Huanglong Cave

The "Most Beautiful Tourist Cave in China" (the 19.2m "Sea-Calming Needle" stalagmite insured for CNY 100 million), Dragon Palace Hall (12,000 m²) + Xiangshui River boat ride. Rated by authoritative bodies as the "Most Beautiful Tourist Cave in China," this giant karst cave has four levels connected from top to bottom; the Dragon Palace Hall covers 12,000 square meters, with stone pillars, stalagmites and flowstone curtains stacked layer upon layer like the treasure halls of a dragon palace. The cave's treasure, the "Sea-Calming Needle" stalagmite, stands 19.2m tall and is still growing slowly; an insurance company once insured it for CNY 100 million, setting a record for insuring a cave formation. A boat carries you through the underground Xiangshui River section, where the lighting makes the stalactites look dreamlike. The cave keeps a constant temperature of around 16°C — cool in summer, a refuge from the cold in winter, suitable all year round; it sits near Wulingyuan Town like Baofeng Lake, so the two combine easily on one route.

Getting there: Wulingyuan Town