Luohanyan Scenic Area (罗汉岩风景区) is a mountain gorge about 15 kilometers north of Ruijin city center, featuring dramatic rock formations, waterfalls, temple buildings clinging to cliff faces, and old-growth subtropical forest. The geology is spectacular — vertical sandstone faces with caves and overhangs that have been used as monastic sites for centuries. The name comes from the lohan (arhat) figures carved into the cliff walls at the main temple site.
Most visitors to Ruijin bypass Luohanyan entirely in favor of the revolutionary heritage sites, which means the park is unusually uncrowded for a Chinese scenic area of this quality. The hiking trails are well maintained and the two to three hour circuit through the gorge is thoroughly rewarding. The combination of natural scenery and Buddhist cave art makes for a useful counterpoint to the political history that dominates the city's official tourist narrative.