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The 3 Greatest Natural Caves in Guilin

Written by Ruru Zhou Updated Apr. 9, 2021

Reed Flute Cave, Silver Cave, and Seven Star Cave are the top 3 caves in Guilin. All these caves are famous for beautiful natural rock formations and shapes, multicolored light shows and mysterious historical legends and each cave is unique, with its own highlights. Reed Flute Cave has “Rose Dawn Over Lion Peaks”, Silver Cave has “Waterfall on the Snow Mountain” and Seven Star Cave has “A Natural Fresco”.

1. Reed Flute Cave

Known as "the Palace of Natural Arts”, Reed Flute Cave is one of the most extraordinary scenic spots in Guilin and also a "must-see" sight in Guilin, like Elephant Hill. It’s a natural limestone cave about 240 meters in length. It developed as a tourist destination in 1962 and attracts countless nature lovers every year due to its stalactites, stalagmites, and rock formations in weird and wonderful shapes.

Quick Facts About Reed Flute Cave

Highlights of Reed Flute Cave

Limestone formations: The cave is filled with various stalactites and stalagmites, which are named according to what they look like and the legends surrounding them. The vivid rock formations have names like Rose Dawn Over Lion Peaks, Crystal Palace, Fish Tail Peak, and Double Columns. One giant stalactite is said to have been the magic spear of the Dragon King, used by the Monkey King Sun Wu Kong in the Chinese Buddhist classic, Journey to the West. The whole cave is lit up by the colorful lights and looks like a dazzling underground palace. That’s why the cave is also known as ‘Nature’s Art Palace’.

Historic inscriptions: Inside the cave, there are more than 70 inscriptions written in ink, mostly poems and travelogues, which can be dated back as far as 792 AD in the Tang Dynasty (618–907). These aged inscriptions tell us that it has been an attraction in Guilin since ancient times. It was also a crucial hiding location and refuge during the Sino-Japanese War and World War Two. Hospitals and newspapers operated in the cave to avoid the bombs.

2. Silver Cave

Opened in 1999, Silver Cave is the largest karst cave in Guilin and fully shows the charm of the typical karst landform in south China. It goes through 12 hills total, and is about 2000 meters long. In the cave, stalactites and stalagmites are shining like silver from a silver river, giving the cave its name.

Quick Fact About Silver Cave

Highlights of Silver Cave

Silver Cave consists of three parts: the lower cave, the grand hall, and the upper cave. Its many remarkable scenic spots include stalactites, stalagmites, stone pillars, and cave curtains. The most famous among all the scenic spots in the cave is the “unique three”: “Waterfall on the Snow Mountain”, “Musical Stone Screen” and “Jasper Lake Fairyland”. All these marvelous sceneries formed an unforgettable cave tour.

3. Seven Star Cave

Also known as Qixia Cave (in Chinese meaning: “the place where colorful clouds settle”), Seven Star Cave is referred to as the "Residence of the Immortals" for its huge impressive rock formations and inscriptions.

Quick Fact About Seven Star Cave

Highlights of Seven Star Cave

Seven Star Cave is divided into three parts. The upper part is so high and steep that one can hardly reach while the lower part is an underground river channel. The middle part is an 814-meter-long tunnel, with 49 meters in wide and 27 meters in height. Artificial lighting for walkways and displays is staged throughout, including colored accents, and various formations have names such as "A Natural Fresco" and "The Chessboard". The temperature inside remains 20 centigrade degrees all year round, providing a comfortable condition for visitors.

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