Longmen Dong (Dragon’s Gate Cave) is a conglomerate cave in Lushan County (near Ya’an), around three hours drive from Chengdu. Part of the cave has been developed into a show-cave and has been opened for tourism; however, there are over 10km of undeveloped passage which make for a good introduction to the sport of caving. A trip to the cave makes for a good weekend away from Chengdu doing something quite unique. Your guide for the trip will be Matt Ryan, a British caver with over ten years of experience. Matt was one of the original team of cavers who mapped the cave in 2003.

Weekday Evening: Preparation

An evening or two before the caving trip we will meet to discuss plans and equipment and talk a little about caving as a sport. This also presents an opportunity for your guide to gauge fitness and experience and allow the selection of an appropriate trip.

Saturday: Caving Trip

We leave Chengdu at around 9am, traveling to Lushan in time for lunch. There are a number of different possible trips in the cave which will be offered based on experience and fitness. All trips will prove reasonably challenging in places but will not be beyond the ability of the party. We will camp for the night inside the cave.

Sunday: Return to Chengdu

With no sunlight to wake us we will sleep late from the previous days exertions and will leave the cave in time for lunch, returning to Chengdu mid afternoon. Depending on the time of year and the weather it is possible to arrange a rafting trip near the cave for the afternoon.

Price

Our trips are tailor made and depend on the size of the group and time of the year, however we are typically able to offer this trip for small groups at around 600 RMB per person. This includes transport, most of the required equipment as well as food for the duration of the trip. Note that group size is normally limited to eight persons.

Equipment

The price includes:

• Food and water for the duration of the trip
• Tents, sleeping bags and ground mats
• Cotton overalls
• Helmet and light

You will need to supply:

• Old clothes which will get damaged. These should not restrict your movement and should retain their warmth when wet. The temperature inside the cave is around 15°C and there is some water depending on the trip. A tracksuit makes a good choice, jeans do not.
• Suitable footwear. A pair of good quality comfortable wellies with a good grip is ideal although can be difficult/expensive to find in China. Old walking boots also work well but they WILL get damaged. A cheap popular choice is a pair of canvas “liberation shoes” (解放鞋) with a thick pair of long socks underneath.
• A change of clothes for camp and after your trip.