If you feel like having an epic mystical journey, the Plank Walk in China is definitely something you need to add to your to-do list.

The Plank Walk is a located in the foggy mountain ranges of Mt Huashan in the Shaanxi province of Huayin. I first heard about this walk from a friend I met on a trek to Everest Base camp. He simply said “When you get home, google ‘Plank Walk China’”. I did. And as soon as I saw that plank floating in the clouds I knew I had to do it.

Finding the Plank Walk on Google Maps was easy enough. Getting there was a challenge in itself. If you’re also thinking you want to try this adventure, I’ve put down some notes and images below to help with your decision. And if you have any questions that haven’t been answered here I’m more than happy to answer them to help point you in the right direction.

A few things to keep in mind when cruising around China:

1. Google, Twitter, Facebook and Instagram are banned in China. So forget trying to navigate using Google Maps. Remember life before Google Maps? Me neither. Yes you can get a VPN, but where’s the fun in that?

2. Turns out not many people in China speak English. So make sure you have your travel plans all written down in English & Chinese. That way, if you get lost you can just ask someone by pointing to your notes.

3. Always carry a decent amount of RMB cash. Not everywhere accepts VISA & Mastercard.

4. Your trip will be a million times smoother if you know someone who already lives in China and speaks the language.

Getting to Mt Huashan

I flew from Sydney to Beijing and then hopped on a bullet train. The bullet train is a great way to take in the sights of the Chinese countryside. And the best part is that it goes super quick. The train leaves from Beijing West station and goes to Huashan North station. Remember these stops when booking your ticket. The entire trip takes about 5 hours. I had a Chinese friend help me with booking tickets. Make sure you give yourself plenty of time to arrange tickets because Chinese train stations can be a little daunting if you don’t know much mandarin. You’ll also need to hand over your passport details at multiple stops.

When I arrived at Huashan North, my friendly AirBNB host was there to greet me. I was staying right at the base of Mt Huashan. I got some food and sleep to make sure I was ready for the walk the next day.

Finding the Plank Walk

When morning came, my AirBNB host was kind enough to drop me at the entry point to the Plank Walk. It was a giant temple with a big Buddha looking statue out the front.

I walked through the temple and paid the RMB $180 (about AUD $40) entry fee. From here it was a simple case of following my nose. I just kept thinking ‘The Plank Walk is in the clouds, so I should just keep walking up’. And walk up I did. Be prepared for stairs. I walked up stairs non-stop from 7am to 3pm with a few drink breaks thrown in to keep hydrated. If you’re thinking about going on this adventure, make sure you have some decent level of fitness. The walk up is equally if not more dangerous than the plank walk itself.

Good news is that there are plenty of rest stops along the way with places to buy food, snacks and go to the toilet.

You will come across a few forks in the road. Luckily the track has plenty of locals walking the same track. If you get stuck, my advice would be to just follow traffic. If there is none, just remember the Plank Walk is up extremely high. So keep walking up the extremely steep stairs.

Some of the steepest stairs you will ever see

Walking the walk

After hours of walking up stairs, I finally turned a corner and ended up in line to walk the famous Plank Walk. It can get windy on the face of the mountain so make sure you pack a jacket just in case. It costs about RMB $30 (about AUD $5) to rent a harness at the start of the walk and an extra RMB $70 (about AUD $20) for a guy on the walk to take your picture on the plank. Definitely worth it. The Plank Walk is not the place to be pulling out your phone. If you drop it, it is most definitely gone forever.

It is a scary walk. The constant two way traffic and ancient walkway craftsmanship just add to the adventure. You get the feeling that at any moment the entire cliff face is going to give up and break off. There is no real feeling of safety. If you find yourself panicking, just breath and try to remember that you’ve already had a good life up until that point.

Getting back down

There is a Gondola that will get you back to the base of the mountain, but where is the fun in that? If you have left yourself enough time, I highly recommend walking back down the exact way you came up. When you get to the temple at the end, your beer will taste all the more sweeter.

Just a note here to be extra cautious. Hundreds of people die each year on this path so be sure to keep your wits about you.