Maolan Karst Forest in Libo County, Qiannan

Why is Maolan Karst Forest So Special?

Maolan, a rare karst forest ecosystem, is unique in the world at the same latitude. There are 144 families of seed plants, 144 species of bryophytes, 163 species of macrofungi, over 300 species of vertebrates and over 170 species of rare animals and plants identified in the area. At the same time, Maolan Karst Primitive Forest, as a scenic resource, has detached itself from the fixed pattern of barren karst landforms, combining mountains, water, caves, forests and lakes. The landscape of forest landforms and hydrological landscape add radiance to each other, just like a fairy scene in the world.

Where is Maolan Karst Forest

Maolan area of Libo County, Guizhou and Guangxi borders, is distributed with an area of 200 square kilometers and concentrated contiguous karst forests with strong original nature. This area is called “the emerald on the belt of the earth” by the world.

Main Attraction of Maolan Karst Forest

Wu Yan Qiao scenic spot

This is a scenic spot with karst river canyon, water body landscape and cave landscape as its main features. It enters through the bridge of Bagzhai on Li Da Highway. The tourist route of this scenic spot is divided into two sections. From here, you can see the scenic spots such as Qinglongtan, Qinglong Waterfall, Qinglong Cave, Yintan and Wuyanqiao to understand the formation and ecological characteristics of some karst hydrological phenomena. From the second line, we can see the scenic spots such as depression forest, Jiudongtian, Jinshi Cave, etc. to understand the forest features of depression, the development status of karst caves and the mystery of various kinds of flowing stone landscapes.

Huangyanggou Scenic Area

This is a major scenic spot in the protected area. It is composed of scenic spots such as Shuilin, Crab Gully, Latan Waterfall, Konggu Valley, Huangyang Gully, Yaosuo Ancient Bridge, etc. From here, we can see various water body landscapes and associated plant landscapes formed by Yaosuo River downstream and the surrounding environment, and understand the scientific principles of various ecological phenomena such as karst river valleys, alternating occurrence of surface water and groundwater, and interdependence of rare plants and water. Here we focus on the two scenic spots of Latan Waterfall and Huangyanggou.

Wangpai Mountain Scenic Area

The forest around Wangpai Mountain has maintained its original natural state up to now, and is the main route to walk through the karst primitive forest. The scenic spots along the way include Yelan Valley, Funnel Forest and Folding Cloud Peak. In this scenic spot, one can have a preliminary understanding of how trees grow on rocks and the unique hydrogeological structure of karst forest. Wang Piaochuan area; There are many caves with the same cave. Famous caves include Swallow Cave, Desert Cave, Hell Gate, etc. They are of great cave exploration value.
Wangpai Mountain is a fire-proof lookout post and Lin Haiguan scenic spot in the reserve, 868 meters above sea level, and now there is a simple highway leading directly down the mountain. With the help of Wangpai, a peak-cluster funnel is enclosed around and covered with forest from the top to the bottom. It is the best preserved and most typical funnel forest in the reserve, with a relative height difference of 400 meters. The trees gradually grow tall and shade from bottom to top. Bryophytes under the forest are densely covered and dark and humid. At the bottom of the funnel, people are rarely seen. Looking up at the vines among the big trees, looking down at the rotten leaves all over the ground, the dead trees covered with ferns and the flowing spring, it is like entering the mysterious tropical rain forest.

Banzhai scenic spot

This is the general name of Banzhai to the core area of Baihu Mountain. It is an independent scenic spot of Sancha River tourist area, 6 kilometers away from Sancha River, and is a scenic spot for scientific investigation. Only special tourists such as science lovers are allowed to visit and inspect the area around Baihu Mountain and the observation station, which is not open to ordinary tourists.
White pheasant mountain is located in the core area of the protected area, at the junction of Guizhou and Guangxi provinces. one mountain spans the two provinces. it is named after a large number of national second-class protected animals, white pheasant (commonly known as cold chicken), which are sparsely populated and have primitive forests. Banzhai is a Buyi ethnic village surrounded by peaks, where the Seventh Army of the Red Army once operated during the Agrarian Revolutionary War.

Best Time to Travel Maolan Karst Forest

Qinnan does not have the best season, because traveling to Qinnan is suitable for all seasons.

Spring is the season when everything recovers. Jiuchongge is a national flower in southwest Guizhou, distributed in every corner of Qiannan. At this time, the weather in Qiannan is very good, and the climate is also very good. It’s good to see clouds in Wan Fenglin. Besides, the flowers in Qixiang Garden have already opened. You can enjoy them. Qiannan is in the rainy season in summer. Although the weather is not very good, it has become the Marin River Gorge. Due to abundant rainfall, hundreds of waterfalls have raced along the Marin River Gorge. At this time, the rice in Wan Fenglin has turned yellow and become a sea of golden flowers. When walking in the field, you can smell rice fragrance.

How To Get  There

  • Guiyang bus station has a bus from Guiyang to Jin Chengjiang, and Libo bus station also has a bus to Jin Chengjiang. After passing through the entrance of Maolan Nature Reserve, 15 yuan is about one person, but there are not many buses every day.The scenic spots have highways leading to Dushan and Mawei in Guizhou, Hechi and Nandan in Guangxi.
  • Tourists from other provinces can take a train to the Jinchengjiang railway station in Hechi, Guangxi, which is the nearest to the scenic spot, and then transfer to a bus.
  • You can also take the train to Dushan Station on Qiangui Line and then change buses to Maolan via Libo County.
  • Return journey can take a bus from Jin Chengjiang to Libo.
  • You can also go to Libo County by chartered bus.

Useful Travel Tips

Note: It is best to drive a car (or charter a car) into the scenic spot. No gas station in the scenic spot is recommended to fill up the oil in Libo.

Nearby Attractions

Recommended Qiannan Tour Packages

Edited by Doreen/张洋