飞流直下三千尺，疑是银河落九天。Fēi liú zhí xià sān qiān chǐ, yí shì yínhé luò jiǔ tiān – A torrent plunges straight down three thousand feet; I suspect the Silver River has fallen from the ninth heaven.
九龙瀑布群 Jiǔlóng Pùbùqún Jiulong Waterfall Cluster is a chain of ten waterfall tiers on the 九龙河 Jiǔlóng Hé Jiulong River in 长底乡 Chángdǐ Xiāng Changdi Township, about 22 km northeast of the county town of 罗平 Luópíng Luoping, in Qujing. The river – recorded in old sources as 喜旧溪 Xǐjiù Xī Xijiu Stream – drops down a stair of 钙化 gàihuà travertine terraces through a few kilometres of wooded gorge, and the scenic area, a national 4A site, takes three to four hours to walk. The star is 神龙瀑 Shénlóng Pù Shenlong Fall, the largest single tier at 56 m high and 110 m wide, which in the wet season throws a wall of spray across the valley; above and below it the other tiers – 白絮瀑 Báixù Pù White-Flock Fall, 情人瀑 Qíngrén Pù Lovers’ Fall with its twin curtains, 石龙漫游瀑 Shílóng Mànyóu Pù Stone-Dragon Wandering Fall and 迎宾瀑 Yíngbīn Pù Welcome Fall – step down through shallow travertine pools, past the crescent 月牙湖 Yuèyá Hú Moon Lake and the 戏水滩 Xìshuǐ Tān Wading Beach, to the east gate. The gorge is 布依族 Bùyīzú Buyei country, and the nine dragons of the name belong to a river-taming legend; on the sixth day of the sixth lunar month the villages along the banks hold water-offering rites and antiphonal singing. In February and March the same river runs through rapeseed fields a few kilometres upstream, which is what makes the pairing of falls and flowers Luoping’s spring signature.
The honest verdict is that this is a waterfall of volume rather than of single-drop drama, and its quality is entirely seasonal. In the 丰水期 fēngshuǐqī high-water season – late June to September, best just after rain – the tiers roar, spray makes rainbows in the 9:00-11:00 light, and the bamboo rafts to the foot of 神龙瀑 Shénlóng Pù (about 20-25 yuan worth confirming) earn their money. In the 枯水期 kūshuǐqī low-water season, roughly December to March, the same falls shrink to threads over the travertine and the rock terraces rather than the water become the view; a dry February can disappoint. The gate ticket is quoted at 60-65 yuan worth confirming, with half price for students and 60-69-year-olds and free entry for children under 1.2 m, over-70s, serving soldiers and medical staff worth confirming; the scenic shuttle from the east gate to 神龙瀑 Shénlóng Pù is about 15 yuan one way worth confirming, and a 飞毯 fēitǎn conveyor-and-slide package runs about 40 yuan worth confirming. Hours are roughly 8:00-17:30 with last entry about an hour before closing worth confirming, and parking is about 10 yuan a car worth confirming. From the county town, the 罗平客运站 Luópíng Kèyùnzhàn Luoping bus station runs direct minibuses for about 8-10 yuan, roughly 40 minutes worth confirming; taxis take half an hour.
Walk it downhill and start early. The standard line is west gate in, east gate out, following the stream down through all ten tiers in two and a half to four hours; west-to-east keeps the descent gentle and puts the big fall in mid-morning light. Bring shoes with grip – the boardwalks and steps along the 栈道 zhàndào stay wet from spray – and a light raincoat rather than an umbrella, because the wind at the falls makes umbrellas useless. Summer is the comfortable season: the gorge runs several degrees cooler than the flats, and the 布依族 Bùyīzú villages along the river hold their 六月六 Liùyuè Liù sixth-day rites in high summer. In flower season (February to March) you can do 金鸡峰丛 Jīnjī Fēngcóng at sunrise, the falls by late morning and 螺丝田 Luósītián at dusk in one long day, since the three points sit inside a 30-km triangle around the county town. Two warnings: after heavy rain the trail can flood at the lower tiers, and the river is not for swimming. All checked October 2026.
Practicalities
- Rating: 九龙瀑布群 Jiǔlóng Pùbùqún is a national 4A scenic area – a chain of ten waterfall tiers on the 九龙河 Jiǔlóng Hé in 长底乡 Chángdǐ Xiāng, about 22 km northeast of the 罗平 Luópíng county town, three to four hours to walk.
- Tickets: The gate ticket is quoted at 60-65 yuan, with half price for students and 60-69-year-olds and free entry for children under 1.2 m, over-70s, serving soldiers and medical staff (worth confirming the details); the scenic shuttle from the east gate is about 15 yuan one way, and the bamboo rafts to the foot of 神龙瀑 Shénlóng Pù about 20-25 yuan (worth confirming the details).
- Address: 长底乡 Chángdǐ Xiāng, about 22 km northeast of Luoping county town – direct minibuses from the 罗平客运站 Luópíng Kèyùnzhàn for about 8-10 yuan, roughly 40 minutes (worth confirming the details); taxis take half an hour.
- Time needed: Two and a half to four hours for the west-gate-in, east-gate-out walk through all ten tiers; the honest window is the 丰水期 fēngshuǐqī high-water season, late June to September, best just after rain.
Words and Names
钙化 gàihuà travertine terraces · 神龙瀑 Shénlóng Pù Shenlong Fall, the 56-m star tier · 丰水期 fēngshuǐqī the high-water season · 布依族 Bùyīzú the Buyei people of the gorge · 六月六 Liùyuè Liù the sixth-day-of-the-sixth-month water rites
Getting there: the east gate of 九龙瀑布群 Jiǔlóng Pùbùqún in 长底乡 Chángdǐ Xiāng, about 22 km northeast of the 罗平 Luópíng county town – gate ticket about 60-65 yuan (worth confirming the details), walk west gate in and east gate out, and come in the late-June-to-September wet season when the tiers roar. All checked October 2026.