The Sidonggou Scenic Area is the most concentrated section of Chishui's Danxia geology, where red sandstone cliffs rise directly from the valley floor and waterfall systems cut down through the face of the plateau. The main walking circuit covers about 8 kilometres and takes half a day at a comfortable pace, passing the major waterfalls, river channels, and cliff viewpoints that represent the landscape at its most dramatic.
The waterfalls here are substantial by Chinese standards: the largest has a drop of over 70 metres over a red sandstone face, with the water spreading as it falls and creating a curtain that catches the light differently at different times of day. The surrounding bamboo forest — covering 87,000 hectares of the surrounding hills — keeps the valley cooler than the surrounding plateau and gives the landscape a saturated green that contrasts sharply with the red rock. Come in the morning when the mist is still in the valleys.