Two days in Wulong: bridges, gorge or cave?

Two days in Wulong let you enjoy the giant stone arches and a second landscape without racing back to Chongqing. For most travellers, two sights and one night are enough. Your second choice decides where to sleep and how to travel.

Is two days worth it?

Stay one night if you want a second landscape and time to stop along the trails. The Three Natural Bridges are the first choice for a first visit. Add Longshuixia for a narrow gorge, or Furong Cave for a walk underground.

If the huge stone arches are your only goal, use our Wulong day-trip guide. You can return to Chongqing that evening and keep the same city hotel. Two days are useful for photographers, people who enjoy longer walks and travellers who want to see how the landscape changes below ground.

The two-day trip spreads the walking out, and the trails still include stone steps. Families with a pushchair and people who need a step-free route should read our guide to travel with fewer stairs before choosing these trails.

Choose your second sight

Three Natural Bridges: start with the arches

Walk beneath Tianlong, Qinglong and Heilong bridges, then look back at the canyon walls. Tianfu Official Post (天福官驿) sits below the cliffs with a tiled courtyard roof. The entrance descent and the paths include stairs. Allow three hours for photos and pauses.

The Three Natural Bridges and Longshuixia use the mountain visitor centre in Xiannüshan town. Their closeness makes them easier to combine than the cave.

Longshuixia: choose the narrow gorge

At Longshuixia Fissure Gorge, the cliffs close in around a stream. Walkways follow the rock face and pass waterfalls. This has a different feel from the broad spaces under the bridges. It also adds another full walking route, with stairs and wet stone surfaces.

A shuttle runs from the Three Natural Bridges exit to the fissure gorge. This lets keen walkers combine them in one day without returning to the visitor centre between trails. For a slower trip, visit the bridges on day one and the fissure on day two.

Furong Cave: choose the underground scenery

Furong Cave has lit rock curtains, columns and clusters of stalactites. It is near Jiangkou (江口), below the mountain resort area. You need a separate road trip and the cableway approach, rather than the shuttle used for the two canyons.

The cave reopened on 27 September 2026 after a short closure for cable repairs. Use the Wulong operator's current notices for changes that affect your visit.

This is the cave in Wulong, Chongqing. Furong Town (芙蓉镇), the waterfall town in Hunan, belongs to a different journey.

Day one: reach the mountain and walk the bridges

Take a morning high-speed train from Chongqing East (重庆东) to Wulong South (武隆南). Search these exact stations on China Railway 12306. Wulong South is separate from the older Wulong station (武隆站). Allow time for the city ride to Chongqing East, security and the road transfer after arrival. Our Chongqing transport guide covers the city side.

From Wulong South, take the tourist shuttle or a taxi to the Xiannüshan Tourist Centre (仙女山游客接待中心). This is the hub for the bridges and fissure. It is distinct from Fairy Mountain National Forest Park farther up the mountain.

Leave your overnight bag at your hotel, then take the scenic shuttle to the bridges. Keep the afternoon for the trail and return to town for dinner. A hotel near the visitor centre makes this route simple.

Day two: choose the gorge or cave

Route A: bridges and fissure, one night in Xiannüshan town

Go back to the visitor centre after breakfast and take the shuttle to Longshuixia. Allow about three hours for the visit. Return to collect your bag, then travel down to Wulong South for a late-afternoon or evening train.

This is the easiest two-sight plan with one hotel. It works well if you enjoy walking but want to avoid putting two canyon routes into one afternoon.

Route B: Three Natural Bridges and Furong Cave

After the bridges on day one, stay in Xiannüshan town if you want to keep the evening simple. On day two, arrange a car to Furong Cave, then continue to Wulong South for your return train. This avoids treating the cave as a quick add-on to the mountain shuttle route.

If you use public buses, travel via Wulong town and Jiangkou. These transfers need more time than the two-canyon plan. Staying in Wulong town after the bridges brings you nearer to the next day's cave route. Agree the cave journey and return pickup with your driver before leaving; the cave visit takes about two hours before the approach and road travel.

Can you see all three? Choose your nights first

For all three sights, arrive in Wulong the evening before and stay two nights. Spend the first full day on the bridges and fissure, using the connecting shuttle. Leave the second day for Furong Cave and your return to Chongqing. This gives the two canyon walks a full day. The arrival evening adds a calendar day, with two days of sightseeing.

Two days and one night can also cover all three with an early arrival and a long first day. You need roughly six hours for the two canyons, plus queues and transfers. Choose this only if the walking is part of the pleasure. If you arrive late or prefer long photo stops, keep two sights.

Fairy Mountain's grasslands are another separate visit. Add another day if they are a priority rather than adding the forest park to this three-sight schedule.

To leave the transport arrangements to someone else, consider organized two-day Wulong tour.

Where to stay in Wulong: Xiannüshan, Wulong town or Jiangkou

• Xiannüshan town, near the visitor centre: best for the bridges-and-fissure plan. Look around Yinxing Avenue (银杏大道), near the mountain visitor centre. A hotel inside the forest park puts you farther from this hub.
• Wulong town: useful if the cave is your second-day choice and you use public transport. You come down the mountain after the bridges, then leave for Jiangkou the next morning. Wulong town and Wulong South station are separate stops.
• Jiangkou: choose it when the cave is the main reason for staying overnight and you have arranged the car journey. It is less useful as a base for two mornings at the mountain canyons.

For two nights, keep one mountain hotel if a driver takes you to the cave on the final day. Move to Wulong town after the canyon day if you are using buses. This choice follows the route; it does not require changing hotels for its own sake.

Tickets and practical tips

Standard adult packages have these seasonal prices:

The exit carts at the Three Natural Bridges have been suspended since 9 October 2026 for road works. Walk about 800 metres to the transfer bus stop. The glass viewing platform costs CNY 40 (≈ USD 6.0 ).

These scenic packages exclude the train fare and the road journey from the railway station. The three packages together cost CNY 410 (≈ USD 61 ) in the warmer-season price period and CNY 345 (≈ USD 52 ) in winter. For two sights, bridges plus fissure cost CNY 260 (≈ USD 39 ) or CNY 210 (≈ USD 31 ); bridges plus cave cost CNY 305 (≈ USD 46 ) or CNY 260 (≈ USD 39 ).

Bring the original passport. Keep your bag at the hotel during the trails. Wet gorge steps make a sole with grip useful even on a dry day. Check the return road journey before picking your train: the time inside the scenic area is only one part of the day.