Taking the kids to Bijie Zhijin Cave! The underground karst cave family adventure is super fun

📍Address: Zhijin Cave, Bijie, Guizhou (🚅 Take the high-speed train from Chengdu to Bijie, then rent a car for a smooth self-drive—it's 129 km from Bijie city, about 1 hour and 39 minutes by car. The kids can nap in the car and you'll be there in no time)
⏰Best time to visit: You can go all year round! It's especially cool and comfortable in summer for escaping the heat (but there are more tourists during summer vacation, so be sure to book tickets and accommodation in advance when bringing kids)
🏨Accommodation tips: The nearby "Zhijin Secret Realm Wild Luxury Resort" is a must! It offers top-tier wild luxury standards—the hotel is built on a mid-mountain not far from the scenic area, surrounded by pristine forest with very fresh air. The family rooms are super thoughtful, featuring a small slide, child safety fences, and cartoon bedding. Kids jump for joy as soon as they enter! You can enjoy freshly made Guizhou-style breakfast at the hotel in the morning, then drive just 15 minutes to the scenic spot. No need to rush early, making it much easier with kids~
🎫Tickets (combo):
Zhijin Cave + Grand Canyon + Sightseeing Bus + Elevator starting at 200 RMB
(Here’s the breakdown: The Grand Canyon ticket is 60 RMB, including 20 RMB for the sightseeing bus and 40 RMB for the elevator. If you visit the Grand Canyon first and then Zhijin Cave, you’ll need 110 RMB for the cave ticket + 20 RMB sightseeing bus + 10 RMB insurance, totaling about 200 RMB. Buying the combo ticket saves time by avoiding separate queues, which is great when traveling with kids~)
Zhijin Cave is known as the "King of Chinese Karst Caves," with breathtaking scenery inside. Bringing kids here is like starting an underground adventure. These must-see spots are perfect for kids!
✅ Overlord Helmet 🏆
A giant stalagmite 14-17 meters tall, shaped like an ancient general’s helmet. The bottom is round like a hat, the top is a slender rod, and the surface glistens. It’s one of Zhijin Cave’s "Three Treasures." You can tell kids, "This is a helmet made by nature for a brave general, formed over 150,000 years." Kids will think it’s super cool! Early on, because of abundant water, it formed the hat shape; later, with less water, the rod grew out, making it full of stories~
✅ Silver Rain Tree 🌲
A stunning 17-meter-tall "white jade pine tree"! Pure white like ivory, shaped like a tower pine, looking like a delicate pagoda from afar. It’s also one of the "Three Treasures." It formed drop by drop, first growing into a tower shape, then a pine ball, and finally a flower shape, and it’s still growing. When showing kids, let them gently touch the nearby stone wall (remind them to be gentle) to feel the moist texture, and tell them, "This ‘tree’ grew slowly thanks to these water droplets."
✅ Lingzhi Mountain 🍄
About 50 meters tall, a giant "lingzhi mushroom" much bigger than your dining table! Due to water surface tension, it slowly seeps along the plate-like layers, forming stacked layers that look just like the mythical giant lingzhi. Let kids stand underneath and spread their arms to compare size with the "lingzhi." Photos come out super fun, and kids might ask, "Can we eat this lingzhi?" Take the chance to teach them, "It’s made of stone, a treasure of nature, and not edible."
✅ Pillar to the Sky ⚡
A 37.5-meter-tall stone pillar that’s amazing! Only 0.6-1.2 meters in diameter, it’s the world’s slimmest stone pillar, formed 150,000 years ago by evenly dripping water deposits. You can say to kids, "Does this pillar look like the magic staff from the sea? It’s taller than 10 moms stacked up!" Kids will excitedly circle it and count, "1, 2, 3... how many moms tall is it?"
✅ Sister Jade Trees 🌿
Two crystal-clear tower pine stalagmites, almost the same height and beauty, like a pair of close sisters, still growing slowly. When showing kids, say, "These are nature’s twin sisters, always keeping each other company." Kids will often "whisper secrets" to the stalagmites, which is super cute~
✅ Beautiful Rivers and Mountains 🏔️
The world’s largest and most spectacular flowstone group, like a huge landscape painting. Inside are waterfall-like stone cascades, curtain-like stone drapes, and flag-like stone banners. It’s one of Zhijin Cave’s "Nine Wonders." Let kids find "where does the waterfall flow down? Where are the little flags fluttering?" They’ll focus for a long time and excitedly share, "Mom, I found it! This looks like a waterfall!"
✅ Universal Salvation 🙏
Made up of many tower-shaped stalagmites, the big ones look like Buddha, the small ones like Arhats. The Buddha seems to be preaching, and the Arhats listen attentively, very lifelike. It’s one of the "Nine Wonders." You can tell kids a simple "story-listening" scene. Kids will listen carefully and quietly ask, "Do they understand?" which is adorable~
✅ Hanging Pipa 🎸
A stalactite naturally shaped like a pipa (Chinese lute), hanging from the cave ceiling. The string patterns are clear, as if it could play music anytime. It’s one of the "Nine Wonders." Let kids "pretend to play the pipa," pose cutely for photos, and they’ll laugh happily and hum their little tunes~
"After visiting Huangshan, no need to look at other mountains; outside Zhijin Cave, there’s no other cave paradise." After touring with kids, you’ll truly be amazed by nature’s wonders. Kids will keep asking questions, giving you a great chance to teach them geography in a way much more fun than reading books~
🚶‍♀️【Tips for visiting】
✔️The cave temperature is about 16℃, so be sure to bring a light jacket for the kids! It feels cool when you first enter, but after walking a bit and warming up, you’ll feel hot. Wear a lightweight windbreaker or small jacket for easy on and off🧥
✔️Wear non-slip shoes! Some paths inside the cave are a bit wet. Kids love running and jumping, so non-slip shoes help prevent falls. Safety first⚠️
✔️To avoid long lines and crowds, it’s best to enter at 8:30 AM or 3 PM. It’s said that after 7:30 PM for the night session, there are even fewer people, so you can take your time with kids without rushing. Last time we visited, we entered the cave after the Grand Canyon at around 11 AM, and it was very crowded. The kids got a bit restless and wanted to leave after two hours. Try to avoid that time slot👫