Things to do in Enshi Prefecture

Enshi Grand Canyon comprises two scenic areas. A full ticket cost 370 yuan, and a day was plenty of time to explore. We entered the park at 8:30 am, visited Qixingzhai in the morning, and Yunlong Ground Fissure at 1 pm. We took the "Little Waist" elevator up at 3 pm. However, after reaching the top, we had to take an escalator and a mini-train to the parking lot, which took an hour. For someone almost 60 years old, visiting both scenic areas was quite manageable.

Compared to Enshi Grand Canyon, I highly recommend Pingshan Canyon. Don't choose the so-called "lazy person's route" with boats in and out; you still walk quite a bit, and you repeat the same route both ways, going up and down a long stretch of steps inside the cave and missing a lot of scenery! Just take the regular route; even as a lazy person, I thought it was fine. The cliffside views are absolutely stunning!

The Suobuya Stone Forest consists of several small scenic areas, which require a bus ride between them. The stone forest is full of strange peaks and rocks, with unique landforms. The classic parts are quite breathtaking, truly a masterpiece of nature.

Tenglong Cave was truly breathtaking; it was the first time I'd seen such a large natural cave. Although I visited during the National Day holiday, there weren't many tourists, making for a pleasant experience. The distance from the front cave to the back cave is about 2 kilometers. We didn't take the shuttle bus; we walked there and back. On the way back, there were noticeably more tourists. The performance inside the cave was quite good, but the kids kept wanting to leave, so we had to leave halfway through. While I felt the cave was a bit overdeveloped, this natural wonder is definitely worth seeing.

I bought the C-line package ticket, and after the whole loop, honestly, the shuttle bus ticket wasn't necessary. It could have driven directly to the park entrance, but the navigation kept setting it to the visitor center. From the visitor center to the main entrance, it's all village roads, and there were no barriers; you could just drive right in. Another thing to complain about is the entire route from the boat to the elevator – it's all stairs, like climbing over ten flights of stairs! The point of taking a boat and an elevator is to avoid walking or being too tired to walk, right? Adding so many stairs is just exhausting! It would have been better to just walk out – at least that's flat ground, not climbing stairs. So tiring! 😫

Visiting in August offers stunning scenery and incredibly cool weather, especially for the car surfing. The floating bridge can be crossed multiple times. The park staff are very friendly; when we couldn't explain the route clearly after driving out of the gate, they allowed us to go back in.

This down-to-earth experience recreates traditional Tujia customs such as the daughter's festival, the weeping wedding ceremony, and the hand-waving dance. Performers invite tourists to dance and interact, creating a highly engaging experience. Combined with the nighttime scenery of the stilted houses and the ambiance created by the red lanterns, the performance offers excellent value for money. The activities are lighthearted and lively, suitable for all ages, and perfect for family outings.

This place isn't very famous. It rained today, and there was a lot of fog on the mountain, but once we got down to the valley floor, the fog cleared, and the canyon scenery was beautiful! Although we didn't see the beautiful views of the mountains above because of the fog, the canyon (crevice) itself was absolutely stunning and definitely worth a visit.

The scenery on both sides of the river was beautiful, but the trip was too long, and I started to experience visual fatigue towards the end. However, the steps for boarding and disembarking were too steep and inconvenient for me.

Xuan'en Gongxiu, also known as Wupeng boat, is a traditional awning boat tour. From the boat, you can enjoy the fire-turning lanterns on the river, as well as song and dance performances on the banks and other boats. Combined with the night view, it's simply breathtaking. Taking a boat trip is definitely a major plus for Xuan'en's nighttime scenery.