Yúnfēng Shān

Yunnan


Dotted with 17th-century temples and monastic retreats, Taoist holy mountain Yunfeng Shan is 47km north of Tengchong. It’s possible to take a cable car close to the top, from where it’s a 20-minute walk to Sanqing Temple (三清殿, Sānqīng Diàn) on the summit at 2449m. Luzu Temple (吕祖殿, Lǚzǔ Dià), just below the top, serves up a solid vegetarian buffet from 10am to 6pm.

You can walk up the mountain in about 2½ hours or down in around 45 minutes, but repetitive large stairs can be hard on the knees.

To get to the mountain, go to the West Gate bus station in Tengchong and catch a bus (¥10) or shared taxi (¥15 per person) to Gudong (固东, Gùdōng), and then switch to a shared taxi (¥10) or taxi (¥30) to the base of the mountain – you'll probably want to arrange a pick-up time or at least take the driver's phone number. From the parking lot a golf cart (¥5) takes you to the entrance, or else it's a 1½ km walk. Hiring a vehicle from Tengchong for the return trip will cost about ¥300 to ¥350. On the way back to Tengchong the road passes through Mazhan, where it's possible to detour to the Volcano Park on the same trip.