Guilin’s landscape is the best in the world. Guilin’s hills are strange, odd and in beautiful green. They are most typical karst mountains. In this page, you will find, famous Guilin hills which are popular Guilin mountains for tourists from both domestic and abroad, and also must-see attractions in Guilin.
Guilin Elephant Trunk Hill - the City Badge of Guilin
Elephant Trunk Hill, stands on the conjunction of Peach Blossom River and
Li River, is a very typical karst hill in Guilin, composted of pure limestone deposited on seabed 360million years ago. Looks like a giant elephant drinking water with its trunk in the water, hence the name.
There is a hole formed by the trunk and the body of this giant elephant, which is called Moon-over Water Cave. In moonlight, the reflection of the cave in the water just looking like a whole moon, the cave it also looks like a moon. In the cave, there are many inscriptions left by famous people in ancient China.
On the top of the hill stands a pagoda - Puxian Pagoda. Built in Ming Dynasty, it has a long history. At the foot of the hill is Yunfeng Temple, inside which is now the exhibition of The Revolution of the Taiping Heavenly Kindow in Guilin
Fubo Hill
Fubo Hill, known as the “wonderland on wave”, stands at the bank of Li River, with its foot half on the ground and half in the water. As there is a Fubo Temple for memorizing Fubo General built in Han Dynasty, hence the name. And also because the half of the mountain’s hill curbs the river stream, and forms a deep pool, it also called Wave-Curbing Hill..
At the southern foot of the hill is a garden full of bamboos, palm trees and flowers, a quite and interesting place. There is a stone path on the southern side of the hill. Half way up the hill is a Sight-Seeing Terrace from which you can see the Old Man Hill northwest to it, resembling an old man in the hood looking up to the south. The way from the Sight-Seeing Terrace to the summit of the hill can be compared with the way to the West Peak in the Hua Mountain.
Solitary Beauty (Duxiu) Peak
Solitary Beauty Peak, or Duxiu Peak, is a hill abruptly rising in JingJiang Princely Mansion and has long enjoyed the reputation as "a pillar holding up the Southern Sky".
At the southeast foot of Solitary Beauty Peak, there is a cave named Du Shu Cave, or Study Cave, which Yan Yanyan of South Song Dynasty used to reading here. And according to the post of Yan “Amid Guilin raises the Solitary Beauty Peak, so towering that no peak is like it”, the hill was named Solitary Beauty Peak.
At the foot of the hill, there are other three sites: Study Rock, Peace Rock and Crescent Pond. Many inscriptions can be fond on the hill, rock and caves.
Yao Mountain – the Highest Mountain in Guilin
Lying in the east of Guilin,
Yao Mountain is the highest mountain in Guilin, with the altitude of its peak of 903.3m. The name of the mountain derives from the Yao Emperor Temple on the top of the mountain built in Tang Dynasty.
Sceneries on the mountain are different from seasons. In spring azalea flowers are everywhere, in summer the bamboo compete with each other for greenness and in autumn the red maples with falling leaves make the hill appear as though it's a fire. The winter's snow on mountains is as transparent as pure crystal.
Yangshuo Moon Hill
Yangshuo Moon Hill is a typical karst limestone peak with moon-shaped cavern thought the summit, hence the name.
The upper section of Moon Hill needs you to climb up a well-made path through groves of dense bamboo. Once past the luxuriant vegetation, the path enters the great natural opening that distinguishes this mountain from its neighbors.
Moon Hill is not only an incredibly beautiful arch; it is certainly also one of the most interesting crags in the area. The landscape is stunning viewed from Moon Hill; the skyline is lined with peaks of almost equal height – resembling a jumble of giant rock traffic-cones pointing skywards. A patchwork of fields of diverse crops, in different stages of growth, enhances the landscape.
Folded Brocade Hill
Folded Brocade Hill, towering over at the west bank of Li River, is a famous hill in Guilin. Its name derives form the queer-looking rocks on the hills, which are broken horizontally. The spots on the hill include Diecai Pavilion, Wind Cave and Cloud-Catching Pavilion.
The Folded Brocade Hill is a good place for mountain climbing. People could climb up the hill easily. The pavilion in Folded Brocade Hill called Diecai Pavilion Diecai Pavilion offers a charming bird's-eye view of the surrounding scenery and to the west of it there is a range of unique garden architecture in the style of the Dong, an ethnic group. From the top you can enjoy the panoramic view of Guilin’s colorful landscape and lush greenery, resembling an intricate brocade fabric. And the splendid scenery on the top of the hill will be impressive especially in the sunset.