Furong Cave 芙蓉洞

About Furong Cave

The contrast between smooth draped deposits and finer clustered growth is the main visual interest. Follow the managed cave route and use the geological interpretation to distinguish the formations. The river and cave are related parts of the landscape, but a river excursion has separate access and operating arrangements.

Furong Cave was discovered in 1993 and opened to tourists in 1994. It was rated a national 4A tourist attraction in 2002. Joint Sino-British and Sino-British-American scientific expeditions investigated the cave system between 1994 and 2001, eventually mapping its extensive underground river network. In June 2007 the cave was listed, together with the Furong River, as part of the South China Karst UNESCO World Heritage Site, the first cave in China included on the World Heritage list, and in 2011 it was rated a national 5A tourist attraction.

The cave is 2846 metres long and 30 to 50 metres wide, and is divided into three sections: the first features colourful subterranean formations, while the other two focus on the science of cave formation. It contains more than 30 named features, including a stone waterfall (巨型石) 15.76 and 21.04 metres high, at the foot of which coral-like mineral projections extend up to 120 centimetres. Within an area of about 20 square kilometres around the cave there are more than 50 vertical shafts deeper than 100 metres, including the 920-metre Steam Shaft (汽坑洞), the deepest in Asia.

What to look for

• The large stone-waterfall formation spreads over the cave wall.
• Coral-like mineral growth provides a finer contrast to the broad deposits and chambers.

Location & getting there

Getting to Furong Cave

Travel by road to the Furong Cave Tourist Centre in Jiangkou Town, Wulong, near the meeting of the Furong and Wu rivers. Confirm the managed transfer included in your cave visit before continuing uphill.