Unlock Hangzhou Tonglu's Super Thrilling Outdoor Camp – A Practical Guide

Foreword

Shorts and tees feel so easy

A good sweat so satisfying

AC and watermelon so cooling

This is what summer is all about.

It's that time of year again – summer holidays! Humans and little humans alike are itching to run wild, right? Yes, summer is hot. Whether you move or not, you'll sweat buckets. But we just love to head out and play in the summer. Many people probably can't understand – it's scorching outside, high temperatures, you feel like you could get heatstroke any minute. So let me share a little secret on how to have a blast in summer without getting sick from the heat. Take our trip to Tonglu's Zhuxi Adventure Park as an example.

D1: Set off from Shanghai, drive to Tonglu Zhuxi Adventure Park. Check into the Waterside Container Guesthouse. In the late afternoon, go camping, explore the Adventure Tower. In the evening, join the bonfire party.

D2: Head out early in the morning for bamboo forest ATV rides and cliffside swings. After lunch and a rest, experience the glass rafting, kayaking, and stand-up paddleboarding. Finally, in the late afternoon, have a round of live-action CS, then take a ride on the mini train before heading back.

Here's the summer escape secret: always avoid the hottest part of the afternoon. So when we arrived, we just chilled in the guesthouse in the afternoon, taking photos and napping, and only went out to play in the late afternoon. Generally, morning temperatures are relatively lower, so when traveling in summer, try to do outdoor activities in the morning, recharge in the afternoon, and head out again in the evening to enjoy the nightlife. But because we had to drive back to Shanghai the next day, we did arrange some water-based experiences after lunch – nothing too long, just a refreshing cool-down. So make sure you plan your itinerary around your chosen activities.

Accommodation: Container Guesthouse

When you come to such a fun, activity-packed place, naturally the accommodation should be something special too. Zhuxi Adventure Park actually offers several types of lodging, but we were set on the container guesthouse, because it has a few stand-out features:

First, it's right by the water – hence the name "Waterside" (在水一方), pretty poetic, right? Thirty-nine colorful containers are stacked irregularly along the waterfront. Seen from above, they must look like a brilliant rainbow. So, appearance: five stars.

Second, each container is a room, decorated in a clean and fresh style, each with a theme – bamboo forest, embroidery, tile carving, and so on. The moment you open the door, a little surprise might await.

Of course, another big reason: the containers are incredibly photogenic. Inside, it's rustic wood-toned design; outside, they're bold and colorful. No wonder it's an Instagram-famous guesthouse! So if you stay here, bring your best outfits and get ready for a stunning fashion shoot – click!

Tonglu Shengxianli Zhuxi Adventure Park

Now let's officially dive into the outdoor fun at Zhuxi Adventure Park!

The park is set in Hecun Village, Tonglu County, surrounded by bamboo forests, fields, and streams – pure natural beauty. More importantly, it's an outdoor park where leisure travel, team building, family holidays, and more can all be satisfied. The range of activities is super rich; it's really hard to tick everything off in one day. That's the main reason we stayed overnight. Kids love it, and adults love it even more.

Among the high-altitude attractions, the best is definitely the Zhuxi Adventure Tower. It features 89 challenges of varying difficulty – you could easily spend a whole day here. And yes, the viral cliffside swing is here too, and even kids can try it, which is awesome.

Water activities are, of course, the highlight of summer. The park's water offerings are incredibly diverse: kayaking, stand-up paddleboarding, leisure boats, water slides (glass rafting), and more.

Then there are land activities: bamboo forest ATV rides, camping, bonfires, live-action CS, a mini train, and so on. A relaxing getaway made easy.

Now let's unlock all these thrilling and fun experiences one by one.

Below, I'll share them in three categories: high-altitude, water, and land attractions!

High-Altitude Attractions

First, a quick intro: The Adventure Tower is a large outdoor rope-climbing structure built with a crystal-lattice framework, standing 18.87 meters tall. The first floor is the children's play area, for kids under 1.39m accompanied by a parent. Floors two to four are the adult challenge levels (with 60 trails to tackle), though you can choose based on your own fitness level.

Kids usually stay on the first floor, but don't underestimate it – there are 25 trails here, meaning that aside from the low height posing no real danger, the difficulty is still considerable. The little girl who came with us was incredibly brave, moving through the tower with ease. Her mom was totally relaxed too; after all, by regularly taking her child out to explore the world, many challenges get worked out through play.

Don't worry about safety. The tower is meticulously designed. Each transfer platform connects to multiple trails, so there's no risk of "collisions" when people converge. The safety harness uses a dual-lock smart carabiner, with one carabiner self-locking onto the steel cable – very safe and reliable.

The viral slide – loved by adults and kids alike – lets you whoosh from the fourth floor all the way down to the first. You spiral around inside, coming out dizzy, but that doesn't stop anyone from doing it again and again.

There's also a low-altitude bungee and extreme rock climbing as part of the tower's experiences. To be honest, I've never dared to bungee jump, but this low version looks less intimidating, so even those with a mild fear of heights can give it a go. If you really can't jump, the climbing wall right next to it is not to be missed – with bamboo-covered mountains behind you, just let yourself go.

The viral cliffside swing: This high-altitude attraction is in many scenic areas now, but most don't allow kids, since safety is paramount with heights. Here, though, even children can try – our little "tough girl" bravely got on. Watching them "fly," I couldn't help but sigh: youth is wonderful!

Water Attractions

Glass rafting: This is my absolute favorite summer experience! The glass rafting at Zhuxi Adventure Park is insanely exciting. I'd done a 360° spinning glass raft before and thought that was thrilling, but Zhuxi's is a 720° spinning glass slide – 780 meters long with an 88-meter drop from start to finish, all glass. How's that for a rush?

As you swoosh down through the trees, water splashing loudly, speed picking up, your hair flying everywhere, the forest rustling past – you're rafting, sightseeing, and soaking up the thrill all at once. Let the screams out!

Kayaking & Leisure Boats

The kayaking and boating in the water activities are also worth a try. I love kayaking because it just looks cool. The first time I paddled, I impressed myself – kayaking is so easy to pick up. Once you're settled, just paddle left, right – the little kayak glides over the water like a swordfish, light and swift, with a fantastic feel.

Leisure boats are a classic water activity found in every park. Here, they drift across the 200-plus mu of open water on Houxi River, which is pure and unpolluted with excellent water quality. If you're interested, sitting in a boat, enjoying a moment of tranquility is pretty wonderful too.

Land Attractions

Bamboo Forest ATV Rides

This is another activity I really love – super satisfying. Especially for adventure and off-road enthusiasts, you absolutely must give it a go. It's so cool!

The ATV course is set within a hundred-plus mu of natural bamboo forest, which the park has turned into a maze-like track. You can drive an all-terrain vehicle through this bamboo labyrinth. There are many types of vehicles – petrol, electric, automatic, and manual – not too different from regular driving. But with their off-road nature, they really are "wild." Safe and reliable, yet with a sense of speed. Doing one lap around the bamboo forest maze might not be enough for some motorheads!

Other Land Activities

Mini Train: A favorite with young kids, this open-air train is designed just for them. One loop and parents can have a little break nearby.

Live-Action CS: A classic team activity; more fun with a bigger group. It really feels like a gunfight. If your group is a bit thin, it can be less exciting, but you can still snap some cool photos – not bad at all.

Camping & Bonfire: Camp by day, bonfire by night – what a vibe! In the evening, there's a big bonfire party, the perfect summer night revelry. Are you ready?

Visitor Info

Scenic Area: Tonglu Shengxianli Zhuxi Adventure Park

Address: Houxi Village, Hecun Township, Tonglu County, Hangzhou City, Zhejiang Province

Tickets: It's recommended to buy combo tickets online; different combos cover different experiences – choose according to your needs.

Getting There: Self-driving is recommended.

Opening Hours: 08:00 – 17:00

Tips: The most important things for summer outings are heatstroke prevention and sun protection. Both adults and kids should be prepared. Drink plenty of water during outdoor activities, and bring little cooling gadgets like mini fans – they're really useful!

Another short weekend trip has come to an end. We've almost gotten used to this rhythm of heading out every week – to do nothing, or to seek a thrill. Ultimately, we hope this way of life gives us more anticipation and longing for life, rather than being trapped daily in work and various frustrations. We strive to maintain a healthy body and mind, then dive back into endless work. We love this; do you?