❗️❗️ Special Reminders
1️⃣ We strongly recommend arriving a day early and staying overnight in a B&B near the Baquanxia parking lot. Enter the scenic area at 7:00 AM the next day. You can go rafting in Qinglong Gorge the afternoon before.
2️⃣ If you can't enter the scenic area before 8:00 AM, don't come!
We strongly advise against coming in the afternoon; it's very hot and crowded, and you'll definitely run into trouble if you don't heed the advice.
3️⃣ Arrive early. Route A is recommended (buy a ticket on a certain route). The scenery is all in the first half of Route A, allowing you to take beautiful photos while you're most energetic. The canyon is very cool in the morning, and if you walk quickly, you can get out before noon.
[Detailed Itinerary]
🚣🏼August 6th (Wednesday)
Chartered car from Changzhi East Station directly to Qinglongxia River Rafting.
Opening hours: 1:00 PM - 4:00 PM. The water is cool and quite exciting.
It's recommended to arrive early to avoid crowds. We checked in at 1:30 PM and had to queue for the shuttle bus to the river. We finished our swim and shower at 3:20 PM.
Reminders:
1️⃣ Purchase your ticket online an hour in advance to get it checked in; otherwise, you'll have to buy it on-site.
2️⃣ You'll get soaked, so you don't need a raincoat. You can buy slippers, water guns, and buckets on-site. Luggage storage is available.
3️⃣ Make sure you bring a change of clothes! Swimsuits are welcome. There's a simple shower, so bring shampoo and shower gel.
4️⃣ You can get a ride from the parking lot to Baquan Gorge for 30 RMB.
⛰️August 7 (Thursday) Baquan Gorge
7:35 AM - Walk from the B&B to Parking Lot 2. Take the free scenic area shuttle for 2 minutes to the scenic area gate. There are a lot of people checking in, so you'll have to wait in line.
Pitfall 1️⃣: If you're not driving, you still need to enter the parking lot to take the bus! Don't wait outside on the roadside.
Pitfall 2️⃣: Be sure to buy your ticket online in advance! Enter by scanning your ID card. Tickets purchased on-site are often crowded and require a line.
7:50 AM - Sightseeing bus ride (waited in line for half an hour, the longest of the day. There were 15 people per bus, so it was a bit slow).
Pitfall 3: Line B is in the left column, Line A is in the right column. Don't stand in the wrong row.
8:20 AM - The sightseeing bus takes 3 minutes to the tunnel entrance. A 5-minute walk through the tunnel leads to the cruise ship terminal. It wasn't crowded, so boarding was quick.
8:40 AM - Cruise departs. Upon disembarking, you'll find the Eight Springs Heart checkpoint.
Then walk through the canyon. It's not too hot or too sunny. We spent a long time taking photos, taking 3 hours. The walk to the cable car normally takes 1-2 hours.
11:50 AM - Arrived at the cable car station. Lines lined up for the cable car 🚠, which went over several hills. After getting off, there were places to eat.
We didn't climb up to the Jade Emperor Pavilion, but you can go to the back of the pavilion to see the scenery (p4).
There were no other attractions after that, so we had to transfer to other small public transportation.
Took the Sky Bus. Scan the QR code to buy a ticket for 20 yuan, which is recommended. The walk down the mountain takes 40 minutes. There's no shade along that stretch, so it's very sunny. There were 30 people per trip, so we waited a short while before getting on. However, the line B was very long at that time, so there was no shade and it was very sunny.
Then took the elevator. It was less crowded, so we waited for the first one and got on.
1:20 PM - After exiting the elevator, we arrived at the sightseeing bus stop. We exited the scenic area and took the scenic bus to Parking Lot 1. We arrived at Parking Lot 2 at 1:45 PM and returned to our B&B.