How to Visit Hukou Waterfall (Tips, Photos & Map)

Do you have a fancy idea of visiting this magnificent waterfall? Yes, years ago its awkward location did drive away many travellers since it is located in the middle reaches of Yellow River in the Loess Plateau hinterlands between Shaanxi Province and Shanxi Province.

But after the local governments improved transport and tourist facilities, foreign and domestic tourists coming to Hukou Waterfall have increased greatly year on year. Then how to visit Hukou Waterfall?

Which side to view Hukou Waterfall?

Hukou Waterfall can be viewed either from Shaanxi Province side (Xian as its capital city) or Shanxi Province side ( Taiyuan as its capital city ) since Yellow River is a border river dividing Shaanxi Province and Shanxi Province. The two provinces have the confusingly similar spelling: Shaanxi (陕西) and Shanxi (山西) with one"a" and double "a" in difference.

The visitors viewing on the Hukou Waterfall on the Shaanxi side (陕西) has outnumbered those on the Shanxi side (山西). The viewing place on the Shaanxi side is lower than Shanxi side, which makes the waterfall looks much more magnificent than viewed from the Shanxi side.

Best Time to View Hukou Waterfall

The best time to visit Hukou Waterfalls is May, June, September and October. July and August are a little to hot and humid.

Winter season finds less water volume on the Yellow River, reducing the greatness of the waterfall. The ice and snow at Hukou Waterfall will be melted totally in May.

But visiting Hukou Waterfall in winter has its unique features which you cannot enjoy in the high or best season. You will see ice pendants and a whitened iced river itself.

How to Get to Hukou Waterfall?

Xi'an, Linfeng (or Taiyuan ) and Yan'an are the three most accessible cities to start up your trip to Hukou Waterfall.

1. Going from Xi'an to Hukou Waterfall

As for the public transport between Yi Chuan and Hukou Waterfall, you may share the local mini-bus: 30 yuan per person 41 km).

2. Going from Yan'an to Hukou Waterfall

Hukou Waterfall is located about 140km in the southeast of Yanan (Hukou Waterfall is under the administration of Yan'an City). Yanan has plentiful trains going to Beijing, Taiyuan and Xian. Yan'an also has a medium-sized airport which has flights for Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou and etc.

As for the public transport between Yi Chuan and Hukou Waterfall, you may share the local mini-bus: 30 yuan per person 41 km).

3. Going from Taiyuan (or Linfeng) to Hukou Waterfall

You may take a bus and drive from Taiyuan to Hukou Waterfall at a distance of about 400km. The Taiyuan-Linfeng-Hukou Waterfall highway is completed.

Virtual Tour of Hukou Waterfall of the Yellow River

Today I make a side trip to Hukou Waterfall from Yan'an. Follow me into the wonderland of Hukou Waterfall!

Yesterday I took the overnight train starting from Beijing Western Railway Station. All the cars in the train offer soft sleepers, clean and comfortable. The train arrives at 5:03 early in the morning.

Losing no time, I hire a taxi （about 500 yuan for a day trip to Hukou Waterfall）hunting for business at the train station and directly dart for Hukou Waterfall though it is still quite dark outside.

We (me and my taxi driver) take a short cut - a provincial highway No.303 with a length of 140km from Yan'an city center to Hukou Waterfall.

We are driving on the loess plateau at the direction of southeast. I hope we can have the luck to enjoy a sunrise over the loess plateau. It seems today the good luck is sure to follow us! Driving on the high loess hills, we hit a red rising sun! Cool!

A sunrise over the loess plateau at 7:30am

With even a greater expectation to see a sunrise over Yellow River, I elbow my driver to drive a little faster to the edge of the mother river.Oh, my god! We make it! Here is the melting radiant sunrise over Yellow River.

When we get to the ticketing office of Hukou Waterfalls on the Shaanxi side, we feel dropped from heaven to hell when we are told that Hukou Waterfall is forbidden to visit due to treacherous ice surface on the river.

Seeing I look so depressed, they show their sympathy and tell us to go to the Shanxi side (their competitor) to view the waterfall.

Heaven never seals off all exits! We continue to drive another 7km crossing a bridge spanning Yellow River and get to the Hukou Waterfall on Shanxi side.

Paying entrance RMB91 enables me to come closer to the waterfall which has been lingering in my heart for many years.

The picture below is taken from the bridge when we drive past the bridge to the Shanxi side. You see, most of the river surface is frozen and the flowing water is running under the iced river surface.

Unlike a normal waterfall hanging high and easy for people to look up. But in the case of Hukou Waterfall, people have to look down! Hukou waterfalls is located in the middle of the over-200m-wide river.

The waterfall's velocity increases, and then plunges over a narrow opening on a cliff on the river bed, forming a waterfall 15m high and 20m wide, as if water is pouring down from a huge teapot, hence the name Hukou (literally, the mouth of teapot) Waterfall.

I walk across the iced river along the cement bridges to the a narrow opening on a cliff on the river bed in the middle of the wide river.

I’m the only visitor on Hukou Waterfall at the moment. A local staff comes to me saying if I pay extra RMB21, I’m able to view the waterfalls from its bottom!

They have dug a tunnel leading to the bottom of the waterfall! Jesus! Sure I’m ready to pay and follow him walk down the tunnel.

Now I’m almost on the same level of the river bed of the running water under the waterfall. From there, I look up at the waterfall!

In the sunshine, the mist is reflected by sunlight to create a rainbow spanning the water like a colorful bridge!

Tip: Hassle-free Xian Guided Tours

If you don’t want to go the do-it-yourself route and prefer the hassle-free escorted tours,  here are some options for Xian guided tours:

Further Readings