CHINA 5A TRAVEL
Base at Xiannu Town (the pyramid-roofed visitor center), take the shuttle to the bridges first while the light shafts are working, walk the one-way valley, then shuttle to Longshuixia Gap for the slot-canyon cool-down. Day-trippers from Chongqing typically add Xiannu Mountain's grassland or return via the Wu River gallery road.
Suggested Itinerary
- Elevator into the doline
Descend through the sinkhole as the morning light strikes Qinglong's opening. - Tianfu Post Station
The courtyard beneath arch one - film history and the classic cliff-framed photo. - Valley walk, bridges 2 and 3
Boardwalk beneath Qinglong and Heilong, stopping for the falls and 'one-line sky' frames. - Shuttle to Longshuixia Gap
Lunch at the transfer center, then the 2-km canyon boardwalk - Jiaolong Cave's cold breath is real. - Glass lookout or Xiannu Mountain
Return via the deck over the doline, or extend to the alpine grasslands before the drive back.
What to See
The shaft of light at Qinglong Bridge
Late morning sends a spotlight through the tallest arch onto the trail.
Post station under the arch
Grey-tiled courtyard crushed between the bridge's piers - the scale shot.
Heilong's wall springs
Water sheets down the dark approach walls into jade pools.
Longshuixia's seam of sky
The gorge's narrowest: sky as a bright slit between 200 m walls.
Jiaolong Cold Cave
A 60-100 m void where underground water is heard but never seen.
Xiannu Mountain grassland
The 2,000 m alpine meadow - horses, forests and the region's soft epilogue.
Photo Gallery
Tips from Real Travelers
Food & Drink
Wulong river fish
Freshwater fish hotpot at Xiannu Town's restaurants - the standard pre-trail lunch.
Chongqing xiaomian
The region's peppery noodles at the visitor-center food court.
Xiannu Mountain lamb
Grassland-reared lamb skewers and roasts up on the plateau.
Yangjiao dried tofu (羊角豆干)
Wulong's signature snack - spice-braised pressed tofu from Yangjiao, stacked in Xiannu Town shops as the county's classic edible souvenir.
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