How to drive the cliff-hanging road to Xifanggoucun in the Daba Mountains?
Xifanggoucun is a remote mountain village located in Ningqiang County, Shaanxi province, China. The road to the settlement is a 6,000-meter concrete track carved into the vertical cliffs of the Daba Mountains. It is one of the most extreme tunnel roads in China, featuring hand-carved passages that hang 3,000ft above the valley floor.
When was the road to Xifanggoucun built?
Local residents constructed this 6,000 m (3.73 miles) route between 2000 and 2006 using manual tools and explosives to break the limestone. Before this road existed, the village was only accessible via a two-hour climb over the Daba peaks. The path was carved directly into the rock face to create a 10-minute driving link, though the narrowness and the vertical 3,000ft drop mean it is only suitable for small cars and motorcycles.
Is the Xifanggoucun tunnel road wide enough for two cars?
The 6,000-meter concrete surface is extremely narrow and impassable for large vehicles or trucks. In the tunnel sections, the jagged rock ceiling is often just inches above a standard car roof. There are several "windows" or openings in the cliff side, originally used to dump debris during construction, which now serve as the only source of light.
What are the main challenges in the Daba Mountain tunnels?
The road lacks all standard safety infrastructure: there are no guardrails, no lighting, and no mirrors on blind corners. Rockfalls are a constant threat in the Daba Mountains, and during rain, water cascades directly over the tunnel entrances, making the concrete surface slippery and reducing visibility to near zero.
Is the Xifanggoucun tunnel road still in use?
Because the road is the only link for the village, expect to encounter local traffic in the narrowest sectors where reversing is difficult. You must stay focused on the white line of the concrete edge, as a single steering error will send the vehicle over the cliff into the valley below.
Road suggested by: jorge manuel gómez sánchez
Pic: yp zhao