This was the majestic view of Enshi Grand Canyon 恩施大峡谷 from my room at The Daughter Village Hotel. The sheer limestone cliffs were veiled by thin morning mist and low cloud. It's a surreal dreamy picture as I looked out from my balcony, invigorated by the cool, pristine mountain air and excited by the thought that we were going up that intimidating looking cliff today.
After a light, simple breakfast at the hotel, a shuttle bus took us to the nearby Yunlong River Bridge cable car station at the foot of the cliffs.
There were lots of eager visitors ahead of us but there were plenty of cars (61 cars to be exact 😜) and we were all onboard in no time.. ok lah... within 10 minutes.
Each cable car can take 8 people, so our wacky group fitted nicely into one gondola. The cable ride is slightly over 2 km long and nearly 2,500 feet above ground at the highest point 😱 None of us sweat - as there was no swaying, no shaking and the scenery was beautiful under our feet 😄
It was a fun ride looking at the lush green valley below. I took a shot of the limestone cliffs from inside the cable car as we approached Xiaoloumen station.
If those white cliffs look familiar to you, you may actually have seen them before. The 2016 edition of Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon was shot on location in Enshi Grand Canyon.
The view of Enshi Grand Canyon from the starting point of the trail at Xiaoloumen - the walk takes between 4 to 6 hours, depending on how much time we need to take
The vast Enshi canyon was gouged out by glaciers during the Ice Age - it is 60 miles long and 4,500 feet deep. It's the sister canyon of the Grand Canyon of Arizona, USA but differs from it's sibling canyon in that Enshi's canyon is lush with green vegetation whereas Arizona's canyon is mostly red desert dust.
Let's go!
I can't wait to explore the grand canyon 😄
The 7 km long trail is paved with steps and concrete paths. Most people will be able to manage it, including many elderly folk whom I met during the climb. However, it is unsuitable for young children and people with medical conditions.
There are sedan chair porters who would take visitors up and down the canyon for a fee.
It's such a breathtaking view of the grand canyon all along the trail.
My favourite stretches are the "Cliff Corridor" cliff-walk built onto the side of the cliff like a narrow shelf.
No worries about falling off 😱 The cliff-walk is comfortable to walk on and there are proper sturdy railings for safety.
The jagged, serrated side walls of the limestone cliffs left by razor sharp ice that sliced through these hills eons ago during the Ice Age. You can imagine the power and force of Mother Nature.
From the walkway, we can look all the way down at the beautiful green valley below.
That drop below is perhaps 1000, maybe 2000 metres down. As I stretched to take this selfie, our guide warned us that it is the final resting place of many handphones and cameras down below 😂😂😂
There is a large rest stop at around the mid-point of the trail. There are also smaller kiosks all along the trail, especially at the first half section.
You can quench your taste, have a snack or even a full meal here 😄
Two Enshi signature food to try.
One is stir fried potatoes. These local highland potatoes have a nice crunch, are juicy inside and taste lovely gently sweet.
The second is local smoked pork ribs - some are homemade by the stall holders.
The ribs are brined and hung up to dry. It is then smoked with wood from the hills of Enshi. To eat, the smoked ribs are simply boiled or steamed.
The meat have a nice tender bite and the flavour is basically flat salty. All the natural porky sweetness were dried out by brining and smoked out. (Those smoked sausages are also homemade.)
OK.. let's get on with our hike 🏃
The trail snakes through the gorge and between the numerous towering limestone peaks.
I love to listen to the sounds of Mother Nature's inhabitants when I am hiking. Speaker boxes are placed in many locations all along the trail, playing music. There is chatter of visitors enjoying Enshi Grand Canyon in large groups. Fortunately, there are still many stretches of silence where I could pause to appreciate beautiful bird song 🐦 Reminder to self - We are here only for a very short visit of hours, and the inhabitants here share this wonderful canyon with us 😘
One of the unique stone formations is this long slender pole known as "一支香 Incense Stick". The local Tujia folks 土家族 believe that this is a gift of incense from the gods which they could light during natural disasters and the gods will protect them.
The "Incense Stick" was made world famous in 2012 when American tightrope walker Dean Potter crossed a 150-foot chasm unaided between rock formations 5,000 feet above ground.
The sharp, narrow peaks are like Mother Earth's fingers acknowledging the vast sky above.
A view of the awe inspiring limestone spire from near the base.
One of the spots that drew many ous.... and ahs... from visitors was this "Mother and Child" rock. It's so-named because it looked like a mother holding a child and giving it a loving peck on the cheek - exemplifying motherly love.
Picturesque scenery on our way down the cliff side - it's like straight out of a movie scene.
Pines in the cool mountains.
The long twisting "dragon" is the roof cover of the long stretch of escalator that takes visitors to the visitor centre where the shuttle buses wait. The 2 km long escalator is touted as the world's "longest sightseeing escalator". The escalator ride takes nearly 20 minutes 😆
To go to the visitor centre, we could either walk down the steps all the way, or use the electric escalator. (Of course, one could opt to walk all the way down to the visitor centre 😄 )
Looking back at the majestic cliffs from the foothills.
The visitor centre has a row of food stalls selling local food, mainly smoked pork and fried potatoes.
You could get some local delicacies before you board the bus back to hotel.
Tujia people are very friendly and welcoming folks. This lady patiently explained to me how Tujia smoked pork is made while she was busy cooking 👏👏👏 She makes everything in her family home and the pigs are also raised in her own home.
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Five Star travel experience. We had many memorable experiences during our wonderful trip to Hubei province and this visit to the Grand Canyon of Enshi must count as the highlight of a marvellous tour.
Enshi Grand Canyon is still fairly new to the travel world, so do come as quickly as you can before it is jam packed with tourists soon 😄
👍 Add this spectacular natural wonder to your bucket list. (Enshi Grand Canyon is also known as Mufu Grand Canyon.)
How to get this natural wonder of the world?
Accessibility to Enshi Grand Canyon is slightly laboured but it has never been easier and well worth the effort. It is a 4 hour ride by high speed rail from Hankou station in Wuhan to Enshi station, followed by a 2 hour plus bus ride from the city of Enshi to the canyon.
🚄 The 530 km ride between Hankou and Enshi on the high speed rail is very smooth and comfortable. It's like riding in an aircraft. The train moves at speeds of up to 200 km per hour covering the distance in 4 hours, including stops.
From Enshi train station, there are public buses and taxis that can take you to the hotels at Enshi Grand Canyon about 60 km away.
✈ AirAsiaX flies direct from Kuala Lumpur to Wuhan via Flight D7 878 every Monday, Wednesday, Thursday, and Saturday. Departs KLIA2 at 6:00pm and arriving at Wuhan Tienhe International Airport at 11:10pm.
✈ Flight D7 879 flies from Wuhan direct to KL every Tuesday, Thursday, Friday and Sunday departing Wuhan at 00:25am and arriving in KLIA2 at 05:25am.
To book tickets go to AirAsia 👈 click
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I wish I'd found this post before we visited Enshi this year! This is by far the BEST post I've found on the Enshi Grand Canyon. Thank you so much for sharing!
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