Baofeng Lake: a lake in the pillar country, seen from the water

How the two hours go

Through the gate, the scenic-area shuttle takes you up to the jetty in about ten minutes. The boat circles the lake and comes back to the same jetty, about half an hour on the water. The shuttle then returns you to the main gate, and the last thing you see is the waterfall and the giant salamanders by the exit. Visitors describe the same order every time.

Each boat has a guide who points out the named peaks along the shore. You will often hear Tujia folk songs on the water, sometimes from a young man and woman singing back and forth on a roofed wooden boat alongside, sometimes from the boat’s own guide. You may also see fishermen working with cormorants and casting nets on the lake.

The waterfall at the exit

The Baofeng Waterfall by the main gate was the location for the Water Curtain Cave on the Mountain of Flowers and Fruit in the TV series Journey to the West, and an iron-chain bridge crosses in front of it. The ecological garden next to it keeps Chinese giant salamanders.

How to fit it in

• Who it suits. Anyone who does not want to climb steps, families with grandparents or small children, and anyone who walked the mountains all day yesterday. The shuttle takes you up to the jetty and the boat does the rest; visitors describe the whole loop as easy.
• When. It is open all year. Visitors have taken the boat in late November, and in January, February and March after snow. We have no first-hand December report yet, so confirm that the boat is running before you go.
• What to pair it with. From Wulingyuan town it is a few minutes by taxi. Huanglong Cave is 8–9 km away, and many people put the two together as a half-day without climbing. When rain or mist hides the view from the cliff tops, it is the usual swap.
• Opening hours. From about 7 in the morning until early evening.

Prices last checked October 2026; they change — treat them as a guide, not a quote.