• Wushan Square - Meet up. ‘Heavenly Wind over Wu Hill’. Hefang Street bazaar. Town God’s Temple.

Meet up with your guide after breakfast. Get acquainted, then head out to the starting point of the day’s itinerary – Wushan Square.
Arrive. Experience one of Hangzhou’s iconic scenes - the ‘Heavenly Wind over Wu Hill’.
Walk on to the Southern Song dynasty bazaar street of Hefang Street. Turn into an alley and visit the hidden Town God’s Temple.
From here onwards is uphill.

• Hangzhou Chenghuang Pagoda - Chenghuang Mountain & Wan Song Hill trail. Wan Song Academy. Phoenix Hill. Wuyue Kingdom Imperial Palace ruins. Mountaintop Pavilion.

Follow old alleys uphill onto the Chenghuang Mountain, then onto Wan Song Hill Road. Explore and learn all about the site’s history from your guide. Atop Phoenix Hill we come to the Phoenix Pavilion – a great spot to stop, relax a while and survey the Qian River below.
Wan Song Hill Road: A path by the Wan Song Academy (built around 800AD, in 1521 this became Hangzhou’s largest academy of classical learning) marks the start of our hike up Phoenix Hill (Phoenix Hill is the site of the Wuyue Kingdom Imperial Palace ruins, occupied from 907—978AD, and again in the Southern Song era from 1127—1279AD).

• Yuhuang Feiyun Mountain - Yuhuang Mountain trail. Laoyu Palace. Emperor’s Road sacrificial altar. Mt Jiuyao. Jiuyao Pavillion West Lake Panorama.

Continue along the mountain path in the direction of Yuhuang Mountain, coming to the Laoyu Palace half-way up before pushing along the emperor’s road. Inspect the ruins of the Wuyue Kingdom imperial sacrificial altar. There are also views of Hangzhou’s Eight Diagrams Field and Qiantang River to enjoy.
Move along the thin mountain paths to arrive at the Jiuyao Pavillion. Descend the mountain.
Laoyu Palace: a sacred site of the Quanzhen sect of Taoism.
Jiuyao Pavillion: on Jiuyao Mountain’s peak. a fantastic scenic vantage point that affords the most stunning panoramic view over the expanse of West Lake.

• Prince Bay Park - Trail end. Prince Bay Park botanical gardens. Hotel drop-off.

The path off Jiuyao leads into the Prince Bay Park botanical gardens – the most beautiful in Hangzhou!
Finally, your private guide will escort you back to your hotel, at which time the tour will conclude.

• Hotel or train station pickup and drop-off
• Chinese-English bilingual guide
• Insurance
• Bottled water

• Gratuities

An intense 8-hour comprehensive mountain trek in Hangzhou that immerses you into both Hangzhou’s breathtaking landscape and profound history.

Possibly the most extensive Hangzhou hiking and cultural tour available.

Walk the Southern Song Dynasty ‘Nan Song’ relic route, creating a trajectory from the bustling markets at Nan Song’s Hefang Street to the ruined Chu Palace at Mount Fenghuang - from the trails of the everyday people to the collapsed throne of the ancient royal rule.

A fusion of refreshing outdoors and a hands-on historical lesson.

1. Map a route through a millennia of Hangzhou’s past - understand Hangzhou and Jiangnan culture through trekking and mountain scaling.
2. This West Lake trail is a locals’ preferred pathway. Experience a typical weekend in the life of a resident.
3. With a local leading your way, delve deep into the West Lake mountains and Hangzhou’s history. Discover a chain of ancient relic ruins narrating tales of monarchs and battles.

For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.