Green Waters and Blue Mountains, Poetic Scenery of Southern Anhui – Self-Driving the 'Wannan Sichuan-Tibet Highway'

A video on Douyin some time ago made me long for the 'Wannan Sichuan-Tibet Highway', so I took my beloved car, brought my drone, and set off on a spontaneous self-driving trip.

The 'Wannan Sichuan-Tibet Highway' is a recently popular self-driving route. It starts from Qinglong Township, Ningguo City in Anhui Province in the east and ends at Caicun Town in the north, covering a total distance of 130 kilometers. The road conditions are good, all asphalt, but it is a two-way single lane with many uphill and downhill sections and sharp turns, requiring high vehicle standards and driving skills. On holidays, seven-seat commercial vehicles are prohibited. The route passes through major attractions such as Chujiatan, Qinglong Bay, Luoyu Redwood Forest, Shuimo Tingxi, Taoling Liudao Bay, and Moon Bay, offering rich游玩 content and a strong self-driving experience. Green waters and blue mountains, clear streams and winding roads are everywhere, like the poetry and distant places in dreams.

Although it was a spontaneous trip, as it is a mountain self-driving tour, there were still many things to prepare.

1. Vehicle inspection: Especially checking the car's condition, tires, brakes, etc. Before departure, I specifically took my car to the 4S store for maintenance and a comprehensive inspection to ensure travel safety. My self-driving car is a Land Rover Range Rover Velar, 5 years old, a four-wheel-drive all-terrain off-road SUV with excellent self-driving performance.

2. Navigation: Currently, mobile navigation apps are very rich. Navigation apps like AutoNavi and Baidu can accurately provide full navigation. All attractions and routes along the way are very accurate, and they even provide precise alerts for oncoming vehicles.

3. Drone: I brought a DJI Mavic Air 2, with all three batteries fully charged.

4. Phone: Battery fully charged, needed for both navigation and photography.

5. Accommodation: There are many homestays along the Wannan Sichuan-Tibet Highway, ranging from low, mid, to high-end ones. To enjoy a slow-paced life, you can choose a high-end homestay, with prices around 1000 yuan, allowing you to enjoy the hotel's entertainment facilities all day. Such hotels have exclusive streams and pools for playing in the water. Before departure, I booked the Ningguo Yuexi Xiaozhu Homestay on Ctrip, right next to the Wannan Sichuan-Tibet Highway. Opposite there is a stream and a stone dam for playing in the water, and there are no other houses around, making it very independent and quiet.

This self-driving trip lasted two days and one night. Traveling alone, I had a lot of flexibility—going wherever I wanted, taking my time, and enjoying the self-driving experience.

Day 1: Departing from Huzhou, Zhejiang, arriving at the eastern entrance of the Wannan Sichuan-Tibet Highway, starting the self-driving tour. Passing through Chujiatan and Qinglong Bay, checking into the Yuexi Xiaozhu Homestay, playing in the stream opposite the homestay, and enjoying the slow life at the homestay. Later, following the recommendation of the homestay owner, I went to Huiyun Zen Temple to overlook the entire Qinglong Bay.

Day 2: Departing from the homestay, visiting Luoyu Redwood Forest, Taoling Liudao Bay, and Moon Bay Scenic Area, then heading back. Since Shuimo Tingxi requires backtracking and is also about playing in the water, similar to Moon Bay, I didn't go there this time.

As it was not a weekend or holiday, there were no traffic jams on the Wannan Sichuan-Tibet Highway. So after maintaining my car in the morning, I set off at noon, drove for two hours to reach Ningguo, spent half an hour driving through the city to the eastern entrance of the Wannan Sichuan-Tibet Highway, and began the self-driving tour.

After entering the Wannan Sichuan-Tibet Highway, the roads were narrow with many turns. Pay attention to safety when meeting cars. Scenery was everywhere on both sides, with green waters and blue mountains all along, refreshing the mind and providing a great self-driving experience.

When I arrived at the homestay, the owner was very warm. Since it was the off-season, not only was I given the best room, but also recommended a place with few tourists but beautiful scenery—Huiyun Zen Temple, which offers a panoramic view of Qinglong Bay. So I made an impromptu trip to Huiyun Zen Temple, and indeed the scenery was picturesque, with even better drone shots.

Back at the homestay, I played in the stream opposite and had several drinks with the owner, truly experiencing the homely atmosphere a homestay should have.

The next day, I got up early and started driving the premium section of the Wannan Sichuan-Tibet Highway. Passing through Luoyu Redwood Forest, which was still green in the current season, then through the core section of the highway—Taoling Liudao Bay—and finally reaching Moon Bay Scenic Area.

After passing Fangtang Township, the road began to climb, with many curves and steep uphill sections, and the road narrowed significantly, making it hard to pass oncoming cars.

After passing Banqiao Village, the road widened slightly, but it was still a two-way single lane, and the continuous uphill and downhill hairpin turns of Taoling began.

Without a drone, Taoling Liudao Bay simply cannot be captured effectively. Let's follow the drone to count these six bends.

After passing Taoling Liudao Bay, the road became much easier, leading directly to Moon Bay for playing in the water. At Moon Bay, you can take bamboo rafts. The fish-scale dam had no water, so it wasn't impressive. In the end, the most thrilling part was driving through the wading section.

Many off-road vehicles with strong越野性能 would rush into the stream to surf, but you have to act according to your vehicle's capabilities. Some off-road vehicles stalled and got stuck right in the stream—a miserable sight!

Drone aerial footage of driving in the water.

Finally, I'll share a drone aerial video of the Wannan Sichuan-Tibet Highway that I filmed and edited.

Looking forward to coming to the Wannan Sichuan-Tibet Highway again next time for a beautiful encounter!

Travelogue Contents: 1. Spontaneous Self-Driving Trip. 2. Trip Preparations. 3. Self-Driving Itinerary. 4. Day 1 Itinerary. 5. Day 2 Itinerary.

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