The gorge is free.
The bus is ¥3,740.
That is the whole trip.
Sandankyo is a river gorge in the mountains north-west of the city, walked on a trail beside the water, and there is no admission charge to enter it. What the day costs you is the coach out and back. In late October and November it is the best colour in the prefecture; the season closes entirely from late November.
Go in late October to late November for the foliage, and treat it as a half to full day. Entry to the gorge is free. The costs are the bus — normally about ¥3,740 return ($23.72), with a seasonal campaign fare of ¥2,000 that we would treat as indicative — and the ¥500 return Kurobuchi ferry inside the gorge. The season runs late April to late November only. Main entrance to Kurobuchi is 2.7km, about 50 minutes each way.
What Sandankyo is, and the one month it matters
Answer firstA gorge cut by a river through the mountains of north-west Hiroshima Prefecture, with a walking trail along the water past pools, narrows and waterfalls — and no admission charge to walk it.
The gorge is free to enter. That is the first thing to know, because it inverts the usual arithmetic: your cost is the journey, not the destination. The bus from Hiroshima normally runs about ¥3,740 return ($23.72), and a seasonal campaign fare of ¥2,000 has been offered — treat that lower figure as indicative and check what is actually on sale on your date.
The walk is the attraction. The trail follows the river closely, so you spend the day between rock walls with water beside you rather than climbing to a viewpoint — a different proposition from Mount Misen, which is a summit walk with a real gradient. The two useful distances: from the main entrance to Kurobuchi is 2.7km, about 50 minutes one way, and from Mizunashi to the Sandan-taki falls the gorge is named for is 1.5km, about 30 minutes.
Two boats, and they are different products. At Kurobuchi a ferry crosses the deep green pool: ¥500 return / ¥300 one way for adults, ¥400 / ¥200 for children, infants free, running 10:00–16:00 and closed Wednesdays and Thursdays. At Sarutobi the old crossing has been converted into a rental boat — 3 people, ¥3,000–4,000 per 30 minutes on opening-campaign pricing, 10:00–15:00, weekends and public holidays only. If Sarutobi is the thing you came for, you have to come at a weekend.
The season runs late April to late November, and the reason to travel is the last five weeks of it: from late October to late November the gorge's maple and beech turn hard, and slightly later than the city because of the altitude. It is also when everyone else goes, so a weekday is materially better than a Sunday — and a Wednesday or Thursday costs you the Kurobuchi ferry, which is the one scheduling conflict on this page.
The access, stated plainly. Sandankyo is not a rail destination from the city — services run by road from the Hiroshima Bus Center at Kamiya-cho rather than from Hiroshima Station, and take roughly 1h15. The timetable and the last departure back are unverified, so confirm the return time at the bus centre before you board the outbound service. Map coordinates for the trailheads are also unverified — navigate to the named entrance, not to a pin. Hiroden went to a flat ¥240 adult / ¥120 child fare on 1 February 2025, its first revision in seven years, replacing the old distance-based ¥140–270 scale. The all-day streetcar pass is ¥700, so it pays from your third ride — which is exactly what a Peace Park, castle and station day comes to.
Sandankyo, practically
Plan your visitWhen Sandankyo is worth the bus
By monthScores are our editorial view of the gorge specifically, not of the region, and they take account of the fact that the season itself runs late April to late November. Rainfall figures are JMA 1991–2020 normals for Hiroshima.
Crowd figures are our estimate of relative pressure, not measured counts. The gorge absorbs walkers easily — the congestion problem here is the bus, not the path. Note the one conflict in November: weekdays are quieter, but Wednesday and Thursday close the Kurobuchi ferry and Sarutobi's rental boat runs at weekends and holidays only.
How far into the gorge should you actually walk?
ComparedPick your turnaround before you start, not when you are tired. Distances and times below are the published ones; everything about the bus is not.
| Version | Distance | Walking time | Cost on top of the bus | Verdict |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Main entrance to Kurobuchi and back | 2.7km each way | ~50 min each way | Free to walk · ferry ¥500 return if you cross | WORTH IT |
| Mizunashi to the Sandan-taki falls | 1.5km each way | ~30 min each way | Free | WORTH IT |
| Both sections in one day | ~8.5km of walking | 4–5 hours with stops | ¥500 ferry | WORTH IT |
| Adding the Sarutobi rental boat | — | 30 minutes on the water | ¥3,000–4,000 for 3 people · weekends and holidays only | DEPENDS |
| Going on a Wednesday or Thursday | As above | As above | Kurobuchi ferry closed | DEPENDS |
| Any of it in July or August | — | — | Wettest month of the year, then the hottest | SKIP |
The Sarutobi DEPENDS is about the party, not the price: ¥3,000–4,000 buys 30 minutes for three people, which is fair split three ways and poor split one. The Wednesday–Thursday DEPENDS resolves to yes if you are walking rather than crossing — the trail is free and open, it is only the ferry that stops. Confirm the last bus at the bus centre before you go out: the timetable is unverified and being stranded in Akiota is not a 20-minute problem. Dollar prices convert at ¥157.7 = $1, the rate on 4 August 2026. Treat every $ figure as a snapshot and the ¥ figure as the real price.
Guided walking and autumn options
Booking and getting thereThere is no dedicated Sandankyo product we can point you at, and we are not going to pretend otherwise. What follows are the nearest real categories — autumn activities and hiking out of Hiroshima — plus the general day-trip list. We do not publish tour prices, ratings or review counts because we have not verified them.
Sandankyo — the questions people actually ask
FAQPage schema pairedHow much does Sandankyo cost?
Entry is free. The trip's cost is the bus — normally about ¥3,740 return ($23.72) from Hiroshima, with a seasonal campaign fare of ¥2,000 that we would treat as indicative — plus ¥240 each way on the tram to the bus centre and ¥500 if you take the Kurobuchi ferry return. Call it roughly ¥4,700 all in for an adult, or about ¥3,000 if the campaign fare is running.
How do I get to Sandankyo from Hiroshima?
By bus from the Hiroshima Bus Center at Kamiya-cho — not from Hiroshima Station — in roughly 1h15. Get to the bus centre on Hiroden line 1, 2, 3 or 6 for a flat ¥240. The timetable and the last return departure are unverified: confirm them at the bus centre before you board the outbound service, because there is no rail fallback.
When is the best time to visit Sandankyo?
Late October to late November — a window of about 5 weeks, and it is not a close call. That is when the gorge turns, and the altitude means it runs slightly later than the city. The season itself is late April to late November, so for roughly 4 months of the year the question does not arise. Aim for a weekday for the crowds, but not a Wednesday or Thursday, when the Kurobuchi ferry is closed.
How far do you have to walk at Sandankyo?
The two useful legs are 2.7km, about 50 minutes, from the main entrance to Kurobuchi, and 1.5km, about 30 minutes, from Mizunashi to the Sandan-taki falls. Doing both is roughly 8.5km of walking and 4–5 hours with stops, which with the bus makes a genuine full day.
How much is the boat at Sandankyo?
Two different boats. The Kurobuchi ferry is ¥500 return / ¥300 one way for adults, ¥400 / ¥200 for children, infants free, 10:00–16:00, closed Wednesdays and Thursdays. Sarutobi is now a rental boat — 3 people, ¥3,000–4,000 per 30 minutes on opening-campaign pricing, 10:00–15:00, weekends and public holidays only.
Is Sandankyo a full day or a half day?
A genuine half to full day, which is the point that catches people — 1h15 each way plus the 2.7km walk to Kurobuchi and back means five to six hours before you have done anything ambitious. If you only have a spare morning, take a city option from the free things page instead.
Is Sandankyo good in the rain?
No. It is a river gorge with wet rock underfoot. Tsuyu, the rainy season, normally runs 6 June to 19 July, and July is the wettest month of the year at 279.8mm — worse than August, which most people get backwards. On a wet day take Kure, where both museums are indoors.
Sandankyo or Miyajima's Momijidani for autumn colour?
Momijidani if you have one autumn day, because it comes attached to an island you were going to visit anyway and the journey is ¥240 plus ¥200 plus the ¥100 visitor tax rather than a ¥3,740 coach. Sandankyo if you have three days, want a real walk, and can give it a late-November weekday that is not a Wednesday or Thursday.