4 Days and 3 Nights Exploring Earth’s “Green Rift”|Daqinggou, a Pristine Secret Hidden in the Heart of the Desert
Have you ever imagined—
At the sandy edge where Inner Mongolia meets Liaoning,
The earth suddenly splits open a deep crevice,
Descend 300 meters, the temperature drops by 5°C,
The sound of flowing streams fills your ears, towering ancient trees fill your sight,
Vines hang like rain, moss so thick you can squeeze water from it,
Sunlight filters through the dense forest, casting dappled shadows,
As if you’ve stepped into Pandora from Avatar?
This is the Daqinggou National Nature Reserve—
One of China’s rarest and best-preserved primeval forest canyons in sandy terrain,
Known as the “Green Miracle in the Desert” and the “Northern Tropical Rainforest.”
It’s neither as vast as the grasslands nor as desolate as the desert,
But it tells you in an almost mystical way:
Life always finds a way.
“Daqinggou · Primeval Canyon Exploration Route”
📍 Meet in Tongliao → Entrance to Daqinggou Scenic Area → Xiaoqing Lake Loop Hike → Rafting Experience (summer only) → Underground Forest Trek → Evening Ecological Night Watch → Return
📅 4 days 3 nights|⏰ June-September (best season, rafting open)|💰 Around 3200-4800 RMB per person (includes professional guide + light adventure gear)
🎯 Theme: No superficial sightseeing, delve deep into the canyon’s primeval forest, feel the shock of “vertical ecology”
Why is this called “China’s Most Underrated Geological Wonder”?
Because it breaks all preconceived notions about northern landscapes—
Above the yellow sands lies an oasis never disturbed by humans.
🌳 Day 2: Deep into Daqinggou Canyon · Step into a Forest from 10,000 Years Ago
✅ North Canyon Exploration (core area)
▫️ Walk down the wooden boardwalk to the canyon floor, with cliffs on both sides soaring hundreds of meters, blocking the sky
▫️ Home to rare tree species like ash, yellow pineapple, Mongolian oak, and poplar, some over 300 years old
▫️ Air humidity reaches 80%, negative oxygen ions off the charts, breathing feels like drinking mountain spring water
The guide says: “This is a ‘climate-defying’ forest—it should be in the south, but stubbornly lives beneath the northern sandy land.”
🌊 Xiaoqing Lake & Rafting Experience · A Cool Adventure in the Canyon
✔️ Summer exclusive: ride an inflatable raft downstream through a river shaded by greenery
✔️ Moderate water depth, gentle flow, suitable for families and beginners, with occasional small rapids for fun
✔️ Vines hang low on both banks, within arm’s reach, like a jungle adventure movie scene
A father said: “My child screamed the whole time—not from fear, but from uncontrollable excitement.”
🥾 Hiking Trek · From the Desert Edge to the Underground Forest
We designed a non-standard route outside the usual scenic paths:
🔸 Enter from the South Canyon, cross the transitional grassland → descend to the canyon edge → enter the primeval forest area
🔸 Observe vertical vegetation distribution: sandy plants → shrubs → broadleaf forest → riparian wetlands
🔸 Multiple ecological observation points set up: moss micro-landscapes, insect habitats, bird call identification
A photographer marveled: “The same mountain, but the temperature, vegetation, and light differ completely from top to bottom—it’s like walking through five seasons.”
🌙 Night Ecological Observation · Hear the Life in the Darkness
▫️ Turn off flashlights, sit quietly in the forest for half an hour: frog calls, insect chirps, rustling leaves rise and fall
▫️ Use infrared equipment to observe nocturnal animal tracks (badgers, wild rabbits, weasels)
▫️ Guide explains: “The forest at night is its true self.”
What moves people even more are the details “only understood by being there”:
👉 During rafting, a little girl suddenly said: “Mom, has this water ever been drunk by anyone before?”—we all fell silent.
👉 Under a century-old ash tree, an elder gently touched the trunk: “Older than my grandfather…”
👉 After night observation, on the way back, the guide looked back at the pitch-black canyon entrance and whispered: “It has guarded this forest for ten thousand years, and we must guard it too.”
A netizen wrote:
“I complain about the heat in the city with air conditioning, but in Daqinggou I realized—
Some coolness is a secret the earth hides itself.”
Stop saying “It’s just an ordinary forest park” or “Nothing special.”
The truth is—
✅ We insist on small groups (max 6 people) + non-commercial route development, avoiding crowded tourist spots
✅ Provide professional ecological guide systems: vegetation maps, sound maps, miniature ecological bottle making (parent-child interaction)
✅ Strictly follow Leave No Trace principles: carry out all trash, do not disturb plants or animals, no flash photography allowed
And also—
🔸 Accommodation options include boutique hotels in Tongliao + optional eco wooden cabins outside the canyon (advance booking required)
🔸 Off-road transfers to remote entrances save energy for deep core area exploration
🔸 Optional stargazing: far from city light pollution, the Milky Way is clearly visible
For less than 5,000 RMB, you can complete a deep journey “through an ecosystem,”
This is not just tourism; it’s a natural enlightenment class for modern people.
So, if you want to:
See a truly primeval northern forest
Experience a cool, thrilling, and safe canyon rafting
Find a quiet route suitable for family nature education, photography, and light hiking enthusiasts
I want to say:
Go to Daqinggou.
No need to travel far to Shennongjia or Xishuangbanna,
Right at the border of Northeast China and Inner Mongolia,
There is a rift in the earth,
Willing to embrace your noise with its depth;
With its ancientness,
Remind you of life’s resilience.
Just like the girl who sat quietly by Xiaoqing Lake said:
“I’m not here to see the scenery, I’m here to confirm—
There are still quiet corners in this world I haven’t seen.”
This summer, surrender yourself to Daqinggou.
Let the vines brush your shoulders, let the stream soak your ankles,
Let that patch of green hidden beneath the sand
Quietly heal the calluses worn by the concrete jungle.