Sea of clouds
Below the peaks.
颐园新居 — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Diego Tirira from Quito, Ecuador — CC BY-SA 2.0 · tela88 — CC BY 2.0 · Diego Tirira from Quito, Ecuador — CC BY-SA 2.0 · Boule02de — CC BY-SA 3.0 · Diego Tirira from Quito, Ecuador — CC BY-SA 2.0 · Hugh Llewelyn from Keynsham, UK — CC BY-SA 2.0 · rheins — CC BY 3.0
China's most painted and most celebrated mountain, a range of sharp granite peaks in southern Anhui whose highest summits are Lotus Peak (1,864 m), Bright Summit (1,860 m) and Celestial Capital Peak (1,829 m); it has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1990 for both its nature and its culture. It is known for four wonders: strangely shaped granite rocks, Huangshan pines growing out of cracks in the stone, a sea of clouds filling the valleys below the peaks, and hot springs at its foot; its most famous tree is the Welcoming-Guests Pine by Jade Screen Peak. Thousands of stone steps cut into the mountain link the peaks, three cable cars climb to the top, and one of the finest routes is the West Sea Grand Canyon with its paths clinging to the cliffs; many stay in the summit hotels to watch the sun rise over the sea of clouds. Tickets are about CNY 190 for most of the year and about CNY 150 from 20 December to 20 January, valid for three days; cable cars and mountain buses cost extra, per visitor guides. Climbing up or down on foot is very tiring, and the summits are much colder than the base, so bring a jacket even in summer.
Below the peaks.
Out of the rock.
Cliffside paths.
Huangshan District, southern Anhui, about an hour's drive north of Huangshan city
About CNY 190 for most of the year and about CNY 150 from 20 December to 20 January, valid for three days; cable cars cost extra, per visitor guides.
It can be done in a long day using the cable cars, but many stay in the summit hotels to see the sunrise and the sea of clouds, per visitor guides.