The Sleeping Dragon waterfall is Huaxi Park's largest.
As far as Southwestern China's provincial capitals go, Yunnan's Kunming and Sichuan's Chengdu often eclipse Guiyang as a travel destination.
However, the Guizhou capital's unsung allure greatly resembles that of its two well-trodden western neighbors - majestic scenery, dramatic topography and fascinating ethnic minority customs.
Last year, more than 23 million domestic tourists, but only 120,000 overseas travelers, visited the city. It's hardly surprising then that it's possible to go the better part of a week without spotting a single foreign face.
Young Miao women clad in ceremonial garb. Peng Nian
In 2006, the Chinese Meteorological Society bestowed upon Guiyang the title of "China's No 1 Summer Resort" and a good starting point for understanding why is the Huaxi Scenic Area.
Located only 12 km outside downtown Guiyang, the 350-sq-km scenic area is a postcard-perfect sprawl of gardens that bloom year round, cavernous grottos and lakes fed by gushing waterfalls.
The most impressive cascade is the Sleeping Dragon, which, at 10-m-tall and 40-m-wide, has the honor of being China's largest calcified shoal chute. Visitors can cross the top of the fall on the 100 Step Bridge - a row of spaced out stepping-stones that trace the cascade's top ridge.
Arguably, the best view of the park can be had from its 400-m-long zip line. However, it's a short-lived pleasure, as the panoramic vista whooshes past at breakneck speed.
The park's network of waterfalls and pools eventually empties into the Tianhe Pool, which then feeds the Kongling River. This watercourse gushes under a natural bridge spanning two mountaintops, and then pours into the Shuanlong Cave, which can only be accessed by boat. Visitors can take a watercraft 1.4 km along the underground river.
