MOUNT DANXIA: “WORLD FAMOUS UNESCO GEOPARK OF CHINA”
It was a bit confusing as whether or not we are in the right mountains that we
intend to be. The original plan though
is Guangzhou, China and we have to make the most of our trip and so a side trip
to nearby provinces is in order.
By
mere luck, we were able to come across unusual rock formations worthy of
visit. We were led to the northern part
of Guangdong province, in a mountainous area near Shaoguan city, called Mount
Danxia. But this is not the Danxia Mountain
we expected, as we were anticipating it to be the famed Rainbow Mountain. Though different from what we expected, still
it was worth the day trek.
Local
signage describe the area as the “World famous UNESCO Geopark of China”.
HOW TO GET THERE
Take
the Subway Line 2 and get off at Guangzhou South Railway Station. From the station, take the railway to
Shaoguan Station. The travel time is
approximately an hour.
From
the Shaoguan station, tourists are given the choice of either: local car or
taxi to the mountain for a travel time of approximately half an hour. We opted for the chartered taxi direct to our
accommodations.
A
walking distance from our accommodation is the entrance to the Danxia Mountains
where shuttle bus are available.
UNIQUE ROCK
FORMATIONS
Danxia
Mountain, also called China Red Stone
Park, is located at Shaoguan City. It covers an area of 290 square kilometers,
which is one of the most famous mountains and regarded as the most beautiful
scenery in the Guangdong Province.
We
decided to have the stroll as part of a morning exercise, when tourists are
still limited and the heat is still bearable for a hike. Our transient abode while in Shaoguan City is
just a few walks away to the shuttle bus station that will take tourists to
varied pit stops showcasing more than 680 various stone peaks, stone
fortresses, walls, pillars and stone bridges.
The Danxia is formed from reddish sandstone which has been eroded over time. Prominent stone structures take the shape of the human body, birds and even animals.
It was truly a long walk to be able to visit all these structures and for
some areas, cable cars are being offered.
Thus, we only selected a few that piqued our interests.
The
scenic walk and day trek was worth the encounter with the fear of heights and
the trembling knees due to exhaustion. I
would not forget one part which appears like a stairway to heaven, it was very
steep with no handrails. I have to keep
reminding myself every minute that I should never look down, and just focus on
the path ahead.
There
is also a river winding through the mountains, where boat trips are being
offered but we opted to just stroll and observe from the bridge the setting of
the sun for the day. And that was our last
stop for discovering this UNESCO Geopark.
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