Wulong Karst: Three Natural Bridges from Chongqing

Three Natural Bridges tickets: what's included

The Three Natural Bridges ticket costs ¥125 from 1 November to the end of February and ¥155 from March to October. That total is entry (¥40 or ¥70), the shuttle from the visitor centre (¥40) and the lift down into the gorge (¥45). You can't buy entry alone — there's no other way to reach the bridges — so the ¥40 or ¥70 you may see quoted is only part of the price.

Longshuixia Gorge (Longshui Gorge) is a separate ¥85 or ¥105 ticket, also with shuttle and lift. The combined bridges-and-gorge ticket is ¥210 or ¥260 — exactly the two added together, so it saves a checkout, not money. Furong Cave, including its cable car, is ¥135 or ¥150. Optional extras: the ¥15 buggy at the bridges exit and a small glass skywalk for about ¥40.

The official seller is the Chinese-only WeChat mini-program “武隆喀斯特旅游景区”. Foreign visitors usually find Trip.com easier: English checkout, foreign cards accepted, no Chinese phone number needed. Elsewhere in China you'll pay with Alipay or WeChat Pay linked to a foreign Visa or Mastercard; carry some cash yuan as a backup. Concessions for seniors and students exist but generally need Chinese ID.

Wulong Karst opening hours

The scenic area is open every day. From September to April it runs 8:30–16:30, in May 8:30–17:00, and from June to August 8:00–17:00. Shuttles inside the park stop at about 17:00, and the last coaches down to Wulong South leave around 17:30–18:00 — earlier in the low season.

That makes the realistic plan: bridges first, Longshuixia second, and be out of the gorge by 15:00. On Chinese holidays — the first week of October, May Day and Chinese New Year — time slots sell out, so book as soon as you know your dates.

What to see at the Three Natural Bridges

• Tianlong Bridge (天龙桥, Sky Dragon) — the first on the path, 235 m high with two openings through the rock; the lift drops you right beside it.
• Tianfu courtyard (天福官驿) under Tianlong — a Tang-style wooden “post house” that is in fact a set built for Zhang Yimou's Curse of the Golden Flower. Fifteen minutes is enough; it sells tea and water.
• Qinglong Bridge (青龙桥, Azure Dragon) — the tallest at 281 m, with a waterfall off its arch after rain. Scenes of Transformers: Age of Extinction were filmed here, and robot figures mark the photo spot.
• Qinglong and Shenying sinkholes — round shafts nearly 280 m deep between the bridges, seen from the path below.
• Heilong Bridge (黑龙桥, Black Dragon) — the darkest and dampest, with the highest clearance, 116 m, and small waterfalls in the rock.
• The glass skywalk above the gorge costs extra and is brief — YesGo wouldn't go out of the way for it.

Is Wulong Karst worth it?

Yes, if you like landscapes and don't mind a long day. You don't look at these arches from a viewpoint — you walk beneath them, on the floor of a gorge hundreds of metres deep, which is rare anywhere near a big city. YesGo rates it Chongqing's best nature day trip.

It's not worth it with only two days in Chongqing: the round trip eats four hours or more, and the city's own sights are denser. It also disappoints people expecting a quick photo stop — this is stairs, wet boardwalks and shuttle queues, not a viewing platform.

Day trip or overnight?

A day trip works for the bridges (2–2.5 hours) plus Longshuixia Gorge (1.5–2 hours): out of Chongqing around 7:00, back around 19:00–20:00. Half a day doesn't work — getting there alone takes about two hours with changes.

Stay overnight in Xiannüshan only if you want to add Fairy Mountain forest park, Furong Cave or the evening show. The plateau is cooler than Chongqing, which in summer is a reason in itself. With one day, do the bridges and the gorge and leave the cave.

Bridges, Longshuixia or Furong Cave?

Prices are low season (1 November – end of February) first, then March – October. They are unofficial, cross-checked between guides; we couldn't open the official mini-program.

Guided tour or on your own?

Going independently costs roughly ¥300–350 per person for trains, the coach and the bridges ticket. The tricky parts are booking a time slot in a Chinese mini-program, finding the blue coach at Wulong South and not missing the last shuttle.

A tour from Chongqing with a car and an English-speaking guide picks you up at your hotel and handles all of that — sensible in your first days in China, before payments and mobile data are sorted. It usually covers the bridges and Longshuixia in one day.

Chongqing's best views compared

Places with views in Chongqing, rated by YesGo. Tap a column heading to sort.

How to do it right

• Be at Xiannüshan Visitor Centre at opening — shuttles and the lift have almost no queue in the first hour.
• Do the bridges first, then Longshuixia, and leave the gorge by 15:00 to catch a coach to the station.
• Book the return train for 18:30 or later — the last coaches to Wulong South leave around 17:30–18:00, earlier in winter.
• There's almost no food inside — bring water and snacks.
• If the lift queue is long, the stairs down take about 30 minutes, but they're steep.
• Leave the stroller behind: the paths are steps and wet boardwalks.

Questions