9. Shennongjia National Natural Reserve

Shennongjia in Hubei province

The Shennong Altar

It's a treasure trove of wildlife renowned since Emperor Shennong, who visited the mountains searching for herbs and using a ladder to collect some of the most precious ones from the rocks.

In fact, Shennongjia in Hubei province is also famous for being home to the "Yeren" or wild men. Many people think that these are only stories and many sightings are probably nothing more than lies. But such stories have existed since the Middle Age in Europe and Asia. Carvings of such creatures exist on some cathedrals. So whether the story is in the human mind or a reality is hard to tell.

Shennongjia is probably one of the very few virgin temperate forests remaining in the world. All the mountains are karstic, a kind of lime that turns into a gigantic sponge-like form with cavities that range from the size of your finger to those of caves.

In many places, it's very hard to walk because such rocks are interlaced with dense scrub and bamboo. But for nature lovers, walking in the virgin forests is an incredible experience, especially in the burning summer.