Hiking to the Real "Castle in the Sky"
Love Miyazaki's anime "Castle in the Sky"? A floating castle, appearing and disappearing in the clouds, secluded from the world - and "Castle in the Sky" is real! That's Fanjingshan, with twin peaks like sharp swords piercing the clouds, and two Fanjingshan temples appearing and disappearing in the deep mists!
Now, take our 3 Days Fanjingshan Tour to turn the dream from the movie into reality.
Fanjingshan became a UNESCO World Natural Heritage site in 2018. This No. 5 Buddhist mountain in China has stood majestically for eons, rising over 2000 meters. Its thumb-like summit is dramatically split by nature's force, with two Buddhist temples built on either side of the Red Clouds Golden Summit. And to witness landmark of Fanjingshan, the prehistoric Mushroom Stone. Climbing Fanjingshan feels like entering a pristine land above the clouds.
This 3 Days Mount Fanjingshan Tour also includes Tongren Grand Canyon, often called the "little Zhangjiajie," for exploring stunning Karst landscapes.
Let our expert guides bring Fanjingshan to life! Enjoy a relaxed journey, while Asia Odyssey Travel takes care of everything. See why our customers love us at the bottom of page!
Welcome to Tongren, Guizhou’s “Eastern Gateway”! Your guide and driver will wait for your arrival at the airport or train station. Afterwards, they will take you on a direct one-hour drive to your well-selected hotel in Jiangkou County, at the foot of Mount Fanjingshan, for check-in. You can spend the rest of your time freely exploring Jiangkou County town, sleeping well for the Mount Fanjingshan Tour tomorrow!
Best Transportation Options: Heading to Tongren, you can take a domestic flight from Guiyang, Hangzhou, Shanghai, Nanjing, Guangzhou, Shenzhen, Xiamen, Beijing, Tianjin, Wuhan, Changsha, Chengdu, or Chongqing. Or take the high-speed train from hot travel cities like Guiyang (1.5 hours), Changsha (2.5-3.5 hours), Hangzhou (7-7.5 hours), Shanghai (8.5 hours), Kunming (4-4.5 hours), Chongqing (3.5-4 hours), Chengdu (5-5.5 hours), Guangzhou (5 hours), or Nanchang (4 hours).
Climbing Time: 4-5 Hours (Sightseeing Bus, Cable Car Included)
Route: Fanjingshan Sightseeing Bus – Cable Car – Mushroom Stone – Red Clouds Golden Summit – Chengen Temple – Cable Car – Sightseeing Bus – Return to Hotel
After breakfast, your guide and driver will escort you from your hotel to the entrance of Fanjingshan. Today, you’ll spend entire day on this mountain. Breathe in that super fresh air, and head into the misty heights!
Fanjingshan (梵净山), a UNESCO World Natural Heritage site listed in 2018, is the No. 5 Buddhist Mountain in China and the sacred site of Maitreya Bodhisattva, its name meaning “Pure Land.” As a global green oasis, it preserves living fossils from the dinosaur era, such as the Dove tree (珙桐). This peculiar non-karst mountain rising from a karst sea has chilled for ages. You could even say hi to it if you traveled back 800-1000 million years.
First, you’ll take a 30-minute sightseeing bus up the mountain, followed by a 20-minute cable car ride. From above, glance up at the distant skyline, with ever-changing clouds occasionally engulfing the cable car.
After getting off cable car, you’ll begin hiking along winding Forest Hiking Road, reaching the landmark, Mushroom Stone (蘑菇石), in about 40 minutes. This is a natural wonder of Fanjingshan, a huge mushroom-shaped rock, rectangular on top and conical at the bottom, about ten meters high. It lists drunkenly but has stood on mountain for a billion years. Be sure to take a photo with this iconic symbol of Fanjingshan! (Optional: enjoy 10-minute to Old Summit Peak.)
Next, descend along stone steps, passing Pudu Square (普渡广场), and continue for about 1.5 hours towards the closely adjacent baguette-shaped Red Clouds Golden Summit (红云金顶). You’ll see a decisive crack firmly separating the middle of the Summit. This is Fanjingshan’s highlight and an important pilgrimage site for the Maitreya Bodhisattva’s sacred ground.
At an altitude of 2336 meters, two Buddhist temples (Sakyamuni Hall and Maitreya Hall) are built on the peaks on either side of the Red Clouds Golden Summit, connected by a stone bridge, symbolizing the transition from “reality” to the “future.”
While climbing, you’ll need to hold onto iron chains and carefully ascend narrow 85-degree steps. The initial section is very narrow, opening up to a stone path wide enough for one person before suddenly emerging from the clouds – congratulations, you’ve reached the summit! After reaching top, first pay homage to Sakyamuni Buddha to pray for present life, then cross stone bridge to Maitreya Buddha to pray for future. Standing by stone fence, look down at clouds zooming by mountainside, and soak up sun feeling good on your tired body.
Tip: Around sunrise, you can witness beautiful red clouds as sunlight pierces through the layers of mist.
After visiting the must-see spots, descend and return to Pudu Square to visit Chengen Temple (承恩寺). This Ming Dynasty Buddhist temple is a must-visit for Buddhist pilgrims, backing against the Red Clouds Golden Summit and facing endless mountains. After hiking challenge, chill out here.
After Fanjingshan hike tour, take cable car and sightseeing bus back down the same route. Your guide and driver will escort you to your hotel in Jiangkou County. Have a good sleep!
Tips:
1. Due to crowds, avoid Fanjingshan on weekends and major Chinese holidays (Spring Festival, National Day, May Day).
2. Be careful on the narrow, single-foot trails to the Golden Summit.
3. Bring snacks like biscuits and bread for energy when hiking.
After breakfast, drive 1 hour back to Tongren. You will enjoy a half-day nature tour in Tongren Grand Canyon.
Tongren Grand Canyon (铜仁大峡谷) is known as “Little Zhangjiajie” and the Natural Karst Museum in eastern Guizhou, sharing its uniquely amazing natural beauty with Fanjingshan. Stretching 50 km long, towering peaks on both sides form a formidable canyon, with clear streams flowing at the bottom and waterfalls plunging up to a hundred meters, alongside primeval forests.
You can spend 1 to 1.5 hours walking along the plank paths within the scenic area to take in the full view of the canyon. Strolling on these paths, you’re really close to nature. To right, you’ll see crystal-clear green streams, with waterfalls appearing everywhere and deep pools below that twist and turn like a dragon. Rainbows often pop up too. On the left or the opposite peaks, the karst landscape often creates bizarre rocks – it’s up to your sharp eyes to spot them!
Return along the same plank path you came by. After the tour, your guide will escort you to Airport/Train Station.
Extend Your Nature Travel to Culture: Tongren is 35km from Fenghuang Ancient Town (1 hour by high-speed train) in Hunan. Or continue your Guizhou travel, you can take 1-hour high-speed train to Kaili, an ethnic village in Guizhou.
Asia Odyssey Travel is delighted to have guided you on this 3 days Fanjingshan Tour with Karst Canyon. We’re always ready to craft your smooth trip in China and across Asia. Until next time!
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