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Go to Laojun Mountain and be a god for a day! Here comes the guide
My dears, here is a super detailed and interesting travel guide to Laojun Mountain. Pack your bags and set off together~
1. Ticket Information
The full ticket price for Laojun Mountain is 100 yuan, and the half ticket price is 50 yuan (applicable to teachers, students, etc.). Tickets for night climbing must be booked at Laojun Mountain Princess. If you want to take the cable car, the first-level cable car costs 130 yuan round trip (70 yuan for going up, 65 yuan for going down), and the second-level cable car costs 80 yuan round trip (45 yuan for going up, 40 yuan for going down). You can choose according to your budget and physical strength. If you want to save money and challenge yourself, hiking up the mountain is also a good choice, but you need some perseverance~
2. Play time
The scenic area is open 24 hours a day, and the cable car operates from 07:00 to 19:00. It is recommended to go down the mountain before 18:30, otherwise if you miss the cable car, you will have to go down the mountain in the dark, which is a bit too exciting. The lighting time of the Golden Summit is 03:30 - 4:30 in the morning and 7:30 - 8:00 in the evening. The sunset is expected to be 19:10 - 19:30 during the day, and the sunrise is expected to be 05:30 - 06:00 at night. Don't miss these time points, the photos are super beautiful!
3. Transportation Guide
1. Self-driving: Navigate directly to the Zhongling or Yunjing cableway entrance. Experienced drivers can enjoy the fun of self-driving and enjoy the scenery on the way. But remember to check the route in advance to avoid getting lost.
2. High-speed rail: First go to Luoyang Railway Station or Longmen High-speed Railway Station, then take the bus from Luoyang to Luanchuan (the last bus is at 18:00), and then transfer to the small transportation to the cable car entrance after arriving at Laojun Mountain Visitor Center. Although it is a bit tiring to change buses along the way, when you think of the beautiful scenery of Laojun Mountain, don’t you feel motivated instantly?
3. Group registration: One-day tour includes round-trip transportation, tickets and insurance, and the entire journey is on the highway directly to the cableway entrance; the night climbing group gathers at 19:00 and is directly sent to the night climbing entrance. It returns at 8:00 the next day and arrives in the city at about 10:00. Children who don’t want to worry can choose to join a group and follow the main force, which saves worry and effort.
4. Hiking routes
1. Classic route: Take the first-level cable car to Zhongtianmen (the cable car is like a "time machine", which can take you from the foot of the mountain to the middle of the mountain in about 10 minutes) ➡️You can check in at Zhongtianmen first, and then walk the steeper but time-saving stone stairs in the middle, which has about 500 steps. It takes 10 minutes to get up (if you think it is too steep, the wooden stairs on the right are also OK, but you will have to walk for more than 10 minutes) ➡️After arriving at the Jiukudian, turn left, and then there is a flat road with stairs, which is relatively easy to walk ➡️Pay attention at an intersection, turn left to Shili Painted Screen, although it takes an extra hour and a half to walk, but the scenery is beautiful, highly recommended (although the right side can reach the top of the mountain in 20 minutes, it will miss the beautiful scenery of Shili Painted Screen, which is a pity) ➡️If you don’t want to take the second-level cable car, you can hike It takes 40 minutes to get here. The road is easy to walk on and you can save 40 yuan. There are two roads to go to Shili Painted Screen. It is recommended to take the Fairyland Tunnel directly to save time and effort (if you have enough time, it is also good to go to the left and you can see more scenery). After passing through the Fairyland Tunnel, you will reach the via ferrata (a little exciting, 200 each time, brave kids can try it). After going down more than 100 steps, turn right and you will reach Shili Painted Screen. This is a must-check-in place. The scenery is picturesque and you can't stop taking pictures. After coming out of Yixiantian, there is Tengyun Plank Road. Although it is not as dangerous as via ferrata, it is also quite thrilling. After that, you can choose to take the elevator (40 yuan, 4 sections in total), and you can reach the Jinding Taoist Temple Group in about 7 minutes; if you don’t want to take the elevator, you can still get there by walking, but you will have to spend more effort.
2. Parent-child route (suitable for those with elderly and children): take the first-level cable car to Zhongtianmen ➡️Take the second-level cable car from Zhongtianmen (it’s better to take it easy when bringing the elderly and children, so as not to tire everyone out) ➡️After getting off the cable car, pass through the Fairyland Tunnel and walk along a section of the Ten-Li Painting Screen ➡️Take the elevator to Nantianmen at the elevator ➡️Climb up to the Golden Summit from Nantianmen. The whole journey is easy and not tiring, but it’s a bit expensive, haha.
5. Travel Suggestions
1. Clothing preparation: The temperature difference between the top of the mountain and the bottom of the mountain is about 10 degrees. It is very cold on the top of the mountain in winter, so be sure to bring a thick down jacket. You can climb the mountain wearing light clothes first, and then put on your down jacket when you are almost at the top. Otherwise, if you sweat while climbing, the down jacket will get wet and will not keep you warm. Remember to buy an anti-slip crampon after it snows. They are sold at the foot of the mountain and there is no need to prepare them in advance.
2. What to bring: It is recommended to bring your own bread, ham, and water, as the prices on the mountain will definitely be higher than those at the foot of the mountain. However, it is not recommended to bring your own instant noodles, because you have to pay for the hot water on the mountain, and sometimes they may not sell it to you. It only costs 12 yuan to just buy ready-made instant noodles. You can buy trekking poles and prayer cards at the foot of the mountain. The price is quite affordable. You can also bargain when buying prayer cards. Usually you can get them for 5 yuan.
3. Other notes: Do not go to Laojun Mountain by yourself. The ticket price is 100 yuan, and the round-trip bus from Luoyang to Laojun Mountain is more than 100 yuan, plus the cable car fee, it costs a lot. It is much more cost-effective to go there with a one-day tour bus, which only costs 145 yuan for the ticket and round-trip bus. Don't take the steep stone steps in the middle of Zhongtianmen. Take the wooden plank road on the right hand side, which will save effort and be easier. Don’t take a shortcut to the Golden Temple, or you will miss the unparalleled beauty of the Ten-Li Painted Screen.
Okay, my dears, this guide is already very detailed. I hope you all have fun in Laojun Mountain, take beautiful photos, and be a free "god" for a day!