Yuntai Mountain - World Geopark Recognized by UNESCO

Red Rock Gore (also known as Wenpan Gorge) is south to Zifang Lake. The whole gorge is made of red rocks, which is very rare and attractive. Gathering elegance, quietness, magnificence and steepness, Red Rock Gorge is praised as the No.1 Landscape in Zhongyuan. With a depth of 68 meters, it just likes a huge Bonsai sculptured by nature, so it also gets a nickname of Bonsai Gorge. When one of UNESCO's geologist experts came to Red Rock Gorge, he remarked that "I have to say that Yuntai Mountain is unique and extraordinary. It impresses me as a symphony of Beethoven, the symphony of mountains and waterscapes". On the south end of the gorge is a narrow gorge called A Thread of Heaven. The 50-meter-high Bailong Waterfall flowing from this narrow gorge always gives people a shock.

Visiting Red Rock Gorge will be a delightful experience, because it owns a warm winter and a cool summer with a temperature keeping on about 25 ℃. Advisable visiting time is 1~2 hours.

Spring Waterfall Gorge is in the northwest part of the whole scenic area, long as 3 km. Being worthy of its name, there are many springs flowing out from the walls and valley floors, including Multihole Spring, Whispering Spring, Drag-howling Spring, Secluded Spring etc., which will lead you to a fairyland. In this gorge, you will find high peaks with luxuriant plants, which stir up your desire to take a deep breath. Going up along with the road, grand Yuntai waterfall comes into your eyes. With a fall of 314 meters, Yuntai Waterfall is claimed as the tallest waterfall in China. Fleecy white clouds soar on the resource of the waterfall, likes wondering cotton. The waterfall falls into the blackish green lake with water splashing.

After the sightseeing bus stop in the entrance of Spring Waterfall Gorge, you have to walk one kilometer to get into the gorge. You can also take a battery bike at a cost of 5 RMB. The whole journey of Spring Waterfall Gorge can be done with 2 ~ 3 hours.

Pool Waterfall Gorge is an impressive gorge in south-north direction. On its east side, you can see steep cliff with dense trees and basement with bare soil. On the other side is an array of petty peaks. In fact, Pool Waterfall Gorge is a symbol of gorges in Yuntai Mountain in that it has the most waterscape. You can enjoy the whispering Lover Waterfall, fairy-like Buttery Stone, Water Curtain Cave, "Y" shaped waterfall, Longfeng Wall and others. There are so many springs, waterfalls and pools that you can see them everywhere. Different shapes and kinds of water contending in beauty and fascination make tourists hesitated to leave.

The sightseeing road of Pool Waterfall Gorge is as long as 2 km and tourists are suggested to spend 1~2 hours admiring its unique landscape.

Zhuyu Peak is a main peak of Yuntai Mountain, which has long been a hot attraction for men of literature and monks. Great poet Wang Wei (王维) has created a well-known poem as he visited Zhuyu Peak and thought of his hometown. Medical King Sun Simiao (孙思邈) have gathered herb and made alchemy here and now you can still find the Medical King Cave he once stayed. A big ancient Chinese yew growing in this cave has a history of over a thousand years, with luxuriant foliage. Zhuyu Peak is covered by numerous kinds of trees, containing some grand ancient trees many rare plants. With a forest coverage rite of 93%, Zhuyu Peak is reputed as a natural oxygen bar. Climbing up to the 1,308 meters high peak, you can fully understand the feeling of the small world. More than ten caves in a diversity of shapes are scattered in Zhuyu Peak you can't miss.

Zhuyu Peak is located in the north of Yuntai Mountain, and 1 hour is advisable for sightseeing and climbing. Besides, you can also challenge yourself to have a walk in Sky Walkway (Glass Walkway) which is just clinging on cliff of Zhuyu Peak. It will be an thrilling but incredible experience. From the walkway, you can clearly see the summit of Zhuyu Peak and Chongyang Pavilion above, as well as Wanshan Temple and Pool Waterfall Gorge below.

Wanshan Temple (Wanshan Si, 万善寺)

Wanshan Temle was originally built in the years in Wanli of Ming Dynasty and rebuilt in 1990. It was constructed in the central place of Yuntai Mountain scenic area, which means that earth produced myriads of things and myriads of things gathered in the central heart. In Wanshan Temple stand Heavenly Kings Palace, Grand Hall, and side halls where many Buddhas and Arhats are housed. There are some exquisite murals as well and 18 Arhats are the liveliest. At present, with enough tourists and pilgrims streamed in, the temple is still very prosperous. Yuntai Mountain became spiritual because of Wanshan Temple and Wanshan Temple became famous because of Yuntai Mountain.

Originated from Wenxian County of Jiaozuo City, Tai chi is an internal Chinese martial art practiced for both its defense training and its health benefits. It is the cultural essence of Jiaozuo. As you walk on the street of Jiaozuo in the morning, you will find many people in different ages are practicing Tai Chi. In Yuntai Mountain, free Tai Chi show will take place almost every day. In fact, Yuntai Mountain acted as a base to spread Tai Chi and Jiaozuo Culture more than a performance site. After the show ends, many tourists will communicate with the performer and take part in the leaning Tai Chi.

Time: 9:00, 10:00, 11:00; 14:00, 15:00, 16:00, 17:00 (a show lasting for about half an hour)

Site: Xiaozhaigou Square

There are a lot of wild macaques in Yuntai Mountain. Long living in the rugged mountains and low-temperature zone, strong macaques get a good ability of climbing, jumping, moving fast, and imitating. Macaque Performance also occurs every day. The whole performance contains military training, catching fly-cutter, legal education, drama playing and ball playing. After their performance, you will admire the wisdom and agility of these macaques. The most exciting part is catching the fly-cutter, and you might be breathless with tension while seeing the sharp knife flying to the little macaque.

Time: 9:00, 10:00, 11:00; 14:00, 15:00, 16:00

Site: Macaque Valley

In consideration of the limited time, One Day Tour focuses on the most highlighted attractions of Yuntai Mountain. Visit the Red Rock Gorge to enjoy the brightest scenery of the Bonsai Gorge in the morning. After lunch, take the sightseeing bus to Xiaozhaigou Area which is reputed as Small Jiuzhaihou Valley. Go to Pool Waterfall Gorge first to fully savor the elegant waterscape and then transfer to Spring Waterfall Gorge to enjoy the Yuntai Waterfall - the tallest waterfall in China. Afterwards, turn to Macaque Valley and watch Macaque Show.

Day 1: Visit Red Rock Gorge in the morning and have lunch in the scenic area. Then transfer to Xiaozhaigou Area and feast your eyes on the spring, lakes and waterfalls in Pool Waterfall Gorge and Spring Waterfall Gorge. At last, visit Macaque Valley to have a close contact with the Macaques and accommodate in the scenic Area.

Day 2: Take sightseeing bus to Zhuyu Peak via Diecai Cave. Just staying in the bus, you can have a wonderful view of mountains and an exciting feeling of flying on the clouds. The altitude of Zhuyu Peak is 1308 m and you need to cover more than 3,000 steep steps to get to the peak with one hour. After hiking Zhuyu Peak, get back to service center to have lunch. With a good midday rest, visit Wanshan Temple in the afternoon.

Where is Yuntai Mountain

Yuntai Mountain is located in the Xiuwu County of Jiaozuo City, 100 km northwest to Zhengzhou and 156 km to Luoyang. Most tourist start their Yuntai Mountain Tour from Zhengzhou or Luoyang

Zhengzhou to Yuntai Mountain

As the provincial capital and transfer center of Henan, Zhengzhou can be easily reached by flights high speed trains from Beijing, Xian, Shanghai, Chengdu, etc. After you get to Zhengzhou, it needs about 1.5 ~ 2 hours' drive from Zhengzhou to Yuntai Mountain. There are daily buses running from Zhengzhou to Yuntai Mountain directly, taking about 2 ~ 3 hours. It is also available to take an around 30 minutes to Jiaozuo City and then get to Yuntai Mountain by bus.

Luoyang to Yuntai Mountain

It is also convenient to get to Luoyang by domestic flights and high speed trains. After you reach Luoyang, it needs another 3 hours' drive to get to Yuntai Mountain. You can take a long-distance bus to Yuntai Mountain from Luoyang directly or make a transfer in Jiaozuo City.

Learn more about How to Get to Yuntai Mountain

Travel with China Discovery

If you want to get rid of hustle of public transportation and troublesome navigation, you can book a private tour package which covers sightseeing, dining and transfer from us. Our knowledgeable local tour guide and skilled driver will escort you to Yuntai Mountain with speed and convenience, and take care of all the details. You just need to focus on sightseeing.

Yuntai Mountain has a warm continental monsoon climate with four distinctive seasons. The spring is dry and windy, the summer is hot and rainy, the autumn is cool and the winter is drought. Due to the barrier of the northern part of Taihang Mountains, Yuntai Mountain is always leeward and sunny.

All seasons are available to visit Yuntai Mountain. In spring, the snow melt and everything goes green. It is a good time to enjoy the beauty of wild flowers grown in Yuntai Mountain. In summer, the lush primeval forest and rich waterfalls create a unique mountain landscape, so it becomes a popular summer resort people yearning for. As the autumn comes, the forest was colored to yellow, orange and red. Climbing to the top of Zhuyu Peak, you can savor the fairness of the landscape and feel the deep nostalgia created by the environment. In winter, the nature dress Yuntai Mountain as a vast pure world, but a little cold to visit. Have a Yuntai Mountain tour in summer and spring and you will have the perfect sightseeing experience.

As a cradle of Chinese civilization, Henan is a splendid land with innumerable cultural and historical legacies and natural sights. According to your time and personal interest and budget, your Henan tour can be flexibly arranged, from 2 days’ best highlights tour of Shaolin Temple and Luoyang to essence-packed trip within 1 week.

Usually, tourists spend 2 days visiting Luoyang and Shaolin Temple together and spending 1 day each, excluding the arrival day. This classic and popular travel route will bring you to visit Longmen Grottoes and White Horse Temple in Luoyang. And then transfer to Shaolin Temple directly; use 1 full day to realize your Chinese Kung Fu dream by visiting the birthplace of Shaolin Kung Fu and watching a Kung Fu show. (Kung Fu training class are available in some martial arts schools near Shaolin Temple, please contact us to get more reliable recommendations.) If you want to travel at a leisurely pace in Luoyang or Shaolin Temple, it’s suggested to have 1 to 2 more days to visit Luoyang Museum and other cultural relics in Luoyang, or try a short-term Shaolin Kung Fu training class around Shaolin Temple.

✔ 3 Days Shaolin Temple Longmen Grottoes Tour from Zhengzhou
✔ 3 Days Essence of Luoyang Tour

With 5 to 6 days and strong interests in Henan’s history, you can extend trip further from Zhengzhou to Kaifeng and Anyang - two famous Chinese ancient capitals. Making a day trip is the most common schedule for each place. If you would like to see gorgeous scenic spots in Henan, maybe you can have a day tour to Yuntai Mountain or Guoliang Village which both show amazing landform, green mountains and refreshing nature.

✔ 6 Days Henan Highlights Tour (Zhengzhou/Anyang/Kaifeng/Dengfeng/Luoyang)
✔ 5 Days Henan Cultural Tour to Luoyang and Kaifeng

Close distance, convenient transportation and inherited history make Beijing and Xian perfect matches of Henan. So you can capture more brilliant cultural heritages, like the Great Wall in Beijing, Terracotta Army in Xian. A popular Beijing tour needs 3 days while 2 days is suitable for Xian. To make your China trip more meaningful, interesting and memorable, you may travel Henan with more fabulous destinations, like Shanghai (the Bund, Yuyuan Bazzar…), Chengdu (Giant Panda, Jiuzhaigou, Mount Emei, Leshan Giant Buddha), Guilin (Li River, Longsheng Rice Terrace…) and so on.

✔ 5 Days Luoyang Shaolin Temple Tour from Xian
✔ 8 Days China Ancient Capitals Tour (Beijing/Luoyang/Xian)
✔ 12 Days Unforgettable Kung Fu Panda Tour
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