Yellow Dragon Cave

Yellow Dragon Cave, also known as Huanglongdong in Chinese, is a typical karst cave, located in Suoxi Valley Nature Reserve of Zhangjiajie National Forest Park. It has a total length of 7,640 meters (8,355 yards) with a maximum vertical height of 140 meters (460 feet). The tour route inside the cave is 3,200 meters (3,500 yards) long, including more than 800 meters (875 yards) of water route. Due to the large scale and rich varieties of stalactites, stone columns, stalagmites, stone flowers and more inside the cave, Yellow Dragon Cave is praised as the “All-around Champion Karst Cave in the World”.

Huanglongdong has four floors containing 1 reservoir, 2 underground rivers, 3 underground waterfalls, 4 pools, 13 halls and 96 entryways to the inside. Below are the top attractions in Yellow Dragon Cave: This largest cave in Yellow Dragon Cave is over 200,000 years old. It has an average height of 40 meters (130 feet). There are more than 1,700 stalagmites in various poses and stone columns in the Dragon Palace. Among them, 516 stalagmites are high over 1 meter (3.3 feet), and the distribution density of stalagmites is 0.12 per square meter.


Dragon Palace has 3 wonders and one is “Magic Cudgel”, or “Ding Hai Shen Zhen” in Chinese, which is a landmark in Yellow Dragon Cave. It is a stalagmite with a height of 19.2 meters (63 feet), the highest stalagmite in the Cave. It is estimated that it takes at least 200,000 years for this stalagmite to grow to such a height. The shape is very strange: thick at two ends and thin in the middle, and the thinnest part is only 0.1 meter (0.11 yard) in diameter. The insure amount of this stalagmite is about CNY 100,000,000, so please don’t touch it while watching. 

Magic Cudgel Stalagmite

Dragon King Throne

Another 2 wonders are: “Dragon King Throne” – the thickest stalagmite in the Cave, whose hole inside can accommodate 15 adults; “Snow Pine” – a stalagmite with the fastest growing speed.
 It has a total length of 2,820 meters (3,084 yards), an average water depth of 6 meters (6.6 yards), a maximum depth of 12 meters (13 yards), and a water temperature of around 16°C (61°F) all year round. Here, you can have an 8-minute-long river cruise by taking the sightseeing boat. The cruise is about 800-meter-long (875 yards). Note that it may take you over 10 minute to queue for taking boat. Located on the first floor, Labyrinth has many types of stalactites in the cave. The stalactites, stalagmites, stone columns, helictites, stone flowers, peatlites, madrepores in the cave are exquisite. In addition, there are sonorant stones, underground waterfalls, and even hills in the cave. Tian Xi'an Waterfall was formed by the three largest springs in Yellow Dragon Cave. The Waterfall falls from a 30-meter-high (100 feet) honeycomb-shaped grotto and form a beautiful waterfall spectacle. Tianxian is the highest suspended waterfall with the largest water flow among the touristy karst caves in China.

In addition to the above mentioned, there are many other areas worth seeing in the Yellow Dragon Cave, like “the Loess Plateau” with a large area of stone waterfall, Hua Guo Hill famous for small water-drop like stones, Tianzhu Street known for the longest stone bridge in China’s sightseeing karst caves and more.
 Wind and Rain Corridor – Hundred-Year-Old Giant Salamander – Cave Wine Cellar – Dragon Dancing Cave - Xiang Shui River – Hao Han Slope – Tian Xi'an Bridge – Dragon Palace – Ding Hai Shen Zhen

Time needed: 2-3 hours
  1. There are over 300 staircases in the Cave, which might be tiring for seniors and children.
 2. Toilets are next to the entrance of the scenic spot and there are none inside the Cave.
 3. Since the temperature inside the Yellow Dragon Cave is lower than the outside, it is recommended to bring some thick clothes.
 4. Please wear comfortable and non-slip shoes, as it is dark and slippery inside the Cave. From Zhangjiajie Railway Station or Zhangjiajie West Railway Station, take a direct bus to Wulingyuan Scenic Area. After getting off the bus, walk for minutes to get to Wulingyuan Bus Station or Biaozhi Gate Bus Stop. There, take Wulingyuan Bus No.1 to Yellow Dragon Cave. The journey takes about 2.5 hours and CNY15. 

The frequency of Wulingyuan No.1 Bus is not high, so taxing a taxi is more practical.
 Adult: CNY 121
Children between 14 – 18 and seniors aged 60 – 65, including 14 and 60: CNY 73
Seniors aged and over 65: CNY 43
Children aged under 14: CNY 25

Note that the fees have included the sightseeing boat and audio guidance service.
 Mar. – Nov.: 07:00 - 17:30 
Dec. – Feb.: 08:00 - 16:00