Yangshuo County - Rock Climbing

Rock Climbing

Rock climbing in Yangshuo was first put on the map by American climber Todd Skinner who visited in 1992, establishing a number of classic lines such as "Moonwalker" which traverses the famous Moon Hill arch.

Much of recent climbing history was influenced by the 2001 establishment of the now defunct Australian owned company Chinaclimb (re-established in 2011 as Insight Adventures ). Other companies that have contributed include Karstclimber, Spiderman Climbing, Terratribes, and X-Climber.

Approximately 200 routes are documented in the current edition of the Paul Collis Yangshuo climbing guidebook, and new routes are being established almost daily. The majority of these have been established by visiting foreign climbers or expatriates. While most routes are single-pitch bolted sport climbing routes, a growing number of multi-pitch sport routes are appearing as climbers venture above the first anchor. There is also great potential for traditional climbing.

The Yangshuo region has numerous locations for climbing, most easily accessible by bicycle, public bus or taxi-van. The most famous of these crags is Moon Hill with several 5.13 graded lines, first climbed by American Todd Skinner in 1992. Other crags of note include Low Mountain, Twin Gates, Baby Frog, The Egg, Bamboo Grove and Wine Bottle Cliff.