4.20 Zouma Ridge - First-Time Hiking Recommendations (Map Version)

📰 Joined a one-day hiking tour with a certain guide 🚗 One-way drive: approximately 3-3.5 hours ⏰ Climbing duration: about 4.5-5.5 hours ✅ Route: If taking a bus, it can only reach the paved road area. Walk about 2km from there, then start the official hiking trail from the fork near Xiaoying Noodle Shop. 😫 Total distance is about 11km, 🫠 taking 5.5 hours (PS: I have relatively low stamina and walked slowly; faster hikers can complete it in 4.5 hours) ⛰️ It takes about 3 hours to reach the famous rock. There are TONS of people taking photos there. You can choose the adjacent rock for equally Instagram-worthy shots. ⚠️ Essential equipment: ✅ Hiking poles!!!!!! Extremely important! If you don't have one, pick one up at the foot of the mountain. I found one after climbing 1/4 of the way, and it was incredibly useful! ✅ 2 bottles of water (I brought 2.5 bottles and still had half a bottle left when descending. No need to bring too much. There's one supply point on the mountain with reasonable prices. Importantly, there are NO toilets throughout the climb! So don't drink too much water!!!!) ✅ Snacks for cravings, though you might not have much appetite while climbing. There are no food supply points on the mountain, so bring some snacks ✅ Non-slip shoes ✅ Hat (the sunlight on the mountain is quite harsh) ✅ Sunglasses 🕶️ if necessary ✅ Power bank ✅ Tissues 🀄️ Insect repellent is optional. I wore long pants and didn't need it. It might also be too early in the season for insects, but our guide warned us to watch out for snakes and bugs when taking photos in trees! ⚠️ Note: Essential equipment!! Hiking poles are EXTREMELY important. Without them, I don't think I could have made it down the mountain ⛰️ The uphill path is very steep, with about 590m of climbing. The descent is even worse - a continuous steep slope for 1 hour, covering rocky paths, dirt trails, and muddy sections. It's very difficult to walk, with one red soil slope being particularly challenging due to lack of traction! So non-slip shoes are crucial! 🫱 Overall experience summary: First-time beginner hikers! I've done this for you 🙅🙅🙅 Don't go, just don't! The entire journey doesn't have many scenic spots (there's a photogenic Chinese torreya forest at the foot of the mountain and the famous rock at the summit). There aren't other attractions - it's just hard climbing! If you want good photos, just take them at the mountain base. The viral photos you see online are all from two spots at the foot of the mountain. Forget about the famous rock... it's truly exhausting. The path is extremely difficult to climb, completely primitive and untamed. You'll occasionally spot insects longer than your fingers 🐛.... The outdoor hiking difficulty is rated at 2.5🌟