If you visit Guilin, don't miss this MUST SEE attraction!

by Jeff
(Canada)

Just last week I looked through some family photos of our trip to Guilin. It's one of my favorite places to visit in China, and it's also very popular.

But what's less popular is one of Guilin's world-class attractions. It always surprises me how many people visit Guilin and skip the very best part!

So what is it?

The caves.

Maybe everyone is so focused on the beautiful outdoor scenery that they overlook the underground tour. Maybe it's just not marketed well - or many tourists don't feel it's worth their time.

But wow! I've been to caves all over the US - from Virginia to Kentucky to California and the caves in Guilin top them all.

They really are a natural wonder. So vast! Apparently 1000 people can fit into the largest cavern.

And the tour takes at least a couple of hours. You can keep walking and walking and there are more and more caverns and tunnels...we kept expecting each new cave to be the end of the tour. Everyone in our group was amazed at how it just kept going and going and going.

I also really enjoyed the lighting. Some people might find it a bit over the top - but it really added a magical feeling to the entire environment. My daughters were a little scared at first about walking into a dark cave. I think the bright colors helped ease their fears.

And in the end, they had fun, enjoyed themselves and remember the caves as the natural wonder that they are.

One tourist in our group was an artist from Australia. She kept finding hidden fairies, trolls and elves in the rock formations.

So if I had to give three pointers about visiting China:

Get a Chinese Name - Chinese people will connect with you easier if you have a name they can relate to. Especially the older generations. And the more friends you make, the more fun you will have.
Learn some Chinese - Even if you just learn a few phrases before your trip - those phrases will endear you to the people you meet. A little effort will be appreciated deeply by your Chinese friends. A good place to start is a nearby Chinese school.
Visit the caves! - If you go to Guilin, set aside some time to visit the Reed Flute caves.

Ding writes:

Jeff, thank you so much for the lovely photos of Guilin's caves. And the interesting story.

Love to see and hear more of them. And from other readers too.