# Wuyi Mountain travel guide (武夷山) Fujian Province · East China, China · 18 places Canonical: https://cnatrip.com/en/destinations/fujian/wuyi-mountain ## Quick itinerary - **Day 1:** Tianyou Peak → Yunwo (Cloud Nest) → Huxiao Rock - **Day 2:** Nine-Bend Stream Rafting (passing Yunü Peak) → Wuyi Palace → Dawang Peak → Yixiantian (Thread of Sky) - **Day 3:** Dahongpao Scenic Area → Shuilian Cave ## The feel of the place - **Boat Coffins:** As early as the Western Zhou period, Wuyi Mountain was already part of the “Land of the Seven Min” (七闽之地), the settlement area of the Min people. In the late Spring and Autumn period, the Yue people entered Fujian. Later, through ethnic migration and blending, the area gradually took on its present character, with the Han people in the majority and the She people living in concentrated communities. This is why traces of ancient Yue culture, such as cliff-suspended boat coffins (架壑船棺), are still preserved here. - **The Dangers of Hard-Sell Tactics:** Travellers on group tours to Wuyi Mountain are usually taken to a place called the Snake Garden, as the mountain's snakes are famous. Here, to sell a snake medicine said to have miraculous healing properties, the salesperson will stage a demonstration of a scalding burn being cured by the medicine. Keep your eyes open and be careful not to be cheated. ## The feel of the place ### Finding Your Own Accommodation Whether at the airport, railway station or long-distance bus station, do not readily follow drivers who solicit passengers, as they can typically earn a commission of nearly 50% from accommodation. It is best to book a room in advance. Even if you look for a room on arrival, keep your luggage spread out so that touting drivers do not know you have not yet checked in. When negotiating the price at a place to stay, be sure to say that you came on your own, otherwise you will be charged extra for no reason. ### Vehicle Fares in Wuyi Mountain 1. A vehicle from Wuyi Mountain Railway Station to the scenic area generally costs ¥20, though it can be bargained down to as little as ¥10. Locals, however, pay ¥1 per person for a shared minivan (mian de). 2. A taxi from the airport to the Wuyi Mountain Resort costs around ¥30. Outside the airport gate, cross the road and take a small city-bound bus, which reaches most of Wuyi Mountain's scenic spots, for about ¥2. ### Buy Tickets Through Official Channels 1. Do not believe locals who say you can pay an extra ¥10 to start rafting immediately. Be sure to queue and buy tickets properly. 2. It is clearly stipulated that no tip is required for the boatman. ### Preparation and Enquiries ### Language As this is a developed tourist area, Mandarin will get you by without any trouble. ### Climate and Travel Season Wuyi Mountain's temperatures change little through the year, and the climate is fairly humid. Overall, it is suitable for visiting at any time of year. Winter is the weakest season, as most of the scenery has withered and the natural views are much diminished. Summer is hot, but since everything is lush, it is the best time to tour Wuyi Mountain. ## Getting there & around ### Getting There and Away Wuyi Mountain has an airport. Railways mainly connect it with major cities in Fujian, while road transport is relatively convenient. ### By Air Wuyi Mountain Airport can handle medium-sized aircraft such as the Boeing 737. It currently operates around 30 routes, including to most domestic cities as well as Hong Kong and Macau. The airport is 9 km from the city centre and 15 km from the scenic area. Wuyi Mountain Railway Station now has several lines. Direct trains run from Fuzhou, Xiamen, Quanzhou and other cities in Fujian, and high-speed trains run from Beijing, Shanghai, Shenzhen, Hangzhou and many other cities to Wuyishan North Station. ### By Road Nanping and Shaowu in Fujian, and Shangrao in Jiangxi, are the transfer hubs for travel to Wuyi Mountain, with coaches running daily between them. You can go first to Shaowu in Fujian or Shangrao in Jiangxi and then transfer to a bus to Wuyi Mountain. Shaowu to Wuyi Mountain costs around ¥20, with a bus every half hour from 6:10 to 17:30. Shangrao to Wuyi Mountain costs around ¥30, with a bus every hour from 6:00 to 17:00. Shaowu Bus Station is directly opposite the railway station. Shangrao Bus Station is some distance from the railway station, so take a tricycle or minivan to Shangrao Long-Distance Bus Station. ### Getting Around In Wuyi Mountain city, bus fares are ¥1–2. Taxis start at ¥7 for the first 2 km and are metered by distance. Beyond 2 km, the rate is ¥1.8 or ¥2 per km, depending on the vehicle's engine displacement. For distance over 5 km, a 50% empty-running surcharge may be added to the per-km rate. Within the scenic area, journeys between attractions take only a few minutes, so it is very convenient. Only the Dahongpao Scenic Area requires a taxi to reach. ### Taking the Bus The distance from Wuyi Mountain city to the Wuyi Mountain scenic area is 15 km. All the attractions can be reached by the “City–Xingcun” bus line, with fares of ¥1–2. There are also hail-and-ride tourist shuttles along the way, costing around ¥5. ### Hiring a Car Renting a car within the resort area costs ¥80 per day. Once inside the nature reserve, a trip to the mountain top costs ¥300. A trip only to the museum or eco-rafting area, or to the Qinglong Waterfall area without entering the reserve, costs ¥200. - **Wuyi Mountain Bus Station** — (No. 64, Wujiu North Road) - **Wuyi Mountain Long-Distance Bus Ticket Office** — ## Eat & drink Wuyi Mountain is both a famous scenic mountain and a treasure trove of wildlife and plant resources. As a result, it offers hundreds of dishes year-round, many of them mountain delicacies. Please note, however, that you should protect nationally protected plants and animals in Wuyi Mountain: do not eat nationally protected species or wild game. ### Banquets, Liquor and Snacks Wuyi Mountain is also the home of the banquet. The Manting Banquet is the most legendary “feast of the immortals” in Wuyi Mountain; the Eight Trigrams Banquet has remained popular for 800 years; and the Snake Banquet offers a great variety of dishes, all delicious. Wuyi Mountain's best-known liquor is Wuyi Liuxiang (Wuyi Lingering Fragrance). Wuyi Qinquan, Wengong Jiu, chrysanthemum wine, five-step snake wine and October white rice wine also enjoy some local renown. Wuyi Mountain snacks come in every flavour and texture, savoury, sweet, meaty, vegetarian, fragrant, crispy, soft and chewy, with a distinctive taste that reflects the local character of northern Fujian. ### Finding Your Own Places to Eat Restaurants that drivers or guides take you to usually charge higher prices, so be sure to bargain. If a place doesn't feel right, you can always find somewhere else to eat on your own. ### Set Menus Are Better Value Set menus are better value than ordering à la carte. Even with a set menu, you can look through the menu first and swap out dishes you don't like for ones you do, at no extra cost. This gives you roughly the same meal you'd order à la carte, but at the set-menu price. ### Recommended Specialties Chicken Mince with Golden Bamboo Shoots, Chrysanthemum Grass Carp, Loach Vermicelli and Hometown Tofu are the local signature dishes. Wuyi Mountain's snacks are also distinctive, but its dazzling array of snake dishes is truly unique. As for drinks, Wuyi Liuxiang is the finest of the local liquors. - **Sliced Rabbit Hotpot** — A traditional signature dish, eaten in a similar way to northern Chinese lamb hotpot. - **Nine-Bend Bamboo Raft** — A dish that looks and tastes as good as its name suggests. Made with shiitake mushrooms, lean pork or fresh river fish, and bamboo shoot slices, it is shaped like a bamboo raft on the Nine-Bend Stream, with a crispy exterior and tender interior. The dish was created by the Wuyi Hotel, so naturally that's where to try it. - **Snake Banquet** — Stir-fried Dragon Ribs, Stir-fried Dragon Eggs, Boiled Dragon Pearls, Dragon Playing in Water and Dragon-Tiger Fight are all made with snake as the main ingredient, so be sure to try the snake banquet when you visit Wuyi Mountain. The Dragon-Phoenix Soup in particular is so fragrant that your mouth will water the moment it arrives at the table. - **Fire-Roasted Beans** — A snack with rustic countryside charm. When the beans are ripe, a fire is built and freshly picked beans, stalks and pods together, are hung over the flames until cooked. You then peel and eat them. A local saying goes: “Even if you never eat them, Fire-Roasted Bean Pod Flat is famous all the same.” - **Huma Fan** — A traditional snack, also known as mázhī (glutinous rice cake). The main ingredient is high-quality glutinous rice, mixed with sugar and sesame and shaped into rice balls, prized for their chewy, sweet and smooth texture. - **Liangshuizai** — A refreshing drink made from xili fruit (Ficus pumila). - **Kuzhu Cake** — An entirely natural, green food made from kuzhu (Castanopsis sclerophylla) and other shell-bearing mountain plants. It has a slightly astringent flavour. ## Shopping ### Oolong Tea Wuyi Mountain's oolong tea is well worth sampling. “Small Red Robe” costs around ¥300/kg, though this is only a guide. It's best not to buy tea at the tea houses your guide takes you to. ### Tips for Eating Within the Scenic Area 1. Restaurants in the scenic area should be bargained with, whether or not they display clear prices. 2. Avoid the cheap street stalls that offer free shuttle pick-ups. Their prices often differ from those on their business cards, and hard-selling is common. - **Yancha (Rock Tea)** — A specialty of Wuyi Mountain, of which Da Hong Pao is the most prized. Colour, aroma and smoothness are the key criteria for judging rock tea. If you ride a bamboo raft downstream along the Nine-Bend Stream, at the Fourth Bend you'll see a flat, riverside area on the south bank. This is the site of the Yuan dynasty Imperial Tea Garden. - **Five-Step Snake Wine** — A medicinal wine that is a Wuyi Mountain specialty. It may help relieve rheumatoid arthritis, sciatica, tetanus, skin itching and similar conditions. ## Where to stay - **Wuyi Mountain Yuehua Hotel** — A luxury hotel, so prices are on the high side. From your room, however, you can enjoy the spectacular scenery of Dawang Peak and the garden pavilions and water pavilions among lush flowers and trees, letting you take in the spirit of the mountains and waters and the splendour of Wuyi. (No. 11, Dawang Peak South Road, 0599-5238999) ## Things to see - **Jiuqu Stream** (★★★★): Admission ¥100 per person, plus ¥2 per person for insurance. Each raft seats 6 people. Rafting takes about 90 minutes.; Opening hours Xingcun Pier No. 1: 7:20, 9:10, 12:20 and 14:30; Pier No. 3: 8:00, 9:50 and 13:30; Time needed 2–4 hours — https://cnatrip.com/en/places/jiuqu-stream - **Longchuan Grand Canyon** (★★★★): Admission ¥75; Opening hours 8：30—16：00; Time needed 1–3 hours — https://cnatrip.com/en/places/longchuan-grand-canyon - **Tianyou Peak** (★★★): Time needed 1–3 hours — https://cnatrip.com/en/places/tianyou-peak - **Wuyi Palace** (★★★): Opening hours 8：00—18：00; Time needed 1–2 hours — https://cnatrip.com/en/places/wuyi-palace - **Da Hong Pao** (★★★): Time needed 1–3 hours — https://cnatrip.com/en/places/da-hong-pao - **Huxiao Rock** (★★★★): Time needed 2–3 hours — https://cnatrip.com/en/places/huxiao-rock - **Yixiantian (Thread of Sky)** (★★★★): Time needed 1 hour — https://cnatrip.com/en/places/yixiantian-thread-of-sky - **Shuilian Cave** (★★★): Time needed 1–3 hours — https://cnatrip.com/en/places/shuilian-cave - **East China's No. 1 Rafting Route** (★★★★): Admission ¥100, about 90 minutes of rafting — https://cnatrip.com/en/places/east-china-s-no-1-rafting-route - **Qinglong Waterfall** (★★★): Admission ¥88 (includes sightseeing shuttle); Opening hours 8：00—18：00; Time needed 1–3 hours — https://cnatrip.com/en/places/qinglong-waterfall - **Yunü Peak (Jade Maiden Peak)** (★★★): Time needed 1 hour — https://cnatrip.com/en/places/yunu-peak-jade-maiden-peak - **Yunwo (Cloud Nest)** (★★★): Time needed 1–2 hours — https://cnatrip.com/en/places/yunwo-cloud-nest - **Yangu Huaxiang Trail** (★★★★): — https://cnatrip.com/en/places/yangu-huaxiang-trail ## Day trips & beyond - **Chengcun Village** (★★★★): — https://cnatrip.com/en/places/chengcun-village - **Da'anyuan** (★★★): Admission Water Square ¥30; Huanggang Mountain Grand Canyon ¥50; Time needed 1 day — https://cnatrip.com/en/places/da-anyuan - **Heping Ancient Town** (★★★★): Admission ¥40; Time needed 3–5 hours — https://cnatrip.com/en/places/heping-ancient-town - **Wufu Ancient Town** (★★★★): Time needed 3–5 hours — https://cnatrip.com/en/places/wufu-ancient-town - **Xiamei Village** (★★★★): Admission ¥45; Time needed 1–3 hours — https://cnatrip.com/en/places/xiamei-village --- Source: China Self-Guided Travel 2025 (《中国自助游》, Tianjin Science & Technology Press, Aug 2024), pp. 1573–1594. Prices, hours and transport details are as printed in the August 2024 edition and may have changed. Always confirm with the venue before you travel.