Luoyang Departure: Laojun Mountain, Chongdugou, Jiguan Cave, Longtan Grand Canyon 5-Day 4-Night In-Depth Tour

Depart Luoyang downtown at 7:30, two and a half hours on the Luanchuan expressway with a stop at the Song County service area. Reach Laojun Mountain around 10:00 and photograph the panorama from the viewing platform before taking the shuttle bus up.

The Golden Summit complex sits on a platform at the cliff edge. Walk around it and the main ridge of Funiu Mountain stretches east and west; on clear days you can see far. North of the summit is Shilihuaping, where the cliff face looks knife-cut, with a plank road hugging the rock.

Lunch near the cable car station. Spend the afternoon walking slowly from Taiqing Palace southward through pine woods, where monkeys often snatch things from visitors. Do not feed them or chase them with your phone.

Ride the cable car down in the late afternoon and stay in Luanchuan county town, which sits well below the summit altitude.

Drive to the Chongdugou gate and take the park shuttle in. This day is not about ticking off sights but walking between the Jini River and Dicui River valleys.

In the morning follow Jini River upstream, where water runs out of the bamboo forest and the path stays damp and cool. A viewing platform halfway up shows the waterfall in full flow during the wet season.

Lunch at the farmhouse where you stay, usually cured pork with bamboo shoots, sliced potato and a fish from the stream. Rest in the yard afterwards.

The afternoon goes to Dicui River. The valley is narrower with the mountains closing in, leaving only a strip of sky overhead. By late afternoon the sun reaches only half the slope, and stepping into the shade drops the temperature two or three degrees.

Finish the second valley at Chongdugou in the morning, leave the park around noon and head to Jiguan Cave after lunch.

Jiguan Cave is a limestone solution cave. The entrance is small and the chamber opens up immediately inside. It holds sixteen to eighteen degrees year round, which means the peak season here does not overlap with the rest of western Henan: in summer, when outside temperatures reach the high thirties, you still feel cool inside.

Dense lighting sets the stalactites in different colours. Some shallow pools form where water collects, and their surfaces go perfectly still. The cave floor stays wet, so wear shoes with grip. Coming out through the final ten metres, the temperature difference can reach twenty degrees.

Back in the county town by evening, where it is still bright at seven in midsummer.

Longtan Grand Canyon sits in Xin'an County, about ninety minutes of mountain road from Luanchuan. The canyon is defined by water: five falls and six pools link together down the gorge, and you can hear running water the whole way.

The underwater gorge section is the tightest, with rock walls close on both sides and only a strip of sky visible overhead. Several stretches have steps and drops in the floor, and the wet sections are slippery, so it is not suitable for elderly visitors or young children on rainy days.

Longtan Waterfall has the largest drop of the route, plunging more than twenty metres into a deep green pool. The viewing platform is far enough back to stay dry, but wind is strong, so carry a light jacket in summer.

Exit the canyon around four in the afternoon and drive back to Luoyang, arriving around half past seven.

Drop-off after breakfast, timed to your train or flight. Luanchuan county town is forty minutes from Luoyang Longmen station and ninety minutes from Zhengzhou East, which works for either.

Of the five days, the two nights at Chongdugou are the most restorative part of the trip. Whether Laojun Mountain shows a sea of clouds depends on the weather, while Jiguan Cave and Longtan Grand Canyon are best in clear conditions. If rain comes on any middle day, the local hosts usually suggest staying in the valley, which keeps the itinerary on track.