I went to Xianju with friends for a weekend: two days and one night, hiking plus creek tracing.

Starting with a beautiful Xianju sunset.

Beautiful Xianju sunset

Day 1: Gongyu Hiking

Departure

We took the high-speed rail to Xianju Station, then took a taxi to Youlingkeng.

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Route

Hiking Views

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Hiking Notes

I followed two very strong hikers, and they pushed the pace hard.

The round trip took about three hours, with more than 600 m of ascent for me and more than 800 m for them. Apart from soaking our feet in the water for five minutes, we barely rested.

I really could not handle the final summit push, so I waited at the junction while they went up.

Still, the scenery was beautiful and the creek water was very cool. I would recommend this route.

There is an old village on the mountain top, with supplies and a camping base. On the way down we met several heavy-pack hiking groups going up. It is clearly a popular route.

Overall, it was a good hiking experience.

Sunset

After descending, my teammates went camping by the water. I eventually chose a guesthouse.

The sunset was very beautiful and worth waiting for.

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Day 2: Lirengu Creek Tracing

The second day’s creek tracing was more relaxed. Several teammates brought children, and everyone had fun playing in the water.

The only downside is that the road is under construction. Cars cannot reach the destination directly, and after getting off there is still about 3 km of walking each way.

Fortunately, local people use small three-wheelers to shuttle visitors for CNY 10 per person each way, which helps.

Route

The total distance is about 6 km and takes around two and a half hours.

Scenery

The best section starts about 1.5 km from the entrance. The water is crystal clear, with huge rocks on both sides, giving the canyon a very distinctive look.

There are many pools for playing in the water. Some are ice-cold, some are warmer, and the deepest parts are about 3 to 4 m. There are also spots suitable for jumping into the water.

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Experience

This is a very enjoyable creek-tracing route, but there are many sections where you need to wade or swim. A life jacket or swimming float is recommended.

The experience was excellent, except that one power bank was ruined by water and I lost my earphones on the way back.

Still, it was great. See you next year. Next time I will definitely bring a waterproof bag.

One person dragging four in the water