Longtan Park sits at the southern edge of Liuzhou where karst peaks rise directly from the city, and it is a more authentic experience than the manicured scenic parks that cluster around Guilin. The park contains caves, a cable car up the main peak, and a series of walking trails through limestone pinnacles that most visitors to the area never see because Liuzhou has such an industrial reputation. Longtan Lake at the base reflects the surrounding peaks on clear mornings.
The park is a genuine local favourite rather than a tourist facility — it is where Liuzhou residents walk, cycle, and picnic at weekends. The combination of this everyday atmosphere and the dramatic karst scenery behind it gives Longtan a quality that the more heavily managed parks around Guilin lack. The caves inside the main peak contain some modest stalactites and the usual lighting effects, but the view from the cable car terminus over the Liu River as it bends through the city is the real reward.