Close message

Hi there. We use cookies to improve your experience on our website. Find out more about how we use cookies.

You can update your settings by clicking the Cookie Policy link which can be found anytime at the bottom of the page.

Chángbái Shān Sights

Chángbái Shān

1 reviews | Write a review

  • Address
    • On the Mountain
  • Price
    • admission Y100, transportation fee Y45
  • Hours
    • 07:00-18:00 northern gate, 06:00-16:00 western gate

Correct these details

Lonely Planet review for Chángbái Shān

China's largest nature reserve, Chángbái Shān, covers 210,000 hectares of dense forest, straddling the China-North Korea border. At lower elevations, the forests are filled with white birch and Korean pines; above 2000m the landscape turns treeless and windy. Temperatures, too, can plunge from steamy at the reserve entrance to frigid at the summit. No matter how warm it is in the morning, sudden high winds, rain and dramatic drops in temperature are possible by afternoon.

In summer, tour buses bring day-trippers to the northern slope to pose for photos in front of the waterfall, gorge on eggs boiled in the natural hot springs, stampede up to Heaven Lake and rush down again. Since Chángbái Shān is a long haul from anywhere, though, it's worth spending a couple of relaxed days hiking around (just don't hike alone, and bring food and medical supplies if you venture off the beaten tourist trail).

Visiting Chángbái Shān is expensive. Besides the park admission and transportation fees (which pay for shuttle buses inside the park), there are extra charges for the waterfall (including access to the walking path to Heaven Lake) and for a ride in a 4WD vehicle if you prefer not to hike to Heaven Lake. Expect total fees of around Y190 to around Y230 per day, not including lodging or transport to and from the park.

 

Traveller reviews for Chángbái Shān (1)

  • Avatar
    To write a review sign in, register or   Connect_light_large_long
    Recommend
     
    Add your experience “ ”
    Say more…
  • Avatar

    China's largest nature reserve is beautiful

    miss_vee recommends this,

    of
    Previous image Next image Enlarge Close

    China's largest nature reserve is beautiful and easy to get to. My hostel (recommended in the Lonely Planet China guide and 5 minute walk from Baihe train station) organised a bus there around 7am. After a 30 minute drive, I purchased a ticket to enter the park and a few separate ones to see Heaven Lake and the waterfall.
    Once inside, I got on the park bus to get to my first destination. It’s easy to get around Changbai Shan with the park bus. It stops at all the major attractions in the park. I showed the bus driver the Lonely Planet guide and showed him where I wanted to go in Chinese characters and he dropped me off at the foot of my trek.
    I trekked about 30 minutes to see two of the major attractions; a beautiful waterfall and the hot springs. It was a fairly easy trek and there were signs in English along the route. I imagined the hot springs to be huge pools of boiling water, big enough for people to sit and bathe in. Instead I saw huge rocks with small pools of boiling water. The rocks were stained with remnants of the minerals in the water and I definitely did not want to sit in that.
    I got adopted by a girl from Shanghai and her parents and they insisted I join them on the ride up to Tian Chi, Heaven Lake. So I joined them. We queued up to take a jeep up the mountain. The jeep ride was something else. The driver swerved round the corners at high speed and the roads were so narrow. They way he handled the steering reminded me of young kids at arcades who ferociously handled the steering. I was holding on for dear life as all I could see was the valley below, plus i was sat in the middle squashing two dinky Chinese girls on either side.
    The ride was worth it. The view of the lake looked like a tiny piece of heaven on earth. The calm turquoise water is nestled in-between various peaks. I couldn’t take my eyes off it.
    The ride down was less adventurous then the ride up. I went to the hot spring baths, which was lovely and relaxing. They also boil eggs and sweet corn in the hot springs, which tasted...the same really! I then went for a leisurely stroll in their underground forest, which isn't really underground. I reckon it's just called that because the pine trees are soooo tall that you probably couldn't see the ground from the top.
    All in all, I managed to see four major attractions in a day’s visit. I could have seen more but I was tired and wanted to have a hot shower and get into my bed which had a heated mattress.

    report