Moon Hill (Natural Arch), Yangshuo Xian, Guilin Shi, Guangxi, China

Moon Hill is a hill with a natural arch through it a few kilometers outside Yangshuo in southern China's Guangxi autonomous region. It is so named for a wide, semicircular hole through the hill, all that remains of what was once a limestone cave formed in the phreatic zone. Like most formations in the region, it is karst. It is also a popular tourist attraction.

It takes roughly 20 minutes to climb (about 800 steps) to the arch, or considerably longer for those who mean to reach the hill's summit. Access is not free and visitors must pay an entrance fee to be allowed to climb the hill. Souvenirs and refreshment vendors often follow climbers up and down the path.

In addition to a concrete tourist path which passes through the arch, and a somewhat rougher, steeper path leading to the summit above the arch, Moon Hill has several rock climbing routes, the first of which was climbed by Todd Skinner in the 1990s. It has also been used for abseils in several adventure races. Moon Hill offers some broad, panoramic views of the surrounding countryside, which is characterized by the knobby karst hills found throughout the region.

 

Moon Hill is a huge piece of rock with a moon-shaped hole in its center. The 800 marble stairs called "Appreciating Moon Path" can lead you to the top of the hill and to get a close view of the Moon Cave. Like most karts caves, there are lots of peculiar shaped stalactites hanging on the ceiling of the Moon Cave. Some are like Buddha’s warrior attendants, some like the goddess of the moon and some like jade rabbits. When cycling passed Moon Hill, with the change of viewpoints, the Moon Cave will take on the different looks of a "full moon", "half moon" or "crescent moon".

Moon Hill is also an great place for rock climbing. With 14 rock climbing routes on the north-west side, Moon Hill offers plenty of challenges for both amateur and professional climbers. 

The moon-shaped hole measures 50 m wide and 50 m tall, under the arch of which are stalactites of various shapes.The original tourist route is called, "To Moon Hill the local way". This ride is nice but it is now crowded with locals selling postcards, back rubbers, tacky souvenirs or you may get a local dressed up to look like a farmer. They are just posing to try to get you to take a photo for which they will want money. Some locals put coloured ribbons on water buffalo horns to also try to get you to take photos for money. We recommend that you do the bike ride late in the afternoon as many have gone home and you can avoid the hawkers. 

 Another route that will take you to moon hill is the "new local way". This ride is a bit longer but there are no people tring to selling you anything on the way. This ride will give you a glimpse of the rural lifestyle. You can also take in the old village of  Long tang or have lunch at the Mountain Retreat which is situated on the Yulong river and has stunning views.