Moon Hill

About one kilometer from the Ancient Banyan Tree (10 minutes by bike) lays a hill whose peaks tower the sky as if it has reached the clouds. The hill has a cave with a diameter of 11 meters looking just like a full moon, hence the name Moon Hill. Viewed from different angles, the cave takes different shapes, just as the moon changes shape with the elapse of time, from crescent moon, full moon, half moon to crescent moon again. Moon Hill is one of the major charms and top attractions in Yangshuo.

Moon hill offers some broad, panoramic views of the surrounding countryside, which is characterized by the knobby karst hills found throughout the region. In 1972, US President Richard Nixon and his wife are said to have climbed the moon mountain, saying, "God has gave Yangshuo so many beautiful things.”

Moon Hill Facts

-    In Chinese: 阳朔月亮山

-    Location: Yangshuo County, Guilin, China

-    Opening time: 7:00 -18:30 (The latest information published by the scenic spot shall prevail)

-    Best time to visit: all year round

-    Entrance fee: RMB15

Moon Hill Hiking

Visitors can follow an 800-steps hiking trail to the Moon Cave. The two walls of the cave are as smooth as a wall, but the top of the cave is hung with stalactites in various shapes. On a clear day, visitors can see the blue sky and white clouds through Moon Cave, like a round mirror hanging on a mountaintop. There is a round hill on the north side of the cave, named "moon road."

It takes about 20 minutes to climb to the arch, or considerably longer for those who mean to reach the hill's summit. Access is not free and visitors must pay an entrance fee to be allowed to climb the hill. Souvenirs and refreshment vendors often follow climbers up and down the path.

Moon Hill Rock Climbing

A marvel of nature, Yangshuo Moon Hil is a gathering place for rock climbing enthusiasts.

In addition to a concrete tourist path which passes through the arch, and a somewhat rougher, steeper path leading to the summit above the arch, Moon Hill has several rock climbing routes, the first of which was climbed by Todd Skinner in the 1990s. It has also been used for abseils in several adventure races.

By now there are 15 climbing routes with expansion cones, 8 on the straight wall, 2 on the left and right side of the Moon Cave, and 4 on the transition from the arch to the straight wall with varying degrees of elevation. There is only one route to the face of the rock, created by American climber Craig Luebben. The route of each wall was sequentially numbered from the left side of the straight wall and marked with tape at the beginning of the route. Route 4, route 6 and route 9 all have two pitches. Although the routes are located on the same rock wall, each has different angles, fulcrum sizes and layouts, and different difficulties and styles.

Every year, durng Yangshuo Rock Climbing Festival, climbers from all over the world will challenge the Moon Hill.

How to Get to Moon Hill from downtown Yangshuo

8 kilometers away from the downtown area, it takes more than 10 minutes to get to the gate of the scenic spot by bus.

More Attractions in Yangshuo