5-Day Tour of Baoding, Hebei

📍 Chiang Mai · 👁 8312 reads · ❤️ 32 likes

Day 1: September 22, 2016

Shanghai → Beijing Capital International Airport → Hotel

17:00 Board flight in Shanghai, fly to Beijing Capital International Airport.

19:30 Arrive at Beijing Capital International Airport, collect luggage, etc.

Beijing Capital International Airport (IATA: PEK, ICAO: ZBAA), located in the northeastern outskirts of Beijing, 25 km southwest of downtown Beijing, 67 km south of Beijing Daxing International Airport, is a 4F-class international airport, one of the three major gateway composite hubs in China, a member of the international air cargo hub group in the Bohai Rim region, and a super large airport in the world.

Beijing Capital International Airport was built in 1958. On January 1, 1980, Terminal 1 and supporting projects including the apron and parking lot in front of the terminal were completed and officially put into use. On November 1, 1999, Terminal 2 was officially put into use, and Terminal 1 was closed for renovation. On September 20, 2004, Terminal 1 was reopened. In spring 2008, the airport expansion project (Terminal 3) was completed.

19:45 Depart from Beijing Capital International Airport, take a car to the hotel.

20:15 Arrive at the hotel.

Day 2: September 23, 2016

Hotel → Service area on the way → Laishui County, Baoding City, Hebei Province → Hotel → Yesanpo AAAAA Scenic Area → Hotel

08:30 Depart from hotel, take a car to Laishui County, Baoding City, Hebei Province. Distance 137.1-140.7 km, travel time 2 hours 8 minutes to 21 minutes, highway toll 39-48 yuan.

09:30 Arrive at a service area on the way, take a short break.

09:45 Depart from service area, continue by car to Laishui County, Baoding City, Hebei Province.

11:00 Arrive at Laishui County, Baoding City, Hebei Province.

Laishui County, under the jurisdiction of Baoding City, Hebei Province, is located in the central-west of Hebei Province, at the northern end of the eastern foot of the Taihang Mountains, with a total area of 1,661.61 square kilometers.

It was formerly known as Gu'an County and Yongyang County in the Sui Dynasty. In the 18th year of the Kaihuang reign (598 AD), it was renamed Laishui County. In 1994, after the merger of Baoding prefecture and city, Laishui came under Baoding City. Laishui County has a warm temperate continental climate, with a narrow and long terrain, sloping from northwest to southeast, with significant topographic differences, presenting a stepped distribution of three types: mountainous, hilly, and plain. Laishui belongs to the Haihe River basin, the Daqing River system, and the main river is the Juma River, which originates in Laiyuan and flows through Laishui County for 110 km. The county has scenic spots such as Yesanpo and the Tomb of Prince Yixian.

11:30 Arrive at the hotel, check in and take a rest.

12:00 Depart from hotel, walk to the restaurant.

12:15 Arrive at restaurant, lunch.

13:30 Depart from restaurant, walk back to hotel.

13:45 Arrive at hotel, rest/free time.

17:00 Depart from hotel, walk to restaurant.

17:15 Arrive at restaurant, dinner.

18:30 Depart from restaurant, take a car to Yesanpo AAAAA Scenic Area.

18:45 Arrive at Yesanpo AAAAA Scenic Area, watch the Fire Show performance.

Yesanpo AAAAA Scenic Area developed its tourism industry in 1986. With its "majestic, perilous, peculiar, and tranquil" natural landscape and ancient history and culture, it is highly favored by tourists from home and abroad. It has successively been awarded titles such as World Geopark, National Scenic Area, National AAAAA Tourist Area, National Forest Park, National Eco-tourism Demonstration Area, National Cultural Industry Demonstration Base, National Popular Science Education Base, and is also the venue of the first Hebei Province Tourism Industry Development Conference.

21:30 Depart from Yesanpo AAAAA Scenic Area, take a car back to hotel.

21:45 Arrive at hotel.

Day 3: September 24, 2016

Hotel → Yesanpo AAAAA Scenic Area (Baili Gorge) → Yi County → Taihang Water Town → Laiyuan County → Baishishan Grand Theater → Hotel

08:30 Depart from hotel, take a car to Yesanpo AAAAA Scenic Area - Baili Gorge Scenic Area.

08:45 Arrive at Yesanpo AAAAA Scenic Area, sightseeing.

Yesanpo AAAAA Scenic Area is located in Laishui County, Baoding, Hebei, about 100 km west of downtown Beijing. It is a popular destination for enjoying natural scenery and escaping the summer heat in the outskirts of Beijing. Yesanpo is a general term for a group of scenic areas, featuring various landscapes including gorges, cliffs, alpine meadows, karst caves, and river scenery, each with its own characteristics. From April to October each year, it is very pleasant to come here for mountain and water activities, cave exploration, and rafting.

The Yesanpo scenic area group centers on Sanpo Town, mainly including Baili Gorge, Baicaopan, Yugu Cave, Longmen Tian Pass, and the Juma River scenic areas. Each scenic area sells tickets separately. The distance between scenic areas is about 10-30 km, and there is no shuttle bus between scenic areas. Self-driving is recommended. You can also find local cars in Sanpo Town for chartered tours; generally, a one-day ordinary route costs about tens of yuan per person round trip.

A trip to Yesanpo generally requires two days. A recommended itinerary is to visit Baili Gorge on the first day, and watch the Impression Yesanpo performance in the evening. On the second day morning, visit Baicaopan Scenic Area, and in the afternoon, enjoy the Juma River karst cave rafting and other entertainment activities, then return in the evening. If you don't want to go to the Juma River entertainment, you can replace it with Yugu Cave to see the karst cave. If you have enough time for three days, you can add Longmen Tian Pass on this basis. If you only have one day, time will be tight, and you can visit Baili Gorge alone and then return.

Baili Gorge Scenic Area is the most famous and unmissable part of Yesanpo. You can see deep gorges with waterfalls and streams everywhere, and many steep cliffs and strange peaks. Famous spots include "One Line Sky" and "Guanyin Stone." The gorge is very cool in summer, making it a summer resort in the outskirts of Beijing. Every evening, there is an impressive performance of Impression Yesanpo at the entrance of the scenic area (inside the gate; you need to buy a scenic area ticket first and then a performance ticket).

Baicaopan Forest Park is another important scenic area. You can climb to the alpine meadow and overlook the layered mountains. Mist and clouds often drift among the mountains. Coming in May, you can also see the famous "Glacier Rhododendron" landscape.

Yugu Cave is a three-kilometer-long karst cave, with an open area of about 1.3 km. It features various strange shapes formed by stalactites, beautiful under the lights, suitable for those who like to visit karst landscapes.

Longmen Tian Pass is similar to Baili Gorge, with many cliffs and strange peaks. Its specialty is the cultural corridor and cliff stone carvings, full of historical relics.

Juma River is an entertainment paradise. It does not charge an entrance fee, and entertainment items are charged separately. Famous activities include the Juma River karst cave rafting (this cave is similar to Yugu Cave; if you want to see a cave, choose one), bamboo rafting, horse riding, etc. You can also bring your own equipment for picnics and barbecues, very enjoyable.

11:30 Depart from Yesanpo AAAAA Scenic Area, take a car to restaurant.

11:45 Arrive at restaurant, lunch.

12:30 Depart from restaurant, take a car to Yi County (service area on the highway). Distance 73.7-78.9 km, travel time 1 hour 02 minutes to 39 minutes, highway toll 14-33 yuan.

13:45 Arrive at Yi County (service area on the highway), visit.

Yi County is under the jurisdiction of Baoding City, Hebei Province, located in central Hebei. On September 29, 2018, the Hebei Provincial Government officially approved Yi County's withdrawal from the poverty county sequence. In September 2019, it was selected as one of the first batch of national comprehensive tourism demonstration areas. In November 2019, it was included in the second batch of water-saving society construction standard counties (districts) list.

Taihang Water Town integrates Taihang folk experience, rural cuisine, art display, entertainment, style inns, leisure farms, RV camping, and local specialty processing. It is both a three-industry integrated industrial park in rural areas and a rural cultural heritage base. Lianxiang·Taihang Water Town, with simple Taihang architecture and simple Taihang life, vividly tells a rural story of hometown nostalgia that urbanites yearn for.

15:30 Depart from Taihang Water Town, take a car to Laiyuan County. Distance 81.4-87.3 km, travel time 1 hour 28 minutes to 46 minutes, highway toll 18-27 yuan.

17:45 Arrive at Laiyuan County, check into hotel, dinner.

Laiyuan County is a county under the jurisdiction of Baoding City, Hebei Province, located in the northwest of Baoding area, at the northern end of the Taihang Mountains, meaning "source of the Laishui River."

Laiyuan County is a fully mountainous county. The territory is full of undulating mountains and crisscrossing valleys. There are 78 peaks above 1,000 meters above sea level, 32 peaks above 1,500 meters, and 5 peaks above 2,000 meters. Especially Baishishan in the central-south of the county, with an altitude of 2,096 meters, is the most majestic and magnificent. The overall terrain is high in the northwest and low in the southeast. Laiyuan Basin covers an area of 120 square kilometers, located in the center of Laiyuan County, with an altitude of 808 meters, the highest point at 902 meters. The basin is low in the southeast and high in the northwest.

18:30 Depart from restaurant, take a car to Baishishan Grand Theater.

19:00 Arrive at Baishishan Grand Theater, watch performance.

21:30 Depart from Baishishan Grand Theater, take a car back to hotel.

Day 4: September 25, 2016

Hotel → Baishishan World Geopark AAAAA Scenic Area → Hotel

08:30 Depart from hotel, take a car to Baishishan World Geopark AAAAA Scenic Area. Distance 17.2 km, travel time 29 minutes.

09:00 Arrive at Baishishan World Geopark AAAAA Scenic Area, sightseeing.

Baishishan World Geopark AAAAA Scenic Area is located 15 km south of Laiyuan County town, Hebei Province, commanding the northernmost end of the 800-mile Taihang Mountains. The scenic area covers 54 square kilometers, and the highest peak, Foguang Peak, has an altitude of 2,096 meters. It is a World Geopark, National AAAAA Tourist Area, National Forest Park, National Youth Science and Technology Education Base, and has the unique marble peak forest landform in China.

Baishishan is located at the northernmost end of the Taihang Mountains. The highest peak, Foguang Peak, is 2,096 meters above sea level. From its top, you can overlook Langya Mountain and Mount Wutai. Baishishan has diverse landscapes, integrating peak forests, strange rocks, cliffs, canyons, waterfalls, forests, sea of clouds, Buddha's light, Great Wall, temples, and other landscapes. The landform is peculiar and the structure is complex. It is one of the "Thirty-Six Cave Heaven and Bliss Lands" in ancient China.

Below Baishishan, there is such rock mass covering more than 200 square kilometers, known as "Sigezhuang Rock Mass." Baishishan stands at the northernmost end of the 800-mile Taihang Mountains. The mountain body is huge, with "three peaks, six platforms, nine valleys, and eighty-one peaks." The main ridge line is over 7,000 meters long. The highest peak, Foguang Peak, is 2,096 meters above sea level, and it is the dragon head rising in the northwest of the North China Plain. From its top, you can overlook Langya Mountain and Mount Wutai.

On May 10, 2014, Baishishan started construction of the longest glass-bottomed bridge. On September 15, 2014, the Baishishan glass-bottomed bridge was opened to the public. It is the longest, widest, and highest suspended glass-bottomed bridge in China.

The Baishishan glass-bottomed bridge is at an altitude of 1,900 meters. After completion, it has a total length of 95 meters and a width of 2 meters. Compared with the suspended glass-bottomed bridges at Zhangjiajie Tianmen Mountain (length 60 meters, altitude 1,430 meters) and Dandong Fenghuang Mountain (length 31 meters, altitude over 700 meters), it will rank first among domestic glass-bottomed bridges.

The bridge is located at 1.5 km of the Shuangxiong Shi to Feiyun Kou cliffside plank road in Baishi Gallery. The Baishishan glass-bottomed bridge is a concrete frame structure, combining 3.2 cm thick double-layer laminated glass with a stainless steel dragon bone frame, with a bearing capacity of 1,000 kg per square meter, providing tourists with a unique experience while ensuring safety.

12:00 Depart from Baishishan World Geopark AAAAA Scenic Area, take a car to restaurant.

12:30 Arrive at restaurant, lunch.

14:00 Depart from restaurant, take a car back to hotel.

14:30 Arrive at hotel, rest/free time.

17:30 Depart from hotel, take a car to restaurant.

17:45 Arrive at restaurant, dinner.

21:30 Depart from restaurant, take a car back to hotel.

22:00 Arrive at hotel.

Day 5: September 26, 2016

Hotel → Service area on the way → Beijing Capital International Airport → Shanghai

08:00 Depart from hotel, take a car to Beijing Capital International Airport.

10:30 Arrive at service area on the way, take a short break.