October is the middle of autumn in China, and it is the best month to appreciate colorful autumn scenery. Cool weather in October can makes your tour in China more comfortable and enjoyable.
We have listed the five best places to visit in colorful October. If you are a shutterbug and looking for the most beautiful photography locations in October, these places are great choices.
1. The Silk Road
Silk Road TourThe Silk Road was once the world's most significant trade route that connected East and West for more than two thousand years. Now it is a popular tourist route, including a lot of fascinating and beautiful destinations and attractions. The key destinations are: Luoyang (Longmen Grottoes), Xi'an (Terracotta Army), Zhangye (Zhangye Danxia Geological Park), Dunhuang (the Singing Sand Mountains), and Xinjiang Province (Turpan Grape Valley).
October is a good time to visit the Silk Road: the weather is comfortable and it is less crowded than in the summer. When touring during this time, you can also taste the fresh fruit harvest of the Silk Road, such as watermelons and grapes.
If you do not have enough time to take an all-inclusive Silk Road trip, in October we usually suggest starting your trip from Dunhuang and ending it at Zhangye, with a trip to the see the fabulous fall colors in Ejina Desert Poplar Forest. Ejina is about 5 hours' driving from Jiayuguan and about 7 hours from Zhangye.
Recommended tour: 7-Day Dunhuang, Zhangye, and Ejina Photography Tour
2.The Yellow Mountains — Like an Ancient Chinese Scroll Painting
The Yellow Mountains is one of the most famous mountain areas in China, attracting numerous visitors with its imaginatively-named pines, oddly-shaped rocks, seas of cloud and hot springs.
The weather turns cool and dry in October, and it is one of the best months to tour the mountains, whether for hiking or photography.
Watching the sunrises is a popular activity. Make sure to get up early so you can get a good spot. If lucky, you can get many beautiful pictures of the sunrise enlivening the misty mountains. During the day you may walk around and admire the peculiar rock formations and formidable passageways through the granite mountains.
The temperature on the mountains varies greatly between day and night. It reaches 18-25 °C (64-77 °F) in the daytime in October and drops to 0-10°C (32-50 °F) at night.
- Also read Photography Tips for the Yellow Mountains.
- Recommended itinerary: 3-Day Essence of Huangshan Tour.
China Highlights, Asia Highlights, and Global Highlights collaborate to provide families and couples with personalized and stress-free experiences in diverse destinations.
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Beautiful Huangshan
Our tour guide Tony was indeed very knowledgeable and helpful the entire trip. His explanation and description of the villages in English is very good. Tony is very accommodating to our requests too. The hike up in the mountains was really good and exciting and Tony managed to bring us to most of the recommended viewpoints and waited for us to catch our breath when we’re too exhausted hiking. I fully recommend getting Tony as your guide. more
Jul 2023,
CindyBeezeebee
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"The Mysterious and Gorgeous Peaks Make Yellow Mountain a MUST Visit"
My girlfriend and I went to Yellow Mountain during the Labor Day Holiday in China, and honestly were amazed by the actual beauty of it all. Our tour guide Sunny (thank you so much for your exquisite work) made our trip even better. The hotels that were chosen by the China Highlights agency were perfect, the Shanshui Boutique in the heart of the Huangshan city was so convenient to walk from, and the Xihai Hotel on the mountains was a perfect stop for the hiking we did for two days. The tour that we did was not enough to see everything of course so we shall be returning in the near future. We were so lucky about the weather and the crowds (holiday) that the perfect visit was even more marvelous as I proposed to my girlfriend on the Flying Rock peak during a breathtaking sunset. This will always be our rock and for that I am very grateful since Sunny the tour guide made it perfect for us. more
May 2023,
High F
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Absolutely Stunning Yellow Mountains
In April 23 China Highlights organised a 3 day, 2 night trip for us from Shanghai to Huangshan. From the Bullet Train to the scenery at the World Heritage Yellow Mountains to the Tea ceremony - It's a must visit for anyone visiting China, however, not often on Western Tourist Programs. more
May 2023,
Megan S
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Stunning Yellow Mountains - Huangshan
In April 23 China Highlights organised a 3 day, 2 night trip for us from Shanghai to Huangshan in the Anhui Province. From the Bullet Train to the scenery at the World Heritage Yellow Mountains, the meals and the Tea ceremony - It's a must visit for anyone visiting China, however, not often on Western Tourist Programs. Liberman who arranged the trip, and Tony who was our guide were always available to assist us. 10/10 - Thanks very much. Adam Liaws, "Destination Flavour China"(S1 Episode2 visits the Anhui province - worth a watch to see how beautiful the region is. more
May 2023,
Leonie Megan
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Mystical misty mountain tour
We three ladies took a three-day trip away from our families to enjoy the peace of the countryside and the inspiring beauty of Huangshan. China Highlights and our tour guide, Jack Fan, made the trip everything we had hoped for an even more. We started the first day with bicycle and foot tours in Bishan Village- absolutely charming! We then moved to Huangshan and… wow! It’s easy to see what artists and poets have been inspired throughout the centuries. Jack has spent years on the mountain and knows every corner of it. He made sure to take us to the best places in the limited time we had and made it all extra special by sharing the history and stories. He also knew exactly how long every path would take and planned to maximize our time with a steady pace. Early rain quickly passed and left us with the views of the moving “sea of clouds” that everyone talks about. We are all so glad we didn’t miss Huangshan- there’s a reason everyone says it’s the most beautiful mountain in China. Thanks, Jack, for a wonderful tour! more
Apr 2023,
christinajeanne
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4 Day Yellow Mountain Trip
Tony was an enthusiastic and knowledgeable guide, who skillfully dealt with any issues as they arose to make sure the days passed seamlessly and enjoyably. more
Sep 2022,
Paul
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5-Day Dynamic Huangshan Tour is a must!
My husband and I were in awe of the natural beauty of the Yellow Mountain. Our guide Phillip Tong, with China Highlights, gave us an exceptional experience at our pace. (As an older couple this was greatly appreciated.) He shared his vast knowledge of history and cultural significance as we trekked over and around the mountain, touring Bishan, and Hongcun. We concluded our trip by making fish lanterns. China Highlights has once again provided us with great memories. more
Aug 2022,
Catherine C
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I did a 4 day trekking in the Yellow…
I did a 4 day trekking in the Yellow Mountains with China Highlights and it was even more stunning than I thought it would be. Spend two nights in the mountains and one in Huangshan, totally worth is. This is a place you must visit and according to my guide every season had it’s own beauty. I will definitely come back! Coco planned the whole trip according to my wishes and Tony was a perfect guide being very knowledgeable and supportive. If you don’t have 4 days I’m sure a three, or even two, day trip will be very nice as well! more
Aug 2022,
Elizabeth
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We had a memorable experience hiking
We had a memorable experience hiking the Yellow Mountain in Huangshan. Our trip was complicated by the typhoon that hit the area and we had to have a flexible itinerary, China Highlights helped with this. Once we arrived, Tony was very helpful & was able to tailor the experience for the different fitness levels in the group. more
Sep 2021,
Leigh Smith
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Fantastic tour and guide
Our guide for the 3 days was Tony, who was very knowledgeable, friendly, polite and spoke good english. Tony even went out of his was last minute to organize a birthday cake for my wife. He was a terrific guide. --Travel 73002 more
Dec 2019,
Travel 73002
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Beautiful Yellow Mountains/Tunxi/Hongcun tour with our guide April Yao
Great tour arrangement by Coco Yang. We had a fabulous time with April Yao. She is courteous, knowledgeable about Huangshan and spoken excellent English. She is very caring and very patient especially during our hike to ensure we enjoy the scenery with no rush at all. She goes beyond her duty and is always helpful to take group photos of us including short video clips of the amazing scenery. THANK YOU April Yao for an amazing and unforgettable trip with you. Would definitely recommend China Highlights for a customized private tour. Money well spent! Make sure you ask for April Yao as your guide in Yellow Mountains. -----fongsherina Sydney, Australia more
Nov 2019,
fongsherina
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Three days on Mt Huangshan
I recently visited the much fabled Huangshan aka Yellow mountain in my second visit to China. I had seen pictures when I was researching my trip but the place simply took my breath away. Amazing rock formations and trees growing out of granite create a surreal landscape! The place is simply a natural wonder. We first visited Tunxi (Huangshan city) which is pretty special in itself as it has merely 100,000 people and offers a little old town with fabulous handicrafts (wood carvings, bags etc.) and local eats (try hairy tofu!....it may look daunting but it tastes delicious!) Next day we started our exploration of Huangshan mountain. Huangshan offers many many hiking trails in the different scenic areas. The hiking path is man-made steps and based on one‘s ability and appetite there are many to choose from. One can take a comfortable cable car ride up to the mountain that offers stunning vistas so be ready to snap some amazing scenery. Then one starts hiking down the mountain. There is a monorail to take you back up the mountain should you be staying in one of the hotels on the mountain. We ourselves did various hikes with our fantastic guide Tony who is very knowledgeable and really took care of us starting from preparing snacks for the day and showing us the most spectacular views. We spent about 2.5 days exploring the mountain and if I had an extra pair of legs I would have done more! ;-) We stayed two nights on top of the mountain. While the accommodations offered all the basic creature comforts, the mountain itself retains an unspoilt aura which makes the experience just perfect. So one gets to enjoy almost unadulterated nature without sacrificing on the essentials. Finally, in our China trip, we visited four other mountains and my personal recommendation is that if one had to choose one mountain to visit in China, then it should be Huangshan! It is less than 2 hours from Shanghai by bullet train and there is no other place like it! I for sure would love to visit again and this time for longer! ---36debim more
Nov 2019,
36debim
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We booked a 2 day trip Huangshan / Yellow Mountains with China Highlights. April Yao was our guide and she reallly could read our wishes and feelings.... Before I start: "Hiking" in the Yellow Mountains means walking on a paved path and "climbing" up and down steps. The main routes are very, very crowded. There is no "wild" or natural path hiking like Europeans use to do... She guided us quickly away from the chinese tourist masses to some spectacular "lonley" points (you will never be alone in China). The late afternoon hike with breathtaking views and a beautiful sunset on the eastern side of the park was a highlight. Especially after 4pm most of the tourists go back down and the place becomes calmer. However, there are still many people on the mountain in the various hotels. We were in the Xihai Hotel 5*- very comfortable, quite a good level. Be aware: go for dinner early, we collected the food left after 7.30 pm and at 8 they started to clean (officially open till 8.30 pm). Next Morning: watch the sunrise - our one was not as spectacular as sunset. After breakfast we did a tour to the highest point, some more spectacular views and headed back for an excellent lunch to the valley. On the way back we visited a village close by (forgot the name) and in the evening we took a massage in Haungshan City - I felt like a cooked noodle afterwards... but great program. What would I do different? Next time I would ask for an extended tour including the cable train on the backside of the mountain. This seemed to be quite spectacular but would probably require 2 -3 more hours of hiking. And I would probably not go up there on a weekend or in highseason. --Patrick.Teufen more
Nov 2019,
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Six wonderful days in the Anhui Province
I had the pleasure of staying in the most wonderful 10-bedroom hotel called the Pig's Inn in Bishan and Bishan itself is a lovely village to explore and to go cycling. The Huangshan Mountains are spectacular and I would definitely recommend to spend the better part of three days or more hiking there and not just a day trip as you will miss so much if limited to one day. I have also been hiking in the Huashan Mountains with China Highlights and they are also spectacular too, but if you have been to Huashan do not think it is more of the same in Huangshan. more
Nov 2019,
jameslP6516B
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3. Daocheng Yading — The Last Pure Land on Earth
Daocheng YadingYading Nature Reserve is in Daocheng Country, Ganzi Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture, Sichuan Province. It has breathtaking natural landscapes and is praised as "the last pure land on earth".
There are awe-inspiring and beautiful snow-covered mountains and highland plateau scenes including crystal rivers, sky-blue lakes, and rolling meadows. Hiking is the best way to enjoy the magnificent landscapes of Yading Nature Reserve. Usually, two days is suggested to explore the reserve.
Located on the edge of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau — the Roof of the World, Daocheng Yading has an altitude from 2,900 to 6,032 m (9,500–19,790 feet), so please prepare for the possibility of altitude sickness. The average temperature range of Daocheng Yading in October is from 0 to 15°C (32–59°F), so please bring warm clothes with you.
Recommended tour: Private 5-Day Daocheng and Yading Tour. We also offer a small-group Daocheng Yading trip during golden week (start date: 2nd October, price: CNY 6,699 per person), please contact us for more information.
4. Zhangjiajie — Precipitous Pillars
Zhangjiajie is world-renowned for its amazing rock pillar landscapes. You can spend 4 or 5 days hiking in the Zhangjiajie National Forest Park, enjoying panoramic views of the stunning Zhangjiajie Grand Canyon on the world's highest glass bridge, and taking the world's longest cable car ride to explore Tianmen Mountain.
October is the best time to visit Zhangjiajie as the weather is comfortable, the mountains are cool, and (apart from the National Holiday in the first week) it is quiet.
Most of the national forest in Zhangjiajie is evergreen, but, in October, Wolongling (卧龙岭) in the Tianzi Mountain area and Yaozi Village (鹞子寨) are the two best places to see fall foliage.
- Also read How to Plan a Zhangjiajie Tour.
- Recommended itinerary: 4-Day Essence of Zhangjiajie Tour
5. Shangri-La, Yunnan
China Highlights has recommended Shangri-La as one of the best places to visit in early summer. However, autumn (September and October) is also a great time for a visit to Shangri-La. Shangri-La (check out the Shangri-La travel guide) is a land of idyllic beauty with quiet lakes, verdant forests, vast grasslands with flocks and herds, mysterious monasteries, and snow-capped mountains.
The most-popular attractions in Shangri-La are: Pudacuo National Park, Meili Snow Mountain, Song Zanling Monastery, Lake Bita and Lake Shudu, Lake Napa, and Baishuitai. Feilai Temple is the best place to catch the sunrise and the sunset scenery with Meili Snow Mountain. If you are interested in ethnic culture, you can visit a local Naxi family.
In October most places in Shangri-La are decorated in flaming red and yellow colors. Rare foggy weather in this month brings a much clearer view of snow-capped mountains for photographers. The temperature difference between day and night in October is big, ranging on average from 5 °C (41 °F) to 20 °C (68 °F).
Recommended tour: 6-Day Shangri-La, Deqin and Tacheng Adventure Tour
Visit These Beautiful Places with Us
Visit the Yellow Mountains in OctoberIf you are interested in visiting the above destinations, you can contact us for details, and have us tailor-make a tour of China for you. Our travel specialists can help you with an itinerary and insider recommendations.
Here are two sample itineraries for your reference:
- 11-Day China Classic Wonders Tour: the most popular destinations in China
- 14-Day China Natural Wonders Discovery Tour: the most important historical and extraordinarily scenic destinations in China
Find more ideas from our China tours.
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- Top Places to Escape China's National Golden Week Crowds
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- China Weather in October — Travel Tips for October
