Detian

Understand

Detian and neighboring Shuolong are both villages through which one must pass to get to the Detian Waterfall (pronounced deh-tyan poo-boo). The two villages are in Daxin County, a county under the administration of the city of Chongzuo. Chongzuo is the nearest city.

Getting there

From Chongzuo There are four buses from Chongzuo to Detian every day. Two of these buses depart from the Chongzuo International Bus Terminal and the other two depart from Chongzuo South Railway Station. It takes about 2 to 3 hours for the bus to arrive in Detian. The fare is ¥50. During high season it's probably best to get a return ticket because otherwise you may struggle to get a seat on the return bus. A return ticket costs ¥80.

From Nanning During high season there are at least two buses that go straight from Nanning to Detian. They depart at 08:00 and 08:30 respectively from the Langdong Bus Station on Minzu Dadao, costing ¥90. Along the way, the bus stops at Nanning East Railway Station and Nanning Wuxu International Airport. During low season there are buses going from Nanning to Daxin on a semi-regular basis. In Daxin there is a single bus from the bus station that goes to Detian at around 11:20AM, though again, only during high season. During low season inquire at your hotel how to get to the waterfall. If you can manage to tell them that there is no bus from the bus station they will direct you to where 12-person vans regularly depart for Xialei (¥12).

Getting around

The car park and visitor center are actually in Shuolong, not in Detian. After passing through the ticket gate, you will need to take a shuttle bus to get to the scenic area in Detian. The bus takes about twenty minutes to get there. Park management prefer that tour groups and independent travellers get on separate buses. If you are traveling independently, look for a sign that says "散客". After arriving in the scenic area, you can easily get around by foot. Just remember that the exit is not the same place as the entrance. You will find signs pointing towards the exit after you visit the waterfall. If you’re in a hurry or feeling tired, you could get a sightseeing car to the exit from the China-Vietnam Culture Street, but it’s only a distance of about 800 meters. After passing through the exit (which involves walking through a large gift shop), you will see a bunch of shops and restaurants as well as some signs pointing towards the place where you can get a bus back to the visitor center.

Buy

Most of the souvenirs on sale will be available in any Chinese tourist spot. One exception may be the selection of perfumes, (although several tour guides advice to do not buy take perfumes as they could have undesired effects on the skin. The price of the perfumes can be bargained until ¥20 for two perfumes). A variety of cheap goods brought in from Vietnam are available, e.g. cigarettes and cashews.

Eat

The Detian Scenic Area has several restaurants and food stalls. There are also quite a number of restaurants at the exit to the scenic area and within the vicinity of the visitor center.

Sleep

Detian has a few hotels for visitors that advertise themselves as three-star including the Suo Long Hotel, Mountain Retreat, and the Detian Hotel.

Go next

In Vietnam, the waterfall is known as Ban Gioc Waterfall. You can visit the Vietnamese side of the border from Detian if you join a tour group. In that case, your stay in Vietnam will be limited to 5 hours. Travellers wishing to spend more time in Vietnam should head to the border crossing in Pingxiang. Depending on the season, you may be able to get a direct bus to Pingxiang. Of course, you could also get a bus back to Chongzuo or Nanning or a van back to the county seat of Daxin County. Apparently it becomes more difficult to find a ride back to Daxin the later in the day it becomes. There are a few scenic spots along the road between Chongzuo and Detian. The most visited one is a place called Mingshi Fields (明仕田园), which has some attractive karst scenery and a few hotels. Many buses stop here after leaving Detian.