Spelunk the Zhijin Caves

By David DeVoss

Spelunking in China? You bet—it's some of the world's best. You could go caving in the Longgong (aka Dragon Palace) Caves near Anshun, but why miss out on China's largest cave? Travel 100 miles to Zhijin, northwest of the provincial capital of Guiyang. Opened to the public for only eight years, Zhijin is China's largest cave. Hire a car from your hotel in Guiyang for the four-hour drive and get ready for the underground. You'll walk six miles through a forest of glistening stalagmites and stalactites, and chambers over 500 feet in height.

Bring a flashlight and extra batteries (cave attendants like to turn off the lights to save electricity) and be prepared to clamber down steep, irregular stairways tentatively hacked into sloping limestone escarpments. When you're done, explore the other wonder of the Guizhou province—the Huangguoshu waterfall.

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