Huangshan (the Yellow Mountains)

Huangshan, the Yellow Mountains of southern Anhui, is perhaps the most celebrated mountain in China, a World Heritage Site whose jagged granite peaks, gnarled pines clinging to the rock, and seas of cloud that pool between the summits have inspired Chinese landscape painters and poets for well over a thousand years. Rising from steps and paths cut into the rock, the range is climbed on foot up long stone stairways or reached more easily by cable car, and its named viewpoints look out over a scene that shifts constantly with the mist, so that peaks appear and vanish like ink washes. Sunrise from the summit ridges, watched over the cloud sea, is the classic experience, and hot springs bubble at the foot of the range. Ancient pines, oddly shaped rocks and the ever-changing cloud are the mountain's celebrated wonders, and to stay overnight on the summit for dawn is the reason many people come.

What you actually see

• The granite peaks and pines - the sculpted summits and the famous twisted pines on the rock.
• The sea of clouds - the mist pooling between the peaks, best from the high viewpoints.
• Sunrise from the summit - the dawn over the cloud sea, often watched from a summit hotel.
• The stone stairways - the long carved paths climbing the mountain.

When to go

Spring and autumn offer the best balance of clear spells and cloud seas; winter brings snow and rime-frosted pines, summer green but humid and crowded. The mountain is often in mist, so a clear window is a matter of luck. Sunrise from a summit hotel needs an overnight stay booked well ahead.

Honest expectations

It is one of China's busiest mountains, and in peak season the cable cars, paths and summit hotels are packed, with long queues; the summit accommodation is basic and expensive because everything is carried up by porters. The weather is frequently misty, which is beautiful but can also hide the views entirely. The climb on foot is a serious stair workout, and even the cable-car route involves plenty of walking.

Nearby

The ancient villages of Hongcun and Xidi are at the foot of the range; the city of Huangshan and Tunxi old street are nearby.