# Wulong Karst: Three Natural Bridges from Chongqing > The Three Natural Bridges are the highlight of Wulong Karst, a UNESCO site 120 km from Chongqing: three limestone arches 223–281 m high over a gorge. Tickets, with the compulsory shuttle and lift, cost ¥125 November–February and ¥155 March–October. Open daily, 8:30–16:30 September–April. Allow 2–3 hours on site — a full day overall. Web page: https://yesgo.io/china/chongqing/wulong-karst - City: [Chongqing](https://yesgo.io/china/chongqing), China - YesGo score: 16/100 (Yes, if nearby) - Time on site: 4 h - With kids: Fine with kids - Three Natural Bridges: ¥125 (1 November – end of February), ¥155 (March – October); shuttle and lift included - What you pay for: Entry ¥40 / ¥70 + shuttle ¥40 + lift ¥45 — not sold separately - Longshuixia Gorge: ¥85 / ¥105 with shuttle and lift; the combo with the bridges is ¥210 / ¥260 — just the sum - Furong Cave: ¥135 / ¥150 including cable car; a different direction — second day or overnight - Hours: September – April 8:30–16:30, May 8:30–17:00, June – August 8:00–17:00 - Tickets: Timed e-tickets, booked with your passport; bring the original - Train: Chongqing East → Wulong South, 35–50 min, about ¥60–80 second class - Station to park: Blue tourist-line coach to Xiannüshan Visitor Centre, ¥10–16, 35–50 min - Direct coach: From Jiefangbei at 7:30, about 3 hours, ¥70 one way, back at 17:00 - Distance: About 120 km in a straight line from Jiefangbei, 170–180 km by expressway - Coordinates: 29.43386, 107.80128 - Facts checked: 04.11.2026 ## Key facts - **3 bridges** — Tianlong, Qinglong and Heilong — stone arches over one gorge within 1.5 km (source: English, Russian and Chinese Wikipedia) - **281 m** — height of Qinglong, the tallest of the three (source: English, Russian and Chinese Wikipedia) - **2007** — Wulong Karst joined UNESCO's South China Karst World Heritage Site (source: English Wikipedia (South China Karst); Chinese Wikipedia) - **235 m** — height of Tianlong Bridge; its rock deck is 150 m thick (source: English, Russian and Chinese Wikipedia) - **116 m** — clearance under Heilong, the highest of the three; the bridge itself is 223 m (source: English, Russian and Chinese Wikipedia) - **276–285 m** — depth of the Qinglong and Shenying sinkholes between the bridges (source: English and Chinese Wikipedia) - **Yangshui** — the stream on the gorge floor, a tributary of the Wu River and the Yangtze (source: English and Russian Wikipedia) - **20–22 km²** — protected zone around the bridges (source: English and Russian Wikipedia — 20; Chinese Wikipedia — 22) - **Tianfu** — the courtyard on the gorge floor is a set built for Zhang Yimou's Curse of the Golden Flower (source: wanderinchina.com; chinafortravelers.com; ourchinastory.com) - **Transformers** — scenes of Transformers: Age of Extinction were shot by Qinglong Bridge (source: wanderinchina.com; Chinanews) - **≈ 120 km** — in a straight line from Jiefangbei (source: Our calculation from Wikidata coordinates) ## 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. > **Passport, timed tickets and the last shuttle** Tickets are sold for a time slot and tied to your passport, and staff check the original — a photo won't do. Gate scanners can be slow with foreign passports, so use the staffed counter (人工窗口) if needed. Everything inside runs on shuttles, and the last ones leave around 17:00. Take a morning train and book your return for 18:30 or later. ## How to get to Wulong Karst from Chongqing 1. From Jiefangbei, walk to **Xiaoshizi** metro (Lines 1 and 6) and ride Line 6 to **Liujiaping** (刘家坪). Change across the platform to the branch that ends at **Chongqing East** station (重庆东站). Allow about an hour to reach your train; for a very early departure, a taxi or DiDi is more reliable. 2. Take a high-speed train to **Wulong South** (武隆南站): 35–50 minutes, about ¥60–80 in second class. Book on the 12306 app or Trip.com with your passport. Don't pick the old **Wulong** station (武隆站) by mistake — it's served by slow trains from Chongqing North, 2–2.5 hours. 3. Outside Wulong South, take the blue tourist-line coach (旅游专线) up to **Xiannüshan Visitor Centre**: ¥10–16, 35–50 minutes. A taxi or DiDi costs about ¥45–65. Ignore the touts at the exit. 4. At the visitor centre, show your passport and go down to basement level 2 for the shuttles to the **Three Natural Bridges**, about 15 minutes. They leave when full; in high season expect a 20–30 minute wait. 5. A lift takes you down into the gorge, and the path runs under Tianlong, Qinglong and Heilong in turn. At the end, walk up or take the ¥15 buggy, then catch a shuttle back or on to **Longshuixia Gorge**, about 10 minutes away. 6. Prefer one ride? A direct tourist coach leaves Jiefangbei at 7:30 and reaches Xiannüshan in about 3 hours, ¥70 one way, returning at 17:00. Or book a private tour from Chongqing with a car and guide. ## 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? | | Three Natural Bridges | Longshuixia Gorge | Furong Cave | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | What it is | Three arches over a gorge, sinkholes | Narrow slot gorge 200–500 m deep, waterfalls | Cave with formations, about 2.7 km of passages | | Ticket | ¥125 / ¥155 | ¥85 / ¥105 | ¥135 / ¥150 | | Included | Shuttle and lift | Shuttle and lift | Cable car | | Time | 2–2.5 hours | 1.5–2 hours | 2–3 hours | | Access | Shuttle from Xiannüshan | Shuttle from the bridges, ~10 min | Near Jiangkou town, a separate trip | | Same day as the bridges | — | Yes | Hard — better overnight | 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. ## Before you go: checklist - [ ] Original passport — the one used for train and park tickets - [ ] Trains booked to Wulong South and back, return 18:30 or later - [ ] Bridges ticket booked for a time slot - [ ] Alipay or WeChat Pay with a card linked — or cash yuan - [ ] Shoes with grip — the path is wet and slippery - [ ] Light jacket or rain shell — the gorge is damp and cool - [ ] 武隆南站 and 仙女山游客中心 saved to show drivers ## Chongqing's best views compared Places with views in Chongqing, rated by YesGo. - [Hongyadong](https://yesgo.io/china/chongqing/hongyadong) — YesGo score 44/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 1 h 30 min · Free - [Shibati](https://yesgo.io/china/chongqing/shibati) — YesGo score 43/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 1 h · Free - [Liziba Station](https://yesgo.io/china/chongqing/liziba-station) — YesGo score 42/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 30 min · Free; metro ride ≈ ¥2 - [Eling Park](https://yesgo.io/china/chongqing/eling-park) — YesGo score 38/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 1 h 15 min · Free; tower ¥0–10 - [Yangtze River Cableway](https://yesgo.io/china/chongqing/yangtze-river-cableway) — YesGo score 38/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 45 min · ¥30 one way, ¥50 return - [Wulong Karst: Three Natural Bridges](https://yesgo.io/china/chongqing/wulong-karst) — YesGo score 16/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 4 h · ¥125–155 incl. shuttle and lift ## Wulong by day, Chongqing by night An 18:30 train gets you to Chongqing East around 20:00; the metro runs to Xiaoshizi, by Jiefangbei and the lights of Hongyadong. 1. [Wulong Karst: Three Natural Bridges](https://yesgo.io/china/chongqing/wulong-karst) — YesGo score 16/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 4 h · ¥125–155 incl. shuttle and lift 2. [Jiefangbei](https://yesgo.io/china/chongqing/jiefangbei) — YesGo score 45/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 30 min · Free, open 24 hours 3. [Hongyadong](https://yesgo.io/china/chongqing/hongyadong) — YesGo score 44/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 1 h 30 min · Free ## Good to know Wulong South (武隆南站) is the high-speed station; the old Wulong station (武隆站), 5.5 km away, is on the slow line. Fairy Mountain (仙女山) next door is a separate forest park with its own ticket. In pinyin, Wulong is also the name of oolong tea — searches mix the two. For another day out from Chongqing, see the [Dazu Rock Carvings](https://yesgo.io/china/chongqing/dazu-rock-carvings). ## Tips - 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 ### How much is the Three Natural Bridges ticket? ¥125 from 1 November to the end of February and ¥155 from March to October. The compulsory shuttle and lift are included in that price. ### Does the ticket include the shuttle and the lift? Yes. The ticket is entry plus a ¥40 shuttle and a ¥45 lift; they aren't sold separately. The ¥15 exit buggy and the glass skywalk are extra. ### How do I get from Chongqing to Wulong Karst? High-speed train from Chongqing East to Wulong South, 35–50 minutes, then the blue tourist-line coach to Xiannüshan Visitor Centre, 35–50 minutes. A direct coach also leaves Jiefangbei at 7:30. ### What are the opening hours? Daily: 8:30–16:30 from September to April, 8:30–17:00 in May, 8:00–17:00 from June to August. Shuttles stop around 17:00. ### Can I do Wulong Karst as a day trip from Chongqing? Yes — the bridges and Longshuixia Gorge fit into one long day by train. Furong Cave and Fairy Mountain need a second day. ### How long do I need at the Three Natural Bridges? 2–2.5 hours for the bridges, plus 1.5–2 hours if you add Longshuixia Gorge. ### Where was Transformers filmed in Wulong? By Qinglong Bridge in the Three Natural Bridges gorge. The Tianfu courtyard nearby is the set from Curse of the Golden Flower. ### Is Longshuixia included in the bridges ticket? No. It's a separate ¥85 or ¥105 ticket; a shuttle links the two in about 10 minutes. ### Do I need my passport? Yes. Train and park tickets are real-name, and the original passport is checked at the gate and on shuttles. ## How we checked Tickets are officially sold only through the park's WeChat mini-program, which we can't open, and the district government site wouldn't load from our server, so every price and time is marked “verifying”. The ¥125 / ¥155 totals and the breakdown (entry ¥40 / ¥70, shuttle ¥40, lift ¥45) come from chinafortravelers; the base ¥40 / ¥70 match wanderinchina and Sohu, and the ¥125 low-season total matches dahepiao. Older guides quote ¥95 / ¥125 — earlier prices. Seasonal hours agree across three guides. Train times range from 34 to 50 minutes; guides give fares from ¥40 to ¥76, and Ctrip listings show ¥62 and ¥71, so we say about ¥60–80. Concession prices differ between sellers, so we don't list them. One guide calls the Tianfu courtyard a genuine old post station; two others call it a film set — we follow them. We calculated the 120 km straight-line distance from Jiefangbei ourselves. Payment notes for China are unofficial, from travel guides. ## Sources - English, Russian and Chinese Wikipedia: Three Natural Bridges; Wikidata Q7797661 - English Wikipedia: Wulong Karst, South China Karst, Chongqing East railway station - chinafortravelers.com: ticket breakdown, hours, Wulong South trains, coach, shuttles, Tianfu courtyard - wanderinchina.com: trains, direct coaches, seasons, hours, passport booking, Transformers, Longshuixia and Furong Cave - chinatripedia.com: Longshuixia and Furong Cave prices, time needed, stairs instead of the lift - dahepiao.com: bridges ticket with shuttle and lift, seasonal hours - Sohu (Chongqing CYTS): base entry prices, WeChat mini-program; Sohu: direct coach from Jiefangbei - Chongqing Bendibao and Toutiao: tourist line from Wulong South, Line 6 branch to Chongqing East - Chinanews; ourchinastory.com: Transformers and Curse of the Golden Flower filming --- This is the Markdown version of a YesGo page for AI assistants. Quote the web page link above, not this file.