Huang Guo Shu Waterfall Biggest in China & Asia 黄果树瀑布

Huanguoshu Waterfall near Anshun city of Guizhou province, is the biggest waterfall in China and among the top three in the world.

(Niagara, the second largest fall in the world.)

The 90km coach ride on excellent highways and winding hilly roads required around two hours from Guiyang to the waterfalls near Anshun city.

The Guizhou landscape is peppered with literally thousands of big and small forested hills which was aptly described as a "forest of 10000 peaks". Dwellings and small cultivated plots nestled among the foothills and valleys. It's a picturesque, idyllic scene from the coach window. Since childhood, I still find looking out of car, bus, aeroplane windows fascinating.

The Huangguoshu Scenic Area consists of three main attractions, namely, Doupotang 陡坡塘, Huangguoshu Dapubu (the main Huangguoshu Fall) 黄果树大瀑布, and Tienxingqiao 天星桥.

Huangguoshu Scenic Area is named after huangguo or yellow fruit, which is a type of grapefruit. The wild variety seen in the scenic area are inedible but vendors / hawkers around the park sell an edible varietal to tourists.

These shuttle buses take tourists to the three attractions.

Our first destination Doupotang Fall - we chose the short walk to the fall.

Doupotang Fall is the widest waterfall at the Huanguoshu Scenic Area at 105 metres wide and just 21 metre high.

Douputang Fall attracts many local tourists because it was featured in the CCTV China Central Television's 1986 production of Journey to the West.

Screenshot 1986 Journey to the West produced by CCTV

The opening scene of the TV series featured the Monk and his disciples trekking across the crest of Doupotang waterfall.

Next stop, the main attraction of Huangguoshu Scenic Area, the grand waterfall or Dapubu. To see the Dapubu requires us to take a long escalator down to the Baishui or White Water river 白水河.

There are a couple of suspension bridges across the Baishui River.

This panoramic vista was shot from one of the suspension bridges. There are steps in the river resulting in small waterfalls spanning across the river. The water is turquoise in colour from dissolved minerals.

First glimpse of the Huangguoshu grand waterfall.

The grand waterfall Huangguoshu Dapubu 黄果树大瀑布. The largest waterfall in China and Asia, it measures 67 metres high and 83 metres wide.

The cascading water was wispy fairy-like, like a flowing water curtain or the frilly skirt of a twirling ballerina on her toes.

Wisps of delicate floating mist and spray carried in the wind felt like a light drizzle. The fall sounded like a constant rush of water (unlike the ground shaking thunder of roaring, crashing waters of the Niagara).

Sometimes, you can be lucky enough to see rainbows though I didn't see any that day.

The third major attraction Tienxingqiao or Heavenly Star Bridge 天星桥.

Tienxingqiao has natural features like streams, waterfalls, caves and large boulders complemented by man made structures.

For example, stones in the stream with metal plaques for every day of the year i.e. 365 of them. Visitors play a game of finding their birthday plaque and wishing themselves happy birthday for good luck.

Interesting water features and social media photo spots at Tienxingqiao though not at the same scale as the other two main waterfalls.

Largest waterfall of China and Asia, number one natural attraction of Guizhou. Not far from Guiyang, the capital city. Must make Huangguoshu part of your itinerary or at least a day trip from Guiyang.