Tonggutan Drifting

Tonggutan Drifting

Known as the "No. 1 Drift in Chongqing and Guizhou," the Tonggutan Drifting Scenic Area is located within Guanba Town in Wansheng District and Podu Town in Tongzi County, Guizhou Province, about 57 kilometers from downtown Wansheng. It is a scenic area primarily focused on drifting, supplemented by sightseeing of the landscapes along the riverbanks.

Tonggutan, shaped like a "V" valley, ranges from 10 to 60 meters in width, with the narrowest parts just a few meters wide. It boasts excellent water quality, abundant water volume, and a pleasant climate all year round, characterized by early springs, cool summers, refreshing autumns, and warm winters. The river remains unfrozen in droughts, not too cold in winter, and doesn’t flood in summer, flowing continuously throughout the four seasons. The average annual temperature exceeds 18°C. Especially in winter, the temperature is about 4°C higher than that of the middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze River at the same latitude. While the northern parts of the country are blanketed in snow, the Tonggutan Drifting area remains lush and green, vibrant and dripping with vitality, presenting a scene where "wheat seedlings look like velvet and bean flowers resemble butterflies." According to statistics using the method developed by Chinese Academy of Sciences’ Zhang Baokun, the winter season here is relatively short, lasting only about 60 days, while spring, summer, and autumn together span over 300 days. Spring arrives earlier than usual—by mid-February, the daily average temperature rises above 10°C, and by April, it reaches 18.6°C. The spring season is mild with moderate rainfall, full of bright sunshine, blooming flowers, vivid colors, and fragrant breezes. Summer lasts more than four months, starting in early May and ending at the end of September, with an average daily temperature of 26.9°C and extreme highs reaching around 41°C. The hot summer makes it the perfect time for drifting. Thanks to the cool and pleasant autumn climate—with October’s average temperature at 18.2°C and November’s at 14°C—this period is also quite suitable for drifting.

The Tonggutan drifting section is nearly 12 kilometers long, with a drifting duration of about 2 hours. The total drop along the course is 43 meters, featuring 29 rapids of varying sizes. The largest drop among them reaches up to 6 meters. The most thrilling section runs from the starting point to Xiaowuyan, covering a distance of 1,730 meters with a height difference of 16.26 meters. This part of the river features steep slopes, rapid currents, splashing waves, and rolling rapids. Along the riverbanks of the drifting course, there are numerous realistically shaped and vividly formed landforms—some perched atop mountain peaks, others dotting cliffs and precipices. These formations not only enrich the natural landscape along the river but also add an element of interest to the drifting experience, helping to ease the tension of adventurers as they navigate the exciting ride. Major peak landscape formations include the Tongling Giant Buddha and the City Wall Peak. The Tongling Giant Buddha is also known as the Flat-Nose Buddha, the Messy Buddha, or the Bearded Buddha. Located on a cliff on the left bank of the Tongfo Gorge, this Buddha figure is over 200 meters tall, facing southeast. From a distance, its forehead, eyebrows, eyes, nose, and other facial features are strikingly realistic, with well-proportioned composition. However, the Buddha’s nose is concave, making it resemble a flat-nosed figure. Additionally, the flowing water has dyed the area below the chin with flowing patterns resembling a majestic beard, hence some call it the Long-Bearded Buddha. Others say those black markings aren’t a beard but rather the result of the elderly Buddha losing all his teeth, unable to keep food in his mouth, causing droplets to spill down and leave stains across his chest—thus playfully dubbing him the Messy Buddha.

On the right bank of Chuanchang Rapid lies a peak nearly 1,000 meters above sea level, named the City Wall Peak. The cliff here stands straight as if cut by knives, piercing the sky. Its layered cliffs spiral around the mountain like a city wall, which is why it’s called the City Wall Peak. Looking up at it from a boat gives one a sense of its towering, unscalable, and extraordinarily steep presence. Since the river valley of Tonggutan is flanked by Cambrian-era thick-layer grayish-white and dark-gray dolomite, which is highly resistant to water erosion, weathering, and gravitational collapse, prolonged water erosion has created a riverbed and valley that are barely distinguishable. The river surface is very narrow with significant elevation differences, forming deep, serene canyons surrounded by overlapping verdant peaks. Major gorges here include the Tongfo Gorge, the Goat-Jump Gorge, and the Horseshoe Gorge. The intermittent mountain streams on both sides of the valley, during the rainy seasons of summer and autumn, cascade down from the high cliffs into the main river channel, creating more than ten hanging valleys and waterfalls with drops ranging from dozens to hundreds of meters. On the left bank of Xiangshuitan, two adjacent hanging valley waterfalls are called the Pearl Waterfall, which is over 200 meters high—more than 100 meters taller than Huangguoshu Waterfall. During the peak flow season, the scenery is truly mesmerizing.

The starting point of the drift, Changtangkou, features a broad and flat terrain with large river beaches. Facilities such as a natural swimming area, a live-fire shooting range, an amusement park, and a Miao Village Cultural Park are available for visitors' entertainment.

Guanba Town: Located on the southwestern edge of the district, it covers an area of 71.43 square kilometers and has a population of 24,560 people (including 102 Miao households totaling 496 people). It is 28 kilometers from Wansheng and is home to the Jiuguoqing Forest Park and the Tonggutan Drifting Tourist Area, showing great potential for tourism development. … Guanba Town detailed information++