Discovering Largest Waterfall in Asia, a Wonder from Journey to the West
Familiar with the legendary Chinese novel Journey to the West? Do you know where Wukong's hometown is? Yes, Wukong's Flower-Fruit Mountain and the Water Curtain Cave are located at Huangguoshu Waterfall in Guizhou province.
In the story, the Monkey King gambled among the monkeys, took a brave plunge into a roaring waterfall, and found a hidden cave. This very scene was brought to life in the Journey to the West TV series, with the spot filmed at Guizhou's Huangguoshu Waterfall - perfectly mirroring the adventure from the novel. Now, take our 3 days Guizhou Huangguoshu Tour to explore this storybook destination with its legendary scenery.
Huangguoshu Waterfall takes center stage on this 3-day Guiyang Huangguoshu Waterfall Tour with Karst Caves. 77.8 meters high, 101 meters wide, this renowned largest waterfall in Asia's thunderous roar is audible two to three kilometers away. Come closer - the powerful force of 18 waterfalls combined is unmatched by any other in Asia! Beyond the roaring surface waterfalls, you will also delve deeper to discover the underground Karst Cave - Dragon Palace, a part of the "South China Karst" UNESCO World Heritage site, where you'll gaze up at incredible karst landscapes like stalactites and underground waterfalls.
Welcome to cool Guiyang, capital of Guizhou! Your guide and driver await you at the airport/train station for a smooth transfer to your downtown hotel. Breathe in the fresh air!
In this afternoon, you will enjoy half-day city tour in Guiyang Bests. First, drive to Qianling Park (黔灵山公园), Guiyang’s green lung and the number one mountain in Guizhou, the top choice for Guiyang locals’ leisure and recreation.
The park has an elevation difference of about 200 meters, and along the way, you’ll encounter precious wild macaques. Inside the park, many locals exercise, cool off, and play with the monkeys, making it perfect for you to leisurely experience the cool breeze from all directions upon your initial arrival in Guizhou. Take the cable car to the summit and enjoy a panoramic view of Guiyang’s mountain city from the hilltop pavilion. Hongfu Temple (弘福寺) at the summit is the first Buddhist temple in Guizhou, with over 300 years of history. Countless visitors come to burn incense and pray. Religious or not, feel the atmosphere!
Then, proceed to Jiaxiu Pavilion (甲秀楼), the iconic landmark of Guiyang and also its cultural symbol. Standing 20.7 meters tall and with over 400 years of history, it spans a stone bridge across the Nanming River. It features a rare three-story, progressively narrowing pavilion structure in ancient Chinese architecture.
“Jiaxiu” aims to inspire the emergence of top talent, a sentiment echoed in the “for a hundred years, talented people have emerged in great numbers” within the 206-character first longest Chinese couplet inside the pavilion. Stroll along the riverbank and appreciate the beautiful scenery where the classical pavilion and river harmonize with the modern backdrop, along with the century-old cultural ambiance.
Travel Tip: The best spot to photograph Jiaxiu Pavilion is on West Lake Road beside the Nanming River.
Free Time Idea: 1km from Jiaxiu Pavilion, wander through Qingyun Market (青云市集), once Guiyang’s local “midnight canteen.” Feel free to enjoy the nightlife!
After the tour, go back to your hotel in downtown Guiyang.
After breakfast, drive 2.5 hours to reach Anshun for Huangguoshu Waterfall Tour, the location of the largest waterfall in China and Asia. You will hear the roaring water a kilometer away, and admire the waterfall’s dynamic views!
Back in 17th century, Xu Xiake, a famous ancient Chinese geographer and pre-internet celebrity, traveled to this resort. His blog boosted the reputation of this waterfall nationwide! Follow the popular path he took:
Head to Doupotang Scenic Area (陡坡塘), known for its 105-meter width. It is one of the filming locations for the TV series version of Journey to the West, one of China’s Four Great Classical Novels. During the wet season, the water flow is rapid and makes a low roar, hence its nickname “Roaring Waterfall.” Many tourists enjoy imitating the scenes of Journey to the West pilgrims. Feel free to try it!
Next, take a sightseeing bus to Tianxingqiao Scenic Area (天星桥), to admire the most complete karst landscape in the scenic area – caves, waterfalls, and water stone forests interwoven. You can enjoy view from various angles, with no repetitive vlog or plog scenery. It is especially famous for Silver Chain Dropping Pool Waterfall (银链坠潭瀑布). Unlike ordinary waterfalls where water falls linearly, multiple small waterfalls converge and cascade from a circular stone beach into the deep pool below.
Afterward, take a sightseeing bus to Huangguoshu Waterfall (黄果树瀑布). As the main waterfall with a huge drop, 77.8 meters high and 101 meters wide, it consists of 18 waterfalls with different styles. At first glance, it can be folded into four layers. During the summer flood season, the water volume per hour is enough to fill 1296 swimming pools, falling into the 17-meter-deep pool. The roaring sound of water hit rocks day and night. You will build a deep connection with nature, find scenery changes from high up, straight on, and from the side.
Behind the waterfall is the 134-meter-long narrow Water Curtain Cave (水帘洞), a great place to touch the flowing water and see how it falls. You will walk to it and return by escalator.
After visit, guide and driver will escort you to your hotel in Anshun City.
After breakfast, your guide and driver will take you to explore the underground Karst Cave and Guizhou’s Tunpu culture on the way back to Guiyang.
The first stop is Dragon Palace Scenic Area (龙宫风景区), an underground karst landscape kingdom, listed as part of “South China Karst UNESCO World Heritage”, integrating various karst landforms such as canyons, peak forests, cliffs, streams, rivers, and stone forests.
Get off sightseeing bus and enter scenic area. Walk to Dragon Gate Waterfall, the largest cave waterfall in China, 34 meters high and 25 meters wide. Then, take elevator to Tianchi Lake, a rare living specimen formed by the collapse of the top of a karst cave and the place with the lowest radiation in the world. Take a healthy breath.
Then, you will explore first section of the Dragon Palace by boat. It is part of 15km China’s longest water cave. Look up to see millennia-old stalactites and stalagmites illuminated by colorful lights like a strange new world in Rick and Morty.
Then, drive 1 hour to Tianlong Tunpu (天龙屯堡), a stone village and a “living fossil of Ming Dynasty life.” Six hundred years ago, Han Chinese from the Jiangnan area, thousands of miles away from Guizhou, gathered here to build a stone village as garrison troops, carrying Guizhou’s unique Tunpu culture.
The stone architecture is the physical heritage of the Han Chinese garrison culture, well-preserved since the Ming Dynasty. It possesses both military defense functions and a rough aesthetic.
Upon entering, you can notice that hard stone forms houses, village walls, and roads. Even the window lattices, door frames, and steps are decorated with stone carvings.
Wander through it, you must not miss the intangible cultural heritage Dixi opera (地戏), a folk drama with a 600-year history. Performers wear handcrafted, colorful hero masks and colorful flags on their backs, enacting exciting war stories. Besides Dixi opera, you can also admire Fengyang Han clothing. The women in Tunpu still maintain the Ming Dynasty Han attire and traditional hairstyles. You can drink a bowl of their large-bowl tea and chat freely with them. They are shy and simple.
After the tour, your guide will escort you to Guiyang.
Extend Your Travel: Guizhou is close to Yunnan, Hunan, Chongqing, Sichuan, and Guangxi. From Guiyang Railway Station, you can take a high-speed train to popular travel destinations such as Kunming (3 hours), Fenghuang Ancient Town (2 hours), Chongqing (2-2.5 hours), Chengdu (3-3.5 hours), Guilin (2 hours).
We, Asia Odyssey Travel, are so glad to accompany you for 3 days Guiyang Huangguo Waterfall with Karst Cave, and are always prepared to design your destination in China, even around Asia. See you again!
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