Disgorging from endless buses, a friendly invasion of frenetic tourists from all over China come to see the 77.8m-tall, 81m-wide Huángguǒshù Falls, making this Guìzhōu’s number-one natural attraction. From May to October in particular, these falls really rock the local landscape with their cacophony, while rainbows from the mist dance about Rhinoceros Pool below and colourful peacocks show off their dazzling plumage.
The cascades are actually part of a 450 sq km cave and karst complex discovered when engineers explored the area in the 1980s to gauge the region’s hydroelectric potential. Although there are paths around the falls, the entire area is vast and sights so spread out you’ll really need to board one of the sightseeing cars (guānguāngchē; ¥50). They link the main areas, which include Dǒupōtáng Waterfall , Lúosītān Waterfall , Tiānxīng Qiáo Scenic Zone and the Main Waterfall Scenic Zone . Hiring a cab from the entrance for a tour will cost around ¥100 or expect to pay around ¥20 for a single journey.
In the main waterfall area, don’t miss groping your way through the dripping natural corridor in the rock face of the 134m-long Water Curtain Cave (水帘洞; Shuǐlián Dòng), behind the waterfall.
Going underground into the colossal caves within the geological Tiānxīng Qiáo Scenic Zone (天星桥景区; Tiānxīng Qiáo Jǐngqū) is a quite awe-inspiring sideshow, especially if you do not have time for the Lónggōng or Zhījīn Caves.
You can do Huángguǒshù Falls in a day trip from Guìyáng at a push, while it’s an easy one from Ānshùn. There are accommodation options everywhere in Huángguǒshù village, but there is little need to overnight.
From Ānshùn, buses (¥20, one hour, 7.20am to 7pm) run every 30 minutes from the east bus station. There are seven buses a day from Guìyáng to Huángguǒshù (¥55, 2½ hours, every 40 minutes from 7.40am to 12.45pm) from the long-distance bus station on Jinyang Nanlu. The last bus returns to Guìyáng at 4pm.
