Jiaole Tiankeng

Jiaole Tiankeng is located in Jiaole Village, 15 kilometers west of the seat of Bama Yao Autonomous County, at the junction of stone mountains and rolling hills on the fringe of karst mountainous areas. When Bama formulated its tourism development plan in 1996, experts detected that the negative oxygen ion concentration at the bottom of the tiankeng exceeded 16,000 per cubic centimeter. They reached a unanimous conclusion that this tiankeng boasts rare integrated value for sightseeing, scientific research and health preservation, seldom seen elsewhere in the world.

Jiaole Tiankeng is around 15 kilometers away from Haolong Tiankeng. Stretching roughly 750 meters from north to south and 400 meters from east to west, it reaches a maximum depth of about 280 meters with a total volume of approximately 67 million cubic meters, ranking fourth among all karst tiankengs in China.

Surrounded by sheer vertical cliffs on all sides, the tiankeng is encircled by precipitous mountain peaks piercing the sky. Seen from above, the whole tiankeng resembles a warship sailing south. A 300-meter-long river runs through its bottom from north to south, with crystal-clear water. Lush green shrubs carpet the mountain foot. A narrow winding trail leads down into the tiankeng from its western side. Underground rivers and subterranean lakes lie at the pit bottom, while stone forests and stone teeth stand on the pit slopes, some towering over 30 meters high, shaped like sharp swords pointing straight upward. The valley floor is covered in dense forest home to more than 400 varieties of trees. Majestic, precipitous and uniquely wonderful, Jiaole Tiankeng is accessible to visitors on foot. Tourists can bathe by the river, admire diverse wild flowers and plants, breathe fresh air and carry out scientific investigations here.

Both tiankens feature abundant vegetation and spectacular scenery with consistently high levels of negative oxygen ions all year round. They are internationally renowned sinkholes, hailed as China’s most beautiful giant collapses and underground gardens, holding great value for sightseeing, adventure, summer retreats, recuperation, scientific research and tourism.