Reed Flute Cave Guilin: Ticket Price, Hours, How to Go

Reed Flute Cave (Ludiyan, 芦笛岩) is a limestone cave lit in colours, about 5 km north-west of central Guilin. It suits a half day when you do not have time for Longji. This page puts together the fee and opening hours from three unofficial sources, because we could not find an operator website that opened, and because the figures conflict. Check them at the ticket booking channel or at the gate. We checked on 16 and 17 October 2026.

The overview is in the Guilin and Yangshuo guide. Visa-free entry and payments are on the China hub.

Fees and hours as each source writes them

The discrepancy: Wikivoyage's CNY 90 differs from Dahepiao's CNY 76 by CNY 14. It could be a window price against an online price, but we have no official source to confirm. Dahepiao's own hours have two periods plus a notice of a change from 1 August, which does not match Wikivoyage's 08:00 to 17:30. If you go in October, assume hours like 07:30 to 18:00 per Dahepiao, but confirm before you go, because the article is from 2025.

Free entry and concessions

Dahepiao says children aged 6 or under, or up to 1.2 m, and disabled visitors enter free. Ctrip adds that serving military personnel, war-disabled veterans and seniors holding a specific Guangxi card get free or half-price entry, and that some senior cards cannot be used during the first five days of a long holiday. We found no information for foreign tourists directly, so ask at the ticket window.

Inside the cave and how long it takes

Visit Guilin says the cave is 240 m long and lit with coloured lights. Ctrip says the cave is 240 m deep, the walkway about 500 m, and the walk takes about 40 minutes, with a free Chinese-language guide. Wikivoyage says an English-speaking guide can lead you past rock shapes like a lion, a monkey, an old man and the Guilin skyline, that there is a short laser light and music show in the cave, and that you may have to wait for a group to form. Sources differ on English-language and Chinese-language guides, so ask at the ticket window which language tours run on your day.

Dahepiao says the temperature in the cave is steady at about 17 to 19 degrees Celsius and suggests a light layer.

Getting there

Wikivoyage says the cave is about 5 km from Guilin and can be reached by bus 3 or by hiring a bicycle. Ctrip warns that if you drive or take a ride-hailing car, you should set the destination as the ticket office at the cave mouth, not the car park, because the car park is at the bottom and you would have to walk half-way up the hill or pay for the in-area shuttle. Ctrip gives the shuttle at CNY 35 per person and parking at CNY 10 per hour (figures from a booking site, not the operator).

What to combine it with in Guilin

The cave is on the other side of the city from Elephant Trunk Hill and the Two Rivers and Four Lakes area. Our suggestion (not official) is to visit the cave in the morning and then return to the city for Elephant Trunk Hill. Visit Guilin says the hill is 55 m above river level and stands where the Li and Taohua rivers meet. Entry figures for the hill also differ between sources: Visit Guilin gives CNY 70 for visitors over 140 cm and CNY 35 for 120 to 140 cm, while Wikivoyage gives CNY 75 with hours of 07:00 to 22:00. Check before you go. Travel China Guide has a separate page on the hill.

For the wider region and seasons see the Guilin and Yangshuo guide. The big boat trip is on the Li River cruise page, the full-day trip is on the Longji rice terraces page, and hotels are on where to stay in Guilin and Yangshuo.

Frequently asked questions

How this page compares

We read Travel China Guide's Guilin page (which describes Reed Flute Cave briefly, without fee or hours in the text we read) and its Elephant Trunk Hill page, Wikivoyage's Guilin page and the three sources above. This page sets the fee and hours of the cave side by side with the disagreements shown, and lists the free-entry rules. Where we are weaker: it has no operator site, so there is no confirmed price or hours.

Links on this page and our earnings

The tour buttons on this page open the providers' own search pages as of 17 October 2026. We have no registered affiliate link for Reed Flute Cave tickets and have earned no commission, and we have not compared prices for you. Our disclosure page explains how affiliate links work and what we never do.

Prices, schedules and entry rules change. Figures here are approximate as of 2026; always confirm on the official or operator page before you book. Spotted something out of date? Tell us.