3-Day, 2-Night Guide to Yunqiu Mountain Scenic Area in Shanxi: My Closest Encounter with a 'Polar World' in Shanxi
Yunqiu Mountain Scenic Area in Shanxi, located in the core tourist area of the ancestral roots of southern Shanxi, is a national AAAAA-level scenic area. The terrain is steep and the scenery is beautiful, earning it the reputation of 'The No. 1 Scenic Spot of Hefen.' When you come to Yunqiu Mountain Scenic Area, you can stay in the space capsule homestay 'Qingye Home' on the mountaintop and watch the stars at night. During the day, you can enjoy bungee jumping, aerial flying, zipline gliding, dry land skiing, and other recreational activities. In addition, there is a must-visit attraction: the world's rare super-large ice cave group. This is not the Arctic, but you can encounter a fairy-tale 'polar world.' How do you want to play after staying in Yunqiu Mountain Scenic Area? Please take this 3-day, 2-night fun guide!
Per capita budget: 2000
Traveling with: Friends
Location: Linfen Yunqiu Mountain Scenic Area, Shanxi
First, I have to complain about the airline! This is my second time visiting Yunqiu Mountain Scenic Area. I had originally booked a flight from Wuhan to Linfen, but they notified me the day before that the flight was temporarily canceled! However, I had already prepared my guide for Yunqiu Mountain Scenic Area and really wanted to stay at that popular homestay there. So I immediately booked high-speed rail tickets and took three trains from Wuhan: Wuhan to Zhengzhou, then to Weinan, then to Yuncheng. After all the hardships, I finally arrived at the foot of Yunqiu Mountain in Shanxi at noon that day.
There are many ways to get to Yunqiu Mountain Scenic Area. You can first arrive at Yuncheng or Linfen, which are cities near the scenic area. Both cities have airports. For high-speed rail, you can get off at Houma West Station, and then take a taxi from the airport or high-speed rail station to Yunqiu Mountain Scenic Area.
It is recommended to depart in the morning as much as possible, which will make your itinerary much more convenient.
After arriving at Yunqiu Mountain Scenic Area, be sure to stay at the 'Qingye Home' space capsule homestay on the mountaintop. This popular homestay is very hot, so you must experience it at least once.
At the space capsule homestay on the mountaintop, you can watch the sunrise in the morning, the sunset in the afternoon, and open the skylight at night to count stars while lying down. The homestay rooms include a living room, bathroom, bedroom, balcony, etc., and are equipped with air conditioning, water heater, bathrobe, projector, etc. It is quite comfortable.
Currently, there are only 10 rooms in this homestay, so if you want to stay, you need to book early; otherwise, it will be hard to get such a fairy-tale homestay.
By the time I checked into the space capsule homestay, it was already afternoon, just in time to turn on the air conditioning and watch a beautiful sunset from the room. At this time, the sky at Yunqiu Mountain Scenic Area was very blue, the temperature was not hot, and the golden sunset was definitely worth watching.
For dinner, you can contact the homestay butler, who will arrange a car to take you to the restaurant at the foot of the mountain. After dinner, the butler will arrange a car to take you back up to the mountaintop and return to the space capsule homestay.
The homestay has a skylight, and it is very suitable for photographing the starry sky at night on the mountaintop. Here, you can lie on the bed, open the skylight, and count stars. The Milky Way visible to the naked eye was right before my eyes. It was incredibly beautiful.
If you are a photography enthusiast, don't miss this spot. Set up your tripod at night, set the camera to time-lapse mode, and quietly enjoy this rare night scenery on the side. It is very pleasant.
Since you are already staying on the mountaintop, you can start walking down from the top and check in at the spots of Yunqiu Mountain Scenic Area.
In the morning, you can first pack your luggage and give it to the butler, who will arrange for staff to send the luggage to the Kangjiaping Homestay at the foot of the mountain. Then you can explore Yunqiu Mountain Scenic Area. After playing all the way down the mountain, go to check in at the popular Kangjiaping Homestay at the foot of the mountain.
When you come to Yunqiu Mountain Scenic Area, you must visit the Jade Emperor Peak on the mountaintop. Start from the space capsule homestay and head toward Jade Emperor Peak.
Jade Emperor Peak is the highest peak of Yunqiu Mountain Scenic Area, at an altitude of 1,629 meters. To the east is the Fuxi Ridge of Mashan Mountain, to the west are the rolling mountains, to the south is the Hedong Great Plain, and to the north is the Lüliang Mountain Range.
The highest peak of Yunqiu Mountain Scenic Area, Jade Emperor Peak, and the second highest peak, Patriarch Peak, are two mountaintops worth visiting. Fortunately, the scenic area has very convenient cable cars up and down the mountain for tourists to choose freely.
Between the peaks, there is a magical and magnificent Mandarin Duck Bridge, with a total length of 219 meters, a height of 195 meters, and a width of 2 meters. It is currently the longest and highest fully transparent high-altitude glass bridge in Shanxi Province. On a sunny day, when you step on the glass bridge, you can see the cracks of the canyon beneath your feet. Walking on it feels like flying in the wind, thrilling beyond words.
After crossing Mandarin Duck Bridge and taking photos at the God Tower viewing platform, you can start walking down the mountain. Soon you will pass the most representative attraction of Yunqiu Mountain Scenic Area: the Ice Cave Group! Can you imagine that Yunqiu Mountain Scenic Area actually has one of the world's rare super-large ice cave groups? The temperature is -10°C all year round.
That's right! When you come to Yunqiu Mountain Scenic Area, the most worthwhile attraction is this world's rare super-large ice cave group. After 16 years of exploration and development, the ice cave group of Yunqiu Mountain Scenic Area was officially opened to the public in early 2019. The ice cave group of Yunqiu Mountain Scenic Area is one of the three major ice cave wonders in the world. It was formed more than three million years ago and is the largest natural ice cave group discovered in China so far. The walls of the cave are covered with ice, and ice pillars, ice stalagmites, ice stalactites, ice flowers, and other ice crystal landscapes are distributed throughout the space. The large and small ice crystals are crystal clear, and under the illumination of colorful lights, they present a dreamlike scene, like a fairy-tale world, making people linger.
The ice cave is kept below zero degrees all year round, so you must bundle up tightly when entering! Don't worry, the scenic area staff will thoughtfully prepare snow coats for us at the entrance of the ice cave.
After coming out of the ice cave group, there are cable car paragliding, dry land skiing, high-altitude swing, water zipline, and other activities to experience right at the entrance! The cable car zipline is 490 meters long, flying over forests and lakes at a speed of 10 meters per second, overlooking the green earth and rippling blue waves, making your adrenaline surge!
After coming down from the cable car zipline, there are dry land skiing, high-altitude swing, water zipline, and other activities. Playing these activities in a row can make your whole summer exciting and get your heart racing faster! Trust me, this downhill path is full of fun activities all along the way. Playing all of them will definitely make you feel that this trip is worth it!
Walking down the mountain path, you will pass a place called Ta'erpo Ancient Village.
Ta'erpo Ancient Village is a rare ancient kiln-dwelling village in southern Shanxi. Before the 21st year of the Republic of China (1932), it was a place where Taoist priests lived and practiced. With a history of more than 2,500 years, Ta'erpo Ancient Village is known as a 'living fossil of thousand-year-old residential architecture.' In 2014, Ta'erpo Ancient Village was rated as a 'National Traditional Ancient Village' by the Ministry of Housing and Urban-Rural Development.
There are wedding performances of the ancient village here, which are also intangible cultural heritage, and they are very worth stopping to watch. In addition, there are folk cultural experiences such as printing and dyeing, making tofu, and painting facial masks. Such experiences have rarely appeared in our modern lives, but Ta'erpo Ancient Village still retains them.
Next, for lunch, let's go to the Water Table Courtyard in Ta'erpo Ancient Village to eat some local specialties! The food here will definitely make you unable to stop eating.
After going down the mountain, this night you will stay at the popular homestay at the foot of Yunqiu Mountain Scenic Area: Kangjiaping Homestay. The ancient village of Kangjiaping has transformed centuries-old ancient residential houses into kiln-themed homestays with strong southern Shanxi characteristics. In cooperation with the Da Yin Architectural Planning and Design Team from Taiwan, the concept of 'life-oriented' has been implemented in the overall design of Kangjiaping Homestay, giving new life to the original kilns.
The homestay I stayed in is called 'Hefeng.' From the outside, it looks like a fairy-tale forest cottage. Inside, it is a different world, with very good facilities, making you feel like you are at home. Even the smallest needs can be met by just calling the homestay butler. The basic facilities include: WiFi, TV, small refrigerator, electric kettle, electric blanket, hair dryer, manual coffee pot, radio; butler services include: luggage storage, wake-up call, afternoon tea, fresh fruit platter; surrounding services include: free parking, dining.
There are about 100 homestays in this area, with prices ranging from 100 to several thousand, suitable for the needs of all kinds of people. Although it is in the mountains, the experience of this popular homestay is no worse than a star-rated hotel outside.
Staying in a popular homestay in the mountains, the breakfast is also very stylish! In the morning, the butler will take us to the Mountain Treasure Courtyard to enjoy the special breakfast. The breakfast is very rich. The waiter will lead you to a table, and then serve a nine-grid breakfast with fruits, sliced meat, steamed cake, cake, vegetables, pickles, eggs, etc. It is very abundant. If you are not full, the waiter will give you another serving.
At this point, do you think the exciting experiences are over? Actually, there are two more thrilling activities at the foot of the mountain: bungee jumping and aerial flying!
In the morning, you can take a car to these two activities! The bungee tower here is the tallest extreme challenge project in Shanxi, with a total height of 46 meters from the ground to the highest point. The challenger jumps from a 41-meter platform, falling rapidly at a speed of 50 km/h, and the whole process only takes 3 seconds.
This bungee jumping is exciting enough! If you are a bit scared, there is a milder activity next to it: aerial flying. This activity lifts you to a height of 25 meters, allowing you to enjoy the feeling of flying in the air.
This concludes my fun check-in route suitable for staying in Yunqiu Mountain Scenic Area.
At noon, return to the homestay, pack your luggage, and take a pre-arranged car to the airport or high-speed rail station!
As a hotel and homestay experience expert, I have always had many personal opinions about homestays. This time, I experienced two popular homestays in Yunqiu Mountain Scenic Area, which brought me a very wonderful feeling! Of course, the scenic area has far more ways to play than these, and there are more interesting travel methods worth exploring. Hurry up and take advantage of this golden autumn to come to Yunqiu Mountain Scenic Area in Shanxi and encounter a 'polar world'! This place is absolutely worth your visit!
Travelogue Directory
1. DAY1
2. 1. Depart in the morning to Yunqiu Mountain Scenic Area
3. 2. Stay once at the mountaintop popular space capsule 'Qingye Home'
4. 3. Lie in the space capsule to watch the most beautiful sunset
5. 4. Count stars while looking up at night
6. DAY2
7. 1. Walk down from the mountaintop, check in at Yunqiu Mountain Scenic Area in reverse order
8. 2. Climb to the top of Jade Emperor Peak once
9. 3. Challenge walking across Mandarin Duck Bridge once
10. 4. Explore the world's super-large rare ice cave group once
11. 5. Have a thrilling cable car zipline ride once
12. 6. Experience the 2,500-year-old culture of Ta'erpo Ancient Village once
13. 7. Check in at Kangjiaping fairy-tale forest popular homestay 'Hefeng' at night
14. DAY3
15. 1. Eat a nine-grid breakfast at Mountain Treasure Courtyard once
16. 2. Go to the foot of the mountain to play bungee jumping and aerial flying once
17. 3. Pack luggage at noon and return
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