Zhijin Cave

Zhijin Dong is among the largest show caves in China, with a route of several kilometres through chambers reaching around a hundred and fifty metres wide and fifty high, big enough that stalagmites forty metres tall stand isolated on the floor with space around them. The formations are unusually varied, including the tall Silver Rain Tree, translucent curtains, helictites and rimstone pools, and the scale means the walk takes three hours or more with constant climbing and descending on stairs. Visits are guided in groups, with lighting switched on section by section as the party moves through.

What you actually see

• The great chambers - halls a hundred and fifty metres across.
• The free-standing stalagmites - columns up to forty metres tall.
• The Silver Rain Tree - the cave's best-known slender formation.
• The varied deposits - curtains, helictites and rimstone pools.

When to go

Year-round; the cave holds a steady cool temperature, welcome in the Guizhou summer heat. Weekends and holidays bring large tour groups. Visits are on guided schedules.

Honest expectations

The route is long with many stairs and takes three hours or more. Lighting is coloured and theatrical. Commentary is in Chinese only and groups move at a set pace.

Nearby

Bijie lies northwest; Guiyang is southeast.