Dongjiang Lake & Gaoyiling One-Day Tour

Since the misty view of Xiaodongjiang is best seen before 8:30 AM, and it takes about 1.5 hours to drive from Chenzhou city center, I decided to join a one-day trip (¥328, including shared car for four people and two tickets) to avoid the hassle of arranging early morning transportation. I woke up to the sound of rain, which was not a good sign, but since I had already arranged for the driver to pick me up at 6:30 AM from the hotel, I couldn’t cancel. After getting in the car, the driver headed straight to Dongjiang Lake Scenic Area (ticket ¥80 included in the tour fee). Surprisingly, I ended up having the car all to myself, which was a pleasant surprise. Although the rain made the walk a bit messy and I didn’t get to see the most stunning misty view of Xiaodongjiang, the foggy mountain tops, the clear emerald-green river, and the scheduled fisherman’s net-casting performance were still worth seeing. I walked along the riverside boardwalk from the first station to the fourth station (about 3-4 kilometers). Next, I took the scenic shuttle bus to Longjing Canyon, which features quite spectacular waterfalls. Unfortunately, the hiking trails were closed due to the rain, so I could only take a short walk along the lakeside path. Around 11 AM, I took the shuttle bus back to the Dongjiang Visitor Center and asked the driver to head to Gaoyiling (ticket ¥95 included in the tour fee). Upon entering the scenic area, I was initially disappointed by some man-made structures. Moreover, the Danxia landform lacked its usual vibrant colors of red rocks and green lakes due to the rain. However, walking up and down along the ridges and crossing two small peaks, the unique water-based Danxia landscape was still worth a visit. Due to the rain, I didn’t linger too long at either scenic spot. I asked the driver to head back earlier than planned, around 3 PM, and returned to the hotel by about 4 PM to change into dry clothes.