When we prepared for our trip to Yellow Mountain we had anticipated cold weather. The last time I was at Yellow Mountain was on Halloween 2007. That trip was freezing, windy, and wet. This time around we were greeted with perfect sunshine, warmth, and crowds. We thought that since the Golden Week holiday was over we wouldn't have as many crowds to deal with, but we were wrong. Both domestic and tourist from all over Asia were present, along with a smattering of German hikers, but as usual, barely any Americans. I've discovered Americans tend to travel the well traveled paths, countries that have gained popularity, and destinations that have been well written about. I occasionally met an intrepid American traveler along the way in my travels, but the numbers are not as prolific as Germans, French, Japanese, Australian, and British. Even while traveling in India I met more pairs of Chinese travelers than I did Americans. I digress.
How To Get To Yellow Mountain
We took the overnight train from Shanghai to Huangshan City, formally a town named Tunxi(I'll refer to it as Tunxi since other than in English everyone still refers to it as Tunxi). While waiting for the train we discovered there is a VIP room for all passengers with soft sleeper tickets, this tends to be the case with most larger train stations, though most people do not know of their existence, the VIP waiting room from Huangshan to Shanghai was practically empty compared to the overcrowded general waiting room.
After exiting the train station in Tunxi we found minibuses going off to many different destinations. Our aim was to go up the back mountain and down the front mountain, only later to find out the aerial tram at the front of the mountain has been closed for a stretch of time, which meant the back of the mountain has been handling all the crowds. I guess I should be more specific since most of the information on the internet written in English doesn't refer to front or back mountain. The front mountain refers to the area by the Jade Screen Aerial Tram Station, while the back mountain is accessed by the Yungu Temple Aerial Tram Station. Anyway, long story short, ask for the minibus to Tangkou, as of October 2014 the cost should be 20 RMB per person. Once in Tangkou avoid the touts trying to get you to take a ride with them, their goal is to get you to stay at one of their hotels in Tangkou, if you refuse their hotel once already in their cars, they are likely to drop you off in a random location, DO NOT, I repeat, DO NOT take a ride with these touts promising a cheaper ride to the tram stations, they aren't allowed on the roads up. Don't ruin your trip because of a deal that sounds too good to be true. Instead head towards the official bus station and pay 19 RMB per person for a bus ride to the Yungu Temple Station.
The bus will drop you off a few meters from the entrance, be sure to not get in line until after first going to the ticket windows to the left of the entrance. The tram costs 80 RMB one way, the entrance fee for Yellow Mountain is 230 RMB, half price for seniors over the age of 60 and students with a student ID, both discounts apply to citizens of foreign countries as well as domestic tourists.
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| Yeah, Crowded |
Beihai Hotel
Everyone who has done research about Yellow Mountain has probably heard a) stay overnight on the mountain b) hotels are expensive on the mountain c) hotels are horrible on the mountain. Both times I've visited Yellow Mountain I stayed in Beihai Hotel, mostly because it is the closest hotel to the aerial tram, which means a lot less climbing up and down stairs to get to the hotel and drop our things off. My first stay I remember the rooms were small and decent, not amazing, but did the job. This time we stayed in a family room with a view and what a huge improvement. The room was large, if you are a group on a budget you could probably fit a fourth person in the room with no problem using the extra blankets to make a bed on the floor. The cost per person for four would be less than what it cost for four in the dorm rooms, and so much more comfortable. Though we skipped the sunrise (we were awake, but didn't feel like joining the crowds) it is well worth a stay on the mountain. Don't cheap out and get tempted by cheaper hotels in Tangkou and don't get a bed in the dorm, just about every bad review for all the hotels on the mountain are almost always for the dorms.
As for the food in Beihai, yes it is expensive. Bring bottled water, but know that you can also boil water in the room, let it cool, and refill your bottles. Skip the buffet at dinner time. When we told the hotel restaurant we wanted to order food instead of having the buffet we were told that there were no tables, but when we questioned that we were shown a table. We found most of the Chinese around us were also ordering food and not eating at the buffet, the only people who were eating buffet food were the handful of westerners and big tour groups. Each dish in the menu was very expensive, with a simple noodle soup at around 58 RMB. We ordered three dishes, two of which actually turned out to be good (we had some of the freshest green peppers in one dish and tofu in another), rice, and a large local beer. The portions were huge, we had so much leftover that we took the leftovers and saved them for breakfast the next day with still food enough for a third meal if we wanted. For lunch the next day we decided to just order one dish to go and ate outside before starting our trek back down the mountain.
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| Beihai Family Room, Minnie Mouse Included |
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| The View |
Photos
There were endless amounts of photo opportunities to be had while hiking Yellow Mountain. It truly felt like it was my first time there since it looked so different without the clouds and fog from my first visit, though there were moments when I saw locations that brought back memories of my first visit.
Like when I saw the spot where the photo below was taken. Memories of almost being blown off the mountain came back to me as I looked at the innocuous spot.
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| Huangshan, October 2007 |
The hike around Yellow Mountain can be tough, but it isn't so bad that you have to be in top shape to visit. My mom is in her early 60s and my dad is almost 70, they both were able to explore the mountain without any problems.
Tunxi
If you're taking the overnight train after Yellow Mountain I recommend stopping by Tunxi's Old Town. It's a short taxi ride from the train station where the minibus from Tangkou will drop you off. We were told by various taxi drivers that the standard fair is 7 RMB per taxi, if you are not comfortable negotiating the price then make sure to ask for the meter to be turned on, the fare will most likely end up being roughly 7 RMB that way as well.
The old town is such a lovely area of the city. Yes, it's very touristy with various shops selling snacks and crafts, but I prefer it to some tourist areas since the sellers here are more laid back and prices mostly reasonable. You'll see a lot of calligraphy paraphernalia because the area used to be well known for its scholars and painters. My dad marveled at how well written the calligraphy around the old town is while I kept looking at the large variety of teas, another product the area is well known for.
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