A Colourful Underground Adventure

If you’ve ever seen photos of Yangshuo, China, you’ve undoubtedly seen the iconic, mist-shrouded karst mountains rising vertically out of the Li and Yulong rivers. It looks exactly like a traditional Chinese watercolor painting come to life.

But what many travelers don’t realize is that these mountains are just as spectacular on the inside as they are on the outside. Over hundreds of millions of years, mildly acidic rainwater carved out massive, labyrinthine cave networks beneath the limestone towers. Today, visiting the Yangshuo caves is one of the most uniquely memorable (and wonderfully bizarre) adventures you can have in Guangxi. Here is everything you need to know about exploring this subterranean wonderland.

To start with you need to leave your expectations of “untouched, natural wilderness” at the cave entrance. In China, cave tourism follows a very specific, proudly theatrical philosophy: brightly coloured LED lighting.

Instead of casting dim, warm spotlights onto the rock formations, these caves are lit up like an underground synth-wave disco. Towering stalactites and curtain-like flowstones glow intensely in vibrant shades of magenta, electric blue, radioactive green, and deep violet. While purists might find it a bit shocking at first, if you embrace the pure, unapologetic kitsch of it all, it is incredibly fun and visually spectacular.

As the largest cave system in the Guilin area, Silver Cave runs directly through 12 different karst peaks. The cave gets its name because the mineral-rich stalactites catch the light and shimmer like silver and diamonds. You will walk through multi-story galleries alongside subterranean rivers that perfectly reflect the multi-colored light shows above.

Allow 1.5 to 2.5 hours for a visit. Inside temperatures remain relatively comfortable, around 20-26°C year-round, making it a good attraction during hot summer days (and Yangshuo can be VERY hot and humid in the summer). And a word of warning: paths are generally well developed, but some sections can be slippery, so sturdy footwear is recommended. No flipflops!

How to Get There

If you’re staying in Yangshuo, getting to Silver Cave (Yinziyan) is fairly easy. Silver Cave is about 18-27 km south of Yangshuo, near Maling Town in Lipu.

• Taxi or ride-hailing: About 30-40 minutes.
• Private driver/tour: Many Yangshuo day tours include Silver Cave.
• Tourist shuttle bus: Some tourist buses run directly from Yangshuo to Silver Cave.

If you’re in Guilin, Silver Cave is approximately 85 km from Guilin city.

1. Take a bus or train to Yangshuo, then continue by taxi.
2. Hire a private car directly from Guilin.
3. Join a Guilin-Yangshuo sightseeing tour that includes Silver Cave.