WITH the floods which have plagued southern China for days eventually ebbing and the fierce sun making an appearance again, it's time to consider where to beat the summer heat at weekends.

There's nothing more cooling than a water-based pursuit, and rafting is an extreme sport that heats up the excitement while keeping the body cool.

Shanghai Daily takes a look at nearby Hangzhou where abundant waters allow citizens to escape the hustle and bustle of urban life and take part in river rafting - from the gentle to the extreme.

All of the rafting recommendations below have convenient facilities, including barbecue areas, restaurants offering local food and simple hotels, known as Joyous Farmer's Houses.



Shuangxi Drifting at Yuhang

As its name implies, in Shuangxi Bamboo Forest drifting people take a large bamboo raft along a river that features bamboo forests on each side, providing peaceful retreat in idyllic surroundings.

The bamboo raft is open, flat and has no compartments, so passengers, who stand or sit on bamboo chairs, can enjoy panoramic views of the landscape.

The river is broad, serene and so clear that fish and stones on the bed are visible.

On the banks there are dark green bamboo forests, tea plantations and hilly landscapes that extend for kilometers, and above the water there are many aquatic birds.

Visitors don't even need to paddle as professionals take care of that. The drifting trip lasts for an hour.

For those looking for something more daring, the exciting rafting experience carries one or two people in a canoe and travels along a narrow, meandering, swift current that extends 2,500 meters and features five barrages, among them two are about 3 meters high, which, without exception, drench every one in the canoe.

The drift trip usually takes half an hour and a spare change of clothing is advised.

Cost: 100 yuan (US$15)

How to drive there from Shanghai: Take Yan'an Road Elevated Road to A20 (Outer-Ring Road), then A8 (Shanghai-Hangzhou Expressway), get on the north line of the Hangzhou Raocheng Expressway, and head for G104 at the Gouzhuang Exit, turn left at the Penggong exit, and follow the signs toShuangxi drift.

Xianshan Valley Rafting at Yuhang

The Xianshan Valley rafting route is situated at the back of Xianbaikeng Reservoir and offers quite a gentle rafting experience as the 3.6-kilometer river only has a drop of 53 meters, giving visitors a great chance to view the scenery either side.

Its landscape, though featuring green mountains similar to the other rafting routes, embraces many residences, including Western-style apartments and farmhouses, where locals show tourists typical aspects of their life such as washing clothes in the river and having meals outdoors.

Cost: 108 yuan

How to get there from Shanghai: Take A8 (Shanghai-Hangzhou Expressway) to Hangzhou, get on the north line of Hangzhou Raocheng Expressway, and take G104 at the Gouzhuang exit, turn left at the Penggong exit, and you will reach Xianshan Valley.



Gourd Gorge Raftingat Jiande

The Gourd Gorge rafting route is situated on the scenic Fuchun River in Jiande, and boasts forest coverage of 90 percent. The lofty trees, shading the narrow stream, protect visitors who drift along the river or walk on the banks from sunstroke.

To drift in the gorge, people first need to cross the Qi Li Yang Fan, a 20-kilometer waterway and the landscape featured in the prestigious painting "Dwelling in the Fuchun Mountains," one of the few surviving works by the Yuan Dynasty (1271-1368) painter Huang Gongwang (1269-1354).

The painting was burnt into two pieces, and the right part was kept in the mainland's Zhejiang Museum, while the left part was held in Taipei's Palace Museum.

The popularity to travel in the scenic area has risen recently due to the painting being shown in its entirety again at Taipei's Palace Museum. The reunited pieces were first shown at the beginning of this month after being apart for more than 360 years.

Past the waterway is the Gourd Waterfall and Gourd Gorge, which is so-named as there are two rock caves linked together, shaped like a giant gourd.

The drift stretches 3 kilometers and has a drop of 100 meters. Continuous barrages, which may be up to 4 meters tall, coupled with numerous rapids excite the trip. The water is so clear that the river's visibility reaches 3 meters deep.

Cost: 215 yuan

How to get there from Shanghai: Take a coach to Xin'anjiang and head for Qiantan Tourism Dock.



Rapid Rafting in Daxi Gorge at Tonglu

The vehemence of the newly developed stretch of rafting water is more like a Western whitewater river as its rate of flow is around 5 cubic meters per second, while the 8-kilometer-long rapid is 198 meters tall, meaning every 200 meters along the current there's a 5-meter drop.

The Daxi gorge is a Quaternary Glaciation which features unscalable granite cliffs, so either side is a must-see although visitors need to be concentrated on their speedy movement along the river.Cost: 180 yuan

How to get there from Shanghai: Take A8 (Shanghai-Hangzhou Expressway) to the north line of Hangzhou Raocheng Expressway, and take S05 to Tonglu, keep going to Fenshui Town until reaching Daxi Gorge.



Several rapids on Qiandao Lake at Chun'an

Longtan Gorge Rapid is a 3.6-kilometer-long rapid with a drop of 160 meters, and its swift water released from a reservoir makes it quite challenging.

Its biggest drop is a 21-meter-high slope, which requires a lot of courage, and it features a very large swirl that turns rafts for several minutes until it rolls out.

The Jiulong Stream Rapid, Jinfeng Canyon Rapid and Ping River Rapid can also be found around the lake. And the advantage of Qiandao Lake is the water here is drinkable.

Cost: 100-120 yuan

How to get there from Shanghai: Take A8 (Shanghai-Hangzhou Expressway) to Hangzhou North Interchange Overpass (in Qiaosi Town) to get on the south line of Hangzhou Raocheng Expressway and go to Hangzhou South Interchange Overpass (in Yuanpu Town), and get on Hangxinjing/Hangqian Expressway to Qiandao Lake.