No. 1 Waterfall in Asia

One crazy Chinese tour last week to Xijiang was not enough for us, so we signed up for a second tour this Saturday to Huangguoshu, the "No. 1 Waterfall in Asia." Chinese tours don't disappoint for a high degree of confusion and good laughs.

Natalie and Lizzy on the tour bus

Our tour was a multi-stop adventure to different scenic areas. But first we had to get out of town. We were picked up by a shuttle at 6:25am at our hotel and were eventually deposited with four other tour guests on the side of a street to wait for our tour bus. Amazingly, our tour was on-time for practically the entire day. We enjoyed a jolting 2-hour ride through the countryside to Long Gong Dong (Dragon Palace).

Rural village in Guizhou Province, China

Farmland in rural Guizhou Province, China

Beautiful countryside and winding roads in Guizhou Province, China

The Long Gong Dong is a famous series of karst caves connected by a river. Natalie first told me (Lizzy) about the caves in January, so it has been on our must-see list for a few months. We got off the bus and walked about a half mile up a beautiful canyon to the lift.

Pathway at Long Gong Dong, Guizhou Province

River and lift at Long Gong Dong, Guizhou Province.

Natalie at Long Gong Dong with the lift in the background

The caves were created by water moving through limestone, removing minerals and leaving behind large caves full of interesting features. In order to access the caves we took an elevator (lift) up about ten floors to the top of the canyon and boarded small motor boats.

Loading boats at Long Gong Dong, Guizhou Province

Public safety announcement. Don't talk or take a stroll on the boat and certainly no eating between meals.

The cave itself was incredible. It was the largest cave I've ever been in, but the most stunning feature was the music and lighting that had been added to enhance our visitor experience. Traditional Chinese music was piped in throughout the cave and the stalactites and other cave features were lit up by colored lights. For your pleasure!

Long Gong Dong, Guizhou Province

Lights in Long Gong Dong (Dragon Palace)

Lizzy and Natalie in Dragon Palace Caves

Dragon Palace Caves, Guizhou Province

There's room for everyone! Five boats in one part of the cave gently jockeyed for position.

Tour companies partner with vendors to make use of a captive audience. After visiting the Long Gong Dong we visited two different shop stops in the middle of nowhere. Each shop stop is housed in a large, new building surrounded by nothing. Visitors must watch a demonstration in Chinese and then procede through a winding series of shopping rooms before they may exit the building. My tactic was to find the bathroom and avoid the demonstration. During out two stops we looked at a variety of items made from bamboo and charcoal, and another stop that sold specialty food products from Guizhou Province.

Our bus waiting at the Bamboo Fibre shop

We enjoyed a simple lunch at a restaurant near Huangguoshu Waterfall. Tourism in the area is increasing and businesses are working fast to keep up with the demand for amenities. When the tour bus pulled up to a half constructed building we were skeptical. On the second floor we found a room full of round tables with lazy Susans and different dishes. Tour meals are delicious and simple, but one must eat fast. Natalie and I are consistently the last to finish eating and often run out time to eat.

Tour lunch near Huangguoshu

At Huangguoshu we transferred to a sight-seeing bus. This is similar to buses that one might find in a US national park, such as Zion or Yosemite. Of course, the tour bus costs an extra 50 CNY and is not optional. The first stop on our tour bus was at the Birthday Walk. Each day of the year had a stepping stone and many of the stones included the names of famous Chinese people who were born on that day.

Birthday Walk at Huangguoshu 

Sign describing an interesting rock feature at Huangguoshu

Natalie and Lizzy along the Birthday Walk at Huagguoshu

Scenic walk at Huangguoshu

At the end of the Birthday Walk we got back on the sight-seeing bus and traveled along on a rough, serpentine road to Huangguoshu Waterfall and "Miniascape Garden". At this stop we discovered that there was another optional fee to take an escalator to the waterfall. We elected to hike about one mile to the waterfall with a trio of retired teachers from Malaysia. I will never cease to be amazed by the Chinese women who happily hike over rough cobbles and slippery rocks in platform stilettos.

Cliffs across from Huangguosu Waterfall 

Huangguoshu Waterfall

Huangguoshu is a designated national park. The Chinese government is actively promoting the area as a tourist destination and are in the process of improving the available amenities. The flow of the waterfall is managed based on water reserves. We were told that it would be better to visit Huangguoshu during the summer, but we thought it was a stunning sight anyway. The waterfall is reported to be 77.8 meters high and 101.0 meters wide.

The hike to the waterfall was a lovely loop that started across from and above the waterfall, looped behind the waterfall through a cave with "windows", and circled back down to the bottom of the cascade. We were not the only ones who decided that it was a beautiful day to visit the national park on this day.

Viewing platform at the base of Huangguoshu Waterfall

We hiked back up to the "Miniascape" Garden with just enough time to explore before meeting our group. The garden had a collection of mini trees and limestone rocks that represent the landscape of Guizhou Province.

Building and pond in Miniascape Garden at Huangguoshu National Park

Trees and rocks in Miniascape Garden at Huangguoshu National Park, Guizhou Province, China

Before transferring back to our tour bus from the sight-seeing bus we made one more short stop at another gorgeous waterfall. Do Pu Tang Waterfall is one of the widest waterfalls in the area. This waterfall was easily accessible and was a nice way to end our grand tour. 

Do Pu Tang Waterfall at Huangguoshu National Park, Guizhou Province, China

The bus ride home took about two hours and we had a great time looking at the countryside. While the tour guide spoke not one word of English to us all day long, we would encourage other travelers to visit the countryside in any way they can. English-speaking tour guides are available for a price.

-Lizzy

Travel Tips:

• Eat fast on tours. You will likely only about about 20 minutes to eat and use the bathroom before you must be back on the bus and ready to leave.
• Take plenty of snacks. We left a bag on the bus while we were in the caves and at the waterfalls. 
• If you are going on a Chinese tour and do not speak Chinese, get help translating the itinerary before you leave. 
• Travel lightly