Dragon King Cave in Cili County, Zhangjiajie
Dragon King Cave Facts
The Dragon King Cave is located in Cili County, Hunan Province, belongs to one of the core tourist attractions of Zhangjiajie, and was praised by cave experts as "the world's cave wonderful".
Chinese Name: 黄龙洞
Type: Karst Caves & Nature
Address: Cili County, Zhangjiajie City, Hunan Province, China
Best Seasons: All year round
Recommended Visiting Hours: about 2-3 hours
Opening Hours: 7:00 - 18:00 (April 1 to November 15); 8:00 - 17:00 (November 16 to next March 31)
Why is Dragon King Cave So Special?
Yellow Dragon Cave, known as “the wonder of the world’s caves”, is one of the largest caverns in China. It is a karst cave, full of stalagmites, stalactites, underground streams, and large caverns.
Brief Introduction of Dragon King Cave
Dragon King Cave is located one the east direction of Wulingyuan Scenic Area with a 10-km distance. It is the code scenic spot of Zhangjiajie Scenic Area. With its unique scenes, Dragon King Cave is reputed as “the most featuring karst cave in the world”. Ranking as the oldest and largest karst cave, it is a potential tourism spot for people to exploring.
The totally length of this cave is about 30km. With an average height of 50 meter and width of 80 meters, there are 58 halls, 28 stone corridors, 15 pearl waterfalls, 3 underground rivers, 2 lakes and 45 pools. Tourists who are walking around these fantastic sites will feel the magic power of the nature.
History of Cili County
In 221 BC,the County of Cigu,former name of Cili County, was founded under the administration of Qianzhong Prefecture by Qin Shihuang,the first emperor in the Qin Dynasty,Recently a tomb was discovered around Cili that was 2,200 years old. Among the items discovered was a bronze cooking vessel that contained fish. The tomb was that of an ancient senior official.
In 195 BC,the name of Cigu County was changed as Lingyang County in the Han Dynasty,and it was renamed as Cili County in 598,Sui Dynasty.Cili County has been under the administration of Zhangjiajie City since 1988.
Main Attractions of Dragon King Cave
Dragon Dance Palace
Covering an area of 6,000 square meters, Dragon Dance Palace (Wulong Ting舞龙厅) is the smallest hall among 13 halls in Yellow Dragon Cave. Legend has it that Dragon King holds a grand dancing party there every year. You can find many stalagmites standing there.
Dragon Palace
Dragon Palace (Long Gong 龙宫) is the largest hall with an area of 15,000 square meters and a height of 40 meters on average. It is a fantastic palace filled with about two thousand stalagmites standing in various postures. The largest stalagmite, called King’s Throne, measures 15 meters in height and 10 meters in width!
Fairy Palace
The Fairy Palace (Tianxian Gong 天仙宫) features a large group of stone waterfalls, 40 meters high. It is the largest group of stone waterfalls in limestone caves in China.
Best time to visit Zhangjiajie
Generally April through Mid-November is a good time to visit Zhangjiajie. April and October are the two best months to visit Zhangjiajie. The best time to view the red leaves and fall foliage in Zhangjiajie ranges from later October to Mid-November. The weather in spring of Zhangjiajie is pleasant.
How to Get to Dragon King Cave
Travel with China Dragon Tours (top recommended)
If you want to get rid of hustle of transportation and troublesome navigation, you can book a private tour package which covers visiting, dining and transfer from us. Our local tour guide and driver will escort you to Dragon King Cave in Zhangjiajie with speed and convenience, and take care of all the details. You just need to focus on travel.
Independent Travel
Yellow Dragon Cave is about 8 km east of the hotels at Wulingyuan. You can take public bus 1 at Wulingyuan Bus Station to get there, taking about 15 minutes. You can also take a taxi at a cost of 30 yuan.
Useful Travel Tips
- It is not recommended to visit there during “May 1st” and “October 1st” these two golden vacation weeks. At that time, the hotel reservation and transportation will be in its climax, the price will be much higher than ordinary times.
- Eating and Drinking: The foods sold in scenic area are always more expensive than in downtown area. Be prepared for this.
- There are over 900 stairs to climb and long walks inside the cave. Do be careful on the slippery steps and steep inclinations. You’d better wear comfortable shoes.
- Arrive early in the day for your tour to avoid crowds.
- Though the cave does have lighting throughout, to help with visibility, you can take a small flash light.
- Wear a jacket! It is always around 15°C (59°F) inside the cave.
