Longyou Grottoes Exploration Walk

The Longyou Grottoes Exploration Walk covers an unusual set of vast man-made underground caverns in Longyou County, Quzhou, discovered in 1992 and believed to date back more than 2,000 years, though their original purpose remains unexplained. Access is by bus or taxi from Longyou county town or Quzhou city directly to the grottoes scenic area, where an entrance ticket is required for the guided circuit. The walking route inside covers about 2 kilometres over roughly 1.5 hours, descending via staircases into several interconnected chambers with minimal net elevation change, making the technical difficulty easy despite the initial descent. The caverns are lit but naturally cool and slightly damp year-round, with smooth quarried rock surfaces underfoot rather than natural trail terrain, and no real sun exposure at any point. Key landmarks include the largest excavated chamber, Cavern No. 2, which is large enough to hold several hundred people, and the carved fish, horse and bird reliefs found on some chamber walls that are a focus of ongoing archaeological debate. There are no water sources or shelters needed inside the caverns since the walk is short and fully covered, and the entrance plaza above ground has restrooms and a small visitor centre.