Fields, mountains, crystal-clear streams, countryside food, waterfalls, hiking and so much more! Welcome to Maofengshan (Maofeng mountain) in Baiyun district, Guangzhou.

I cannot express how much my family loves this place and how lucky I feel to live only a 20min drive away! That’s right, if you live anywhere near Tonghe (Baiyun district), it will only take you between 20-30min to reach this wonderful countryside:)

We usually go for a day but you could easily stay the whole weekend! There is so much to see and do, especially for families with kids, including teens. Feel free to take bikes, mini scooters, roller skates and let the kids enjoy the long, safe paths surrounded by nature.

This place is also perfect for parents with little babies as the paved/wooden paths are suitable for prams.

We usually start the day with a stopover at Toubei Park as it has a large playground by a stream. It is also the first interesting point on the way to Maofengshan. Past the park, along the main road, you’ll find fruit farms and restaurants. If you carry on down the main road, you’ll reach a small fire station, park your car, walk along the pond and find this hiking trail with a small waterfall right behind it (see photos)-perfect for young children! It is worth noting that opposite the area where the waterfall is, on the other side of the main road, there is another, larger waterfall, though this one is man-made. This one could be more appealing to teenagers as the water is a bit deeper.

There are no metro stations nearby so one needs a car or a taxi to get there but since the distance is not too far from the city, Didi taxis are available and don’t take very long to arrive/pick up. Mind you, the area I am describing in this post is not the paid Maofengshan Forest Park Scenic Area, which is a nice attraction but I will write about it in another post. Maofengshan is not one mountain, as the name might suggest, but a whole area and in order to make the most of it, ideally you do need a car.

In February/March we go to Maofengshan to pick strawberries and during other months, you could also pick other fruit and vegetables there from many farms set up especially for tourists to boost the agro-tourism.

Along the road, you will notice many locals selling their home-grown produce but don’t think that because you buy directly from the farmer, the price will be low. Farmers MIGHT try to take advantage of you so do haggle the price! In my opinion, the strawberries grown there are way tastier than the ones available in supermarkets (in season)but the price tends to be on the high side-something to be aware of while you’re enjoying your picking and your basket is getting full…

Sometimes, because I am an unashamed foodie, we drive to Maofengshan just to have lunch and a lazy afternoon in one of the MANY countryside restaurants, many of which have swings, slides and gardens where kids can play. We have our favourite restaurant and even though it doesn’t look like much from the outside (don’t expect nice toilets), the food is yummy. Countryside food (pinyin: long jia cai) is characterized by dishes like roasted chicken, pork ribs, aubergine with green beans and generally lots of veggies. Even if you’re not a fan of Chinese food, trust me, you will love it! The only issue is that hardly any restaurant offers menu in English or has a menu with pictures(no scanning QR codes there!) so have your translation app ready!

Once you’ve had your lunch and wish to see more, carry on driving along the main road. You’ll see a security gate on the road-don’t worry, just tell the guard you’re going to Baishancun (White Mountain Village)and he should let you through. Once you pass the aforementioned gate, it is another 10min drive before you reach an area obviously developed for tourists.

There is a free car park in the village so leave your car there or along the main road and enjoy the murals, the fantastic new playground, stroll along wooden paths and splash around in a shallow stream. Note there is only one small shop in the village and one fruit tea shop in a B&B by the main road. Even during a weekend, this place isn’t crowded and you can have a really lovely, relaxing time with your kids. Feel free to bring swimsuits and water toys!

There is much more to see at Maofengshan and when I have a chance to go there again, I’ll definitely write about it in another post!

*If you’d like to see some videos of this lovely place, head over to my Instagram. I also post on X and while my posts are about places and things to do in Guangzhou, not all are related to kids .

Are there similar areas in other districts of Guangzhou? What do you think of this place?

If you’d like to read about Maofengshan Ancient Temple Scenic Area, here’s my post.

Info:

Address: Maofengshan Forest Park Tongluowan Ecological Tourism Scenic Spot. 帽峰山森林公園銅鑼灣生態旅遊景區. This is the address for the paid scenic area. Didi–Maofengshan Forest Park.

Getting there: If driving to Maofengshan according to sat-nav, the first point you’ll reach after driving off S115 to Taihe is Toubei Park-this is where a large playground is located, kids can play in a stream and a little past it you’ll find the fruit farms. Parking is free and in the evenings a nice night market takes place there. Didi: Toubei Park. If you wish to take a taxi directly to Baishan village then just type in Baishancun or follow directions to it if driving.

Parking: Free in all of the areas I had written about except for the official, Maofengshan Forest Park scenic area, which requires an entry fee and a parking fee. All restaurants offer free car park too so after lunch you can just leave your car there and explore the surrounding area on foot/by bike.

Food: There are 60+ restaurants serving countryside food, serving similar dishes but of varying quality so don’t be discouraged if the first one you tried isn’t great. We tried several ones before we found our favourite but never had a really bad dining experience. There are very few shops around, some locals sell street snacks and home-grown produce.

Age: Suitable for all ages!

Facilities: Public toilets are available though they aren’t the cleanest, neither are the ones, which belong to specific restaurants but hey, this is the countryside! Paths in the parks are suitable for those with mobility difficulties. There are no baby feeding rooms/nappy changing rooms, as far as I know. Some restaurants offer bikes for hire.

Tips:

• Take change of clothes/swimsuit and water shoes if you’d like your child to play in the streams
• Bring a bike, roller skates, mini scooter as there is a lot of walking to be done and kids might get tired plus they’ll have more fun this way. Also comfy shoes are essential.
• You may wish to bring your own drinks and snacks as there aren’t many shops around and if you’re not sure about eating in the countryside restaurants-have translation app ready
• If you’d like to stay the night, I have seen several B&Bs in Maofengshan area, try searching on Trip.com.