Trips Places Foods Stories Newsletters

Take your next trip with Atlas Obscura!

Our small-group adventures are inspired by our Atlas of the world's most fascinating places, the stories behind them, and the people who bring them to life.

Visit Adventures
Trips Highlight
Borneo orangutan
Malaysia • 12 days, 11 nights
Wild Borneo: Secrets of an Ancient Rainforest
from
Pastel de nata
Portugal • 8 days, 7 nights
Portugal: A Culinary Adventure from Porto to Lisbon
from
View all trips
Top Destinations
Latest Places
Most Popular Places Random Place Lists Itineraries
Add a Place
Download the App
Top Destinations
View All Destinations »

Countries

  • Australia
  • Canada
  • China
  • France
  • Germany
  • India
  • Italy
  • Japan

Cities

  • Amsterdam
  • Barcelona
  • Beijing
  • Berlin
  • Boston
  • Budapest
  • Chicago
  • London
  • Los Angeles
  • Mexico City
  • Montreal
  • Moscow
  • New Orleans
  • New York City
  • Paris
  • Philadelphia
  • Rome
  • San Francisco
  • Seattle
  • Stockholm
  • Tokyo
  • Toronto
  • Vienna
  • Washington, D.C.
Latest Places
View All Places »
The Ravne tunnels.
Ravne Tunnels
Colors and volumes in the patio.
Monterrey’s Contemporary Art Museum (MARCO)
Inside Wonderwerk Caves, underground caves and excavation, Kuruman, Northern Cape
Wonderwerk Cave
The ‘Old Secretariat’ government building in New Delhi.
The 'Old Secretariat'
Latest Places to Eat & Drink
View All Places to Eat »
The pavlova comes crowned with jewel-like fruit.
Central Park Boathouse
The Village Tavern of Long Grove - exterior.
The Village Tavern
Hunter House Hamburgers
L’Escamoteur
Names on the bartop.
The Dive
Recent Stories
All Stories Video Podcast
Most Recent Stories
View All Stories »
Price Tower
What Happened to Price Tower, Frank Lloyd Wright’s Only Skyscraper?
about 3 hours ago
Jeremy Bentham’s Auto-Icon in its new location in 2020
The Jeremy Bentham Auto-Icon: Why This Legendary Philosopher Put His Own Body on Display
about 23 hours ago
The truth is out there—somewhere.
The Truth Is Out There at the Dreamland Resort (or Should We Say ‘Area 51?’)
3 days ago
Edward Payson Weston
How the 6-Day Race Became an American Spectator Obsession
4 days ago

No search results found for
“”

Make sure words are spelled correctly.

Try searching for a travel destination.

Places near me Random place

Popular Destinations

  • Paris
  • London
  • New York
  • Berlin
  • Rome
  • Los Angeles
Trips Places Foods Stories Newsletters
Sign In Join
Places near me Random place
All China Chongqing Three Natural Bridges

Three Natural Bridges

Not one, not two, but three natural bridges remain in this captivating spot post-sinkhole.

Chongqing, China

Added By
lioness1041
Email
Been Here
Want to go
Added to list
  User Submitted
  User Submitted
  Brookqi - Wikicommons
Been Here
Want to go
Added to list

About

In Chinese, their names translate into "Sky Dragon", "Azure (or Green) Dragon", and "Black Dragon."

These stunning natural stone bridges were formerly caves until the ground collapsed, leaving "tiankengs" (sinkholes) and the breathtaking limestone arches known as Tiānshēng Sān Qiáo.

Calcite formations are still visible on some of the walls, and waterfalls with quaint names sprinkle down from on high. An outpost building seated between the first and second bridges was once used for a scene in the film Curse of the Golden Flower.

Tourism in this area is still developing, so those who stumble upon it find that this somewhat bemusing location is well worth a visit since it's not yet swarming with tourists. If you do manage to find it, you will be treated to a ride in a glass elevator to save your legs from a healthy walk to reach the bridges. Or, if you like, you can use the steep, treacherous staircase, 1,000 steps in all.

Related Tags

Natural Wonders Geological Oddities Geology Nature

Community Contributors

Added By

lioness1041

Published

March 14, 2013

Edit this listing

Make an Edit
Add Photos
Sources
  • http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Three_Natural_Bridges
  • http://www.chinatouradvisors.com/blog/Wulong-Karst-Tourist-Area-The-Three-Natural-Bridges-1132.html
  • http://www.naturalarches.org/gallery-china3bridges.htm
Three Natural Bridges
Chongqing
China
29.316109, 107.786341

Nearby Places

816 Underground Nuclear Plant

Fuling, China

miles away

Fengdu Ghost City

Chongqing, China

miles away

Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of Chongqing

Chongqing

China

Places 3

Nearby Places

816 Underground Nuclear Plant

Fuling, China

miles away

Fengdu Ghost City

Chongqing, China

miles away

Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of Chongqing

Chongqing

China

Places 3

Related Places

  • Winona, Missouri

    Rocky Falls

    A 40-foot waterfall flows into this unique natural swimming hole.

  • Slumgullion mass wasting area

    Lake City, Colorado

    Slumgullion Earthflow

    This National Natural Landmark is one of the best examples of a “mass wasting” in the world.

  • Looking Glass Rock seen from the Looking Glass Rock Overlook on the Blue Ridge Parkway

    Brevard, North Carolina

    Looking Glass Rock

    This granite rock face is named for the magnificent reflection that occurs when the sun hits it just right.

  • Sasso Menicante on Monte Cimino

    Soriano nel Cimino, Italy

    Sasso Menicante (Trembling Stone)

    This massive rock balanced for thousands of years being tossed here during a volcanic eruption.

  • Macquarie Island lengthwise, the research station at center.

    Australia

    Macquarie Island

    One of the only places where Earth’s mantle lies above water.

  • Bonhomme de Bourail

    Bourail, New Caledonia

    Bonhomme de Bourail

    A beachside monolith shaped by years of waves crashing against hard quartz.

  • The metal pillars aligned to form the Old Man’s face

    Franconia, New Hampshire

    Old Man of the Mountain Profiler Plaza

    A serene plaza that commemorates one of the Granite State's most iconic figures.

  • The salt lake becomes colorful in warm temperatures because of algae growth

    Yuncheng, China

    Yuncheng Salt Lake

    Rainbow-hued in the summer and crystalline in the winter, this salty lake has inspired battles, temples, and plenty of awe.

Aerial image of Vietnam, displaying the picturesque rice terraces, characterized by their layered, verdant fields.
Atlas Obscura Membership

Become an Atlas Obscura Member


Join our community of curious explorers.

Become a Member

Get Our Email Newsletter

Follow Us

Facebook YouTube TikTok Instagram Pinterest RSS Feed

Get the app

Download the App
Download on the Apple App Store Get it on Google Play
  • All Places
  • Latest Places
  • Most Popular
  • Places to Eat
  • Random
  • Nearby
  • Add a Place
  • Stories
  • Food & Drink
  • Itineraries
  • Lists
  • Video
  • Podcast
  • Newsletters
  • All Trips
  • Family Trip
  • Food & Drink
  • History & Culture
  • Wildlife & Nature
  • FAQ
  • Membership
  • Feedback & Ideas
  • Community Guidelines
  • Product Blog
  • Unique Gifts
  • Work With Us
  • About
  • FAQ
  • Advertise With Us
  • Advertising Guidelines
  • Privacy Policy
  • Cookie Policy
  • Terms of Use
Atlas Obscura

© 2025 Atlas Obscura. All Rights Reserved.