Three Natural Bridges in Wulong: How to Visit the Tiankeng

Three Bridges Named After Dragons

The three bridges are Tianlong (Heaven Dragon), Qinglong (Green Dragon) and Heilong (Black Dragon). Together they form the largest group of natural bridges in Asia, according to the Chongqing local chronicles office. They stand in a 1.2 km stretch of the middle Yangshui River canyon, and the scenic area lies east of Fairy Mountain town, 20 km from Wulong urban area.

The table gives the official measurements for each bridge.

Size and Setting

Tianlong Bridge is 235 m high, 147 m wide and 150 m thick, with two arches under it. It is described as the only double-arch natural bridge in the world. Heilong Bridge is 223 m high, 107 m thick and 30 m wide, and its arch passage runs 193 m.

The bridges are made of Triassic limestone, and the landscape formed between 500,000 and 300 million years ago. The local chronicles office gives the scenic area a total of 64 square km, and the scenic area opened to visitors in April 2000.

Why Wulong's Bridges Matter

UNESCO inscribed the South China Karst in 2007, and Wulong was part of that first phase together with Shilin and Libo. UNESCO's text singles out Wulong for giant collapse depressions called tiankeng and exceptionally high natural bridges between them, with long stretches of deep unroofed caves. It also says the Wulong dolines and bridges provide evidence for the history of the Yangtze and its tributaries.

The Wulong component is a cluster of three core zones totalling 6,000 hectares, with buffer zones of 32,000 hectares. The Chongqing government says Wulong Karst, represented by the Three Natural Bridges, became China's sixth World Natural Heritage Site, and the scenic area was rated a national 5A-level tourist attraction on 6 July 2011.

The Route Stop by Stop

Tianlong Bridge comes first, with its double arch. The Tianfu Post courtyard, 600 m from the entrance, was rebuilt in 2006 for director Zhang Yimou's film Curse of the Golden Flower. Qinglong Bridge, 950 m in, is the tallest and biggest of the three.

Heilong Bridge, 1,200 m in, has springs seeping from the north wall of its arch: a three-tier spring, a thread spring, a mist spring and a pearl spring. The table lists each stop with its distance from the entrance.

Rides and Stairs

The route is not flat. A first-gate ticket does not cover the transfer bus, battery car, sightseeing car or elevator, which link the parts of the scenic area and are paid separately. The Three Natural Bridges with Longshuixia Gorge or Fairy Mountain tour includes the scenic-area bus and the rotating elevator, and the Wulong Karst and Fairy Mountain Small-Group Day Trip includes the cliff spiral elevator, the shuttle bus and the exit electric cart.

Wear shoes with grip for the stairs.

Time Inside and Time on the Road

The day tours from Chongqing give Three Natural Bridges about 2 hours, enough for the 2,300 m route and the rides. The Three Natural Bridges and Longshuixia Gorge Day Trip adds Longshuixia Gorge within an 11-hour day. The Wulong Karst and Fairy Mountain Small-Group Day Trip adds 2 hours on Fairy Mountain within 11.5 hours.

The gates set the limit. Three Natural Bridges is open 8:30 to 17:00 in May, 8:00 to 17:00 from June to August and 8:30 to 16:30 from September to April. The official list gives no last-entry time, so call 4000235666 before a late arrival.

Gate Prices and Hours

The district's official list of A-level scenic areas gives the Three Natural Bridges gate ticket as $10.49 (¥70) in peak season and $6.00 (¥40) off season. A first-gate ticket does not cover the transfer bus, battery car or elevator. The district lists reservation through the WeChat mini-program Wulong Karst Tourism Area, the WeChat public account Wulong Jingqu, and agencies such as Qunar, Meituan and Ctrip.

Bundled online tickets with the shuttle and elevator start at $15, compared in the Wulong Karst ticket guide. The table sets out the official figures.

Train, Car or Tour

At the opening of the Yuxia high-speed line, 12306 listed five daily trains from Chongqing East to Wulong South, the fastest taking 34 minutes. From there the last leg is by road. Drivers can use the Banan to Wulong section of the Yuxiang second expressway, 127 km with a toll of about $15.29 (¥102) for a small car.

An official report puts the trip at about one hour by high-speed rail to the foot of Fairy Mountain, against three to four hours by car in traffic. The table lists each way with its time and cost.

Films Shot in the Canyon

The Chongqing government says Transformers: Age of Extinction was filmed at the Three Natural Bridges in 2014 and made Wulong known internationally. Wulong government guides name the bridges as the only exterior location of Curse of the Golden Flower and a location of Once Upon a Time in Three Lifetimes. The Tianfu Post courtyard, 600 m from the entrance, was rebuilt in 2006 for Curse of the Golden Flower.

The Wulong Karst and Fairy Mountain Small-Group Day Trip lists the Tianfu Official Post among its stops.

Tours That Pair Two Sites

The tours below drive from Chongqing and put the bridges first. Prices are per person from each listing, and two of them leave the park tickets to you. The Wulong Private Day Tour with Furong Cave and Houping Tiankeng at $185 swaps the gorge for Furong Cave and the Houping Tiankeng, with tickets extra and no refunds.

Hours, Price and Summer Crowds

The scenic area opens earliest from June to August, 8:00 to 17:00, which gives a day tour the most slack. From September to April it closes at 16:30. The off-season gate ticket drops to $6.00 (¥40) from $10.49 (¥70).

Summer is busy: district data say visitor numbers grew over 25% after the high-speed rail opened, and independent summer visitors grew 54.42%. Arrive at opening to walk the route before the tour groups. The Wulong tourism area has an average annual temperature of 17.4°C.