Shanghai: Yuyao Streams, Ming Trail & Bayberry Day Trip

Leave Shanghai for a refreshingly cool day in the ancient land of Yuyao on this easygoing private day tour, designed around gentle walking, stream scenery and seasonal fruit rather than strenuous hiking. Your English-speaking guide and private driver collect you from your hotel for the scenic drive into the Siming Mountains, a region famed as the cradle of the prehistoric Hemudu culture.

After a relaxed lunch, you'll begin at a serene old temple founded around 1,800 years ago, then follow a beautiful stream valley where water threads between bamboo groves and whispering pines. Even in the heat of summer this shaded gorge stays delightfully cool, and its highlight is a series of waterfalls that send up bright white spray above clear, ice-cool pools you can see straight to the bottom of.

From there the route joins a centuries-old Ming-dynasty stone path, its well-laid steps and flagstones making for an easy, comfortable climb. At the top the valley opens onto sweeping hillside tea fields, a peaceful, panoramic reward, and the gentle stone path makes the descent just as effortless.

The sweet finale is a visit to a local bayberry orchard, where you can wander in, pick and eat the plump, juicy fruit to your heart's content, and take some home. With a relaxed pace, an included lunch and a fully private, flexible itinerary, the whole day is yours to enjoy before your car returns you to Shanghai.

A cool, relaxed private day from Shanghai into ancient Yuyao. Stroll a stream valley of waterfalls and bamboo, walk a Ming trail to hilltop tea fields and pick fresh bayberries, with your own car.