Guilin is a gorgeous city in China’s Guangxi province, sitting on the west bank of the iconic Li River and is perhaps best-known for its mesmerizing Karst topography, lush green Longii Terraces, and the culinary art of cooking Bamboo Rice. From taking a river cruise to river rafting to getting glimpses of Guilin’s picturesque Karst Mountains, there are plenty of amazing things to doin Guilin and you will never get bored of this little Chinese city. Take a flight to Guilin to get mesmerized by the Magic of Guilin’s Karst Mountains, book your cheap flights to Guilin only on for huge savings on airfares. This article will throw a lot of light on how the magical Karst Mountains in Guilin were formed. Read on.
Where are the Karst Mountains?
The Karst Mountains refer to rock formations of soluble rocks, typically made of limestone, dolomite and gypsum, formed over millions of years as a result of the withering and erosion of the soluble rocks due to the chemical reactions by the acids found in the rain water and other water bodies surrounding the rocks. A typical Karst topography will contain mountains, peaks, valleys, underground water systems, sinkholes and caves; you can find Karst topography in places like Guilin, Balkan Peninsula, Dinaric Alps, and the Karst Plateau that runs across the border of Italy and Slovenia.
How were Guilin Mountains formed?
Guilin in the ancient times, some three hundred million years ago used to lie on the ocean floor, around that time its limestone bedrock was submerged inside the ocean and eventually over a vast period of time due to the movement of the earth’s crust it is believed that the sea bed containing the limestone bedrock rose above the sea level and got exposed to air.
Historians have asserted that a strong collision between India and Asia some 40 million years agowas actually responsible for a massive movement of the earth’s crust which paved the way for a) the joining of India with Asia and b) the formation of the Himalayas. Intriguingly the impact of the collision of India and Asia was so huge that the limestone bedrock lying underneath the earth in the Guilin region got uplifted above the ground level. It took some 40 million years for therisen Devonian limestone bedrockto get dissolved and broken down by the strong chemical reactions formed between the soluble bedrock and the water from the rains and the surrounding rivers before it got transformed into a gorgeous landscape with majestic peaks, beautiful valleys, caves and sinkholes.
Bucket-List of Karst Mountain attractions:
The Karst Mountains in Guilin along with limestone caves and rock formations are top delights for both international tourists and local tourists alike. Situated in south China, in Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, The Karst Mountain peaks of Guilin are unique and different from other Karst formations elsewhere in the world in that the mountain peaks are sharp with slender slopes, resembling shapes like Elephant, Camel and Moon. The picturesque scenery of the Karst landscape in Guilin is an epitome of nature’s beauty at its best! A tour to Guilin without exploring Guilin’s Karst topography is incomplete. The following is a list of top attractions in Guilin’s Karst landscape:
Elephant Trunk Hill
This is a limestone rock formation that resembles the shape of an elephant dipping its trunk in water (from a nearby natural lake) for sipping some of it. Locatedin between the trunk and the bizzare rock body of the elephant is the exotic Sun Moon Cave, best-known for exploring some ancient cave writings.Don’t miss out on touring the Sun Moon Cave of the Elephant Trunk Hill.
Nine Horse Fresco Hill
Situated at a distance of 40 km, Nine Horse Fresco Hill is one of the most-visited Karst Hills and can be best explored by cruising down the Li River towards Yangshuo. The most striking thing about this hill is one of its faces bears the images of nine horses and spotting these 9 horse images as you go past the hill during the river cruise can give you a one-of-a-kind experience.
Fubo Hill
Located on the western banks of Li River, Fubo Hill is a subduing Hill that has the power to subdue the strong river water waves by blocking them from entering into the land as half of the hill lies in the river and the other half of it lies on the land! Another unique thing about Fubo is it has artificially constructed structures of Pavilions and a Gen temple along with natural limestone rock formations and stalactites thus making it an attraction with both natural and historical importance.
Reed Flute Cave
This is another limestone cave formation that is famed internationally for its stalagmites and stalactites and also has a laser light / music show vibe to it in the evenings. If you are wondering why it is called the Reed Flute Cave, here is the answer- it seems there are numerous reed plants growing in the vicinity of the cave and visitors use the reeds to create flutes out of the reeds and hence the name!
Crown Cave
Crown Cave is a must-visit cave attraction in the Karst Topography and is the most popular of all the caves of Guilin and it spans to a huge extent of 12 kilometers in length with extensive limestone rock formations. The main highlight of Crown Cave is it gets this name from a hill on top of it which resembles the shape of a crown! Crown Cave is well-known for its stalagmites and stalactites formations and is illuminated in the night. The icing on the cake is it is easy to explore, you could tour the cave by using the elevator, a roller coaster train or even a small boat in certain sections of the cave.
