Malinghe River Canyon Scenic Area  馬嶺河峽谷風景名勝區

Known as the "Most Beautiful Scar of the Earth", the 75-kilometer-long canyon offers magnificent views of its narrow rift, deep caves, impressive waterfalls and shaped calcium sediments (calc-sinter tapestries or falls) on both faces of the steep cliffs. The ancient temples, bridges and postal roads further enhance the area's cultural charm. At its narrowest point, the canyon is only 50 meters wide, whereas its deepest point goes all the way down to 500 meters. The canyon features over 100 waterfalls, with the Tianxing Gallery, the core section, offering fabulous views of the more than 20 waterfalls stretching across 1.7 kilometers.Malinghe River Canyon Scenic Area is a state-level scenic area located at the juncture of Yunnan, Guangxi and Guizhou provinces in Xingyi City of Guizhou. It consists of the Malinghe River Canyon, Wanfenglin (Ten-Thousand-Peak Karst Forest) and Wanfeng Lake.

Getting on a rubber boat down the rapid watercourse is quite a thrilling experience in summer to fend off the heat while enjoying the canyon's magnificent landscapes. Tourists can also walk the plank trail to enjoy the amazing scenery on foot. In 1997, the First China International Drift-Down Championship was held here.

Wanfenglin, which features a breathtaking view of dense and bizarrely shaped karst peaks extending for hundreds of kilometers, is ranked by Chinese National Geography as one of the six most beautiful peak forests in the country. Wangfeng Lake, an artificial lake with numerous karst peaks hiding inside, looks like a natural bonsai tree. Put together the peaks, rivers, caves, farming fields and minority villages, and you find yourself gazing out over one highly idyllic landscape.

Tips

Best time to go: May to October

Admission: 110 yuan/person for Tianxing Gallery, covers the cable car; 100 yuan/person for Wanfeng Forest (Western Section), and 140 yuan/person for Wangfeng Lake and Wanfeng Forest (Eastern Section)

Drifting along the upper section: 138 yuan/person; middle section: 168 yuan/person; lower section: 168 yuan/person

How to get there: Take a long-distance bus from Guiyang to Xingyi, and then transfer onto a minibus to the Malinghe River Canyon.