There's a Chinese saying that one who is back from Huangshan Mountains would not go to see the 5 top famous mountains of China, that means, Huangshan surpasses all the mountains of China nad is the best of the best! Every entrance ticket is valid for 3 days and need one-day advance purchase. One may buy online, while my hotel at the mountains bottom near the South Gate (Atour hotel) has a counter and did all the bookings for ticket, connection bus and cable car for me. Hassles free. There are some kiosks or stalls in the mountains, so water, food, raincoat, plastic slip-preventive shoes cover and other hiking utilities at good price are all available in case you are not well prepared. Maybe most of the people try to finish the hiking within one day. But I strongly recommend to stay at least one night for watching sunset and sunrise which I did luckily. Cable car stops running after 4:30pm or one has to walk downhill for 2 hours or more.

Reviews and pictures don't do Huangshan justice. It really is incredible (much better than Huashan), and we were lucky enough to have two stunning bluebird days (so no sea of clouds, but hey, I'm really not going to complain about having amazing weather). However, your visit can absolutely be ruined by crowds and obnoxious tour groups (why they feel the need to broadcast on loudspeakers, I don't know), so plan wisely. Go during the week, at the end of the season or in off season. We were there Friday-Saturday at the very end of November, and Friday was lovely but Saturday was an absolute mad house. Luckily since we stayed overnight we were able to still enjoy the morning before it got too crazy. We ended up walking all the way down the West Canyon and back up the other side, which was strenuous even for us as two fit hikers, but the way up was one of the most beautiful parts of the mountain and almost deserted. So if you can figure out logistics of getting to the back entrance and are used to hiking, then I highly recommend coming in that way rather than the main entrance. Now to hotels - don't pay any attention to the bad reviews. We stayed at the Xihai and it was super luxurious. The food was totally fine and reasonably priced for a buffet. The room was probably expensive for Chinese standards but not Western standards, and for heaven's sake, it's on top of a mountain! You're paying for the location more than anything

Unfortunately, we had rainy weather. We set off for the hike in the hope that the weather would improve. The bus station is near the city - 1.5 km from our accommodation. The bus (19 RMB per person) takes us up. When we got to the top, we didn't see a ticket office at first. We had to go through a kind of small village and then we reached a ticket office where we could buy entrance tickets (95 RMB per person) and tickets for the cable car (80 RMB per person). We then went straight to the cable car - Yungu cable car. At 8:30 a.m. we were at the cable car - and at around 2 p.m. we were back in the city. Unfortunately, we didn't see anything - just fog. We went straight to the Beihai and Paiyun Hotel - West Canyon - with the small train (100 RMB per person) to Tian Hai station and then took the Yuping cable car (90 RMB per person/runs from 6:30 a.m. to 5:40 p.m.) into the city. We definitely have to visit the Yellow Mountains again when the weather is nice. But above all, we should be fit enough to climb stairs beforehand. We were only in the park for a short time - but the hiking trails only consist of stairs up and down. We had sore muscles for 3 days.

Why is this place not on more itineraries for China tours? It is stunning. The Chinese people certainly value it, judging by the number of Chinese tourists, but on the day I was there, there was only one other visibly non-Chinese tourist on the mountain. Of course, you do need reasonable weather (it rains a lot here), and we had perfect weather. I was with a tour run by Laurus travel out of Vancouver (very good tour company for China) and with a guide from Huangshan (William Hu - excellent and recommended). We took the gondola up (not sure which one - there are four from different starting points), then walked for the entire day on the top of the mountain. In the morning it was clear, which gave great views; in the afternoon some fog rolled in, which made everything mysterious. It was beautiful either way. The trails are in very good condition, although there is a lot of up-and-down. As long as a person doesn't have hip or knee problems, it should be doable by anyone in fair condition or better - you don't have to be a long-distance hiker, just do what you can. It will be worthwhile. There are eating places on the mountain. We ate at a place with a buffet lunch, which was fine. I think you could do this on your own, as there is quite a bit of English-language signage and good maps at intersection points. However, having a guide to sort out things like paying for the gondola tickets certainly makes things easier. Also, he knew the mountain intimately and could recommend routes to take. This requires a return visit sometime. The entire mountain covers a large area, with four gondolas to various points in the mountain. We covered less than half of it in one day, although we walked about 12 km.

Mystical, fairytale, breathtaking - no other mountain range should be able to appeal to the one who climbed Huangshan, Huangshan is enough! So it is written in guides and probably already in ancient writings. When I saw the ink drawings of Chinese painters as a child, I liked them because of their moods and wild landscapes. But I also thought: Why do they paint the mountains so exaggeratedly, so dramatically, so move the trees. Travel forms: They do it because the mountains and the trees here are just really like that! Huangshan is one of the most impressive mountain landscapes I have been allowed to see during my travels. Those who care about mountains should not leave China without having been here. The mass tourism development via countless concrete paths and several mountain railways may repulse the purist and creates almost absurd situations, for example of untrained city people who skip the mountain railway and can only move crawling after thousands and thousands of steps - but it is also a reflection of a philosophy that tries to make the extraordinary accessible to as many people as possible.

Breathtaking Natural Wonder Huangshan’s scenery is absolutely stunning! The iconic pine trees, unique rock formations, sea of clouds, and sunrise views are truly unforgettable. Standing atop the mountain and witnessing the rolling clouds feels like being in a fairyland – a must-visit destination!

We spent an afternoon climbing up the mountain on a relatively clear day and witnessed many magnificent sceneries. On our trek downhill the next morning, however, it was rainy and foggy, so we had very limited views, even though some of the heavily fogged mountain images were still very pretty. Huangshan is undoubtedly one of the most beautiful mountains on earth. We may go back to experience more of its beauty in the future.

Upcloud Shuguangli Villa(雲亼·曙光里) is a hidden gem located near the Yungu cable car station up on Huangshan China. It's a small boutique hotel with rustic villas fully equipped with modern in room facilities like automated Japanese toilet seat and floor heating. It was was like staying in a serene and luxurious mountain village. The staff were very helpful and gave us good tips on what to do and where to hike. Highly recommended for a quiet retreat.