# Hukou Waterfall (壶口瀑布)

Linfen, Shanxi Province · North China, China · Guidebook rating: 5/5
Canonical: https://cnatrip.com/en/places/hukou-waterfall
Language: en

## Key facts

- **Admission:** ¥100
- **Opening hours:** 7：00—18：30
- **Time needed:** 2–3 hours
- **Address:** 173 km from Linfen city and 45 km from Ji County (吉县) town
- **Getting there:** There are two options from Linfen. Option 1: take a bus from Yaomiao Bus Station (尧庙汽车站) in Linfen to Ji County, then continue by public bus or chartered car to the falls; the journey takes about 1 hour. Option 2: take a Linfen–Yan'an bus from the Linfen Long-Distance Bus Station and get off at Hukou.
- **Good for:** Photography, Nature

## About Hukou Waterfall

"Thousands of islands surge in a rush of power, rolling into a thousand thunderclaps that shake the earth." This line of poetry describes Hukou Waterfall perfectly. Upstream, the Yellow River is more than 300 metres wide, but as it passes through this area, it is hemmed in by steep cliffs on both banks and squeezed into a narrow stone gorge only 20–30 metres wide. It plunges down in a torrent of crashing waves, and the mountains echo with its roar. Watching it, you feel as though a giant dragon is dancing on the waves; listening to it, you hear ten thousand galloping horses. Standing by the river, visitors cannot help but marvel that this is the real-life scene behind the stirring song "The wind roars, the horses neigh, the Yellow River rages."
At the very centre of the spout where the Yellow River water drops, there is a glossy rock known as the "Turtle Rock" (龟石), which rises and falls with the water level. Whether the water is high or low, a little of it always shows, adding a touch of mystery to the waterfall.

## Tips from the guidebook

- Best season: October is when Hukou Waterfall carries the most water and is at its most spectacular, and most visitors choose this time. However, local temperatures are low then, so bring a warm jacket.

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Source: China Self-Guided Travel 2025 (《中国自助游》, Tianjin Science & Technology Press, Aug 2024), p. 1855. Prices, hours and transport details are as printed in the August 2024 edition and may have changed. Always confirm with the venue before you travel.
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