Longnan occupies the southernmost tip of Gansu, where the province narrows to a point between Sichuan and Shaanxi, and the landscape shifts from the arid loess of central Gansu into something almost subtropical — forested mountains, rivers, terraced fields. The administrative centre is Wudu, a valley town of modest size on the Bailong River, but the prefecture as a whole is one of the most topographically diverse parts of the province.
The Longnan area is known for its ancient ginkgo trees — some of the oldest and largest in China grow in the villages of Wenxian County, including the astonishing Li Jiawan Grand Ginkgo King, a tree over 3,000 years old whose hollow trunk is large enough to shelter a person. The Baiquan Gorge scenic area in Kangxian County offers waterfalls and river scenery largely unknown outside the region. The Wudu olive groves represent one of the northernmost olive-growing areas in the world, and the oil produced here has been increasingly prized.
For archaeologists and historians, Longnan's position on the route between the Guanzhong plain and Sichuan gives it strategic significance that goes back to the Warring States period. The Qin Kingdom used the roads through these mountains to project power southward, and remnants of that road system survive in inscribed cliff faces and ancient masonry.
Longnan is not well-connected by rail; the nearest high-speed station is Tianshui to the north, and local buses cover the distances within the prefecture. It rewards travellers who prioritise landscape over archaeology and who don't mind slower travel times through mountain terrain.