route to Lotus Flower Peak, the descent funnels you down thro…
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Eastern Steps
A medium-fast climb of the 7.5km eastern steps from Yúngǔ Station (890m) to White Goose Ridge (白鹅峰; Bái'é Fēng; 1770m) can be done in 2½ hours. The route is pleasant, but lacks the awesome geological scenery of the western steps. In spring wild azalea and weigela add gorgeous splashes of colour to the wooded slopes of the mountain.
Much of the climb is comfortably shaded and although it can be tiring, it's a doddle compared with the western steps. Slow-moving porters use the eastern steps for ferrying up their massive, swaying loads of food, drink and building materials, so considerable traffic plies the route. While clambering up, note the more ancient flight …
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Huáng Shān Summit
Regardless of how you ascend Huáng Shān, you'll be stung by a dizzying entrance fee; ticket prices continue to gallop way ahead of inflation. Pay at the eastern steps near the Cloud Valley Temple Cable Car Station (云谷寺索道站; Yúngǔsì Suǒdào) or at the Ciguang Temple (慈光阁; Cíguāng Gé), where the western steps begin. Minibuses run to both places from Tāngkǒu.
Make sure to pack enough water, food and appropriate clothing before climbing; taking sunscreen is also recommended as the sun can get fierce on clear days from spring onwards. Bottled water and food prices increase the higher you go, so take provisions with you.
As mountain paths are easy to …
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Refreshing Terrace
Refreshing Terrace attracts sunrise crowds (nearby hotels supply thick padded jackets to customers). The North Sea (北海; Běihǎi) sunrise is a highlight for those spending the night on the summit. Lucky visitors are rewarded with the luminous spectacle of yúnhǎi (literally 'sea of clouds'): idyllic pools of mist that settle over the mountain, filling its chasms and valleys with fog and turning its peaks into islands that poke from the clouds. Located five minutes from Beihai Hotel.
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Huīzhōu Měishí
Located on the west bank of the river, this small and friendly family-run restaurant has no English sign, but it's a good spot to sample local Huizhou-style cooking, from stewed stone frog (hóngshāo shíjī; 红烧石鸡) to filling Anhui-style fried noodles (huīshì chǎomiàn; 徽式炒面) and fried meat slices in Anhui style (huīshì huíguōròu; 徽式回锅肉).
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Beginning to Believe Peak
Beginning to Believe Peak is a major bottleneck for photographers gathering around jaw-dropping views. The staggering and otherworldly views from the summit reach out over huge valleys of granite and enormous formations of rock, topped by gravity-defying slivers of stone and the gnarled forms of ubiquitous Huangshan pine trees (Pinus taiwanensis). Many rocks have been christened with fanciful names by the Chinese, alluding to figures from religion and myth.
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Cloud Valley Temple Cable Car
Minibuses ferry visitors from Tāngkǒu to here. Either arrive very early or late (if you're staying overnight) as queues of more than one hour are the norm. In the peak season (officially 1 March to 30 November), people can wait up to three hours for a ride - you may as well walk.
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Taiping Cable Car
Accessing Huáng Shān from the north via the Taiping Cable Car is also an option. Minibuses run from Huáng Shān Qū (an additional access point to Huáng Shān) to the cable-car station.
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West Sea
The wind regularly whips up at the West Sea, where breathtaking views stretch out along a huge gorge and the chains of the observation area are left garlanded with clumps of padlocks by romantic couples.
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Jade Screen Cable Car
Minibuses run from Tāngkǒu to the Ciguang Temple, which is linked by the Jade Screen Cable Car to the area just below the Yupinglou Hotel.
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Purple Cloud Peak
Clamber up here for a long survey over the landscape and try to catch the sun as it descends in the west.
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Flower Blooming on a Brush Tip
The Flower Blooming on a Brush Tip is a granite formation topped by a pine tree.
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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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Hot Springs
After years of renovation, the hot springs area is finally open. If you want a soak after the strenuous climbing, this place offers a mind-boggling variety of themed springs. Soak in a coffee-infused pool or get heady in the wine- or alcohol-infused spring. There's also a pool with fish that nibble away dead skin on your feet. Follow it all up with a foot massage. Entry includes complimentary snacks and tea.
The best way to get to the springs is to arrange for a free transfer and pick-up via your hotel. Shuttle buses (Y7) run to the Yúngǔ Station, from where it's a short walk downhill to the hot springs.
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