(黄山) Mt. Huang (Yellow Mountains) Hike

Huangshan or Yellow Mountains is a hike I have been looking forward to for a couple of years, and have finally managed to reach. Unfortunately, years of preparation and finding the perfect season does not assure one that the weather will cooperate once you’re there. Which is why I had a very foggy two day stay in the mountains, and a very sunny stay the rest of my time in China.

Budget: CNY1250 (~USD177)

CNY128. Bus, Suzhou to Tunxi.
CNY20. Bus, Tunxi to foot of the mountain.
CNY18. Bus to Huangshan Scenic Area.
CNY80. Ropeway to the top (East).
CNY190. Entrance fee (payable by credit card)
CNY370. Hostel at the mountain (my share for a private room for two people, dorm is significantly cheaper)
CNY80. Ropeway down (East)
CNY18. Bus back to the foot of the mountain.
CNY20ish. Bus to Huangshan Train Station.
CNY326. High speed train, Huangshan to Shangai.

Hike Date / Difficulty

October 2018 / 2 out of 5. It is fully developed, but the path still takes a bit of time.

When to Go

Autumn! So somewhere between October to November, I believe.

Special Notes

There are various ways to get there:
- From Shanghai.
  - A high speed train leaves Shanghai in the morning and arrives at Huangshan Railway station, taking 4 hours (CNY326). Another option is a bus that is significantly cheaper, but takes 6 hours.
  - At Huangshan Railway station, go to the nearby bus station. These are humongous buildings, and as of 2018, were the only buildings in the area. Buy the ticket (CNY18) and the 45 minute ride will take you to the transfer point at the foot of the mountain.
- From Suzhou.
  - There are buses available both from the North and South Railway station (CNY128) and arrives at Tunxi Station.
  - At Tunxi Station, go inside and the building and transfer to another bus at Gate 8. There’s no need to buy ticket at the counter, just pay at the bus (CNY20). This one hour ride will take you to the transfer point at the foot of the mountain.
- At the foot of the mountain, there’s a bus (CNY18) that’ll take you to the Huangshan Scenic Area. Since there are different ropeways/routes/entry points, you have to decide which part of the mountain range you want to go to.

Itinerary (from Suzhou, mainly time estimates)

Day 1

06:40am. Go to the North Railway Station. The bus left on time.
12:30pm. Arrival at Tunxi (Huangshan City)
1:00pm. Leave from Tunxi to the foot of the mountain.
2:00pm. Take bus to the East Area (Yugun) of Huangshan Scenic Area.
3:00pm. Pay the entrance fee and ropeway fees. We were running out of cash at this point, and were so happy that we they accept credit cards.
4:00pm. Arrival at Paiyunlou Hotel. The check in was quite a looong process, so have patience. You will have to provide a cash deposit of CNY100, and they’ll give you a red receipt. Do not lose this, as you will have to show this piece of paper at check out.

Day 2.

06:00am. Wake up, breakfast, start walking.
12:00pm. Take ropeway down, then take the bus to the foot of the mountain.
1:00pm. We bought our tickets to the bus for Huangshan Station, but as we had time before the bus departure, we were able to find food for lunch.
2:00pm. Bus to to Huangshan Station.
3:00pm. Train back to Shanghai.*

*We actually stayed one more day near Huangshan station, and went to Tunxi’s Old Street market. But that’s just a nice side trip.