Simian Mountains

Overview

About

The Simian (“Four Sides”) Mountains lie in Jiangjin, Chongqing, south of the Yangtze between 106°17′ and 106°30′ E and 28°31′ and 28°46′ N, 140 km south-west of the city, about 240 km² of waterfalls, Danxia landform and primeval forest with lakes, streams and hills, a third-batch national park. Ringed by mountains and cliffs, its highest peak, Wugongling, is 1,709 m and its lowest point 560 m; it has more than 100 waterfalls, eight of them about 100 m high.

The Wangxiangtai waterfall, 152 m high and 40 m wide, is the tallest in China; the Shuikousi waterfall, 94 m, hangs below a natural cave. Honghai Lake lies mirror-still among deep gorges. Other sights are Dawopu, Bajiaojian, Pingshan, the suspension bridge, Flower and Fruit Mountain, the Water Curtain Cave, Camel Hill, Elephant Trunk Ridge, Monkey Hill, Tiger’s Mouth, the backward-flowing stream, Monk Hill and Motianling.

The climate is mid-subtropical monsoon, mild, averaging 13.7 °C with over 300 frost-free days and 1,522 mm of rain. Rich in lakes and streams and wild plants, it is called a “natural gene bank”, still growing ancient tropical and temperate plants such as the spiny tree fern, tulip tree, Angiopteris and Dipteris 350 million years old.

It is in the third batch of national parks of China (national scenic areas) named by the State Council in 1994.

Travel tips

Getting there: the park is in the south of Jiangjin District, Chongqing, about 130 km from the city centre. Take a long-distance bus from Chongqing to Jiangjin, then a local bus to Simianshan; by car, about two and a half hours on expressways.

Layout: the sights are spread across the hills, so you need park buses or your own car between them.

Wangxiangtai Falls: 152 m high and the best known on the mountain; the flow is greatest after rain.

Shuikousi Falls: hangs below a natural cave, and you can walk behind it.

Honghai: calm water for a lakeside walk or boat ride, with Dawopu and other spots nearby.

Time: a full day for the main sights; two days if you go further.

Season: summer is cool and is the peak season, and waterfalls are strongest after rain; in winter flows are low, with occasional frost or snow in the hills.

Where to stay: hotels and farmstays inside the park and at Simianshan town; book early in summer.

Photo credits: The Wangxiangtai waterfall, Simian Mountains: Chen Hualin (CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons)

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