Wuling Mountain Grand Rift is located in Fuling District, Chongqing City. It is a national 5A-level tourist scenic area. The scenic area has distinct features and is famous for its unique karst landform and original ecological natural landscape. The Wuling Mountain Grand Rift covers an area of about 29.96 square kilometers. The forest coverage rate in the scenic area is high, with rich vegetation, fresh air, and a high content of negative oxygen ions, making it a natural "oxygen bar". There are many unique geological landscapes in the scenic area, such as precipice cracks, earth fissures, canyons, and karst caves. The drop from the bottom of the valley to the peak is relatively large, with the highest point at an altitude of about 1,980 meters and an average altitude of around 1,300 meters. In addition, there are relatively complete tourism facilities in the scenic area, including tourist centers, ecological parking lots, hiking trails, battery car lanes, and suspended plank roads. The tourist center has a construction area of about 18,000 square meters, and the ecological parking lot can accommodate about 1,600 parking spaces.
History and Culture
The Wuling Mountain Grand Rift has a profound historical and cultural heritage. At the end of primitive society, this area was an important region for the activities of the Ba people. The Ba people multiplied here, giving birth to a unique Ba culture. The Ba culture and the local farming culture blend with each other, forming a unique regional cultural feature. At the same time, the Wuling Mountain Grand Rift has a long geological history. The rocks in the canyon record the geological changes of the earth over hundreds of millions of years, making it an important place for studying paleogeography and paleoclimate. The scenic area also creates large-scale situational performance programs by combining local historical legends and cultural stories, allowing tourists to feel the local cultural charm while enjoying the natural scenery.
Main Attractions
Baodao Ridge
Baodao Ridge is one of the important attractions of the Wuling Mountain Grand Rift. It is a huge stone wall, about 1,000 meters long and with an average height of about 90 meters. It plunges straight from the peak to the bottom of the valley and is composed of the Changxing Formation limestone in the Late Permian period of the Paleozoic era, about 260 million years ago. Tourists can clearly see the seabed relics hundreds of millions of years ago here and feel the uncanny workmanship of nature.
Qingtian Gorge
Qingtian Gorge is located in the lower section of the canyon in the scenic area, with a total length of 1,500 meters. The canyon is relatively narrow, only 2 to 5 meters wide, and is known as a natural earth fissure. The cliffs on both sides of the canyon are towering, with a height between 200 and 300 meters. Looking up, only a thin strip of sky can be seen. There are jagged rocks in the earth fissure, and the stalactites have various shapes, presenting a very spectacular scene.
Wanzhang Pit
Wanzhang Pit is located at the end of the Qingtian Gorge Earth Fissure and is the entrance to an underground river, with a cave entrance diameter of about ten meters. The waterfall formed by the underground river in the cave is very spectacular, with a height of 34 meters and a width of 30 meters. It is one of the more spectacular underground river waterfalls discovered in the whole country, attracting many tourists to visit.
Xiaokuimen
Xiaokuimen is located in the eastern part of the scenic area, at an altitude of about 1,200 meters. It is formed by the long-term erosion of limestone by wind and rain. The rock walls here are like being chopped by a knife, and the precipices facing the wind have rich colors, presenting a very charming scenery, which is a paradise for photography enthusiasts.
Python Mountain
Python Mountain is located in the middle section of the canyon in the scenic area, with an altitude between 1,200 and 1,500 meters, and its mountain shape is similar to a giant python. Due to the difference in the hardness of the rocks, the relatively soft mudstone and argillaceous limestone are preferentially eroded, presenting a sunken landform, while the relatively hard limestone is not easily eroded, forming a protruding landform, ultimately forming a mountain peak shaped like a giant python, with a unique shape that is amazing.
Cockscomb Ridge
Cockscomb Ridge is located in the upper section of the scenic area and belongs to the typical karst terrain peak cluster. It is an upright stone wall formed by strong crustal movement and is composed of the Changxing Formation limestone in the Permian period of the Paleozoic era, about 250 million years ago. It is named because there is a section that looks like a cockscomb and is one of the iconic landscapes in the scenic area.
Buddha's Palm
The Buddha's Palm is located on the lower side of the Cockscomb Ridge, about 200 meters high and about 80 centimeters thick, with a shape like the fearless seal of the Buddha. This is because the single rock layer has different thicknesses. The thin layers collapse to both sides under the erosion of rainwater, while the thick layers are strong and not easy to collapse, thus forming a wall-like landform, which is very distinctive.
Lotus Platform Guanyin
The Lotus Platform Guanyin is located on the lower side of the Cockscomb Ridge. The shape of the stone is like Guanyin Bodhisattva meditating on a lotus platform, with her hands clasped in prayer, a kind and benevolent expression, and the headscarf and kasaya looking very lifelike, giving people a sacred and mysterious feeling.
Tianmen Cave
Tianmen Cave is located in the middle of Baodao Ridge. The entrance of the cave is about 3 meters high and about 4 meters wide, and the shape of the cave is like a gate connecting the human world and the celestial world. The environment inside the cave is unique. When tourists pass through the Tianmen Cave, they seem to enter another world, full of fantasy colors.
Copper Wall and Iron Fortress
The Copper Wall and Iron Fortress is located in the east of Baodao Ridge and belongs to the fault in the karst landform. The cliff wall is rust-colored and glows with golden light under the sunlight. It stands as steep as a knife, with a smooth and flat wall surface, vertically precipitous, stretching for thousands of meters. Marine shell fossils can also be seen on the wall, witnessing the geological changes here.
Male and Female Giant Apes
The Male and Female Giant Apes are located in Happy Valley. The stones are shaped like two giant apes sitting at the bottom of the canyon, with different postures, and their male and female forms can be distinguished. This is formed by the erosion of surface water, causing some parts of the rock formation to collapse along the cracks, with a very realistic shape, giving people a strong visual impact.
Biyun Peak
Biyun Peak is located at the bottom of the canyon. It got its name because the cliff rises abruptly from the deep valley like a sharp sword piercing the blue sky and breaking through the clouds. Here, the mountains and valleys are deep and secluded, surrounded by clouds and mist, with steep rock walls and lush forests, presenting a beautiful scenery.
General Stone
The General Stone is located on the rock wall of the right bank below the plank road. It gets its name because the stone strongly resembles the profile of General Ba Manzi, a hero of the ancient Ba State. According to legend, this is the site where the fossil of General Ba guards Wuling Mountain. It was formed when flowing water eroded the rock to create a weak surface along the joint cracks, and then under the action of gravity, it toppled towards the opposite side, which holds important historical and cultural significance.
Delicacies
High Mountain Old Smoked Pork
The High Mountain Old Smoked Pork is a characteristic delicacy around the Wuling Mountain Grand Rift. It is made from local native pork through traditional processes such as curing and smoking. The meat is firm, with a rich and strong aroma, and has a unique flavor, which is one of the must-try local delicacies for tourists.
Tujia Tofu
Tujia Tofu is made from high-quality local soybeans and mountain spring water. The tofu is tender and delicious, with a strong bean flavor. It can be eaten with local characteristic chili sauce, which tastes delicious and is rich in nutrition, and is a popular delicacy among tourists.
Stir-fried Twice-cooked Pork with Zha Hai Jiao (Spicy Fermented Chili)
Zha Hai Jiao is a traditional folk delicacy in the Fuling area. The dish of stir-fried twice-cooked pork with Zha Hai Jiao has a strong local flavor. The unique spiciness of Zha Hai Jiao blends with the aroma of twice-cooked pork, with a rich taste, and it is a common dish on the local dining table and goes well with rice.
Admission Tickets
The package ticket price of the Wuling Mountain Grand Rift Scenic Area starts from 145 yuan.
You can search for the official WeChat public account of the scenic area, "武陵山大裂谷景区", to obtain the latest news or purchase tickets online.
Opening Hours
The opening hours of the Wuling Mountain Grand Rift Scenic Area are as follows: In the off-season, it is from 9:00 to 15:30; in the peak season, it is from 8:30 to 16:00.
Itinerary
Half-way Route: Starting from the tourist center, tourists take the Tangyakou Cableway Upper Station and reach the Tangyakou Cableway Lower Station. Then they visit Denggan Stone, Lover's Valley, She Shen Cliff, Qingtian Gorge Earth Fissure, Kai Men Stone, Zhen Tian Yin, General Stone, Laojun Cave successively. Finally, they reach the Deputy Tourist Center through the Time Tunnel and take the Ping'an Pavilion Cableway. The whole journey is about 4 kilometers.
Full Route: Starting from the tourist center, tourists pass through the Tuyu Square and visit Xiaokuimen, Zhangzibao, Yunwu Pavilion, Python Mountain, Cockscomb Ridge, Lotus Platform Guanyin, Buddha's Palm, the Race between the Tortoise and the Rabbit, Tianmen Cave, Tianmen Cave Suspension Bridge, Copper Wall and Iron Fortress, Fengyakou, Yunmeng Creek, Crystal Lake, Guyue Square, Male and Female Giant Apes, Happy Valley, Journey to the West successively. Then they reach the starting station of the battery car and visit Biyun Shenfeng, Heart Rock, Shijia Men, Haohan Slope, Ten Thousand Volume Book, Wangyou Valley. After that, they reach the Tangyakou Cableway Lower Station and continue to visit Denggan Stone, Lover's Valley, She Shen Cliff, Qingtian Gorge Earth Fissure, Kai Men Stone, Zhen Tian Yin, General Stone, Laojun Cave. Finally, they reach the Deputy Tourist Center through the Time Tunnel and take the Ping'an Pavilion Cableway. The whole journey is about 9 kilometers, and it is almost all downhill.
Transportation
- Self-driving: Starting from Chongqing Urban Area, passing through highways such as Shanghai-Chongqing Expressway and Changfu Expressway, you can reach Fuling District, and then follow the navigation to the Wuling Mountain Grand Rift Scenic Area. The scenic area has an ecological parking lot that can park about 1,600 vehicles.
- Public Transportation: Tourists can take a bus to Wuling Mountain at the bus passenger transport center in Fuling urban area. After arriving at Wuling Mountain, they can transfer to local transportation vehicles to reach the scenic area. They can also take relevant tourist shuttle buses at Fuling High-speed Railway Station or Railway Station to the scenic area, but they need to pay attention to the operation time and schedules of the shuttle buses.
Must-visit Attractions
- Baodao Ridge: A huge stone wall where you can observe the Paleozoic limestone and seabed relics and feel the geological changes of nature.
- Qingtian Gorge: A natural earth fissure with a narrow canyon, towering cliffs, and unique stalactite landscapes, which gives people a strong visual impact.
- Wanzhang Pit: The entrance of the underground river and the spectacular underground river waterfall are unique geological landscapes in the scenic area.
- Xiaokuimen: A unique landform formed by limestone with rich rock wall colors, which is a great place for photography.
- Python Mountain: A unique mountain shape formed by rock erosion, resembling a giant python with a strange shape.
- Buddha's Palm: A unique wall-like landform with a shape like the fearless seal of the Buddha, which has a high ornamental value.
Travel Suggestions
- It is recommended that tourists understand the opening hours and ticket preferential policies of the scenic area in advance and reasonably arrange the play time and ticketing methods.
- Some sections in the scenic area are relatively steep, so tourists should wear comfortable sports shoes and appropriate clothing and pay attention to walking safety.
- Since the scenic area is large and the whole journey takes a long time, tourists can choose the half-way or full route according to their own situation. The half-way route is suitable for tourists with limited time or weak physical strength, while the full route allows tourists to enjoy the beauty of the scenic area more comprehensively, but they need to be prepared physically.
- The ecological environment in the scenic area is good, so tourists should take good care of the environment, not litter randomly, and not damage the natural landscape and vegetation.
- When dining in the scenic area, tourists can choose restaurants in the scenic area or nearby restaurants to taste local characteristic delicacies, but they need to pay attention to food hygiene.
- There are large-scale situational performance programs in the scenic area, and tourists can reasonably arrange their itinerary according to the performance time to feel the local history and culture.
Precautions
- Some attractions in the scenic area may be temporarily closed due to weather or maintenance reasons, so tourists need to pay attention to the announcement information of the scenic area and reasonably adjust the play route.
- There are transportation tools such as cableways and battery cars in the scenic area, and tourists need to abide by relevant regulations and follow the arrangements of the staff to ensure riding safety.
- When visiting in summer, pay attention to sun protection and heatstroke prevention; when visiting in winter, pay attention to keeping warm.
- When visiting attractions such as the suspended plank road, pay attention to safety and do not get close to the edge to avoid accidents.
- Carrying flammable, explosive items, controlled knives and other dangerous items is prohibited in the scenic area, and tourists need to abide by the relevant regulations of the scenic area.
- If an emergency occurs, tourists can ask the staff in the scenic area for help or call the rescue hotline of the scenic area.