Plan your Beijing tour? You’ll definitely cram several Beijing’ UNESCO World Heritage sites on your travel plan including the spectacular Great Wall of China. In addition to its world-famous historical sites, Beijing is blessed with an abundance of natural resources including several easy-to-access karst caves.
If you are a cave enthusiast, or you are an outdoor adventurist, your Beijing trip can be added with an interesting day trip to the underground kingdoms of caves and caverns in Beijing’s suburbs.
These caves are easy to access and you don’t have to be an avid spelunker or speleologist to enjoy the cave tour. We compose the top 4 caves based our own criteria and experience in terms of size, formation and location.
1. Shihua Cave (The Stone Flower Cave) 石花洞
The Stone Flower Cave is located in Fangshan District, about 50 km southwest of Beijing city center. It was first discovered in 1446, Ming Dynasty by a Buddhist monk, Yuanguang.
The structure of the cave is 7-level and multi-branch. Now the 7 levels have been explored while the only the floors from the 1st to the 3rd are opened to the public with a total length of 2.5 km.
Beijing Stone Flower Cave is one of the 4 most famous caves in China with a superb collection of beautiful sights. At present, only three levels are open to the public. The first level is more than 300 metres long, and contains a corridor, a pool like a lotus flower, three big halls, and a cave with an inner cave.
Visitors can enjoy stalactites, stalagmites, cobbles, stone curtains, stone pillars, and stone flowers everywhere inside the cave-an eye-opening experience.
How to get there: First take the subway Fangshan Line and get off at Liangxian Naguan Station (良乡南关站), then connect the local public bus known as Fang 43 (房43) and get off at the final bus stop.
Ticket Price: 70RMB
Tel: 010-60312170
2. Yinhu Cave ( Silver Fox Cave) 银狐洞
About 14 km to the west of Shihua Cave ( The Stone Flower Cave ) lies the Yinhu Cave ( Silver Fox Cave ), about 60 km to the southwest of Beijing city center.
Silver Fox Cave is such named because there is a fox-shaped snow-white calcite crystal which is very rare and precious, therefore, the cave got the name Yinhu (Silver Fox).
This multi-layer karst cave is luxuriantly a wonderful spectacle. The winding cave is about 4500 meters long with a water river of 1500 meters long. In the cave, there are uncommon various stalactites, white stalagmites, grand stone pillars, asbestos, shining stone waterfalls.
The Silver Fox Cave is the largest dry and water karst cave in the northern China. The underground water is clear and never frozen. The meandering underground rivers penetrate as deep as more than 100 meters (328 feet). Tourists can boat on the clear and winding waters.
How to get there: Take the Bus No.917 (支线3) from Tianqiao Bus Terminal (天桥) and get off at the stop of Hebeizhuang (河北庄), then change for the local bus known as Fang 20 (房20) and get off the intersection leading to the Yinhu Cave.
Ticket Price: 40RMB
Tel:010-60363236
3. Yunshui Cave in the Shangfangshan Mountain 上方山云水洞
Shangfangshan, as the branch of the Mt. Yan, is located in Fangshan Districe, in the southwest of Beijing’s suburban area. With its main peak 860 meters, the Shangfangshan Park is characterized by vast area of woods, nine marvelous karst caves, twelve stupendous peaks, seventy-two ancient temples, and the largest stupa group in North China.
Yunshui Cave is the most famous spot in the Shangfangshan Park. It is locates about, 42km to the southwest of Shihua Cave and 73 km to the southwest of Beijing city center. It is the largest karst cave in the Northern China.
The cave is about 600 meters deep with 6 natural halls. In the cave, there are 12 peaks and 108 natural scenic spots. “Zhongtian Zhizhu” is the tallest peak with a sea-level of 860 meters. It has the tallest stalagmite in China with the height of 37 meters.
Add: Shengshuiyu Village, Hancunhe Town, Fangshan District
Ticket Price:50 RMB
Opening Time: 08:00-18:00
How to get there: Bus No.917 to Fangshan Bus Station, then transfer to No.15 minibus to Shangfangshan National Forest Park
4. Jingdong Karst Cave 京东大溶洞
Jingdong Karst Cave has existed ever since 1.5 billion years before, hence the name of “The Oldest Karst Cave in the world”. This karst cave stretches over 25,00m including a 100m boat trip inside the karst cave. The temperature inside the karst cave is stable, warm in winter and cool in summer.
The karst cave is divided into 8 viewing areas named after the unique rock formations, the stalactites, stalagmites, and columns that can be found inside the cave. The formations were created over thousands of years by dripping water. Some of the eight viewing areas are given interesting names like “Fairyland in Penglai”, “Spring Rain in Southern China”, “Water Curtain Cave”, “Heavenly Torch” and so on.
The normal visiting time inside the cave takes about one and half hours. Visitors will be escorted by a karst cave tour guide from beginning to the end. The entrance ticket is RMB65 p/p. After having your ticket checked, you walk through a 140m man-made tunnel which is linked to the cave inside. The stalactites, stalagmites, and columns are lit by lamps of different colors. You have to walk slowly to keep from falling down due to the wet and slippery stone steps.
How to get there?
For public transportation, you take the bus 918 from Dongzhimen Transport Hub. Arriving at Pinggu Bus Terminal, you are required to connect bus 25 passing by Jingdong Big Karst Cave and get off the Jingdong Karst Cave.
For self-guide drive, you drive along Jinggu Expressway, then branch off and follow the road sign pointing to Jingdong Big Karst Cave.
Enquiry: 60971708
Tourist complaint: 89991622
Entrance Fee: 65 Yuan
The the stalactites look like icicles.
Tip: Hassle-free Beijing Guided Tours
If you don’t want to go the do-it-yourself route and prefer the hassle-free escorted tours, here are some options for Beijing guided tours:
Beijing Day Tour
Beijing Tour Packages
Beijing Winter Tour
Beijing Autumn Tour
Great Wall Tour
Car Rental in Beijing
Beijing Tours
China City Tours
China Tour
Further Readings
Best Time to Visit Beijing
How to plan a trip to Beijing
Top 10 Attractions in Beijing
How to Visit Forbidden City
How to Visit Temple of Heaven
How to Visit Summer Palace
How to Visit Ming Tombs
How to Visit the Great Wall of China
How to Visit Tiananmen Square
How to Visit Hutongs
How to Visit Olympic Sites
Top 10 Markets in Beijing
Top 10 Shopping Malls in Beijing
Beijing Shopping
Wangfujing Walking Street
Qianmen Commercial Street
Gui Jie ( Ghost Street) Food Street
Any questions, just drop a line.
