2-day Huangshan (Yellow Mountain) Hiking Tour

Transfer to Shanghai Hongqiao Train Station on your own this morning. Upon arrival in Huangshan after two and half hours, you’ll met by our guide and driver for transfer to the luxury Crowne Plaza Yucheng hotel. Huangshan is the name of the city (formerly known as Tunxi) where the train station and airport are located. It was renamed after the famous mountain which literally means Yellow Mountain. Rumour has it that the name of the city might be changed again in the near future to its historically important old name of Huizhou. Known as ‘the loveliest mountain of China’, Huangshan is a mountain range composed of material that was uplifted from an ancient sea during the Mesozoic era, 100 million years ago. The mountains themselves were carved by glaciers during the Quaternary. Vegetation on the range is thickest below 1,100 metres (3,600 ft), with trees growing up to the timberline at 1,800 meters (5,900 ft). The area is well known for its scenery, sunsets, peculiarly shaped granite peaks, pine trees, hot springs, winter snow, and views of the clouds from above. Huangshan is a frequent subject of traditional Chinese paintings and literature, as well as modern photography. Afternoon sightseeing sees you at Hongcun, a key component of the UNESCO World Heritage Site collectively known as Ancient Villages in Southern Anhui. The traditional village represents a type of non-urban settlement that largely disappeared or was transformed during the last century. The street plan, architecture and decoration, and the integration of houses with comprehensive water systems are unique surviving examples.

After breakfast, we drive to the mountain and reach one of the peaks by cable car, thus beginning our full day exploration of the mountain. Located in the southern part of Anhui Province, Huangshan is a marvel: within an area of 154 square kilometers there are as many as 72 peaks, whose names indicate the shapes they resemble. In 1990, the UNESCO inscribed Huangshan a World Natural and Cultural Heritages Site. The beauty of Huangshan lies in its “four wonders”: pine trees with shapely foliage, peculiarly shaped rocks, the sea of clouds, and hot springs.

This morning you board the bullet train to return to Shanghai. Depending on your train schedule and/or preference, additional sightseeing in Huangshan can be arranged at additional cost.