Travelogue of the Huangguoshu Waterfall in Guizhou

Leaving the Xijiang Qianhu Miao Village in Guizhou, after a three and a half hour drive, I arrived at the Huangguoshu Waterfall Scenic Area. As the penultimate stop on my self-drive trip from Shanghai to Yunnan, and the last major attraction, I present this travel guide. Accommodation: There are hotels and homestays of different grades around the scenic area. I stayed at the Huangguoshu Kaiyuan Mingdu Resort Hotel through Ctrip, which is one kilometer away from the Huangguoshu Scenic Area. Newly opened in 2024, Ctrip's three-day, two-night presale package was just over 800 yuan, quite a bargain. This time, the hotel upgraded me to a balcony view room for free, which was very luxurious and comfortable. Dining: There are quite a few restaurants outside the scenic area, just a ten-minute walk from the hotel. I recommend Guizhou specialties such as sour soup fish, bamboo fungus chicken soup, and garlic wild vegetables, all reasonably priced. If you don't want to go out, the hotel offers takeout. It's still advisable to bring some dry food and water when entering the scenic area, as it will definitely be more expensive inside, and the choices and tastes are hard to describe. Tickets: The scenic area ticket includes three attractions for 160 yuan, plus a scenic shuttle bus between the attractions for 50 yuan, totaling 210 yuan. There is an elevator in the Great Waterfall area that costs 30 yuan one way, which you can choose to walk instead. If you have limited physical strength, you can opt for the elevator. The Tianxing Bridge area has a cable car for 10 yuan, which can save some walking distance. The ticket price is a bit expensive, and some tourists, like myself, only chose to visit the Great Waterfall area, which is not very cost-effective. Tour Route: First, let's talk about the average playing time for the three attractions. The Great Waterfall area takes about two hours, not counting the peak season, when just queuing for the Water Curtain Cave can take one or two hours; Tianxing Bridge takes 2-4 hours, divided into the upper and lower sections. Many tourists only choose to play in the upper section due to physical strength issues, which is about one or two hours to Gao Laozhuang and then return. However, I personally suggest either completing the whole journey or not going at all, as the core attractions of the entire scenic area, Tianxing Cave and Xingxia Waterfall, are in the lower section. Since there is no way back after passing Gao Laozhuang into the lower section, completing the whole journey takes nearly four hours and is a real test of physical strength. Steep Slope Pond takes about one hour, mainly featuring the filming location of 'Journey to the West' and a Steep Slope Pond waterfall. The attraction is not large and relatively average. Based on the above situations, many people choose to go to Tianxing Bridge first to tackle the more difficult part, then to the relatively easier Great Waterfall, and finally decide whether to go to Steep Slope Pond based on their physical strength. This time, I went straight to the Great Waterfall first. After watching it, I assessed my condition, and since I had a bit of a cold and fever recently, I gave up on the Tianxing Bridge and Steep Slope Pond areas. However, I don't feel regretful, as I visited the most essential attraction, and the other two were just part of the package, so it doesn't matter if I didn't visit them. Ps: Now is not the peak season with the highest water flow. At the entrance to the scenic area, there are many vendors selling raincoats. Personally, I suggest that unless it's a rainy day, walking through the Water Curtain Cave will only get you a few water droplets, but it's not a big deal, so there's no need to wear a raincoat as they suggest for the Great Waterfall Water Curtain Cave experience.