Elephant Trunk Hill, Guilin

• Name: Elephant Trunk Hill/象鼻山/xiàng bí shān
• Add.: No.1 Binjiang Road, Xiangshan District, Guilin | 桂林市象山区滨江路1号
• Entrance fee: free
• Open hours: 06:30-19:00
• Tour time: 1 Hour
• Best time to visit: April-October
• How to get there: When you leave the Sheraton Hotel, walk across the road to the right-hand side of the Li River, past the twin towers of the sun and moon and 100 metres ahead, the journey takes about 10 minutes!

Elephant Trunk Hill (Xiang Bi Shan) is the symbol of Guilin. It is considered as a must-visit for tourists in Guilin. The hill is located on the western bank of Li River and looks like a giant elephant drawing water from the Li River with its trunk, hence the name.

Elephant Trunk Hill

With a history of approximately 3.6 hundred million years, Elephant Trunk Hill towers 55m above the Li River, measuring 108 meters in length and 100 meters in width with an elevation of 200 meters above sea level. If you stand on top of the hill you can see a beautiful panoramic view of Guilin City.

There are many legends about how Elephant Trunk Hill formed. One of them was that an elephant from Heaven came to drink from the Li River every night. The elephant drank so much that the river was almost dry which angered the Heavenly King. As a result, he gave the order to kill the elephant. A sword pierced between the elephant’s shoulders one night. The elephant turned to stone. The Puxian Pagoda on top of the hill is the handle of the sword that pierced into the elephant. However, historically the story would be inaccurate because the Puxian Pagoda was built in the Ming Dynasty.

Water Moon Cave (Shui Yue Dong) is between the elephant’s trunk and legs. It is a semi-round cave penetrated by water. It looks like it is floating above the water, hence its name.

Elephant Trunk Hill

In the west of Elephant Trunk Hill Park, there lies a Buddhist Pagoda. It was built in the Tang Dynasty in 657. Jianzhen, an Eminent monk, failed 5 times to reach Japan and finally got there the sixth time. When he failed the fifth time he came to this Buddhist Pagoda in Guilin. This pagoda is one of the most famous ancient Buddhist pagodas in China.

Elephant Trunk Hill is a landmark for Guilin. For years it has attracted millions of visitors from nearby and abroad. Its glory will last forever.

What to do on a day trip?

• Half-day trip: Arrive at Guilin, take a rest, and tour Reed Flute Cave in the afternoon.
• One day trip: Reed Flute Cave and Yao Mountain
• One day trip: Fubo Hill, Diecai Hill, Elephant Trunk Hill and Reed Flute Cave
• One day trip: Half day Reed Flute Cave and half day Daxu Ancient Town.
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