If you have exactly one day, the classic loop still delivers the icons: cable car up at 8 a.m., Southern Park past the Giant Python and Goddess of Spring, a quick section of the West Coast skywalk, cable car down by 5 p.m. — about 5–6 hours of walking, best for fit travellers who accept skipping the quieter eastern ridge. Choose two days if photography, weather or age matters: sleep at a foot-of-mountain hotel, do Southern Park and West Coast on day one (sunset), then return for the Sunshine Coast and Three Qing Temple at dawn, when the cloud sea most often forms. Two days also lets you add Wangxiangu's night town between park sessions. Whichever you pick, take 1.5 L of water, sun protection and a light jacket, and book cable cars online for the first morning slot in peak season.