Wuyishan Slow Life Guide
Spend 5 days and 4 nights in Wuyishan for 5000 RMB|Stay at a century-old tea farmer’s home by the Nine-Bend Stream! Drink Da Hong Pao for 3 days straight, climb Tianyou Peak at night to watch the sea of clouds surge, pick tea until dawn: only at 40 do you realize how costly it is to “slow down”! 🔥
“At 4 a.m., I squatted on a rock at Tianyou Peak,
surrounded by 10 strangers I’d never met before,
suddenly, a golden light split the sea of clouds—
999 steps rolled beneath my feet like waves,
the Nine-Bend Stream wrapped around the mountains like a jade belt.
I took out my phone and sent a voice message to my city self:
‘Stop rushing, come to Wuyishan, take a breath.’”
In 5 days and 4 nights, with less than 5000 RMB,
I stayed in a homestay renovated from a century-old tea farmer’s house by the Nine-Bend Stream, with bamboo groves visible from the window;
drank authentic rock Da Hong Pao tea for 3 days, fully involved from tea mountain to tea cup;
climbed Tianyou Peak at night, watched the sea of clouds and sunrise, and took photos that got over 200 likes on social media;
personally picked tea, shook green tea, and pan-fried tea leaves, still rolling tea leaves at 2 a.m.;
the old tea farmer said, “You city folks work hard to make money, we work hard to drink tea,
but in the end, it’s all about living like a human being.”
Devoured local snacks: Guangbing with meat, rice cakes, Langu smoked goose, Lei tea...
40 RMB per person for wild mountain flavors, every meal so delicious you lick the bowl!
✅ Detailed itinerary
✅ Cost-effective accommodation recommendations (near scenic spots + tea farmer homes)
✅ Authentic Wuyishan food map (locals’ secret spots)
✅ Best photo spots
✅ Anti-slip, mosquito prevention + money-saving tips
Spend 5000 RMB and take home all of Wuyishan’s “tea, mountains, streams, and tranquility” ⛰️🍵🚣
💰 Budget breakdown (per person|cheaper for two)
| Item | Budget |
|------|--------|
| Round-trip transportation (high-speed train/flight) | ¥1200 (direct from major cities nationwide to Wuyishan station/airport) |
| Accommodation (4 nights at tea farmer homestay) | ¥1200 (¥300/night, breakfast included) |
| Local transportation (scenic bus + taxi) | ¥200 |
| Meals (breakfast, main meals, snacks) | ¥800 (¥160/day, 8 meals!) |
| Tickets + experiences (scenic pass, bamboo raft, tea picking class) | ¥1600 (30% off if booked online in advance) |
| Shopping + emergency fund | ¥200 |
| Total | ≈ ¥4800 |
✅ Note: If two people travel together, sharing accommodation and taxi costs, the per-person budget can be kept under 4000 RMB, leaving extra for more tea and tea-picking experiences!
🗓️ Daily detailed itinerary (recommended travel from March to May or September to November|spring picking and autumn harvest, frequent sea of clouds)
Day 1: Arrive in Wuyishan|First encounter with Nine-Bend Stream × Night tasting Da Hong Pao
📍 Itinerary: Arrive at Wuyishan station → Taxi to Xingcun Town → Check in at tea farmer’s home → Night visit to tea house
Afternoon: Check in at [Nine-Bend Stream Tea Farmer Homestay] (¥280-350, e.g., “Xilan Mountain Lodge,” “Tea Language Home”)
Open the window to see bamboo groves, fall asleep to the sound of the stream
Evening: Walk to [Sangu Resort Area]
Experience the first brew of Da Hong Pao at “Tea Farmer’s Home”
Old tea farmer explains: rock charm, roasting technique, mountain terrain
Night: Eat smoked goose + rice cakes at [Langu Renjia] for a late-night snack; back at the homestay, drink a pot of “aged cinnamon” tea privately kept by the old tea farmer
📌 Tip: Don’t buy tea at the scenic spot entrance! Taste first, then buy!
Day 2: Bamboo raft drifting × Wuyi Palace × Da Hong Pao scenic area hike
📍 Itinerary: Classic route, check off three highlights in one trip
7:00 a.m.: Take the [Nine-Bend Stream Bamboo Raft] (¥130, book in advance)
Route: Xingcun Pier → Wuyi Palace (about 1.5 hours)
Must-see: Jade Maiden Peak, King Peak, Iron Plate Ridge, Rainbow Bridge Board
Boatman jokes: “No photos of Jade Maiden Peak, she’s shy!”
Noon: After disembarking, eat Guangbing with meat + Lei tea at [Jiuqu Renjia]
Afternoon: Visit [Wuyi Palace] + [Song Street]
Free admission, experience thousand-year culture
Evening: Hike [Da Hong Pao Scenic Area] (ticket included in pass)
Visit the mother Da Hong Pao tree, 6 old tea trees locked and protected
Take the iconic “tea tree + sea of clouds” photo
📸 Photo spots: Bamboo raft drifting, Jade Maiden Peak reflection, Da Hong Pao mother tree
Day 3: Night climb Tianyou Peak × Watch sea of clouds sunrise
📍 Itinerary: Challenge Wuyishan’s most classic climbing route
9:00 p.m.: Start night climb from [Tianyou Peak entrance]
Route: about 800 steps on the mountain trail, 1 hour to the summit
Gear:
Flashlight or headlamp
Warm jacket (windy at the top)
Thermos + chocolate
4:30 a.m.: Arrive at the summit, secure a good viewing spot
5:50 a.m.: Sun leaps out from the sea of clouds, complete silence
Morning: Photograph sea of clouds, Buddha’s light, and strange rocks
Noon: Eat vegetarian noodles (¥15) on the way down
Afternoon: Nap back at the homestay
📌 Tip: Tianyou Peak sunrise chance is 70%, best after rain the next day to see the sea of clouds!
Day 4: Tea picking and making experience × Water Curtain Cave exploration
📍 Itinerary: Deep tea culture day tour
Morning: Join [Tea Farmer Experience Class] (¥198/person)
Pick tea leaves by hand (1 jin fresh leaves per person)
Learn shaking, pan-frying, rolling, baking
Take home finished product (about 50g handmade tea)
Noon: Eat tea farmer’s homemade “tea feast”: tea-scented chicken, tea eggs, bamboo shoot stir-fried with tea oil
Afternoon: Hike [Water Curtain Cave Scenic Area]
Wuyishan’s largest cave, waterfall like a curtain
Must-do: crawl through the cave, listen to water sounds, photograph “flying waterfall and flowing spring”
Evening: Return to homestay, brew tea around the stove with tea farmers
📌 Local secret: When picking tea, pinch “one bud and two leaves,” don’t pick randomly!
Day 5: Farewell Wuyishan|Last cup of tea + bring home 5 jin of tea leaves
Morning: Sleep in, then visit the tea house again
Ask tea farmers to recommend “daily tea”: Shuixian, Rougui, rare varieties
Buy 5 jin of authentic rock tea (¥800-1200, can be packed as gifts)
Check out: homestay owners often give homemade tea snacks (like tea crisps)
Head to Wuyishan station/airport**, end the 5-day “tea cultivation journey”
📌 Pitfall warning: “Free tea tasting” at scenic spots is a trap! Don’t impulsively buy expensive tea!
🍜 Wuyishan must-eat food list (40-60 RMB per person to eat your fill)
| Type | Recommendation | Must-try |
|------|----------------|----------|
| Main meals | Langu smoked goose, rice cakes, tea-scented chicken | Langu Renjia, Jiuqu Renjia |
| Snacks | Guangbing with meat, Lei tea, Qingming rice cakes | Most authentic at street stalls |
| Drinks | Da Hong Pao, Rougui, Shuixian | Best brewed yourself |
| Late night | Grilled bamboo shoots, tea oil noodles | Homestay kitchen |
📌 Tip: Smoked goose is salty, pairs perfectly with tea!
🏡 Accommodation recommendations (cost-effective + good location)
1. Nine-Bend Stream Tea Farmer Homestay (¥280-350)
Near scenic spots, experience tea picking life, high cost performance
2. Sangu Resort Area Homestay (¥300-400)
Complete commercial facilities, convenient dining
3. Xingcun Town/Xingtian Town Inns
More rustic, suitable for deep travel
🧴 Anti-slip and mosquito prevention tips (must read!)
👟 Shoes: Non-slip hiking shoes (stone steps can be slippery)
🧴 Mosquito repellent: Many mosquitoes in the forest, bring repellent
🌡️ Temperature difference: Cold mornings and evenings, hot at noon, bring a jacket
📱 Phone: Weak signal in mountain areas, download maps in advance
📸 Top 5 photo spots
| Location | Style | Best time to shoot |
|----------|-------|--------------------|
| Nine-Bend Stream bamboo raft | Jiangnan poetic | Before 8:00 a.m. |
| Tianyou Peak sunrise | Sea of clouds wonderland | 5:50-6:10 a.m. |
| Da Hong Pao mother tree | Cultural landmark | Morning with good light |
| Water Curtain Cave waterfall | Mountain wild spectacle | Afternoon soft light |
| Tea farmer picking tea | Life documentary | 9:00-11:00 a.m. |
✅ Summary: Why travel Wuyishan like this?
✔️ Visual shock (sea of clouds, bamboo raft, strange peaks)
✔️ Taste enjoyment (Da Hong Pao, smoked goose, Guangbing)
✔️ Physical participation (tea picking, tea making, hiking)
✔️ Spiritual cultivation (tea ceremony, retreat, slow life)
✔️ Cost performance (5000 RMB for a “tea cultivation vacation”)
📌 Final words:
Stop saying Wuyishan is just “tea drinking and mountain climbing”!
In this “World Dual Heritage” city,
you can drift past the Six-Bend Jade Maiden Peak on the Nine-Bend Stream at dawn,
or wait for a surging sea of clouds atop Tianyou Peak at dawn,
and in the tea fragrance,
suddenly realize—
In middle age,
the most luxurious thing isn’t money,
but the courage
to stop,
and brew a pot of tea for yourself. 🍵⛰️🍃