Luoyang Departure: Laojun Mountain, Golden Summit and Jiguan Cave, 4 Days 3 Nights

Leave Luoyang after breakfast and take the Luanchuan expressway; an hour and a half of tunnels and viaducts brings you into the Funiu range. Eat first, because the town kitchens are quicker than the canteens inside the park: acorn jelly, cut cold and dressed with garlic and persimmon vinegar, has a faint astringency that grows on you. In the afternoon enter the scenic area, ride the shuttle to the lower cable car station and go up in two stages, changing at the middle station. Today covers only the Ten-Li Painted Screen. The walkway is pinned to the cliff, rock on one shoulder and open air on the other, and the far peaks appear and vanish as cloud crosses. Walk it to the end, then come back down and sleep in the valley.

Attraction introduction: Luanchuan lies southwest of Luoyang in the heart of the Funiu range, mostly above a thousand metres, and is the main mountain resort county of Henan in summer. Laojun Mountain is the highest peak of the range; the granite weathers into a forest of pillars and pinnacles, a landform far more common in the south than in the north.

Tips: The mountains run six or seven degrees cooler than Luoyang, and after October a windproof shell is not optional. Guests generally find the walkway below the upper cable car windy in the late afternoon. In practice, the last upward run of the main cable car leaves at half past three, so watch the clock while you are up there.

Up again at seven. The ticket is valid for two days and the gate reads your ID card, so there is nothing to buy. This time go straight for the top. The stairs from the South Heavenly Gate to the Golden Hall are steep, twenty minutes with two rests, and the bronze tiles throw the sun back at you. Lunch on instant noodles at the summit; the stall selling a one-yuan meal of mixed grain noodles, fruit and a boiled egg runs on an honesty box. In the afternoon circle Horse Mane Ridge, where the ground falls away on every side. Be back on the terrace in front of the Golden Hall by half past four and wait for the light to go. Around six the lamps come on, the whole ridge lights up, and the county town below has already gone dark.

Attraction introduction: The summit complex of Laojun Mountain runs along the ridge and includes the Golden Hall, the Liangbao Terrace, the Jade Emperor Peak and the Laojun Shrine. The Golden Hall has a double-eaved hip roof sheathed in bronze tiles. Horse Mane Ridge is the main viewing platform, looking over the Ten-Li Painted Screen and the ranges beyond.

Tips: Wind at the summit is strong and the temperature drops fast once the sun is down, so pack a down jacket even in September. Guests generally find the lamps are switched on between half past five and six in autumn, closer to seven in summer. In practice, staying for the lights makes the last cable car down tight; we book the later slot where it runs, and otherwise walk down the stone steps with a head torch.

In the morning drive to Jiguan Cave, set into the hillside twenty minutes out of town. The entrance corridor is long and the lighting theatrical, warm yellow on stalactites that hang like folded cloth. Two or three shallow pools catch the reflections and join the columns into complete pillars. The full route takes a little over an hour and the air stays warm the whole way. Lunch at a farmhouse by the cave mouth, then back to Luanchuan for the afternoon: the old street sells wood ear and shiitake dried by the people who picked them.

Attraction introduction: Jiguan Cave is a natural limestone cave with 1,800 metres opened to visitors across five levels. Stalactites, columns and flowstone draperies are well developed, and the temperature holds near 18 degrees all year, which is why it is billed as the leading cave of northern China.

Tips: The floor is wet and polished in places, so wear shoes with tread. Guests generally find camera lenses fog up in the first chamber. In practice, let the camera sit in the entrance for ten minutes before shooting, and carry a cloth.

No alarm. After breakfast head back towards Luoyang. If time allows, stop at Luhun Reservoir in Song county, where the water opens out and the road runs along the bank for a few kilometres. Reach Luoyang around midday and the tour ends.

Attraction introduction: Luhun Reservoir sits in Song county on the upper reaches of the Yi River. The lake is wide and shallow, ringed by low hills, and is one of the few lake landscapes close to Luoyang.

Tips: Do not book an onward train for the same afternoon, because mountain weather can add an hour to the drive. Guests generally find the Luanchuan expressway busy on Sunday afternoons. In practice, leave two hours of margin before any flight or train.