From Yangshuo, it is a short, pleasant drive to the aptly named Moon Hill, a great limestone peak with a naturally created moon-shaped cavern passing through just below its summit. Reaching the upper section of Moon Hill requires you to make a steep 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. It comes as no surprise therefore that this was the first crag Todd Skinner equipped in 1990, inaugurating sport climbing in Yangshuo. The walk via the blue markers to the top of the arch and the panoramic viewpoint is highly recommended.
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.
Yangshuo Moon Hill is 380 meters above sea level, the relative height of 230 meters, 410 meters long and 220 meters wide and the mountain area of 9.02 hectares. The mountains of rock is like screen, and the center is a hole which is like a moon embeds in the mountain therefore it was called the Bright Moon Peak, the common name for the Moon Hill.
There built a mountaineering path in 1981 with more than 800 steps and paved Yangshuo marble. Through this path people can directly reach moon hole. The hole is about 50 meters wide, shaped like a semicircle arch. Inside hole, there are many galaliths, shape like the goddess of the moon, jade rabbit and Wugang stone, which match well with the Moon Palace (the mythical palace in the moon in Chinese Legend). During sunny day people can see the blue sky white clouds through bright moon; Sunny or rainy day, it is smoky and the light of the moon was misted that it also beautiful.
What to See
Main attractions of Moon Hill Scenic Area are: Ten-mile Gallery, Big Banyan Tree, Moon Hill, Jianshan Temple, Butterfly Spring, viewing tower, etc.
The Moon Hill Scenic Area is a perfect climbing spot: Moon Hill Hole, Cavel Peak, Chuanyan Peak, and Butterfly Spring are famous that they are classic climbing lines.
【Ten-mile Gallery】 Yangshuo Ten-mile Gallery is located in Yangshuo Moon Hill Scenic Area, because of the beautiful scenery along the way is like poem; therefore it was called Yangshuo Ten-miles Gallery.
【Butterfly Spring】 Yangshuo Butterfly Spring, is located in Yangshuo Moon Hill Scenic Area Ten-mile Galler--the essence of the tourist area. There is original suspension bridge in Yangshuo, mountain music flowing waterfall, and tourists can have a bird's eye view of the essence of Yangshuo Yulong River and Cavel Peak in the best viewing platform. And there are Bee Garden, Butterfly Garden (currently China's largest living butterfly ornamental garden) etc.
Travel Guide of Yangshuo Moon Hill
【Recommended Visiting Time】 going the climbing path to Moon Hill takes 15 minutes, if climbing to the top needs 1 hour.
【Best time to visit】Moon Hill is located in Yangshuo Guilin, the scenery of four seasons do not have much of difference. But spring in Guilin rains a lot which is really inconvenient for traveling, and during rainy days it is easily to fall down that it is disadvantageous for climbing. Summer is very hot, so autumn is the best time to travel Moon Hill. But if tourists who want to travel Yangshuo and drop by Moon Hill can choose summer, although summer is hot, this time is wet season which is good for drifting.
【How to get to Moon Hill】Yangshuo County is 8 km away from Moon Hill, people can take motor tricycle or taxi there. Actually Yangshuo is not very large, renting a bicycle to travel around is very comfortable.