This 4.5km long valley is forested with ancient ferns, as well as being dotted with gushing cataracts. Paths follow both sides of a river, as minifalls gush down over them, and take you past four ‘proper’ waterfalls. The biggest and most impressive is the last one, the 60m-high White Dragon Pond Waterfall (Báilóngtán Pùbù). The cool thing here is that you can get really close to the falls, including being able to walk behind one. It takes about three hours to do the circuit, although there are plenty of trails leading off the main paths that will provide fun and games for intrepid hikers.
Sìdònggōu is the most touristy of Chìshuǐ’s sights, but still not overly crowded, even in summer. Buses run here from Chìshuǐ’s bus station (¥8, 30 minutes) hourly from 7am and return on the same schedule.
Buses to Sìdònggōu from Chìshuǐ 15km away also pass by the town of Dàtóng (大同), which has an attractive and historic old town (gǔzhèn) quarter.
