Northern Guangdong

The mountainous north of Guangdong gathers the red cliffs of Danxia Mountain, Meizhou's Hakka walled houses, Qingyuan's hot springs and rafting, and the Yao villages of Liannan, making it a weekend mountain retreat for Pearl River Delta residents.

Northern Guangdong, following the official Guangdong four-region division of Pearl River Delta, Eastern Guangdong, Western Guangdong and Northern Guangdong, refers to the northern mountain region made up of five cities: Shaoguan, Qingyuan, Meizhou, Heyuan and Yunfu. It should be noted that Meizhou and Heyuan belong to Northern Guangdong in the official division but are culturally the core Hakka area, often called "northeastern Guangdong" by locals; this region still follows the official grouping. Key sights include: Danxia Mountain in Shaoguan, the place that gave its name to "Danxia landforms" and part of the UNESCO World Natural Heritage site China Danxia, where you can take a boat trip on the Jin River or climb Zhanglao Peak for sunrise; Qingyuan, with the scenery of the Bei River, hot springs and gorge rafting, while in the northwest Lianzhou and Liannan preserve underground rivers and the thousand-year-old Yao villages of the Pai Yao; Meizhou, the "Hakka Capital of the World", where the round-house (weilong) dwellings, Hakka cuisine and mountain songs are the most representative, while Pingyuan and Jiaoling are known for Wuzhishi's Danxia scenery and longevity villages; and Heyuan's Wanlu Lake, a large reservoir in South China with clear water, good for cycling around the lake and boat trips. Classic itineraries: from Guangzhou, a two- to three-day "Qingyuan hot springs + Lianzhou and Liannan" trip, a two-day "Shaoguan Danxia Mountain + Nanhua Temple" trip, or a three-day "Meizhou Hakka walled houses + Pingyuan and Jiaoling" trip; linking the whole region takes about six to eight days. For transport, the Beijing–Guangzhou high-speed railway runs through Qingyuan and Shaoguan, the Ganzhou–Shenzhen high-speed railway runs through Heyuan, Meizhou has the Meizhou–Shantou high-speed railway and an airport, and Shaoguan has also opened air service; sights in the region are scattered, so self-driving is the most flexible. Seasonally, autumn and winter, clear and with little rain, are the best; spring brings the damp "huinantian" weather, and summer has many thunderstorms, so for mountain rafting and stream tracing keep an eye on weather warnings.

Destinations

Itineraries