Trade the city for the cool bamboo hills of Anji on this easy, fully private day trip from Nanjing. Your English-speaking guide and private driver collect you from your hotel and head into the green Zhejiang countryside, where ancient stone paths, clear streams and a string of waterfalls make for a refreshing day in nature.

The heart of the trip is the Zhangli Ancient Road, a black-stone path that winds gently through dense bamboo groves. In under two kilometres it strings together four waterfalls cascading one above the other, with a total drop of several hundred metres, an unusual concentration of falls that sets this walk apart from ordinary trails. Along the way you pass quiet mountain hamlets, a torreya-nut grove and the famous “Big Rock House,” a vast natural stone shelter said to have sheltered hundreds of Taiping soldiers in the 19th century and still large enough to rest and take cover in.

The walking is relaxed and beginner-friendly, following cool stream-side paths past the Sisters Falls, the “dripping water wears the stone” spot and shaded bamboo lanes. You pause at the Big Rock House at the foot of Golden Mountain for a midday rest and lunch among the greenery before strolling back beside the clear mountain water.

This is a gentle, scenic outing rather than a strenuous hike, perfect for travellers who want fresh air, the soothing sound of falling water and the quiet beauty of authentic rural China. After your time in the bamboo hills, your private car returns you to your Nanjing hotel in the evening.