About one kilometer from the Banyan Tree lays a hill whose peaks tower the sky as if it has reached the clouds. The hill has a cave with a diameter of 11 meters looking just like a full moon, hence the name. Viewed from different angles, the cave takes different shapes, just as the moon changes shape with the elapse of time; this is one of the major charms of Yangshuo.

It takes about 20 minutes to climb to the arch, or considerably longer for those who mean to reach the hill's summit. Access is not free and visitors must pay an entrance fee to be allowed to climb the hill. Souvenirs and refreshment vendors often follow climbers up and down the path.

In addition to a concrete tourist path which passes through the arch, and a somewhat rougher, steeper path leading to the summit above the arch, Moon Hill has several rock climbing routes, the first of which was climbed by Todd Skinner in the 1990s. It has also been used for abseils in several adventure races.

Moon hill offers some broad, panoramic views of the surrounding countryside, which is characterized by the knobby karst hills found throughout the region.

Yangshuo Photo Gallery