A wild ride

Drifting down the Taoyuan River is a great way to shake off the city blues and satisfy your thirst for adventure. Li Yang takes the trip of a lifetime.

Adventure and relaxation are great ways to shake yourself out of the hum drum routine of city living. Taoyuan River drifting is a popular activity for thrill-seekers who want to stay safe and have some fun in the great outdoors.

The Taoyuan River drift tour center in Xiuwen county, Guiyang, the capital city of Guizhou province, is only 40 km from downtown Guiyang.

Safe, fun, thrilling and very relaxing, the unique water activity is a must-try.

Combining lakes, mountains, rivers, caves, springs, waterfalls, gorges and fossils, the 9-km natural river drifting tour provides a new attraction for Guizhou tourism.

Travelers can enjoy clear rivers and thousand-year-old cliffs and forests and sightsee and explore all at once.

Taoyuan River has long been committed to getting tourists to experience "drifting in gardens", says Liu Yu, general manager of the Guiyang Xiuwen Taoyuan River Drifting Co Ltd.

"Developing Taoyuan River into an international tourism resort is also our core target so we plan to invest 30 million yuan ($5 million) to carry out its construction to upgrade the area. We expect to declare the Taoyuan River a national 5A tourist attraction in 2015," Liu says.

According to Liu, Taoyuan River was one of the first places in China to adopt the One-Card service system, an advanced customer service system that is very convenient to travelers.

It was sunny when we arrived at the Taoyuan River. After changing clothes, we began our 9-km drifting trip.

We relaxed as the rubber dinghy floated downstream while singing a melodious song accompanied by the hum of river.

I felt like I was in Ang Lee's film, Life of Pi, but without the tiger or death. Amazing scenery passed by and we drifted leisurely downstream.

When we paddled, the rubber dinghy gently drifted forward.

When the rubber dinghy passed a shallow, fast moving part of the river, we felt like we were riding a wild horse, crashing against rocks, giving us an adrenaline-pumping taste of adventure.

Forty minutes went by before we knew it. A waterfall soon appeared before us.

We managed to descend the waterfall and enjoyed the rush of the free-flowing water.

We completely forgot about life's problems in the calm, cool water. We floated and enjoyed the scenery along the river: steep cliffs, lofty peaks, roaring waterfalls, winding rivers and crystal-clear water.

It felt like we were traveling through time as we came upon ancient fossils of marine life billions of years old and underground views of miraculous karst landforms.

Finally, we reached the highlight of our journey, a waterfall with a 200-meter drop. We screamed at the top of our lungs as our rubber dinghy fell through the water.

A good drifting experience not only brings excitement and thrills, but also washes away the dust and noise of urban life.

Drifting in Taoyuan River is too exciting and crossing the cave feels like magic, like entering a fantasyland. It was a multi-level experience for me, a "feast for the senses", as another traveler described it.

Up to now, Taoyuan River has received 150,000 visitors this year and the number will reach 200,000 by the end of the year, according to Liu.

Contact the writer at liyang2@chinadaily.com.cn.

A white-water rafting tour is the best way to experience the thrill of Taoyuan River. Provided to China Daily

A roaring waterfall cascades down the mountain like a ribbon along the Taoyuan River. Provided to China Daily

Visitors enjoy the fun of splash on Taoyuan River. Zhu Xingxin / China Daily

(China Daily 09/19/2013 page10)