My afternoon in Liuzhou’s Longtan Park left me fairly impressed. Much larger than I had imagined, with nice gardens near front entrance, the park are surrounded by karst mountains jutting directly up from the earth (which, paired with blooming peach blossoms, made for a lovely stroll). It was exactly what I wanted if I needed to take day off the city but didn’t want to leave Liuzhou proper.
Here’s what I saw: from lakeside views to the tree-filled grounds now in full peach blossom bloom.
A Walk Around Longtan Park
Longtan Park
I got my first glimpse as I entered through main gate, where those karst peaks rose up in background, and I knew right away that rest of my visit would be the same. At the front of the park, you get that classic architecture vibe: gates and pagodas with those swooping roofs framing mountains in the background. And it was just a large public park, filled with older couple out walking around, families out for walks, and everyone just relaxed.
As you enter there’s also a row of electric golf cars that you can rent. While I didn’t rent one (I wanted to walk), it’s an option if you don’t want to do much walking around and have kids. It covers quite a bit of ground so I can see why they offers this as an option.
Walking along one of the major paths through the park, I got a better idea of how big the park is. Palm trees lines the walkways, and those karst mountains are visible at all times (which is always good, as few city parks do). There was also an archway set up during my visit for some kind of festival, but I am unsure what it was for.
The paths were lined with tidy rows in flower beds, which were obviously well kept up. Though I don’t know my plants very well, it was mostly chrysanthemums and a variety of other blooms in season. It was not too much, just enough to liven up the pathways.
Everything also looked fresh, so whoever gardens here at the park has got a good team going. I continued past several decorative setups like this horse sculpture (which appeared to be set up as part of a festival) and some cactus plants positioned in front of mountains. And then there were these fancy floral displays with ribbons that appeared to be photo opportunities for travelers.
I snapped a couple of photos before moving on since I had my eyes on the lake ahead. At some point I pulled out the park map to orient myself based off what direction I was going.
There’s a main trail that loops around the lake and then there are a couple of side paths that lead up into some of the smaller hills, but I kept to the main path. The karst mountains is really noticeable when they open up as you get to the lake. Those same images you’ve seen of Yangshuo or Guilin?
They’re right here in this city park.
The limestone peaks stands straight up out of water; they’re nearly vertical! There were a few paddle boats tied up by shore. As one gently floated across the water with cliffs behind it, I watched it from the shore.
The lake is also calm. Near the waterfront, stepping stones had been laid down where I could walk along edge of the lake. If you have time, this is a good place to just sit for a while.
From there, the trail wound around the lake, passing through a part shaded by bamboo and lined with steps made from rocks. These lined the bottom of one of the limestone cliffs. Up close, the dramatic rock faces was filled with vegetation and even some caves in the cracks.
Further up one of the cliffs, I saw what looked like a small temple built into the rock, but I never climbed up there. Small platforms along the water provided place to stop and gaze out.
Continuing down the trail, the park changed back from more landscaped sections filled with palm trees and flowers to wider open patches that overlooked lake. A couple of signs pointed in various directions throughout the park. There were also some wooden statues of birds on the walkway that seemed to follow a nature theme.
At one point, I spotted what appeared to be a traditional boat with its awning rolled up on the beach, perhaps for use on tours or maybe just display?
My favorite thing was the peach blossoms. Walking around, I stumbled on one area of the park with all trees in bloom, which was exactly as I had imagined they would be. They were packed onto the tree limbs, and although I was technically still on main trail, it felt like I was in a different part of the park.
The trees bordered the water, so you could get blossoms in front of you and the karst mountains popping up out of back of the lake. It was a good combo, and I found myself spending more time here then I planned. Simply walking around, looking at everything, and soaking in the experience.
It wound its way past all blooming gardens and then circled around back towards my original location. In a couple of hours walking, I’d seen most of the major attractions in the park and was done with my visit. It’s not a wild hike.
But if you want to get out into nature and see some decent views without leaving Liuzhou, it’s a pretty good spot to spend a nice afternoon. I was also quite surprised by all that they managed to pack into this park. There are karst mountains, which alone would make it worth visiting, as well as some lake views and even some peach blossoms.
It felt like more than just a typical city park. It is worth stopping by if you find yourself in Liuzhou when the blossoms comes out. Have you visited Longtan Park or elsewhere in Liuzhou?
I’d love to know what you thought.
