- Visit Chengdu – Home to the Giant Pandas
- Visit Chengdu – The Majestic Leshan Giant Buddha
- Visit Chengdu – Top 3 attractions in Chengdu
- Visit Guilin – Reed Flute Cave
- Visit Guilin – Plan Li River Cruise
- Day trip From Shanghai – Zhujiajiao Water Town
- Money Can buy Happiness at Shanghai Bund and Nanjing Road
- Visit Shanghai – Yuyuan Garden and Jade Buddha Temple
- Shanghai Travel : Top 5 Attractions in Shanghai
- Visit Zhangjiajie – How to Visit Tianmen Mountain
- Explore Zhangjiajie – How to Visit Baofeng Lake
- Visit Zhangjiajie – Avatar Mountains, Bailong Elevator, Golden Whip Stream
- Visit The Great Wall of China – Greatest Feat in human History
- Top 10 Must do things in Beijing – Travel China
- Travel China – Top 5 Attractions in China
Man cannot discover new oceans unless he has the courage to lose sight of the shore.Andre Gide
Visit Guilin – Reed Flute Cave
After an awesome stay in Chengdu and a 2 hr flight delay, we finally arrived in one of the most picturesque destinations in China – Guilin. This is a must visit city for anyone travelling across China. The name of Guilin literally means “Forest of sweet Osmanthus”. An hour’s drive and we finally arrived at Lujia Village – A township of resorts.
After a nice upgrade to our hotel room, we decided to walk to the nearby Reed flute cave. This fascinating gallery of limestone cave formations is a must visit while in Guilin. It’s a magical fairyland of stalactites, stalagmites, stone pillars in different shapes and colours, all glittering against the colourful electric lights. The cave got its name from the type of reed growing outside, which can be made into flutes. A quick 15 minutes walk and we were at the entrance of the cave located at the Guangming Hill.
The entrance fee is 110RMB/Person. Few flights of stairs need to be taken to the entrance of the cave. The moment we stepped inside the cave it was truly like walking into a different world where fairies and elf’s seemed true. The formations –most of which have imaginary names –as with much of Chinese attractions (like the Li river cruise) are simply awe inspiring.
People are let inside in big groups and that’s when the lights are switched on. Photography is quite tricky in these low light conditions so preferably take a tripod to get the best of the pictures. Once inside it’s almost an hour’s walk around the cave as more and more magnificent natural sculptures emerge.The most liked formations are Rose Dawn over Lion Peaks and Crystal Palace. Most of these formations need the best of your imaginary abilities to make sense but all have a fun story behind them. 
At some spots, such as the Crystal Palace or Flower and Fruit Mountain, special photography is offered at 20 Yuan for one picture. They use special equipment to provide enough illumination. Usually groups are taken in about 25 people by Chinese or English speaking guides, however, there is no way one can get lost in this “U” shaped walk around the cave. Also, bear in mind the lights are dimmed/switched off forcing the group to move ahead – However, if you need your time for photography just hang back and wait for the next group which will arrive soon after.
There are more than 70 inscriptions written in ink inside the cave, which can be dated back as far as 792AD in the Tang Dynasty. These aged inscriptions tell us that it has been an attraction in Guilin since ancient times. Since the cave opened to the public in 1962, millions of tourists have visited it including former president of the US, Richard Nixon, Jimmy Carter; former General Secretary of the UN, Javier Perez de Cuillar; Canadian former premier, Pierre Elliot Trudeau, and so on.
There is also a little visual show at the bottom enthrallingus with the fantastic scenes of the ice age, crust movement, recovery of all things, process of stalactite growth, etc.One sheer look around you and one can understand the sheer scale of the inside of this cave.
On the way out there is another entrance if you want to see some turtles –not worth it – Avoid it unless you want to see some boring large turtles in water and on tables and with tourists prodding at them.
Finally we made our way out through another entrance to the cave. It was really a highlight of our trip to Guilin. Reed Flute Cave is truly and worthily called the “Art Palace of the Nature“.
If you have any questions around this please feel free to leave a comment below and I’ll get back to you at the very earliest.
This is Aldrin and my partner Amoli. We bring you "Earths Pilgrim" - a unique insight into our travel escapades while leaving life in a cubicle. If you are looking for some inspiration to break the shackles of a regular life, then you are the right place. Read more about us- Click here.