Guyaju Caves

Guyaju Caves

Guyaju Caves
4.5
12:00 AM - 11:59 PM
Monday
12:00 AM - 11:59 PM
Tuesday
12:00 AM - 11:59 PM
Wednesday
12:00 AM - 11:59 PM
Thursday
12:00 AM - 11:59 PM
Friday
12:00 AM - 11:59 PM
Saturday
12:00 AM - 11:59 PM
Sunday
12:00 AM - 11:59 PM
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Most Recent: Reviews ordered by most recent publish date in descending order.

Detailed Reviews: Reviews ordered by recency and descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as wait time, length of visit, general tips, and location information.


4.5
4.5 of 5 bubbles22 reviews
Excellent
13
Very good
4
Average
5
Poor
0
Terrible
0

Amy Jiang
Greater London, UK2,660 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Aug 2024 • Family
My family were out at Yan Qing for a few days and we heard about these caves and decided to check them out. It's a bit out of the way and then about two hours in total to experience the caves with plenty of rocky steps going up and down but would certainly say it is worth t. The view of the caves from a distance is incredible and really visualises the scale of the populus that hid away in these caves in the past, and there is lots of history information signposts to explain information about each point, what the building/cave would have been used for and other various things, as well as remnants of how they lived, their water and irrigation systems and class levels of household.

It was extremely empty when we went which was not that surprising but me and my cousin had a great time climbing and exploring and took some fantastic photos. Obviously not sure how many tourists go out of Beijing this far but if you are in the area and enjoy exploring Chinese history/geology/just enjoy walking, this is a safe and exciting place to do so.
Written January 26, 2025
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Ruth P
Hong Kong, China25 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
May 2020
This is a great spot to combine with possibly one other site for a day trip out from Beijing. This isn't a huge park, probably 2 hours is plenty, but it is so, so interesting and fun to explore. These ancient cave dwellings are like vertical apartment buildings carved into cliffs, with doors carved between the "rooms" and the "floors". Probably my favorite day trip from Beijing with kids.
Written May 7, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Mike C
Waterloo, Canada174 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
May 2014 • Couples
We learned about these caves from the "day trips from Beijing" section of the Lone Planet Beijing guide. The caves sounded like an interesting place to visit but getting to them seemed like a fuss - 2 buses then a 2 km walk. We decided to visit the caves by renting bicycles in Yanqing and cycling there - thereby simplifying transport and getting a chance to enjoy the countryside at a relaxing pace. The cycling was fantastic (details below) and the caves were well worth the visit. They are quite the marvel and the area has been carefully developed to make the caves accessible but not obtrusively. The caves have escaped the notice of most tourists so are pretty quiet - by any standard but particularly by Beijing standards: We met 4 other tourists on the Monday morning that we visited. We took lunch and enjoyed a peaceful picnic at a stone picnic table. Highly recommended, especially if you have an interest in geology and anthropology, but don't tell too many friends about it!
Here's how to do it. Take bus 919 express from Deshengmen to Yanqing Dongguan (1 hour 20 min). The stop before is Yan Qing Nan Cai Yuan. You will get off on Guishui St, just past a roundabout. Walk back along Guishui St to a building marked "Beijing Tourism Information" 72 Guishui St. South. They rent bicycles there for 50 - 80 RMB/day. Hours are 8 am - 5 pm. You can plot your own route to the caves using a map like the one on the Trip Advisor page (to the right of this review). We chose to go out on County Road X011 (accessible by following S. Shuncheng St S220/S323 until just before the river, turning right onto Xishuncheng St then taking the first left which is X011). Don't bother looking for road signs. The road follows the river, is lined with trees, is nearly dead flat and has very little traffic so is easy to cycle on. Stay on X011 for ~16 km. There are small stone km markers every km. Eventually this road T's onto Jingyin Rd G110 which is a much busier road. Turn right, go a few hundred meters, then turn left onto X010. This road leads directly to the caves in a few km (uphill!). Total distance is ~20 km from Yanqing and takes 1.5 hours if you go slowly and enjoy the scenery. You will need to leave your bikes at the entrance gate and pay 40 RMB to get in.
To return, you can either backtrack or, if you are more adventurous and/or have more time, take a longer route. After leaving the caves, take the first left which is X020. Follow this road for ~17 km until it ends by dumping you onto G110. Turn left and go several hundred meters to a fork with X009. Take the left fork which is X009 and which will be signed for Longqing Xia (Longqing Gorge). Follow X009 to the gorge in ~ 6 km and visit if you have the time. (With a bike, you can avoid the 15 minute walk from the parking lot to the entrance gate.) If you don't want to visit, turn right (south) onto X009 and follow that for ~ 6km until it T's onto Jiuxiao Road. Turn right (west). Go under the expressway overpass and take your first left onto Longshen Road. Follow that until it ends and turn right onto what will be Hubei Dong Road. This road leads to the bike rental shop. Follow it until just before the roundabout intersection with Guishui St. and turn left into the parking lot. Done! To get home, take bus 919 express (919 regular takes much longer) from the bus stop on Guishui St on the NW corner of the roundabout.
Written May 21, 2014
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

AussieChad
Brisbane, Australia319 contributions
3.0 of 5 bubbles
Jul 2020 • Friends
This is an interesting place, but not sure it’s worth the trip from Beijing just for the caves. Add another attraction in the area into your day trip. Plus a large section is covered in scaffolding. Costs 54 RMB to get in.
Written July 29, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

ClanBlair
Belmont, CA15 contributions
3.0 of 5 bubbles
Sep 2015 • Solo
Guyaju is believed to be built during the end of the Tang dynasty, and is comprised of 147 caves built into 2 large rock walls. The geography of the area is fascinating and makes for some excellent pictures.

It's nice to see relics from before the Ming or Qing dynasties, but honestly, outside of a well and a giant grinding stone there isn't much to find here. Most disappointing of all is that you only have access to the lowest row of caves...for safety reasons, the upper levels are completely inaccessible to the general public.

The entire site can be seen within an hour. Be prepared for some light hiking as there are many stairs. I would not recommend a tour guide as there isn't much for one to add. The signs are all well-translated into English, and the origin of the caves is a mystery anyway.

Due to the 2 hour distance from Beijing, I would only recommend coming here if you're visiting something relatively nearby (Longqing Gorge is about 30 minutes away, and the Great Wall perhaps an hour). If you make a 2 hour trip solely to see Guyaju, you're going to be disappointed.
Written September 26, 2015
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Ray S
Darlington, UK308 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Jun 2015 • Family
This is a totally unique and virtually undiscovered tourist attraction. It's quite a drive from Beijing (about 2.5hours). And even when you know where you are going it isn't the easiest place to find. But it's worth a visit.
A path around the caves is set in a loop making it simple to visit the entire area. There are some reasonably steep stairs and one or two big drops requiring a close eye on any little kids. You can go into many of the caves, some of which have beds carved into them and little Windows. Height in the caves vary and for some you need to duck.
Written February 14, 2016
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Joelle_Goh
Singapore, Singapore67 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Apr 2014 • Couples
Our Beijing trip highlight would definitely be the visit to this mysterious place - 古崖居 (Ancient Cave Dwelling - Gu Ya Ju) at Yan Qing County.

Sometimes it is called the biggest maze of China, 古崖居 is the biggest cave residence was ever discovered in China, probably the world. It was such a mysterious place that even many local Beijingers had never been there before ...

There are altogether 137 stone rooms located in this area. Very well kept and maintained. Their dwellings are multi-storied and have a complete system of water drainage, heating systems, cooking facilities and they are oriented in a secretive area where it is difficult to locate it if you are from afar. The caves provide great shelter at ground level and there are meeting halls, areas for temples ... An ideal hideout for the ancient Chinese.

The design of the place was even more amazing. There was no house beams, yet they have multi-floor structure. There was no ladders, yet the design allow dwellers to move in and out different stories easily. All the rooms, no matter what shape they are in, meet the modern aesthetic standard. It's also located at a very strategic place, where it is easy for the dwellers to observe the city but it becomes difficult for others to locate this place because of the mountains and hills. Standing inside the cave is a wonderful experience - make us think about what had happened in the ancient times - wars? Planting crops? Cooking food?

The mysterious part of this place is that it would take huge effort and years to create such an established dwelling for a hundred people. However, there are no written records in history talk about this place. So, no one actually know why they were built, who had stayed here ... A lot of questions were left unanswered.

This place is exclusive, private and offers a lot of historic and architectural insights for many.

My husband and I engaged a private guide to bring us to visit this place. He can speak in perfect English and Mandarin. He also brought us to experience some local dishes in a quite established farmers restaurant near the place.

Duration: At least 2-3 hours to walk around the dwelling Time to go: All seasons, and it will be better if you reach there in the morning How to go: It is quite difficult to go on your own because the place is located at a very exclusive location and as shared, many local Beijingers have no idea of the place. Would suggest you engage Jason from Tour-Beijing.com .
Location: Yan Qing is located at a suburban area of Beijing. It takes about 2 hours to reach there from 国贸 CBD.

What to bring: Sunglasses, water, head gear, camera
Written May 1, 2014
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Bao H
Oxnard, California, United States3 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Nov 2019 • Couples
We had a 10hr layover at PEK and wanted to make the most of it. A visit to the Guyaju Cliff Dwellings filled the time perfectly without having to rush. We booked a private tour from Herbie (phone #+86 13683011180, herbie_sx@126.com) after reading CASTAH's review on here. We're very glad we did. Herbie spoke flawless English and is very knowledgeable. He waited for us with a sign right outside the exit past security. He had the driver waiting right at the airport exit so we wanted no time getting on our way.

We were unprepared for how cold the cliffs would be at that altitude in late November, but Herbie was prepared with 2 parkas for us to wear. Freezing to death would have definitely put a damper on our excursion. Herbie's ability to anticipate our needs makes him an exceptional guide and his genuine kindness makes him even better. He's also quick to learn my DSLR and took great photos for us, even suggesting how we could pose for better shots. He does custom tours to fit your interests. Highly recommended!
Written November 28, 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

CASTAH
Brisbane, Australia25 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
May 2018
It was amazing, cost wasn't too much, make sure you take a bottle of water each and have comfy walking shoes - not very strenuous at all but the landscape was rather devoid of shade and warm even for May. you can go into the caves and climb all over the area. great views also. we spent almost 2 hours here. We had a private tour guide by the the name of Herbie (phone #+86 13683011180, herbie_sx@126.com), he hadn't been to this place before, so i researched it myself. He loved it and was quite excited to be able to partake in the excursion with us - it was such a great idea having a private tour guide - he was able to get tour guide prices for us instead of normal visitor rates, he helped us get information about the area when we were there. and he was so flexible in what we were wanting to do. i would highly recommend him
Written June 6, 2018
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Tromboner
168 contributions
3.0 of 5 bubbles
May 2016 • Friends
We came here on a day trip from Beijing. I recommend combining this with Lonquing gorge, which is a short drive away. It isn't worth a 2 hour drive on its own, but combined with the gorge it is OK.

This is not a 'must-see' attraction but it is worth seeing if you are in Beijing for a while or have exhausted the main tourist attractions around Beijing.

The park itself looks reasonably recent. There is a set route to take you to the caves and out the other end again. You can go into the caves, which is fun. The upper caves are supposed to be out of bounds but that didn't stop masses of Chinese tourists from clambering over the fence for a bit of exploration!

Some information is provided on signs but it was minimal. That could be because nobody knows much more.

Although this is less busy than other tourist attractions within reach of Beijing it is still busy by non-Chinese standards.
Written June 1, 2016
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

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Guyaju Caves, Beijing

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