CGOD

Ultimate Guide to Traveling in China|Top Travel Destinations

journey trip traveler's guide

Travel serves as a means for cultural exploration, allowing people to immerse themselves in diverse traditions, languages, and lifestyles. This exposure fosters a deeper understanding and appreciation of the world’s rich tapestry of cultures. Travel is often a pathway for personal growth; stepping outside one’s comfort zone can lead to self-discovery and increased confidence. Adventure and enjoyment are also central to travel, as many seek the thrill of new experiences, whether through outdoor activities, culinary exploration, or simply relaxation in a new environment.

I. The Five Most Beautiful Lakes in China

  1. Qinghai Lake: The Inland Sea (Qinghai) – Best Season: All year round
  2. Kanas Lake: God’s Palette (Xinjiang) – Best Season: July to mid-September
  3. Namtso Lake: Where Gods Whisper (Tibet) – Best Season: July to September
  4. Heavenly Lake: Calm After the Storm (Jilin) – Best Season: July to September
  5. West Lake (Hangzhou) – Best Season: Year-round, each season has unique charm

II. The Six Most Beautiful Grasslands in China

  1. Eastern Hulunbuir Grassland (Inner Mongolia) – Best Season: May to mid-September
  2. Ili Grassland (Xinjiang) – Best Season: July, August, September
  3. Xilingol Grassland (Inner Mongolia) – Best Season: July and August
  4. Western Sichuan Alpine Grassland (Sichuan) – Best Season: Summer
  5. Nagqu Alpine Grassland (Tibet) – Best Season: May to September
  6. Qilian Mountain Grassland (Qinghai, Gansu) – Best Season: June, July

III. The Ten Most Beautiful Mountains in China

  1. Mount Namjagbarwa: Heaven in the Clouds (Tibet) – Best Season: February to April, October to November
  2. Mount Gongga: Where the Wind Pauses (Sichuan) – Best Season: Late October for snow, March for thaw
  3. Mount Everest: Watchtower of the Soul (Tibet) – Best Season: Late April to early June, mid-September to October
  4. Meili Snow Mountain: The Snow God’s Honor Guard (Yunnan) – Best Season: January to May
  5. Yellow Mountain: God’s Bonsai (Anhui) – Best Season: March 16 to November 16 (peak), November 16 to March 15 (off-season)
  6. Three Sacred Mountains of Daocheng: Landmark of Shangri-La (Sichuan) – Best Season: April to June, September to November (rainy season: July to August)
  7. Mount Qogir: A Remote Secret (Xinjiang) – Best Season: July to September
  8. Mount Kailash: Dwelling of the Gods (Tibet) – Best Season: May to early July, mid-August to October
  9. Mount Tai: Totem of Chinese Civilization (Shandong) – Best Season: All year round
  10. Mount Emei: From Basin to Heaven (Sichuan) – Best Season: Spring and Autumn

IV. The Seven Most Beautiful Danxia Landforms in China

  1. Mount Danxia: China’s Red Stone Park (Guangdong) – Best Season: All year round
  2. Mount Wuyi: The Premier Danxia in Southeast China (Fujian) – Best Season: Summer
  3. Golden Lake: Waterborne Danxia (Fujian) – Best Season: All year round
  4. Longhu Mountain: Red Cliffs of Alchemy (Jiangxi) – Best Season: All year round, October for Taoist culture
  5. Zijiang-Bajiaozhai-Liangshan Danxia: Green Peaks, Red Cliffs, Danxia Soul (Guangxi, Hunan)
  6. Zhangye Danxia Landform: Palace-like Danxia (Gansu) – Best Season: June to September
  7. Chishui Danxia Landform: Silver Falls on Red Cliffs (Guizhou) – Best Season: All year round

V. The Five Most Beautiful Karst Peaks in China

  1. Yangshuo, Guilin: A Gallery of Mountains and Water (Guangxi) – Best Season: April and October, around August for osmanthus blossom
  2. Wulingyuan: A Lost Painting in the Mountains (Hunan) – Best Season: Spring and Autumn
  3. Wanfenglin: Heartbeat on the Plateau (Guizhou) – Best Season: July and August
  4. Mount Sanqing: The Most Beautiful Granite at the Edge of the Pacific (Jiangxi) – Best Season: Autumn
  5. Luoping Karst Peaks: A Golden Garden (Yunnan) – Best Season: Late February to early March

VI. The Ten Most Beautiful Canyons in China

  1. Yarlung Tsangpo Grand Canyon (Tibet) – Best Season: August to October
  2. Tiger Leaping Gorge (Yunnan) – Best Season: Spring and Summer
  3. Three Gorges of the Yangtze River (Chongqing, Hubei) – Best Season: All year round
  4. Nujiang Grand Canyon (Tibet, Yunnan) – Best Season: October to April
  5. Mekong River Gorge (Yunnan) – Best Season: January to May
  6. Taroko Gorge (Taiwan) – Best Season: All year round
  7. Huanghe Jinshan Canyon (Inner Mongolia, Shanxi, Shaanxi) – Best Season: January to April, September to November
  8. Dadu River Jinshan Grand Canyon (Sichuan) – Best Season: Autumn
  9. Taihang Mountain Canyon (Beijing, Hebei, Henan, Shanxi) – Best Season: Spring and Autumn
  10. Kucha Grand Canyon (Xinjiang) – Best Season: All year round

VII. The Three Most Beautiful Yardangs in China

  1. Urumqi Yardang: Wind Loves Roughness, Not Flatness (Xinjiang) – Best Season: April to August
  2. Bailongdui: Gathering Dragons at the Edge of the Sky (Xinjiang) – Best Season: Autumn
  3. Sanlongsha: Fleet Entering the Gobi (Xinjiang) – Best Season: Spring and Autumn

VIII. The Five Most Beautiful Deserts in China

  1. Badain Jaran Desert: Curves Painted by the Divine (Inner Mongolia) – Best Season: Late September to late October
  2. Taklamakan Desert: The Heavenly Camp of the Earth (Xinjiang) – Best Season: Late October to mid-November
  3. Gurbantunggut Desert: The Blood Vessel of the Desert (Xinjiang) – Best Season: September to December
  4. Mingsha Mountain & Crescent Lake: A Thousand Years of Watch (Gansu) – Best Season: May to September
  5. Shapotou: Footsteps Halted in Flowing Sands (Ningxia) – Best Season: Spring and Autumn

IX. The Eight Most Beautiful Coastlines in China

  1. Yalong Bay: The Sky Fallen on Earth (Hainan, Sanya) – Best Season: All year round
  2. Yehliu: Nature’s Work of Art (Taiwan, Keelung) – Best Season: October, November
  3. Chengshantou: The Inland’s Yearning for the Sea (Shandong, Rongcheng) – Best Season: April to October
  4. Dongzhaigang Mangrove Forest: Green Waves Left on Land (Hainan, Qiongshan) – Best Season: November to April
  5. Changli Golden Coast: The Kiss of the Desert and the Sea (Hebei) – Best Season: Spring and Autumn
  6. Victoria Coast: Red Dust Reflecting the Blue Sea (Hong Kong) – Best Season: November, December
  7. Chongwu Coast: The Place Where Hui’an Women Gaze at the Sea (Fujian, Hui’an) – Best Season: All year round
  8. Dapeng Peninsula: A Wilderness Near the City (Guangdong, Shenzhen) – Best Season: All year round

X. The Six Most Beautiful Waterfalls in China

  1. Cangbu-Padong Waterfall Group: A Hermit in the Grand Canyon (Tibet) – Best Season: Autumn
  2. Detian Waterfall: Cross-Border Charm (Guangxi) – Best Season: June, July
  3. Hukou Waterfall of the Yellow River: A Thousand Scenes in One Pot (Shanxi, Shaanxi border) – Best Season: May, September
  4. Jiulong Waterfall: Ribbon in the Red Earth (Yunnan) – Best Season: Early February to early March
  5. Nuorilang Waterfall: Embroidered Brocade in the Woods (Sichuan) – Best Season: July, August
  6. Huangguoshu Waterfall: Irreplicable Grandeur (Guizhou) – Best Season: July, August

XI. The Six Most Beautiful Glaciers in China

  1. Rongbuk Glacier: Bidding Farewell to the Highest Peak (Tibet) - Best Season: Late April to early June, mid-September to early October.
  2. Tomur Glacier: The Hospitality of Snow Peaks to the Arid Sea (Xinjiang) - Best Season: Only July to August, when the temperature is relatively high at -18°C.
  3. Hailuogou Glacier: Refusing to Melt (Sichuan) - Best Time to Visit: Before April, when the temperature is low; after late October, when snow falls, offering a view of the snow.
  4. Midui Glacier: Ice and Snow in a Peach Blossom Land (Tibet) - Best Season: Suitable for travel all year round.
  5. Tlamkanli Glacier: An Ice Sculpture Carnival (Xinjiang) - Best Season: Suitable all year round.
  6. Transparent Mengke Glacier: A Spring in the Desert (Gansu) - Best Season: Located at an altitude of 4,000 meters, with an average temperature of -22.9°C in January. July and August are the glacial melt seasons, making it dangerous due to raging mountain floods.

XII. The Ten Most Beautiful Forests in China

  1. Tianshan Spruce Forest (Xinjiang) - Best Season: Spring and Autumn.
  2. Changbai Mountain Korean Pine-Broadleaf Mixed Forest (Jilin) - Best Season: Spring for nature walks, summer for sightseeing, autumn for leaf-watching, winter for snow activities—choose based on your preferences.
  3. Jianfengling Tropical Rainforest (Hainan) - Best Season: November to April of the following year.
  4. Baima Snow Mountain Alpine Rhododendron Forest (Yunnan) - Best Season: May and June each year.
  5. Bomi Gangxiang Lhasa Spruce Forest (Tibet) - Best Season: March and April, during the peach blossom season.
  6. Xishuangbanna Tropical Rainforest (Yunnan) - Best Season: November to April of the following year; other seasons have more rainfall.
  7. Luntai Poplar Forest (Xinjiang) - Best Season: Mid-October each year.
  8. Libo Karst Forest (Guizhou) - Best Season: Suitable all year round.
  9. Greater Khingan Northern Dahurian Larch Forest (Heilongjiang, Inner Mongolia)
  10. Southern Bamboo Sea (Sichuan)

XIII. The Nine Most Beautiful Islands in China

  1. Xisha Islands: Corals Add Color to the Homeland (Hainan) - Best Season: November to late April of the following year.
  2. Weizhou Island: A Masterpiece Sculpted by Water and Fire (Beihai, Guangxi) - Best Season: Suitable all year round.
  3. Nansha Islands: Coral Landmarks of China (Hainan) - Best Season: Suitable all year round.
  4. Nanju Island: A Magical Marine Bio-Park (Wenzhou, Zhejiang) - Best Season: Suitable all year round.
  5. Miaodao Islands: Immortal Mountains at Sea (Changdao, Shandong) - Best Season: Suitable all year round.
  6. Putuo Mountain Island: The Buddhist Kingdom on the Sea and Sky (Zhoushan, Zhejiang) - Best Season: Suitable all year round.
  7. Dayushan Island: A Concentration of Mountains, Lakes, Grasslands, and Sea (Fuding, Fujian) - Best Season: Suitable all year round.
  8. Linjin Islet & Nanding Island: Relics of Rare Ancient Volcanoes (Zhangzhou, Fujian) - Best Season: Suitable all year round.
  9. Hailing Island: Silver Beaches of the South China Sea (Yangjiang, Guangdong) - Best Season: Suitable all year round.

XIV. The Six Most Beautiful Wetlands in China

  1. Ruoergai: The Plateau’s Jade Treasure (Northern Sichuan, Southern Gansu)- Best Season: April and May each year.
  2. Bayanbulak: A Miracle Created by Tianshan Snowmelt (Xinjiang) - Best Season: September each year.
  3. Sanjiang Plain Wetland: Majestic Remnants (Heilongjiang) - Best Season: Spring and Summer each year.
  4. Yellow River Delta Wetland: The Ongoing Transformation (Shandong) - Best Season: April to November each year.
  5. Zhalong Wetland (Heilongjiang) - Best Season: Suitable all year round; April and May are the red-crowned crane egg-laying periods, offering a chance to see crane nests; July and August are the golden seasons for birdwatching.
  6. “Red Carpet” Liaohe River Delta Wetland (Liaoning) - Best Season: March to April and October to November each year.

XV. The Six Most Beautiful Caves in China

  1. Dreamlike Zhijin Cave (Guizhou) - Best Season: Suitable for travel all year round.
  2. Colorful Furong Cave (Chongqing) - Best Season: Suitable for travel all year round.
  3. Versatile Yellow Dragon Cave (Hunan) - Best Season: March each year.
  4. Stunning Tenglong Cave (Hubei) - Best Season: April to October each year, the best time for photography enthusiasts.
  5. Xueyu Cave (Chongqing) - Best Season: Winter, to experience the cave’s unique medicinal value.
  6. Nine Bends Benxi Water Cave (Liaoning) - Best Season: Suitable all year round; the cave maintains a constant temperature of 10°C.

XVI. The Five Most Beautiful Urban Districts in China

  1. Gulangyu Island, Xiamen: Listening to the Sound of Waves after the Music Stops - Best Season: Suitable all year round.
  2. Old City of Suzhou: Ancient Beauty Encircled by Modernity - Best Season: Suitable all year round.
  3. Macau Historic District: Where Western Culture First Landed - Best Season: Suitable all year round.
  4. Badaguan, Qingdao: The Legacy of Colonial Charm - Best Season: Suitable all year round.
  5. Shichahai, Beijing: Trendy Area Close to Zhongnanhai - Best Season: Suitable all year round.

XVII. The Six Most Beautiful Ancient Villages and Towns in China

  1. Danba Tibetan Villages: A Beauty in the Secluded Valley (Sichuan) - Best Season: May to November each year.
  2. Hani Villages: Countless Mirrors Reflecting Smoke from Cooking (Yunnan) - Best Season: Autumn; November to April is the best time for photography, as the terraces are filled with water.
  3. Tuva Village: The Lover by the Water’s Edge (Xinjiang) - Best Season: Suitable all year round.
  4. Zhaoxing Dong Village: Homes Deep in the Clouds (Guizhou) - Best Season: Suitable all year round.
  5. Wuyuan: The Love for Rapeseed Flowers by the Village Entrance (Jiangxi) - Best Season: March and April each year, when the hills are covered with rapeseed flowers.
  6. Lijiang Ancient Town: The Melody of Longing on the Lute Strings (Yunnan) - Best Season: Suitable all year round.