8000 km Road Trip Through China Episode 2 - The day luck kept us out of serious trouble

One missed road sign changed all our carefully planned routes through the Qinling Mountains. Instead, we discovered one of the most beautiful gorges of our entire 8,000 km road trip through China. Our original plan looked perfect. Three days to travel from Xi'an to Hanzhong through the remote Qinling Mountains, gradually gaining altitude before continuing deeper into western China. Day 1 Drive from Xi'an to Taibai County, reaching about 1,650 meters before exploring the narrow and winding S218 mountain road climbing to over 2,150 meters. Day 2 Explore the southwestern side of Taibaishan and spend a second night between 1,500 and 2,000 meters to acclimatize for the even higher mountains waiting later on this journey. Day 3 Continue through the southern Qinling Mountains to Hanzhong. Everything had been carefully planned. We even chose the rainy day for the transfer to Taibai County so we could enjoy clear skies in the mountains on the following days. But sometimes a journey has its own plans. Unexpected restrictions completely changed our route and forced us to rethink everything. Instead of spending three days in the Taibaishan region, we found ourselves driving all the way to Hanzhong in a single day. Fortunately, every detour has its rewards. The spectacular Hongyan River Gorge became an unforgettable highlight of the day and reminded us that some of the best experiences are the ones we never planned. The full story is told in the footnotes throughout the video. Driving date: June 2026 Best driving season: Late spring and autumn , skip summer holidays Foreigners not allowed in Taibai County!!! 📍 Map google.com/maps/dir/Xi'An,+Shaanxi,+China/Taibai+County,+Baoji,+Shaanxi,+China/Hanzhong,+Shaanxi,+China/@33.6873421,107.2793781,332137m/data=!3m2!1e3!4b1!4m20!4m19!1m5!1m1!1s0x366379e922ac17b9:0x85d466fda794582e!2m2!1d108.9540936!2d34.2658138!1m5!1m1!1s0x36604e0eb58418bd:0xdd278c706214faba!2m2!1d107.3194!2d34.0591899!1m5!1m1!1s0x368a91403e11f95d:0x8d0bf0d548295d46!2m2!1d107.02377!2d33.0676099!3e0?entry=ttu&g_ep=EgoyMDI2MDcxNS4wIKXMDSoASAFQAw%3D%3D 📍 Timeline 00:00 Preview 00:22 maps 00:32 Goodby Xi’An 02;48 highway to Taibai, explain our plans for Qinling mountains 03:19 first view on the mountains 03:59 first glimpse of Taibaishan 3767m- The Beauty of bad weather 07:22 Incredible views 09:34 Taibai County exit 10:21 The sign we missed 10:36 The hotel 11:16 Why we had to change plans 13:09 The missed highway entry 15:22 empty highway runs in same direction 16:10 interesting to watch the overtaking trials - drivers better to keep out 18:37 unbelievable colours of freshly washed leaves 19:18 Entering the Hongyuan River Gorge Thank you for joining us on another stage of our 8,000 km journey through China. #China #RoadTrip #QinlingMountains #Taibaishan #HongyanRiverGorge #ScenicDrive #ChinaTravel #4K #Nature #MountainRoads