Grottes et karsts de Chine
Sur les traces de Xu Xiake

Li Jia Wan Dong- 25.310740°, 105.562185°

Li Jia Wan Dong (Li Family Remote Cave) was found by a surface prospecting team with the assistance of the family who were farming the area. Topographically it is one of the highest entrances explored at an altitude of approx. 1350m. This cave was explored over the course of two days by two team members with the assistance of a Chinese caver who had joined the expedition for a short period.

The cave has two entrances a short distance apart. The entrance chosen for exploration was rigged with two short pitches to a 30m long ledge with a 25m pitch to the floor rigged from the western end. A steeply descending calcite slope terminated at a depth of 91m at a pool of water. The cave was very well decorated with calcite flowstone, stalagmites and columns. A series of passages were explored, surveyed and photographed over the course of the day. All possible leads were pushed to a conclusion, most of which were choked with calcite. There was evidence of nitrate mining in some of the explored passages. Almost 500m was surveyed in this beautiful cave.