Wulong Karst

At Wulong the roof of an enormous cave system collapsed except for three sections, leaving natural bridges of limestone standing over a canyon, among the largest such arches in the world. Visitors descend by lift into the Three Natural Bridges site and walk the floor beneath them, past the pits where the roof fell in and a Tang postal station rebuilt on the canyon bottom, with waterfalls dropping from the rims. The wider UNESCO listing includes the Furong Cave, a decorated show cave with rare formations, and the Houping tiankeng cluster. The landscape has been used as a film location, which brings additional visitors.

What you actually see

• The three natural bridges - vast limestone arches across the canyon.
• The canyon floor - the walk beneath the arches past the collapse pits.
• Furong Cave - a heavily decorated cave in the same listing.
• The rim waterfalls - water dropping into the gorge.

When to go

April to October, with summer greenest but hottest; Chongqing heat is severe in July and August though the canyon stays cool. Winter is quiet and can be icy on the walkways.

Honest expectations

The site is highly engineered with lifts, shuttle buses and set walking routes. Ticketing is layered and adds up. Holiday crowds fill the canyon floor path completely.

Nearby

Chongqing lies northwest; the Wujiang gorges are nearby.