Elephant Trunk Hill, Guilin: Water Moon Cave and Visit Planning
Plan an Elephant Trunk Hill visit: Water Moon Cave's Tang and Song carvings, the river setting and how free entry works since 2024.
Photo: Chris DUNN / Unsplash
Contents
Elephant Trunk Hill stands where the Taohua and Li rivers meet in the middle of Guilin, and it has been the city's emblem since 1995.[1] It is a compact way to see Guilin's river landscape and a famous historic cave in a single stop.
Choose a focused visit
The scenic area brings together Elephant Trunk Hill, Water Moon Cave, Elephant Eye Rock, Puxian Pagoda, Sanhua Wine Cellar, Love Island and the Yunfeng Temple Taiping Heavenly Kingdom Revolutionary Site Museum.[1] If you are short on time, start with the hill and Water Moon Cave, then add what fits your plans.
Water Moon Cave is known for 22 stone carvings from the Tang and Song dynasties with 3,065 characters in total, and CCTV twice named it China's most beautiful moon-viewing spot, in 2013 and 2014.[1]
Things to Do
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Entry and route planning
Entry is free and has been since 31 January 2022.[2] You no longer need to reserve a time slot: since 25 July 2024 you scan a QR code at the entrance and collect a free e-ticket on the spot. One real-name ID can claim up to three free tickets, visitors over 60 enter free with ID, and children under 1.2 m enter free with a guardian. The area admits at most 35,000 visitors a day and limits the flow when it nears that number, so come early at busy times.[3]
On 23 October 2026 the scenic area stops admitting visitors from 15:00 and lets people only leave, because of the opening ceremony of the Guilin Arts Festival.[4]
Customer service answers on 0773-8281368 and 0773-2582112, from 09:00 to 12:00 and 14:00 to 20:00.[3] For onward trip planning, see our China travel guide.
Sources and background
Numbers in the text such as [1] refer to these sources.
- [1] Guilin Two Rivers and Four Lakes • Elephant Trunk Hill Scenic Area Official Website: Elephant Trunk Hill Scenery. Retrieved October 22, 2026.
- [2] Guilin Two Rivers and Four Lakes • Elephant Trunk Hill Scenic Area Official Website: 【象山游览区】购票须知. Retrieved October 22, 2026.
- [3] Guilin Two Rivers and Four Lakes • Elephant Trunk Hill Scenic Area Official Website: 关于象山景区取消分时预约制度的公告. Retrieved October 22, 2026.
- [4] Guilin Two Rivers and Four Lakes • Elephant Trunk Hill Scenic Area Official Website: 重要公告：桂林市象山景区10月23日下午临时调整入园及预约时间. Retrieved October 22, 2026.
Frequently Asked Questions
It is Guilin's city emblem, at the meeting of the Taohua and Li rivers. Water Moon Cave and its Tang and Song carvings add a historic focus to the visit.
Start with Elephant Trunk Hill and Water Moon Cave. The scenic area also includes Elephant Eye Rock, Puxian Pagoda, Sanhua Wine Cellar, Love Island and a museum site.
Entry is free. Scan the QR code at the entrance and collect a free e-ticket on the spot. One real-name ID can claim up to three free tickets.
No. The timed reservation system ended on 25 July 2024. The area admits at most 35,000 visitors a day and limits the flow when it nears that number.
Entry is free for everyone, and visitors over 60 with ID and children under 1.2 m with a guardian can enter free as well.
Only until 15:00. From then on the area stops admitting visitors and lets people only leave, because of the opening ceremony of the Guilin Arts Festival.
Call 0773-8281368 or 0773-2582112, from 09:00 to 12:00 and 14:00 to 20:00.
The cave is known for 22 stone carvings from the Tang and Song dynasties with 3,065 characters in total.
