Anshun City is located in China’s Guizhou Province, about 90km (1.5~2.5 hours by car) southwest from Guizhou's capital Guiyang. You may never have heard of this city before, however, you must know its Huangguoshu Waterfall, the Largest Waterfall in China and the Whole Asia! Besides the large size, Huanguoshu Waterfall is also the only waterfall in the world that can be appreciated at different angles for 360 degree! It is great, of course, to admire in front of a waterfall, but it can be more exciting to stand behind the running water flow!
The exceptional location of siting at the watershed of Wujiang River and Beipanjiang River of the Yangtze River System bestows Anshun numerous breathtaking waterfall clusters, and travelers can find the grandest ones at Huangguoshu Waterfall Scenic Area. Anshun also enjoys unique Karst landform. Therefore, there are groups of mysterious Karst Caves in and around the city. Besides its unbeatable natural scenery, Anshun is also the “Hometown to Batik”. It is said more than 80% of the locals are batik experts here!
Why Visit Anshun, Guizhou, China?
-
Huangguoshu Waterfall: A Guizhou tour without the visit to Huangguoshu Waterfall, the largest waterfall in China and even Asia, is not complete at all. It is not only a great chance to marvel at the strong power of nature, but also an up-close opportunity to learn one of the four classics of Chinese literature called Journey to the West!
-
Countless Karst Caves: Anshun boasts countless mysterious Karst Caves waiting for your exploration. In addition to the typical ones that can only be visited by foot, the famous Dragon Palace also allows you to get close the caves by leisure boat!
-
The Hometown to Batik: Batik is a traditional handicraft inherited from generations to generations of minority people like Miao and Buyi. They create beautiful batiks to make dresses and some other daily used things. And in Anshun, you will find the most varied batik works and the best-preserved traditional batik technique!
-
Well-preserved Tunpu Culture: Tunpu means the place where troops are stationed. Zhu Yuanzhang, the first Ming Emperor, maneuvered an army to the old Anshun to control the rebels of Yunnan and Guizhou region. After the war, the soldiers were ordered to settle down. They and their descendants followed cultural customs from the Ming Dynasty in terms of language, costume, residential buildings and recreational activities. Nowadays, the locals still live in the traditional ways. Once you are here, you can stroll around their well-kept traditional stone houses or sit down to enjoy a local opera to get a glimpse of the life 600 years ago!
How to Plan Your Anshun Tour
A classic Anshun tour needs about 1~2 days, including a full exploration of the world-famous Huangguoshu Waterfall. Some tourists head to the waterfall directly from the airport or train station in Anshun, while others may prefer to visit Guiyang first. Guiyang is more recommended, because this capital city has more frequent flights and trains.
There are also visitors choosing to spend 2~3 days in Anshun, and thus they leave themselves one day more to explore the Karst Caves, Tunpu Culture, Batik Craft there. Tianlong Tunpu, Dragon Palace Scenic Area, and a local village like Matang Miao Village will be added in their Anshun tour itinerary.
Being the No.1 province in China with the largest number of natural relics, Guizhou has more natural wonders to offer than the waterfalls, like Mount Fanjing, Libo Seven Holes Scenic Area, Jiabang Rice Terraces, etc. Besides that, Guizhou is also the home to ethnic groups, and there are numerous unique Miao Villages and Dong Villages waiting for your steps. You are highly suggested to add more wonderful Guizhou sites into your Anshun tour! If you are interested, please feel free to contact us to customize your tour!
Anshun Attractions
Anshun is a wonderful tourist place not only because of stunning natural sceneries like the world-class Huangguoshu Waterfall, but also for its profound Batik Craft, Tunpu Culture and Three Kingdoms culture! Highlights of Anshun are a lot, and the most popular attractions are as follows:
Huanguoshu Waterfall
Huangguoshu Waterfall (黄果树瀑布) is the most beautiful and magnificent waterfall famous around the globe. Its spectacular waterfall that can be admired from different angels attracted numerous visitors from home and abroad. Besides that, Huangguoshu Waterfall Scenic Area also offers beautiful Karst Caves and lakes to be visited…
Dragon Palace Scenic Area
Dragon Palace Scenic Area (龙宫风景区) is the world's largest Karst Cave group. Highlights of Dragon Palace must be the otherworldly Karst Landscape full of strange rocks of different shapes. Besides, this place is said to be the palace of the Dragon King of Chinese mythology, and thus there are also many interesting legends to be explored...
Tianlong Tunpu
It seems time has been frozen at Tianlong Tunpu Ancient Village (天龙屯堡). All the stone houses, which were firstly built to make better defense during the war, are still standing in its traditional looks. Tunpu people still live there, just as their ancestors did more than 600 years ago. The opera is still performed by local actors with masks and traditional military uniforms…
Yunfeng Tunpu
Yunfeng Tunpu Ancient Village (云峰屯堡) is on the way from Anshun to Tianlong Tunpu. It refers not only a Tunpu village but a group of more than 40 well-preserved Tunpu villages. If you are looking for the best Tunpu site to enjoy the layout of Tunpu, Yunfeng Tunpu is your best choice. Little tourist know this hidden gem, so you can get more quiet moments there!
Yelang Cave Scenic Spot
Yelong Cave Scenic Spot (夜郎洞) was once the Summer Resort of the King of Yelang Kingdom. It is also a great tourist site to explore the karst caves. Both hiking and boating are available here! And it is only half an hour from Huangguoshu Waterfall by drive...
Stone Village
Stone Village (石头寨) sits on the upper reaches of Huangguoshu Waterfall, about only 6km from Doupotang of the waterfall scenic area. The village is made up of stones, like the houses, streets, bridge, and hence the name. It is also famed for the exquisite batik craft…
Getu River Scenic Area
Mysterious Getu River Scenic Area (格凸河穿洞风景名胜区) is hidden in the mountains south of Anshun City. It is about 2 hours’ driving from Huangguoshu Scenic Area. This scenic area is most famous for its big natural created bridge-shaped holes…
Anshun Confucius Temple
Anshun Confucius Temple (文庙) is an elegant temple with a history of more than 600 years. It is mainly famed for its exquisite stone carve. And the two stone columns there covered with sculpted reliefs in dragon and cloud shape well worth your visit!
Jiuzhou Old Town
Jiuzhou (旧州古镇) was the ancient city center of Anshun. This small town keeps its traditional looks full of small and exquisite wooden houses, flat flagstone street and narrow alleys. Locals still live in the old houses there, just as their ancestors did 600 years ago...
Hongshan Lake
Hongshan Lake (虹山湖) is the largest and most beautiful lake in Anshun downtown area. It is a popular place for locals, and thus you can get the best glimpse of local life there. Evert day, especially in the morning and early evening, there are locals exercising, strolling, singing and dancing there.
Anshun Top Things to Do
From the waterfalls visiting to batik shops exploration, there are many amazing things to do in Anshun. Whether you are nature lovers or culture enthusiasts, you will find something you are looking for in Anshun. And here we will introduce you Top 4 Things in Anshun!
There is no doubt that Huangguoshu Waterfall must be on the top your Anshun travel list. Standing in front of this largest waterfall in Asia is awe-inspiring. Besides that, there is also a small trail behind the waterfall, which will introduce you a unique angle of this natural marvel.
Explore Karst Caves
Karst Caves spread Anshun City. Most of them can be find inside and around the Huangguoshu Scenic Area. And Dragon Palace Scenic Area is the most popular one. Drive north for about 1.5 hours from Huangguoshu Scenic Area, you can also find Zhijindong Cave in Bijie - the King of Karst Caves in China!
Appreciate Batik Crafts
Once you are on the land of Anshun, it’s hard to say no to those elegant pieces of Batik crafts. Being the home to batik craft, Anshun is the best place to appreciate such an artistic gem and also buy batik works! It must also be a great idea to dress yourself up with the unique and beautiful batik clothes.
Visit the Military Outpost
Stepping into Tunpus in Anshun is somewhat like traveling back to the history 600 years ago. In that period of time, Emperor Zhu Yuanzhang sent an army of 300,000 to quell the border rebellion. After the victory of the war, the army stayed at the border. And they brought their culture to this border, creating unique Tunpu Culture...
Anshun Weather & Best Time to Visit
Very close to Guiyang, Anshun City has similar weather and climate to Guiyang City. They all belong to the subtropical monsoon climate, with neither too hot in summer nor extremely cold in winter. The main characteristics of Anshun are cozy, wet, fresh and low solar radiation. The annual temperature in Anshun is 15.3℃ around. The hottest time normally comes in July, with a highest temperature for about 27℃. And the coldest period usually comes in January, with a lowest temperature for about 4.3℃. Anshun rains a lot, especially in June. Never feel sad about the rains. The grandest waterfalls always come after that! The only thing you need to do is bringing an umbrella with you if you are going to visit Anshun during the rainy seasons!
Best Time to Visit Anshun
Thanks to its pleasant weather all over the year, Anshun is suitable to be visited at any time as you like. However, if you want to meet with the largest water flow of Huangguoshu Waterfall there, June, July and August are the best period of time.
Anshun Transportation
How to Get to Anshun
Being a popular tourist destination since long time ago, Anshun has its own airport and high speed railway stations. Its Anshun Huangguoshu Airport, the only airport in Anshun, operates flights travelling between Anshun and Beijing, Shanghai, Kunming, Qingdao, Lijiang, etc. And its Anshun West Railway Station and Anshun Railway Station allow you to hop on a bullet train to travel between Anshun and Beijing, Shanghai, Hanghzou, Xian, Kunming, Chengdu, Chongqing, Guangzhou, Wuhan, Zhengzhou, Nanjing, Xiamen, etc.
If you want to get close to the waterfalls and karst caves first during your Guizhou tour, you can choose the high speed train or flight to Anshun direct. However, since Anshun is only half-an-hour‘s train ride from Guiyang, the capital city with more frequent flights and trains, some visitors prefer to visit Guiyang first.
How to Travel Around Anshun
In downtown area of Anshun, you can ride a taxi to get around. However, apart from the temples in the city, most of the scenic spots spread the county area of Anshun, which may not available to be reached by taxi. At least half an hour is required to get to the scenic areas from Anshun downtown. You can find coaches at the coach stations near all the railway stations, like Anshun West Terminal Station near the Anshun West Railway Station. The hottest choice to travel around is going with a licensed private car provided by travel agency. If you go with private car, you can get from the railway station/airport to your hotel and also from your hotel the scenic areas in efficient and convenient. We China Discovery also offer such private car service. If you are in need, please feel free to contact us!
From Guiyang to Huangguoshu Waterfall
Some visitors may look for ways to get from Guiyang to Huangguoshu Waterfall directly, without stops at Anshun downtown in the middle way. There are high speed trains, bus and licensed private car offered by travel agency for you to choose. The hottest option is travelling with private car, while some independent travelers may prefer the bullet trains more.
>> Know more details of Guiyang to Huangguoshu Waterfall.
Anshun Accommodation
Compared with Guiyang, the capital of Guizhou Province, Anshun City has not that many hotels, but there are still 1,000+ hotels from luxury 5-star to budget 2-star for you to choose. Most of them gather at Anshun downtown, while some of the hotels are settled close to the scenic areas like Huanguoshu Waterfall, Dragon Palace Scenic Area, etc. The hotels in the downtown area are the most popular options, because there are more choices and more colorful nightlife. In about 1 hour or so, you can get from your hotel in the downtown area to most of the scenic areas.
Hotels like DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel Anshun, Perenc Hotel, Triumphal Hotel (Kai Xuan Hotel) are also good choices. And if you travel with us, we will book the best hotel for you according to your needs and budget. If you are interested, please feel free to contact us!
Anshun Maps
To help you better plan your Anshun and Guizhou Tours, here we will show you some useful Anshun Maps, which will introduce the location of Anshun City and its scenic spots and how to get from Guiyang to Huangguoshu Waterfall, etc.
Anshun Guizhou Map
Anshun Tourist Map
Guiyang to Huangguoshu Waterfall Map
Other Hot Destinations in Guizhou Province
Besides Anshun, there are some other hot destinations in Guizhou, like Fanjingshan, Kaili, Congjiang, Rongjiang, etc. Check the travel guide of each destination and discover now!
Other Popular Destinations in China
China is vast and diverse. You can choose your favorite destination among more than 70 tourist destination and regions. Following are 4 popular destinations you may get interested in. Check all destinations in China