Jiuxiang Scenic Region, Yunnan, China

5Prabir G 5:00 PM Jun 26, 2019

A mesmerising creation of Mother Nature
A. Opening Hours : 9 am to 6 pm B. Entry Ticket: : Upto 60 years CNY 90 p 60 and above CNY 45 pp In addition cable car : CNY 30 pp C. Location : 90 km from Kunming City, Yunnan province of China. Tours are available which costs about US$ 100 pp. D. Important Advisories:- 1. Total 4 hours (about 5 km) steep climb up and down. If you have knee problem, heart problem, breathing difficulties and claustrophobia, you shall not venture. You can't come back midway; 2. Wear good and comfortable shoes; 3. Carry water and wear loose comfort clothing; 4. Take CNY, there is no currency exchange facility here and Visa and Master Card don't work here. This natural wonder is a large clustered karat caves combining with river, underground waterfalls, forest, gorges, all in one. There are about 100 plus karts caves of different sizes. The area is large and out of five regions, only Diehong Bridge region is fully developed and open for visitors currently. Diehong region has six major scenic area- green shady valley, white elephant cave, goddess cave, lying dragon cave, bat cave and scenic cable car. I visited the place on 24th Jun 2019 from Kunming. We took a car from our hotel in Kunming and combined Stone Forest and Jiuxiang (40 minutes drive from Stone Forest) and paid US$ 170. As you enter, an elevator will take you down about 175 feet. you experience Terrifying Gorge, about 700 metre long and 100 metre deep canyon. It's a beautiful underground canyon with pathway built on it's right side. The view of the gushing water is terrific. The Male Lion Hall is another beautiful area inside, a nature created hall of 15000 sq meters without any pillar. It is the largest underground hall of the World. At the entrance, you can identify a lion shaped stalactite figure. There are beautiful satalactite natural rock formation inside. The area is colourfully lit with artificial lights. However, the best of the lot is the Lying Dragon Cave. A dragon shaped underground river passes through the hall with two natural waterfalls , 30 metres high, cascading down forcefully into a pool at a depth of 10 metres. Ita simply mesmerising sight. Immediately after this area you can see beautiful Rimstone Dam. It is a natural layered steps with small pools of water. Beautifully lit with golden artificial light, it simply looks heavenly. Bat Cave is the final area . Known as the underground stone forest, here you can see stalactite and stalagmite rock formations hanging all around , that looks like forest of sculptures created by mother nature. However, be careful from bat droppings and expect staunch from the bat community flying all around the cave. After this there is a steep climb of about 300 metres, which is stressful. You can hire human lifted chair service. They charge CNY 75 pp. Advisable, if you have problem of climbing steep stairs. This climb shall lead you to the cable car, which shall take you over the deep forest area to the exit. The ride is about 10 minutes. It was a out of the world experience There are plenty of restaurants, souvenirs shop and toilet facility at the entrance and inside as well. A must see landmark, if you are in Kunming and if you do not suffer from any of the problem as highlighted in the advisories mentioned.

5Jeff S 5:00 PM Jun 29, 2015

Can be reached solely via public transportation
If you have plenty of time and not in a rush, you can get here by public transportation. 1. Get to the Eastern Bus Station (东部客运站) by one of the public buses. 2. Buy ticket to Yi Liang (宜良). 3. Buy ticket to Jiu Xiang (九乡) from Yi Liang Bus Station. Note: the bus to jiuxiang will first stop by the town, then backtrack to the scenic area. Do not get off at the town.