14℃ Cave for Winter Warmth + Ice and Snow Secret Realm! Longnan, Gansu: An Underrated Winter Wellness Destination
While most people flock to Hainan to escape the cold or to Northeast China for skiing, this small city tucked at the junction of Shaanxi, Gansu, and Sichuan provinces is redefining winter wellness with a triple surprise of "ice and snow wonders + constant temperature secret realm + millennia-old cultural heritage." This city is Longnan—frequently recommended by Trip.com travel notes as the "Jiangnan of Longshan." It boasts -5℃ ice waterfalls and rime, a 14℃ warm cave nest, and a forest oxygen bar bursting with negative oxygen ions, allowing your body to relax amid the alternating cold and warmth, and your soul to settle in the landscape and cultural heritage.
Longnan’s winter wellness charm lies in its unique experience of "cold and warm balance." Unlike single-purpose cold escapes or snow play, here you can unlock the dual healing of "ice and warmth" in one stop. The core secret realm, Wanxiang Cave, is known as a "natural wellness chamber." Formed over 300 million years, this karst cave maintains a constant temperature of 14℃. In the depths of winter, while outside is icy and snowy, inside the cave is warm and cozy. Stalactites and stalagmites under the lights look like jade carvings. Walking through, the moist air nourishes your respiratory tract, and millennia-old inscriptions tell tales of peaceful times, as if you have entered an underground paradise isolated from the noise. Meanwhile, winter at Guan’egou offers a different world. Beneath the Leigu Snow Mountain, dozens of ice waterfalls hang in the canyon, with ice pillars like a forest and ice curtains like jade. Taking the cable car for a bird’s-eye view, the snowy forest sea and cloud sea reflect each other. In the rime corridor, jade trees and snow flowers abound, the snow crunches underfoot, and the crisp air carries the pine needle fragrance. Every deep breath is a gift of negative oxygen ions.
Beyond natural wellness, Longnan’s cultural heritage adds spiritual nourishment. The Xixia Song Scenic Area in Cheng County hides the cliff inscriptions of the "Three Han Songs," the earliest of which is over 1,800 years old. The Han clerical script looks even more majestic against the snow. Waterfalls murmur in the canyon, and ancient plank road ruins are faintly visible. Hiking here, you can enjoy the serene landscape and touch the warmth of history. The Qin Culture Museum in Lixian County showcases artifacts like the Qin Gongding and bronze chariots, witnessing the rise of the Qin dynasty. The Three Kingdoms Cultural Industry Park offers costume experiences and immersive reenactments of the "Six Expeditions to Qishan." If you visit in the first lunar month, don’t miss the "Chigezhu" intangible cultural heritage Nuo dance of the Baima Tibetan people in Wen County. Dancers wearing wooden masks move to drumbeats, and the torch festival’s fire ring dance and ink-painting revelry let visitors release stress in primitive folk customs.
A wellness trip is incomplete without warm nourishment for the palate. Dangchang clear soup lamb is a winter must-have. Highland free-range goats are slow-cooked for hours with angelica and codonopsis, producing a milky, rich broth with tender, odorless lamb. One bowl warms you from tongue to limbs. Wudu’s mashed potatoes are made by repeatedly pounding highland potatoes until sticky and chewy, topped with sour pickling juice or chili oil, their rustic flavor driving away the cold. In Bikou Tea Village, Mingqian tea brewed with mountain spring water is fragrant and sweet, paired with local handmade walnut cakes for a cozy afternoon tea. These flavorful snacks use natural ingredients and carry the mountain wildness, filling the stomach and warming the body while aligning with wellness concepts.
Practical tips make your trip worry-free. For transportation, you can fly to Longnan Chengxian Airport or take the high-speed train to Longnan Station. There are tourist shuttle lines connecting city attractions. On Trip.com, you can book the "Ecological Longnan Wellness Destination" combo ticket with one click, covering core sites like Guan’egou and Wanxiang Cave, offering much better value than buying tickets separately. For accommodation, Qinglong Mountain Tourist Resort is recommended, where you can soak in natural hot springs and enjoy snow views in the morning. If you prefer tranquility, homestays around Tianchi Lake in Wen County offer views of the unfrozen lake and rime through the window, with star-filled nights that are especially healing. A suggested itinerary is 3-4 days: Day 1, Wudu Wanxiang Cave + Yuhechuan Golden Monkey observation, interact with adorable monkeys and breathe fresh air; Day 2, Guan’egou ice and snow wonders, admire ice waterfalls and take the cable car to view snow mountains; Day 3, Wen County Tianchi Lake + Bikou Tea Village, experience lake and mountain scenery and tea culture; Day 4, Xixia Song + Du Fu Thatched Cottage, explore ancient sites and poetry to calm the mind.
Winter in Longnan has no crowds of popular tourist spots, only the gentle embrace of mountains, water, and cultural heritage. Here, you can release energy in Guan’egou’s ice and snow, relax your body and mind in Wanxiang Cave’s constant warmth, settle your thoughts in millennia-old relics, and feel warmth in local cuisine. This unique experience of "active snow play and peaceful wellness" is the ideal form of winter health care.
No need to chase the noise of distant places—come to Longnan for a warm winter appointment. Let the ice and snow wash away your fatigue, let the cultural heritage nourish your soul, and at the junction of Shaanxi, Gansu, and Sichuan, encounter the most pleasant winter wellness time.