Most foreign nationals need a visa to go to China - A 6-month
multiple entry visa costs HK$480 from Japan Travel Agency - 5/F, East Ocean
Centre, 98 Granville Road, Tsim Sha Tsui Tel 2368-9151 (M-F 9.00-7.00, Sat
9-12.00).
Due to the distance you are probably having to travel and the
time to get through the border it is probably best to go up the night before.
The Railway Station hotel (above the railway station) - head towards the Shangri
La and you'll see it - has rooms from about HK$200 per night for 2 people (or
the Shangri La has rooms from about HK$550 for 2 people if you book from HK -
try www.orientaltravel.com ).
Start: When I reached the
top I could see a lot of routes up this mountain - but the map I had showed none
of them. Anyway, I took a taxi from Shenzhen railway station (meter cost Y25)
along the road east along the border towards Shatoujiao until I saw the mountain
- and stopped the taxi when I could see a path up it. I was a little suspicious
(correctly as it turned out) that I hadn't got the right mountain. 944m is about
the same height as Lantau Peak - and this didn't seem quite as high. When I
eventually reached the top I found signposts saying I had just climbed Little Wu
Tong Shan (about 650m) but there was a road and clear path to the 'real thing'
which was easy to follow from there.
End: I followed the paved road
all the way back down the mountain (about 1.5 hours). I was walking on a weekday
and didn't see any buses (although there were some private cars I might have
been able to hitch a ride from) When the road turned into a town - I headed for
what I thought looked the right direction and after asking someone eventually
found a bus 'station' - not that I would have recognized it as such but it was
the end of the line for the bus. Y3 got me back to Shenzhen train station.
Description: An interesting walk - it starts up a dirt
track which eventually turns into a dirt road. After 30 minutes or so I could
choose between continuing on the dirt road or my decision of a road which looked
like it would turn into a dirt track again (My Chinese reading is not so good
but I think the sign said that there was no way through - although it appeared
to be a sign for vehicles). It was an easy enough walk (a little steep in
places) on a dusty track until about 100m vertically from the top. Then it
seemed to completely stop due to some building work. Some workmen persuaded me
that I could climb the almost vertical gravelly cliff next to the dirt chute
they had been building. I would never have chosen to do it had I been alone but
since the workmen were there I thought I'd give it a go - which led to a little
more excitement than I'd planned.
The gravel and gradient (imagine the gravel route to Sharp
Peak at a vertical gradient) with just some grass and bush handholds with the
odd larger rock here and there was fun but not easy - I certainly didn't want to
go back down and with about 20m vertical distance to go I completely lost my
nerve standing with one foot on a small rock and the other on some unsteady
gravel that seemed to be about to slip, one hand on a rock, a fairly long drop
down and I couldn't find the next handhold. I ended up calling for the workmen
to come and rescue me - and help me up to the top. Very embarrassing, although
they were very nice about it! (By the time you get there, hopefully there
will be a better path or steps - or it would only be a 40 minute detour to go
back to the turning and take the dirt road)
At the top there is a road to the last part of Wu Tong Shan.
The real Wu Tong Shan is also a steep gravelly climb - but they are building
some steps (looks a bit like The Twins - except amazingly the steps seem to be
solid marble blocks instead of concrete) up the worst part at least. It was very
polluted on the day I went (Dec 03), but on a good day there should be some
excellent views of a 360 degree panorama including a lot of north Hong Kong.
Time: 5 hours
