Shennongjia

Shennongjia covers mountains rising to over three thousand metres in western Hubei, and its forests hold one of the richest temperate floras in the world, with several thousand plant species including relict genera that survived the ice ages here when they died out elsewhere, which is why UNESCO inscribed it in 2016. Golden snub-nosed monkeys, an endangered species with pale blue faces and upturned noses, live in troops that can be seen at managed sites. The area is also the traditional home of the yeren, a wildman reported for centuries and searched for by several expeditions, none of which found anything. Shennong Peak, alpine meadows and dense forest fill the reserve.

What you actually see

• The golden snub-nosed monkeys - troops of the endangered species at viewing sites.
• The relict forest - plant species that survived glaciation here.
• Shennong Peak - the high point at over three thousand metres.
• The yeren tradition - the wildman reports and the expeditions that followed them.

When to go

May to October; the high roads close with snow in winter and the reserve is largely inaccessible. Summer is the peak season and cool at altitude. Rhododendrons flower in May and June.

Honest expectations

The area is large with compulsory internal transport and separate tickets for zones. Monkey viewing is at managed sites where troops are provisioned, not wild encounters. Weather at altitude changes fast and roads are winding.

Nearby

Yichang lies southeast; the Three Gorges are south.