Mukeng Bamboo Forest - Bamboo Scene of Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon

There are two separate entrances/gates located along the road, including the West Sea Gate (close to Hongcun Ancient Village) and South Sea Gate (near Huangshan Mountain). Starting from different gate means you will tour the circular path in a clockwise or opposite direction. The Ticket Offices and Tourist Center are next to the gates. You can get a brief brochure (with touring map) of Mukeng Bamboo Forest from the tourist center.

Popular Hiking Trail of Mukeng Bamboo Forest

The Mukeng Bamboo Forest mainly includes three scenic areas, the West Sea, South Sea and Mukeng Village. Usually, most tourists stop at the South Sea Gate and start the circular trail from right side path through a stone tablet carved “Mukeng Bamboo Forest - 木坑竹海” . The hiking trip often proceeds uphill in a south-west direction and return downhill by a north-east direction.

Firstly, you will see a lovely pavilion sits by a small emerald lake, the Xiunu Lake (秀女湖). Next, you will take lots of stone-paved stairs up, and most steps are quite steep. Slow down and rest a while if you feel strenuous. In abrupt sections, there are some bamboo-made handrails provided for help. During the first part of hiking, tourist can sit down to rest in Aiwan Pavilion (爱晚亭) and the upper Liujia Pavilion (留佳亭). When weather is good, you will see blue sky, cute pavilion besieged by green bamboo leaves, an idyllic sight under the sunshine. The leisurely hiking takes about 1 hour if you take some photos on the way.

Walk down from Liujia Pavilion, the second hiking trip is followed by the fully covered bamboo landscape along West Sea Corridor up to the highest point of Mukeng Bamboo Forest, Duiqing Pavilion (堆青亭). The place is the best viewing deck of the whole scenic area. From there, visitors can capture nice photos of white-walled and grey-eaved local houses of Mukeng Village, a lightspot that perfectly visible between the higher bamboos and green farmlands. Yet, the good sight will show you amazing natural landscape and villages downhill.

The last segment is to descend to Mukeng Village and back to entrance. You will hike along a highway and walk down the path across the farm houses, tea plantation in the village. Tourists who are not fit enough can take ropeway down passing Mukeng Village and do the rest hiking. Slow your pace, look the verdant vegetables around, relax yourself in such a rural land. During the downward slope hiking, you will pass by Junzi Pavilion (君子亭), Bamboo and Moon Gallery (丝竹月廊) and a small Bamboo Demon Castle (竹怪城), Ningxiang Bridge (凝香桥) to Xiunu Lake near the gate. The green reflection of the bamboo leaves above turquoise Xiunu Lake would release your tiredness before.

Mukeng Bamboo Forest as well as the whole Huangshan City features a subtropical monsoon climate, and the weather is relative moderate with an annual average temperate of 16℃~15℃. The climate condition is extremely adapted for the bamboo growing. And the bamboos sprawled across mountains and valleys within gentle elevation change of hundreds of meters above sea level. So it’s suitable to visit Mukeng Bamboo Forest all year round and the bamboos are always green.

After the spring rains, it’s very comfortable all day, and the bamboo shoots will push through and leaves are peak green. Suppose you visit Mukeng this period, you may join in a local farmer to dig bamboo shoots and experience tea-leaves picking (Huangshan Local Life Experience). Even in hot summer (June to August), the large-scale bamboos give tourist pleasant cool when hiking in circuit. The beautiful green scenes remains in autumn and winter months, but weather then may turn to a bit cold, drop below zero in December, January and February. Thick coats like down jacket should be prepared.

● Hongcun Village to Mukeng Bamboo Forest: Taking our private driving, or a taxi is the fastest way to get to Mukeng Bamboo Forest from Hongcun, which can view Tachuan Village along the road. The ride takes just 10 minutes short. Another popular choice is rent a bike near Hongcun Village and ride it to Mukeng Bamboo Forest for nearly 30 minutes. But the uphill cycling is quite strenuous if you are not fit enough. Want to get there on foot? Prepare for a 1.5 hours' hiking trip. >> Hongcun to Mukeng Biking

● Mount Huangshan to Mukeng Bamboo Forest: First of all, take 0.5 hour’s shuttle bus from cable car station on the mountain back to Tangkou Town. Then you can take advantage of our transfer service to get Mukeng Bamboo Forest directly, costing 30 minutes. Also there are minibuses running from Tangkou to Hongcun (about 1 hour), where you need extra transfer to Mukeng. >> How to Get to Yellow Mountain

● Huangshan City to Mukeng Bamboo Forest: If you depart from Huangshan City, Mukeng Bamboo Forest is suggested to be arranged after Hongcun Ancient Village. Therefore, you can enjoy a leisure trip combined outstanding ancient Huizhou-style village with comfy natural scenery, and some hiking. It costs around 1 hour & 15 minutes by private car, 1.5 hour above by bus. >> How to Get to Huangshan

As the foremost must-do of Huangshan Tour located northernmost, Huangshan Mountain is suggested at least 2 days. So that visitors can fully enjoy fantastic natural wonders and characteristic pines on the peaks. Only physical visit makes you understand the reason why it was listed as UNESCO World Natural & Cultural Heritage, realize the unique charming that inspired numerous Chinese arts and literature. Hongcun Village, another World Cultural Heritage site as well as the most beautiful ancient village in Chinese painting will explain you the splendid Huizhou culture, excellent traditional architectural settlement and picturesque view. With more time, you may travel to the less-known but unique Lucun Village, view delicate wooden carvings and discover more local history and culture. Remember that the overall colorful view of Tachuan Village by roadside may delight you during late autumn.