Karst Landscape of South China & North Vietnam (The Two Siamese Twins)

Trang An Karst Landscape, Ninh Binh
Vietnam (Feb 2023)

Tam Coc, Ninh Binh, Vietnam
(Feb 2023)

Mua Cave, Ninh Binh, Vietnam
(Feb 2023)

Shilin Stone Forest
Kunming, China (2018)

Golden Fragrance Rice Fields, Gaotian
Yangshuo, Guangxi, China (Oct 2023)

Bingling Karst Landscape, Tianshui 
Gansu, China (May 2015)

Xingping, Guangxi, China
(Oct 2023) 

Ruyi Mountain, Yangshuo, Guangxi
China (Oct 2023)

Moon Hill, Yangshuo, Guangxi
China (Oct 2023)

Elephant Hill, Guilin, Guangxi
China (Oct 2023)

" When I finally decided that I was the only one that could make a difference in LIFE, things started to change. For as long as I can remembered I had the desire to live an amazing LIFE: to travel the world, meet inspiring people, learn something new every day & share it with as many people as I could. I have to pinch myself when I think I am living that future now. You can turn all your dreams into reality if you are brave enough to believe in them " 

My "Karst times" travelling in Northern Vietnam &  Southern China ! Karst is a topography formed from the dissolution of soluble carbonate rocks such as limestone, dolomite & gypsum.

In recent years, both my wife & myself had the opportunities to visit a number of scenic Karst landscape in Vietnam & China. Both these "Siamese Twins" have something in common ie spectacular landscape of limestone karst peaks permeated with valleys, many of them partly submerged & surrounded by steep, almost vertical cliffs hence most tourists could like to spend their vacations in these places ! A case in point, the Detian or Ban Gioc Falls (akin like a Siamese twins) is a collective name for two waterfalls on the Quay Son River & karst hills located right on the international border of China & Vietnam ! 

The two towns in Ninh Binh province of Vietnam, ie Tam Coc & Trang An boast stunning landscape with karst mountains, deep green valleys & winding rivers. The South China Karst in the provinces of Yunnan, Guangxi & Guizhou is gazetted as a UNESCO site (the site comprises 7 clusters, Phase 1 is Guilin Karst, Shibing Karst, Jinfoshan Karst & Huanjiang Karst). 

When you are visiting North Vietnam or South China, "cast" yourself in any of the Karst Landscape environment, the stunning & spectacular scenery will certainly make your visit a memorable one ! 

Karst Landscape in Tam Coc & Trang An, Ninh Binh, Vietnam 

1) Tam Coc, Bich Dong, Vietnam - a popular tourist destination in north Vietnam & part of the Trang An Scenic Landscape Complex UNESCO World Heritage site, located in Ninh Binh province, near the village of Tam Coc, the closest city is Ninh Binh (visited Feb 2023)

2) Trang An Boat Ride, Ninh Binh, Vietnam - starting point for boat tours past the limestone cliffs, caves & temples Trang An, the scenic boat ride take approx 90 minutes (visited Feb 2023)

3) My day tour group lunch with my wife in Trang An Bungalow Hotel Resort Restaurant surrounded by beautiful Karst landscape, lakes & farmlands in a countryside of Ninh Binh, North Vietnam (visited Feb 2023)

4) Mua Cave, Khe Dau Ha Village, Hoa Lu District, Ninh Binh, Vietnam - known as Dancing Cave, approx 5km north of Tam Coc, the 2 famous viewpoints are the Dragon & Pagoda offering 360 panoramic view of Ninh Binh, both of us in our early 70's managed to walk up the 800 steps short of near the Dragon & Pagoda viewpoints, a real consolation & satisfying visit to Mua Cave  (visited in Feb 2023)

Karst Landscape in Yunnan & Guangxi, China

The South China Karst is a UNESCO World Heritage Site since June 2007 spanning the provinces of Chongqing, Guangxi, Guizhou & Yunnan, UNESCO describes the South China Karst as " unrivalled in terms of the diversity of its karst features & landscape " 

1) Shili Karst Landscape, Kunming, Yunnan, China  - natural karst limestone formations create Shilin or the Stone Forest in Kunming, China, karst is a landscape shaped by the erosion of limestone, the karst landscape of Shilin was formed about 270 million years ago, karst landscape feature caves, underground streams & sinkholes on the surface, where erosion has won away the land above ground, steep rocky cliffs are visible ! (visited 2018)

Shilin Stone Forest, Kunming, Yunnan
China (Sept 1998)

2) Moon Hill, Yangshuo, Guangxi, China

3) Golden Fragrance Rice Fields, Qiqiushushu Old Village, Gaotian Town, Yangshou, Guangxi, China

4) Bing Ling Shilin Karst Landscape, Tianshui, Gansu, China - located on the Small Jishi Hill, approx 35km west of Yongjing County in the upper reaches of Liujiaxia Reservoir on the bank of the Yellow River in Sigou Gorge, nearby is the Bingling Temple, a series of grottoes filled with Buddhist sculpture carved into natural caves & caverns in a canyon along the Yellow River (visited May 2015)

5) Detian Waterfall, Nanning, Guangxi, China - Detian or Ban Gioc Falls is a collective name for two waterfalls on the Quay Son River that straddle the international border between China & Vietnam, more specifically located between the Karst hills of Daxin County, Guangxi & Trung Khanh District, Cao Bang Province, Vietnam (visited Feb 2019) 

6) Karst landscape in Lijiang River, Xingping, Guangxi, China (visited Oct 2023)