A Day Trip Guide to Mount Wa

Speaking of Mount Wa Scenic Area in Sichuan, I believe many friends know about it. It is truly a heavenly platform with breathtaking scenery. It’s perfect for a weekend getaway. Today, I will share a one-day tour guide for Mount Wa. If you need it, come and check it out!

1. Tour Guide

AM: 8:00–8:30

Cable Car

Journey: 30 minutes

Highlights: Fairyland in the Clouds, Wuxia Movie Scenes

We got up at eight in the morning and had breakfast before heading out. The weather forecast said the sun was shining on the mountain, so we got up early and went to the scenic spot. After walking for five minutes into the scenic area, we arrived at the Jinhua Bridge Cable Car. If you don’t want to take the cable car, you can choose to take the sightseeing bus to Gufoping. From Gufoping, you can take the cable car to the top of the mountain.

You need to take two cable cars. First, take the Jinhua Bridge Cable Car, then transfer to the Gufoping Cable Car, and walk for five minutes to transfer.

Overall, the cable car is quite stable. It’s like traveling through clouds, a vast expanse of white. You can also see the entire mountain shrouded in mist while on the cable car, as if you’ve stepped into a wuxia movie scene.

AM: 8:30–9:00

Overlooking Mount Gongga

Journey: 30 minutes

Highlights: Overlooking Mount Gongga, Panoramic Views of the Mountains

After reaching the top of the mountain, walk towards the direction of the Mandarin Duck Pond for about 10 minutes, and you’ll arrive at the viewing platform overlooking Mount Gongga.

Standing at the Cloud Cliff Illusion, you’ll see clouds cascading down from the sky, and the distant mountains appearing and disappearing, as if you’re walking among the hills. From here, you can not only see the majestic snowy mountains from afar but also experience the rare Buddha’s Light spectacle. In the morning, you can admire the sea and waterfall of clouds. It is said that you can photograph Mount Gongga and the Milky Way in autumn and winter. Standing here, you will truly experience the leisurely feeling of “Mountains float in the clouds, people wander in the paintings.”

AM: 9:00-10:30

Mandarin Duck Pond

Journey: 90 minutes

Highlights: High-altitude Lake, Suitable for Photos

After leaving the Overlooking Mount Gongga spot, you will walk through a section of virgin forest. This is also the habitat of the lesser panda. As you walk, you can’t help but wonder if you’ll encounter them.

Keep walking forward for 90 minutes, and you will arrive at the Mandarin Duck Pond. Located in the heart of the Mount Wa plateau, the Mandarin Duck Pond covers an area of 100 acres. It’s like a precious mirror embedded in the vast sea of forests. Spring water flows all year round, surrounded by fir and rhododendron forests.

Poet He Shaojie once wrote a poem expressing his admiration: “Mandarin ducks fly to heaven, the long bridge sleeps eternally on the waves. The plateau is vast and uninhabited, the cold rain is too much to farm.”

AM: 10:30-12:00

Elephant Ear Mountain Villa

Journey: 90 minutes

Highlights: Lunch, Reasonable Prices

By the time you reach the Elephant Ear Mountain Villa, you’ll be famished. However, they offer a variety of delicious lunch options, and the prices haven’t increased just because it’s a scenic spot. A delicious lunch will cost around 60 yuan per person.

After lunch, leave the Elephant Ear Mountain Villa, with your back to Ya Nu Lake. This angle, with sunlight shining on your body, makes your whole being radiate light, creating an amazing visual effect. It’s simply incredible, in just two words.

Walk ten minutes to the right, and you’ll see the Lanxi Waterfall across from you. There’s also a pavilion above it, giving you a sense of stepping into a wuxia drama.

Looking at the Lanxi Waterfall from afar, it feels like it has a huge drop, perhaps hundreds of meters. By the way, why are there so many waterfalls on the top of Mount Wa?

PM: 12:30-14:00

Return to the Zhengjue Temple Cable Car

Journey: 90 minutes

Highlights: Encounters with Squirrels

As you walk closer to the edge of the mountain, you’ll see a sea of clouds all along the way. You might think there’s nothing ahead, but then you’ll suddenly encounter a breathtaking view, giving you the feeling of “turning a corner and finding a new world.”

PM: 14:30–15:00

Money Pit

Journey: 30 minutes

Highlights: Adorable Monkeys, Three Waterfalls in One View

Take the cable car down from the mountaintop, and take the bus directly to the Money Pit. (You can also see monkeys here! Kids will definitely love it.)

PM: 15:30-16:00

Double Cave Creek

Journey: 15 minutes

Highlights: Summer Retreat, Water Paradise

Scattered within this scenic spot are several smaller attractions, such as the Twin Dragon Waterfall, Green Leaf Pond, Pearl Waterfall, Twin Dragon Waterfall, Zhang Ling Descending Snake Gorge, and Moon Pond Waterfall, forming a natural gallery of the Double Cave Creek Scenic Spot. Upon arriving here, my first reaction was: I must come back here in the summer! It’s so cool here!

The cascading waterfalls are everywhere. Every few steps, you encounter a waterfall with a different shape, and the water flow is quite large, making for beautiful pictures.

2. Ticket Prices

Admission: Peak Season 100.00 yuan/person, Off-peak Season 60.00 yuan/person;

Sightseeing Bus Ticket: Jinhua Bridge – Gufoping 68.00 yuan/person (round trip); Jinhua Bridge – Gufoping 40.00 yuan/person (one way);

Jinhua Bridge Cable Car: 88.00 yuan/person (round trip), 50 yuan/person (one way);

Gufoping Cable Car: 98.00 yuan/person (round trip), 50 yuan/person (one way).

Warm Reminder: The Mount Wa Scenic Area Visitor Center ticket office only sells round-trip tickets for transportation, one-way tickets must be purchased at each location.

3. Tour Suggestions

It’s recommended to wear green clothes, blending in with nature. There are many large and small waterfalls in Double Cave Creek. Be sure to explore them, as each one is worth stopping at. After the tour, you can return the same way and take the sightseeing bus back to the visitor center, ending a perfect day trip.