---
node: spot_guilin_elephant_trunk_hill
type: spot
slug: elephant_trunk_hill
destination: dest_guilin
title: "Elephant Trunk Hill"
lead: "Elephant Trunk Hill stands where the Taohua River meets the Li, a limestone outcrop with an arch that reads unmistakably as an elephant drinking. It is Guilin's civic symbol."
published: 2026-08-12
updated: 2026-08-12
image_file: spot_guilin_elephant_trunk_hill.jpg
image_source: "https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Elephant_Trunk_Hill,_Guilin.jpg"
image_author: "螺钉"
image_license: "CC BY-SA 3.0"
---

## Overview

The arch, called Water Moon Cave, was cut by the river through soluble karst limestone — the same process that made the whole Guilin landscape. A Ming pagoda sits on the hill's back. The park around it is small and the ticket is not cheap for what it is, which is why many visitors photograph the hill from the free riverbank opposite.

## Highlights

The classic shot is from the park's riverside terrace, with the arch's reflection completing a circle in still water. Climb to the pagoda for the view along the two rivers. Come early: this is the first stop on most Guilin bus tours, and by ten the terrace is full.