Luoyang to Wanxian Mountain, Guoliang and Baoquan, 4 days
Four days from Luoyang. First up to Guoliang village and the road cut through the cliff, with thirty-five windows letting light through in bars. Then Baoquan: cable car to the cliff top, cave lift down to the gorge, walking downhill the whole way.
Highlights
Day 1: Luoyang to Huixian, an afternoon in Nanping
Leave at seven, take the Lianhuo then the Changji expressway, and reach Huixian in two and a half hours. Lunch is a bowl of braised noodles at Bobi town before the climb. Buy tickets at the visitor centre, leave the vehicle below and switch to the park shuttle. The afternoon goes to Nanping, following a stream valley where the water is shallow and the stones are worn round, so watch your footing. In the evening ride up to Guoliang and stay in the village; darkness comes fast and the yard turns cold quickly.
Attraction introduction: Wanxian Mountain sits in the Taihang range northwest of Huixian and is divided into Guoliang, Nanping and Luojiezhai. The rock is red cliff, the drops are long, and villages cling to the top or the foot of the walls. Nanping is mostly stream and waterfall, with flat paths, which suits an arrival day.
Tips: Nights are cold and noticeably cooler than Luoyang, so bring a thick jacket. Guests generally find the Guoliang guesthouses plain but clean, with hot water on a fixed schedule. In practice, do not shower late on the first night, because pressure in the village is uneven.
Day 2: The cliff road, then down to Bobi
Out at half past seven for the cliff road first. It leaves the village hugging the rock, wall on one side and air on the other, with thirty-five windows dropping light in bars across the road. The car stops at a viewpoint, and from outside you see the whole road hanging on the cliff and finally understand where you have just come from. Back to the village for lunch, then the sky pool and the houses on the cliff edge. Down the mountain at three to sleep in Bobi town.
Attraction introduction: Work on the cliff road began in 1972 and it opened in 1977, 1250 m long, cut by the villagers of Guoliang with hammers and steel chisels. Thirty-five windows were opened along it, both for light and to tip the rubble out. Before the road, the way down was a stairway on the cliff face, and those stone steps are still there.
Tips: The road runs through the village, so repairs or festivals can close it to vehicles and leave a stretch on foot. Guests generally find the light best between nine and ten, when it rakes through the windows. In practice, start early, because the coaches arrive in waves after ten.
Day 3: Baoquan, from the cliff top down to the gorge
At eight, the Baoquan visitor centre, then an eight-minute shuttle to the lower cable station. The Luojia Temple cable car has large cabins and the ride opens up the whole Taihang gorge. On top, walk the Xiangyun glass platform first, then a stretch of the Red Cliff Sky Road against the rock. Around midday, take the L-shaped cave lift down to the valley floor, a drop of more than three hundred metres straight into the gorge. The afternoon follows the water down: Fish Scale Dam, Emerald Sea, Youlong Bay, and finally Dragon Falls.
Attraction introduction: Baoquan lies at Bobi in Huixian and has two parks. The gorge is about water: Fish Scale Dam is a stair of shallow terraces, Emerald Sea turns jade green, and Dragon Falls drops about a hundred metres with rainbows in the spray on bright days. The cliff top park connects to the gorge by cable car and cave lift.
Tips: Last admission is at four and the cliff cable car stops at the same time, so do not linger on top. Guests generally find the cliff-first route runs downhill throughout and spares the legs. In practice, the glass platform requires overshoes, so sort your bag before you reach the queue.
Day 4: Back to Luoyang
No rush. Breakfast at half past eight, then hawthorn and dried persimmon from the town shops, both grown in these hills. Leave at half past nine, take the Changji to the Lianhuo expressway, and reach Luoyang in two and a half hours. Home around midday with the afternoon free.
Attraction introduction: Huixian sits on the eastern slopes of the Taihang range, mostly upland, and Bobi town is the gateway to both Baoquan and Wanxian Mountain. The area grows hawthorn, persimmon and millet, spread out to dry on the roofs after harvest and visible from the road.
Tips: Weekend afternoons bring traffic home, so leave in the morning if possible. Guests generally find the Huixian stretch of the Changji expressway slows on public holidays. In practice, buy the local produce in the morning rather than in the minutes before departure.
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