Chongqing’s Wulong Three Natural Bridges was quite possibly one of the more memorable places I visited in Chongqing. I’d already visited a lot of man-made wonders in the municipality so a visit here was kind of like a breath of fresh air (which there was plenty of throughout the trek).
It was honestly kind of tiring with all the walking but I did feel a lot of enjoyment by the time the trip ended. Hopefully, I can convey the excitement and sense of adventure I felt during the trip in the next couple of minutes.
Chongqing’s Wulong Three Natural Bridges Ticket & Package Purchase:
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My Amazing Experience Visiting the Chongqing Wulong Natural Three Bridges
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My trip started here at the Wulong Karst Visitors Center. Now there are a number of ways to get here which I’ll be covering at another time. For now though, just know that this is where you’ll need to purchase a ticket to the Wulong Karst which is where the Three Natural Bridges are.
Once I got my ticket, it was then just a matter of waiting in line to get into one of the shuttles to then take me Wulong Karst (By the way, I also highly recommend you visit the Fairy Mountain National Forest Park which is not far from here.). The whole ride took about 40 minutes and was pretty uneventful. Oh, and lest I forget, you don’t need to pay for the ride as it’s already included as part of the entrance fee.
After the relatively short shuttle ride, you’ll then know that you’re at the entrance of Wulong Karst when you see this statue of Bumblebee. I’m not going to lie, I was quite concerned at the number of people here. Thankfully, the crowd wasn’t rowdy or anything and everyone was really just minding their own business or taking pictures.
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One thing I also noticed about the crowd is that the majority were middle aged or older. I think this isn’t really surprising as older people probably have more time on their hands for activities like this. It was also kind of nice seeing people looking excited and pumped for a trek.
Now I had no idea why Bumblebee was here. Then when I searched it up, I found out that Wulong Karst was a location for Transformers Age of Extinction. Honestly, I forgot that that movie even existed. The last Transformers movie I saw was the second one which had Egypt as one of its settings.
This is the entrance gate to the Wulong Three Natural Bridges scenic area. As you can see, there is an office here where you can ask for tour guide service. Take note though that this isn’t for free and is also not included in the admission ticket you purchased from the Wulong Karst Visitors Center. Regardless if you got the tour guide service or not, present your tickets at the ticket entrance and you should be good to go.
Once you’ve gone past the entrance you’re then going to come across this view. If not for the crowds, I think this would have been a really cool spot for taking pictures. The green of the trees really reminded me of those “Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon” scenes where Chow Yun-Fat and Zhang Ziyi’s characters were flying on top of a forest of bamboo.
There weren’t that many bamboo plants here but the greenness of these trees was literally a sight for sore eyes. While I liked its skyline, watching Chongqing’s jungle of skyscrapers can cause urban fatigue. The sight of these trees should alleviate a little of that tiredness and feeling of depletion.
As you move through the path, you’ll also come across these signs pointing to the scenic areas here. This particular one points to the Tianlong Spiral Staircase just being 800 meters up ahead. Moreover, there’s also a number provided that you can contact in case of emergency.
It’s kind of crazy how many people were here when I visited. As you can see, it was so crowded that I had a hard time seeing what was ahead. Thankfully, there were a lot of other things that you could focus your attention on. Good examples of these would be the limestone walls lining this path as well as a plethora of trees and shrubs.
Speaking of views, here’s a glimpse of what you’ll see as you’re walking towards the Three Natural Bridges. The whole Wulong Karst area has, quite possibly, one of the most stunning natural landscapes I’d ever laid my eyes on. Seriously, this picture really doesn’t do justice to the sense of “grandness” that I felt seeing the landscapes here.
Here you’ll see Tianlong Bridge as well as a multi-story glass elevator right next to it. The bridge’s entrance looks absolutely massive even from this distance. Unfortunately though, I won’t be using the elevator right next to it for that day. Still, seeing this view actually made me excited to see the Three Natural Bridges up close.
If you read my writeup of Chiyou Jiuli City you might have remembered I mentioned something about a karst cave (specifically Panhu Cave). Well, a karst cave is actually just one of the components of a karst. What this is is essentially a landscape that forms when water erodes soluble bedrock like limestone, gypsum, marble, and even dolomite. As you can see in this image, the erosion on the limestone looks quite dramatic and stark and this actually reminded me of a greener Grand Canyon (which also happens to be another example of a karst landscape, but close to this place you can see many scenes like this in Wujiang Gallery).
Much like me, a lot of the people here stopped to marvel at the views and take pictures. Some were eager to move on ahead though which is also fine. With the whole day ahead of me, I wasn’t actually in much of a hurry and thanks to my recent travels, I’ve learned that it’s sometimes best to stop and appreciate the views as opposed to rushing to get to a destination.
Here’s another angle of the entrance to Tianlong Bridge we saw earlier. From this point of view, it looks really ominous. It kind of feels like those areas in video games where you know there’s a boss fight that’s going to happen when you set foot inside of there. Thankfully, I didn’t get to that location so I didn’t have to worry about facing any big bad bosses.
If you thought the walk towards the Three Natural Bridges was going to be tiring then you’d actually be right. If you’re not used to walking that is. As I said earlier, there were plenty of elderly people here who had no problems walking the distance. Again, take it easy, savor the views, and try not to hurry. You’ll find that you can actually get to the Three Natural Bridges area faster by just enjoying your walk.
This stretch of the path going to the Three Natural Bridges area was perhaps one of the most striking. It just seemed like I was transported to another world or time as I was walking here. If there weren’t any other people here then I would’ve freaked out because this all just seemed so otherworldly.
Aside from the striking karst formations, one thing that stood out during this walk was the path itself. I know that these are relatively new but the weathering as well as the wear and tear actually makes them look vintage (for lack of a better term).
I mentioned Chiyou Jiuli City’s Panhu Cave earlier and the entrance to this area reminded me a bit of that. Unlike Panhu Cave though, this one was a lot more eerie and had noticeably less natural light going inside it. One thing you’ll also notice here is the rock formation that has a different coloration and that seems to act like a support or column for the limestone formation above. I’m not quite sure but this seemed like it was artificial/made from cement rather than limestone.
Of course, I could be wrong and the discoloration was probably just caused by the polishing equipment used on the rock. What I’m pretty sure of though was that it was kind of exciting getting inside the tunnel/cave. It honestly felt like I was going into an adventure in another world.
Unsurprisingly, the inside of the tunnel/cave was illuminated by lights to ensure people don’t trip as they’re walking. The lights weren’t overpowering though and the contrast they made with the shadows made the walk through the tunnel quite memorable for me. Moreover, I liked that the lights weren’t placed on top of the tunnel’s ceiling.
Here’s what I meant about the striking interplay of light and shadow. The contrast these elements created made what was really a routine walk through these tunnels still interesting and worth taking pictures of. Anyway, the tunnel seemed like it was short though I did feel a little fatigue (most probably since I was walking for a while at that point).
The tunnel eventually gave way to an opening where it seemed like people were congregating. I already knew that there were going to be plenty of people here but I didn’t think there would have been this many. You could avoid this by coming here during the tourist off-season.
If you’re wondering why there’s a crowd here, well, this is your answer. Remember the multi-story elevator that we saw next to the Tianlong Bridge earlier? Well, this is not that elevator. We’re currently at the top-most story of a newer elevator where people are waiting for their turn to go down. Thankfully, these elevators moved up and down relatively quickly so I didn’t wait long in the queue.
After a relatively quick ride down on the elevator, I finally reached the bottom. Now, I initially thought the whole area was going to have some modern amenities and facilities but it was actually not the case at all. The elevator was definitely modern but everything else here looked really rustic. The moss covering some of the buildings added charm and felt like a reminder that I was in an area where
So this is what the elevator looks like from the bottom. I’m not going to lie, it really sticks out like a sore thumb. This is probably because the cliff face surrounding it doesn’t look like it’s finished yet. Thankfully, most people tend to focus on the natural bridges so the unfinished look didn’t really seem to bother them.
Honestly, even if the cliff face seemed like it’s unfinished, the multi-story elevator still looked very impressive. Moreover, I think that this will eventually shape up to look better considering the Three Natural Bridges area’s growing popularity.
After checking out the area around the lift and taking pictures there, it was now time to head closer to the Three Natural Bridges area. There’s a foot path that we all had to follow that reminded me of the scene at the entrance. It was kind of cool to see all these people looking really excited as we drew near our destination.
The path here looked very modern and was really clean. I was expecting to see trash from visitors but I couldn’t seem to find any. It was either the guests were really respectful or the administrators were doing a really great job of maintaining the area (or it could also be both).
Here are a couple of other signs showing how far the exit to the area is and a warning to not cross or go over the path/route. When I first read this I was actually quite surprised at how far the exit was. In hindsight though, this ended up being a relatively tame walk. I’d say it was more or less the same with Sankeien Garden with fewer climbing up stairs and more straightforward walks/treks.
I will say though that the walks here are far more interesting because of the views. The limestone cliff faces here looked so nice and imposing. Another thing that I appreciated was how “natural” the walk here felt. Walk out of the path and into the trees and you’re probably going to get lost.
Doesn’t this look somewhat enchanting? I wasn’t quite sure if it was just me but I found myself constantly marveling at the sights and sounds here. Maybe I didn’t notice it at that time, but having spent some time in Chongqing might have caused some urban fatigue. The change of pace here was huge in addressing that and I just can’t recommend a visit here enough. Also, you might notice something near the top of the cliff. That’s a viewing platform where you can see Tianlong Bridge and the whole of this valley/sinkhole area better. Also, it’s pretty unique since its floors are transparent so you also get to see directly below which I heard can be quite the trip.
After a while, I caught sight of one of the entrances to Tianlong Bridge. This is the first of the Three Natural Bridges that you’ll come across when you’re on this route. I’d already seen plenty of images of this online but seeing the bridge in person is drastically different. It’s one of those things that you really want to see up close to appreciate.
From what I read, Tianlong and the two other bridges were formed over millions of years through the combination of the shifting of tectonic plates and erosion caused by the flow of water. Aside from these, the shifting tectonic plates and erosion also were responsible for the creation of pits here called Tiankeng (one of which you’ll see in a while). Honestly, the fact that I’m here in an area that’s developed over millions of years is kind of cool.
Of course, when you’re here it’s obligatory to do a finger pose to match the shape of the area under the bridge. Kidding aside, if you’re pretty creative then you’ll likely come up with lots of interesting shots in this area. Oh and another tip if you decide to come here, make sure you’ve got plenty of storage left on your phone as you’ll find there to be plenty of nice views and areas to take pictures of here.
This is the pathway under the bridge and it honestly looks scenic. I particularly liked the blockiness of the limestone formations here which kind of reminded me of Minecraft for some reason. On a side note, the vegetation here was really lush and made for a nice contrast with the gray of the limestone.
Now you might have noticed that I said this is one of the entrances earlier. That’s not a typo because Tianlong Bridge actually has two arches. This is just one of them. The other one you’ll get to see in a while.
Speaking of limestone, here’s what the rocks on the inside of the natural bridge looks like. Interestingly enough, rock climbing was the first thing I thought when I saw these. Limestone is a great rock type for this kind of activity though I’m not really sure if it’s viable with the humidity in this region. Still, I think there were activities here related to rock climbing like a via ferrata though I only knew about these after my trip.
Here’s another angle of the passageway underneath the bridge as well as the limestone formations. From this point of view you actually get to see just how large the bridge is. The people walking through the pathway literally look like ants in relation.
Oh, look! Everyone is doing the same pose I did earlier! Funnily enough, this scene reminded me of what usually happens around the Eiffel Tower in Paris and the Leaning Statue of Pisa in Italy. With how far the walk to get here was, I wouldn’t really fault visitors for making the most of their time and having fun with their selfies.
Now I wasn’t quite sure what these characters meant since Google Lens couldn’t really come up with a proper translation. Instead I actually took this picture because I liked how the stone where the characters are written sort of bends and then warps the slab of stone underneath it. It’s pretty random but I think it’s also quite cool to look at.
Here you’ll also come across these signs pointing to the next areas in the route. As you’ve probably noticed, we’re now past Tianlong Bridge and the signs point to Blessing Dak and the two other bridges. Additionally, you’ll notice that there are stairs in the back and those lead up to the other arch of the bridge (that I was talking about earlier) which also has a viewing platform. Unfortunately, I didn’t go up to the viewing platform which I heard also warrants a visit.
If you go up these steps and through the arch, you’ll actually find yourself at the first multi-story elevator we saw earlier (not the one we rode to get down here). I think this is supposed to be an even more scenic route on top of being just plain shorter. With that said, I think the route I took was much more accessible and definitely friendlier to elderly visitors.
Here you can read about the Three Natural Bridges area. The Bridges actually aren’t the only natural attractions you’ll find in the region. According to the sign, Fairy Mountain and Furong Cave are respectively 15 and 30 kilometers away from the Three Natural Bridges.
Next to the sign introducing the Three Natural Bridges is this one showing a map of the tourist destinations in Wulong Karst. Aside from the locations of these destinations, the map also features images of the activities that you can expect to encounter there.
Of course, there was also a guide map for the Three Natural Bridges scenic area. This one features the routes that you can follow to view the Bridges and the area’s other attractions of note. Like with other places that I’ve traveled to that feature a map, I always recommend taking a picture of it so as not to get lost. In this instance, the route I took was the maroon colored one.
Finally, here’s a sign featuring information about the Tianfu Official Post. This talks a little about the building’s history from the time it was built in 619 AD to when it got destroyed and eventually rebuilt some time in the 2000s. Shortly after it was rebuilt, the building then got featured prominently in a film called Curse of the Golden Flower.
Speaking of the Tianfu Official Post, here it is. Or at least part of it. While it is relatively new, I really liked that the building actually looks like it’s been here for centuries. On another note, you can actually see the stairs leading up to one of Tianlong Bridge’s arches from here. If you came from there, there’s a viewing platform that should give you a nice view of the area where I’m standing when I took this picture.
This view shows the entrance of the Tianfu Official Post building. Now you might ask, “where did all the people from earlier go?” Well, it just so happened that there weren’t that many when I took this picture. In reality, a lot of the people who I arrived with were already inside the compound.
Of course, since I love everyone who reads through my write-ups, I made sure to take some pics around the area before I went inside. One of the pictures that I think will help is this clearer copy of the routes here at the Three Natural Bridges area. If you look closely, there’s a star symbol where it says Blessing Dak which indicates the location of this map.
Would you look at that, there are people here after all! As you can see, it’s actually relatively busy inside. That’s because the building is really a commercial space more than anything. There are plenty of establishments and services inside that offer everything from souvenirs, photo shoots, as well as food.
Case in point, here you’ll find what I think are booths where you can wear period clothes and have your picture taken. I unfortunately didn’t stay long enough to see anybody use the service since I was kind of excitedly looking around at the other establishments here. Personally, I found these tacky but there probably are people who enjoy wearing costumes that might love this service.
What was interesting for me though was this sign featuring the art of pottery making in Wulong. It talks about its long history which actually could be traced back to the Neolithic period. As for more recent history, the sign talks of how pottery workshops emerged in the area during the Qing Dynasty. Finally, the sign enumerates the 11 steps of the traditional Chinese ceramic production process.
Aside from pottery, another of the area’s many contributions to culture can be seen through decorative trinkets like those drawn in the sign here. The Wulong area is quite rich in mineral resources such as calcite, crystals, and many more that are used in decorative ornaments that you can actually purchase in the shop from the back.
Here’s the entrance of the Karst Souvenirs shop that you kind of had a glimpse of in the previous picture. The shop was surprisingly one of the most well lit in the compound though it also had the most unassuming entrance. Despite this, the shop was pretty popular (probably because people just really want souvenirs as mementos for their travels).
I’m not going to lie, I actually had little expectations before I went inside the souvenir shop. Once inside though, I couldn’t help but marvel at these “dragonfly” decorations. These seem like they were made from a combination of bamboo (for its frame) and an opaque paper that somehow makes them light up when hit by another light source.
Here’s how the decors look without the people milling about. I must say, I actually really wanted to get these. Unfortunately, I didn’t want to be bothered bringing these with me on my trek. I mean, there was still around 2 kilometers left before the exit and I really don’t think I can lug these around that far.
So here’s a closer look at the decor. You might notice how the paper covering the frame looks like feathers and the wings are made from strings. All around the craftsmanship on these was really nice. Other than these, people were giving attention to the trinkets/decors and even the cute ceramic pottery that you can see in the background.
Near the center of the compound you’ll come across a peculiar looking plant that has a plaque with an inscription. Called The Sound of the Valley, this art installation is supposedly by an artist named Huang Lu. While I’m not too familiar with the artist, the poem in this inscription kind of resonated with me (maybe because I experienced these sights and sounds here).
Here’s what the installation looks like. I’m honestly impressed how they were able to mash up all these plants together. It’s like the complete opposite of bonsai where it’s chaotic and organic yet still somehow beautiful.
Now if you’re feeling hungry at this point, there’s a coffee shop here that you might want to check out. The establishment is called Alpine Vegetables and Coffee Workshop and it absolutely looks instagrammable. I especially liked the use of large parasols for shade and the shop just exudes this cozy vibe that really makes it appealing.
Now this was quite interesting to say the least. I had decided to go out of the compound and came across this sign. At first I thought this was an informative article about this specific area but it turns out, it was actually an annotation to a song. I was looking to check it out further but then decided not to as there was already a crowd here again.
Just in front of the sign from the previous image was this stone marker with inscriptions in both Chinese and English. It’s basically just the name of the Tianfu Official Post building as well as a short note on its role as a setting for the Curse of the Golden Flower movie in 2006.
And here you can see the Tianfu Official Post building with the two arches of the Tianlong Bridge serving as its backdrop. I’m not going to lie, this probably was one of the best images that I’ve taken in my travels so far.
So after enjoying the sights and sounds of the Tianfu Official Post area, I now proceeded (together with other visitors), to the next of the Three Natural Bridges. Along the way, I came across this marker that was almost hidden by these young bamboo plants. It was kind of surprising that I’ve been walking for more or less just 1.5 kilometers at this point. It definitely felt like I’d covered more than that at this point.
Other than my feet, my neck was also kind of on overtime because there’s just so many nice views along the way. Whether it’s up, down, or even sideways, I’ve found my neck straining and moving around a lot just to get a glimpse of these views. This one in particular looked really nice and actually reminded me of that Chinese gacha game that’s popular these days.
Other than the kilometer marker earlier, this stretch of the route also featured these signboards with infographics featuring the fauna here in the scenic area. This particular sign shows the shrub Distylium chinense which is usually found across the steep slopes and cliffs by the Yangtze River and its tributaries.
You’ve seen lots of shots of the cliffs so to change things up, here’s what the horizon looks like here. Yes, the area is so lush with trees that you can’t actually see a horizon from here. In fact, it’s actually pretty hard to see the road up ahead even though there aren’t really that many turns to this pathway.
I actually appreciated how instead of cutting this tree down, they actually just kind of let it grow here. As to what type of tree this is, I’m not entirely sure. It’s definitely not Dystilium chinense since that was supposed to be a little smaller.
The path I was on eventually led to a clearing that then had like a small garden with this sculpture in the middle. This is much like the Bumblebee statue at the entrance of the scenic area in that its purpose is mainly to commemorate it being one of the locations in the Transformers Age of Extinction movie.
Now I might get a little flak for this but the Optimus Prime statue riding the T-Rex robot wasn’t really good. In fact, I didn’t stay long in that area and just proceeded to Qinglong Bridge (which you can see in the image above). I initially thought that this wasn’t as impressive looking as Tianlong Bridge when I first saw it. With that said, I did hear a lot of good things about it so I still continued on.
I’m now pretty close to Qinglong Bridge and much like in Tianlong Bridge, the people here can’t seem to get enough of shooting thumb poses. Not that I blame them though because the area formed by the arch does seem to resemble a sword.
Yes, with the right angle you can set up your hand in such a way that when you take a photo, it’ll be as if you’re holding a sword. Of course, you can always just have your picture taken the normal way like the auntie in the background. You’ll also notice that there’s a stream or a pool here and that’s actually part of the Yangshui River which flows through this area.
Here’s another sword holding photo! Seriously though, it’s actually quite fun doing these poses. Again, if you’re the creative kind then I’m sure you’ll enjoy coming up with poses of your own.
So this one was an interesting read. The trend of taking pictures with Qinlong Bridge’s entrance as the background was apparently so popular that the administrators thought to come up with a signboard practically acknowledging it. On a side note, I think I wanted to copy the pose of the guy on the signboard’s accompanying image. Seriously, that pose looked so cool.
Here’s the marker for Qinglong Bridge. This was another of my favorite pictures just because of the uncle in the corner. I think he was posing while somebody else took his picture and I just couldn’t help but think how energetic he still looked despite the long walk to get to this point.
Here is, I think, one of the nicest images of Qinglong Bridge that I took during this visit. From this angle, the negative space formed by the bridge’s arch really looks like a sword. Then in the background, you can see the limestone cliffs and the pastel blue skies sandwiching the green of the trees.
The views under Qinglong Bridge were equally nice. This one shows some holes/caves on the cliff walls that made me wonder if they’ve ever been explored. If not then these might actually be great places to develop next.
Now here’s a sight that you don’t get to see every day: a bridge under a bridge! If I’m not mistaken, this one is also relatively new to this area. You should also note that the path in this area becomes a little narrower than the one that you’ll follow to get here.
Like I said, the path after passing through Qinglong Bridge gets to narrow down though it’s still very much passable. That said, you kind of see just how many people there were during this trip. The line here was super long and I kind of was freaking out that it might get held up and I’d end up getting stuck here for a while!
Thankfully, my fears of getting stuck were unfounded. More importantly though, I was able to see other attractions here that I probably wouldn’t have gotten to know about had I gone on ahead. The most notable of these was the “Jumping Carp” which you can read more about on this signboard.
So according to the sign, Qinglong Bridge is said to look like a carp jumping from the water if viewed from this side. The more I looked at it though, the more I got convinced that it looked nothing like a carp. I mean, do you even see a carp jumping from this image?
I tried to change my camera’s settings and shot another picture of the Jumping Carp. Again, I was stumped. For me, it just didn’t look like a carp!
I adjusted the camera’s brightness and other settings again and I finally, kind of got where the carp similarities are. If you look at the tip it actually is very similar to a carp’s mouth (or at least how carp’s mouths are depicted). In fact, if you flipped the image 90 degrees it ends up looking like Koinobori or those carp kites popular in Japan during Children’s Day.
With my Jumping Carp conundrum answered, the next stop in this route was the Eagle Heavenly Pit or the Shenying Tiankeng. When I tried to read up on this, I actually found that there was another Shenying Tiankeng in Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region.
Here you’ll find the marker for Wulong’s Shenying Tiankeng. Now you’re probably wondering, where the hell is it? Is it the stream in the back of the marker? Well, the sinkhole is a little ways off from this location. Actually, you can see it from here but I think you’ll appreciate it if I showed it to you up close.
To get there, you’ll still need to follow the route which, like in previous areas, also features some scenic views. Here it feels like you’re really in a forest as the trees are noticeably taller, larger, and flush with leaves. As much as I’d like to take in the views here though, I had to move since I’d end up holding up the people behind me.
So we’re now at the sinkhole. Initially, I thought the sinkhole was going to be a level below. In actuality, the spot I’m in is already the sinkhole’s lowest level.
By looking up, you’ll get to see what I’m talking about. From this viewpoint, you can kind of notice how the area above collapsed. Essentially, the area here and the bridges are the lowest or underground level and the area above is the ground level.
One thing that I really liked here was the quality of the light. It was a little overcast when this picture was taken but for some reason it was still bright enough that some light was able to illuminate the fingers on this hand. Just a little side note, this effect is called subsurface scattering and you can actually accomplish something similar if you place your hands over a light source such as a flashlight.
After marveling at the sight of Shenying Tiankeng, it was then time to move on to the third of the Three Natural Bridges. Here’s a signboard that has information on Heilong Bridge in 3 languages (Chinese, English, and surprisingly, Korean). It talks about the bridge’s measurements as well as how it got its name.
This is the area right before Heilong Bridge’s entrance. It’s probably just me but it seemed like out of the three bridges, this entrance was probably the most “commercial”. What I mean by this is that it looked the cleanest and was meticulously maintained. The other bridges had this “rawness” to them while this one was actually rather tame.
Now, being more friendly to visitors doesn’t necessarily mean that the bridge is any less natural. In fact, you could say that Heilong Bridge is arguably the best when it comes to its natural attractions. A good example would be the cliff face here. It might have just been me but it looks like this has a lot more uneven erosion on it compared to the cliff face on the other two bridges.
Possibly the best feature of Heilong Bridge though is its Four Springs. It says springs, but these really are akin to cascades or cataracts. Unlike most springs that bubble up from the ground, these burst out of the bridge’s walls and down onto the rocks below.
I’m not quite sure but I think this one is either the Zhenzhu Spring or Wuquan Spring that was mentioned in the signboard. It’s actually quite high and I’m not going to lie, I kind of wanted to position myself under that stream of water. Unfortunately I didn’t have a change of clothes with me nor do I think this is allowed.
So I’m pretty sure this is Yixian Spring. While it’s not as high up as the other spring in the previous image, it still looks like it’s pretty high up especially when you consider the girl in the lower right for scale. Anyway, when I did come close I was surprised that the water didn’t make that big of a splash.
This is the dark arch that gave rise to the bridge’s name. In Chinese Heilong means Black Dragon and this arch is said to resemble one that’s rising up. Now much like the Jumping Carp earlier, I did have a hard time seeing how this could have been similar to a black dragon.
So I said earlier that the erosion here was uneven and I think this is a great example of what I meant. I might be wrong but I actually don’t think I saw anything similar to this in the two other bridges. Honestly, this was kind of cool and it definitely added a certain mystique and aura of mystery that the other bridges didn’t have.
I honestly wasn’t sure what the characters on this marker meant. This was about close to the end of the bridge’s opening and I really liked how the erosion here was a little smoother. One thing that did bother me though was how the gray areas here looked like they were cement. I did end up touching these though and they didn’t seem like cement at all and that they likely just had a different color than the rest of the wall here.
Looking up from those markers I then got to see a part of the bridge’s ceiling. This was honestly quite cool and I particularly liked how the light illuminated certain areas while the crevices were completely in shadow. Looking back at it now, I kind of understand why rock climbing might not be such a good thing here since that kind of activity might cause damage to the rocks here.
Just when I was talking about rock damage… Kidding aside, I think this sort of petroglyph is acceptable as it does look aesthetically pleasing. Moreover, I think more people will get to appreciate this not just now but also in the future.
After moving out of the Heilong Bridge I looked back and saw something really interesting. Do you happen to see it? No? Look closely and you just might find it staring back at you.
For the keen eyed among you, like me, you probably saw the face of a gorilla. I don’t know about you but this was actually a lot easier to catch than the Jumping Carp at Qinglong Bridge. That or there might just be something wrong with my eyes?
After saying my goodbyes to my newly found gorilla friend, I then came across this idyllic area. The waters here were really inviting and I’m pretty sure if they opened this for swimming then everyone would be dipping here. Since this is a UNESCO Heritage Site though, it’s understandably closed for swimming or any kind of activity that might cause damage to the waterway.
Here’s another look of that idyllic view from another area. This really looks like it was taken straight out from a scene from a painting for some reason. Now that I think about it, I was already super close to the exit yet I still felt refreshed and ready for even more walking.
Along the route, I came across what I thought was a stone monument. Upon further reading though, it ended up being an explanation of the body of water earlier. Apparently, this area has Karst springs pretty much like Heilong Bridge earlier. Moreover, the springs also have their own names though I’m not quite sure which of them is which due to me having a hard time understanding the English explanation.
So this is one of the springs mentioned in the stone marker earlier. I’m not sure if my translation app is right but it seems like the sign on it says Spring Dragon Cave. Regardless of what the characters mean, I am sure of one thing: I feel refreshed just looking at this spring!
I just realized this now but the route was probably set up the way it is to ensure visitors get to enjoy this view and feel refreshed after a long walk through the Three Natural Bridges.
Here you can see the edge of the pool. I initially thought that the pool was natural but it seems like it is man-made. That said, I’m honestly not quite sure when this was made. It would make sense if this was recent though I also wouldn’t discount this being a decade or two older.
So if you’re wondering why I thought this was fairly recent, just look at this. You could argue that the bricks are old but I think the cement where the water is falling is relatively new. Anyway, regardless of how old this might be, my thoughts on the pool’s beauty still holds: it’s gorgeous and well worth the effort of hiking over 2 or more kilometers.
After the pool, the next area I found myself at was the National Amalgamation Forest. Now I actually didn’t know about this area up until that point. I mean, I probably just read past it when I initially researched about the Three Natural Bridges. It also didn’t help that this wasn’t on the map that I saw when I got here.
The area looked super interesting though so I decided to stick around a little to see what it was all about. Some of the things that really piqued my interest were these pine trees and those bunting-like objects. I also was kind of curious as to why the place was called an Amalgamation Forest.
Thankfully, I didn’t have to wait long (or look very far) for the answer to my question. This sign talks about the National Amalgamation Forest in great length and detail. From what I understand, this place is kind of similar to a memorial where the shared culture and history of the Han people and the ethnic minorities in this region (the Miao, Tujia, and many more).
This is what the area looks like. I must admit, it doesn’t look like much from up close. And considering how tired most people are when they do get here, I can also understand why this place isn’t talked about as much.
Still, it’s not like there aren’t any establishments here that aren’t worth checking out. This one exudes really warm vibes and were I not in a hurry, I might have walked in to see what it was all about. Sadly though, I had a lot of things on my plate and so I decided to leave the area and move on.
As I was nearing the exit, I came across this stream. I think I actually stopped for a while just to breathe in the air here. Chongqing proper isn’t the worst when it comes to air quality but being here, you kind of realize the large discrepancy between its urban and rural areas.
Another area that I didn’t see on the map earlier is this Tang Dynasty Themed Post Office. I was actually kind of confused when I first saw this. Why is there a post office here? Then I remembered Chiyou Jiuli (or was it Ciqikou) also had a post office when I visited there so this might be a cultural thing? Upon entering though, it’s pretty much just a souvenir shop that also features some costumes from the Tang Dynasty.
Remember that stream from earlier? Here’s a closer look at it. While not murky, I did notice the water here had plenty of moss and algae. I guess its proximity to Chongqing might be the cause of this? That said, the air here is still pretty great and so much better and fresher than what you’d be breathing in the metro.
Nearing the Sightseeing Car Stop area, I came across this marker talking about this region’s biodiversity. It’s kind of impressive that there are thousands of species of plants here in this area. Other than plants, there are also some 326 unique species of animals here with some being nationally recognized as protected species.
Here’s a signboard which features one of the plants that can be found here. Called Pyracantha fortuneana, I unfortunately was unable to see this shrub during that particular visit. If I do return though, I think I might just focus on checking out this and the hundreds of other plants and animals in the area.
I’ve finally reached the Sightseeing Car Stop area! Being here meant that I was inching closer to the exit. Now, you typically have two options once you’re here. The first is to pay for a ticket that you can then use on the shuttle ride back to the top. If this isn’t an option for you then you can just go ahead and walk. If given the choice now, I’d probably go with shuttle though the views might be more scenic if you walked.
There is a constant stream of buses here and if you happen to be older (or are with someone who is) then you probably want to ride on one of these instead of walking. Still, I did see elderly gentlemen and ladies opt to walk up to the exit.
Upon reaching back to the top, you can then drop by this souvenir area near the bus pickup point. The sign near the ceiling says that there is Fairy Black Tea here as well as there being tribute tea available from the enchanted land of Wulong. That said, there’s actually more than just tea here.
If you want a souvenir to remember this visit by then you probably would want to check out stalls like this. I personally didn’t buy from these but if you do decide to get a souvenir or two then make sure you check the sign on these stalls for the list of items being sold there and their respective prices.
Of course, you’ll also find some popular street food being sold here. Again, I decided to forego buying some even though they looked really nice since I had somewhere else to go. Much like the souvenirs, the food stalls has signage that you can use to check the prices of the food items they sell.
And with that, my visit to Wulong Karst Scenic Area’s Three Natural Bridges comes to an end. I must say, this visit was truly an adventure. Perhaps the only thing that held it back were the crowds. Overall though, I thought this visit was still more than worth it. I got to enjoy scenic views and breathe relatively fresh and clean air. It was also kind of fun observing other visitors having fun and enjoying what this scenic area had to offer.
If you’ve been to Wulong’s Three Natural Bridges then I suggest you share and tell us more about your experiences down in the comments section!
