I booked this on a whim for my last free day in Guangzhou. The karting was the reason I picked the full package and it held up - 3.68 km downhill, nine bends, helmet and a short briefing before you go. Not frightening, just fun. The cliff rail bike in the morning was arguably better though. You're up in the canopy over the water and you decide how fast you want to move. Lunch was at a local place the driver chose, Qingyuan steamed chicken, paid separately and worth it. One practical note: the giant Buddha hand photo is a paid thing on site, 10-20 RMB. Didn't bother me at all, but good to know before you get there.

We went with the full package because my eleven-year-old would not have forgiven me if we skipped the karts. The 8am pickup from our Guangzhou hotel was early for all of us, but the drive through the mountains was easy and the kids slept part of the way. The glass platform split the family. My son walked the whole circuit without a second thought. My seven-year-old daughter made it about four steps before deciding she'd rather look at the sky, and the cracking sound effects under your feet really didn't help her mood. My wife took her back around and they waited at the far side. Karting saved the day. The karts sit low to the ground, the staff did a short training run, and there are nine bends so you're never just going straight. Both kids were grinning at the bottom. The waterfalls in the afternoon were the prettiest part for me, but the path was slick in places and we should have brought proper water shoes instead of sneakers. Lunch wasn't included, the driver took us somewhere with steamed chicken and noodles. Also worth knowing the Buddha hand photo has a small on-site fee, and there are vendors at the end selling dried fruit and bamboo things if your kids are the souvenir type. We got back around 6:30 and both of them were asleep in the car within ten minutes.

I booked the basic option on purpose because my parents are in their seventies and I didn't want to overschedule them. No guide was included, just a driver, and that worked fine for us since I could translate. My dad managed the glass platform better than I expected, though he held the railing the whole way and skipped the part where you look straight down. My mum sat that one out and had a cup of tea with a vendor near the entrance. The waterfall section is where the day gets real. It's a proper walk with uneven steps, and there's a stretch where you cross shallow water, so my mum took her shoes off rather than risk slipping. The observation corridor at the top is worth the climb for the view back down the whole canyon. We took our time, skipped the extra activities, browsed the dried fruit and herbal tea stalls at the end, and were back in Guangzhou by early evening. My parents said it was enough for one day, and I think they were right.

I'll be honest about why I picked this trip: I wanted the shot of the golden hand with the waterfall valley behind it. That was the whole plan. The day ended up being more than that, but not in the way the photos suggest. We left Guangzhou at eight and the mountains were still under mist when we arrived. The glass platform is the first stop and it's crowded by mid-morning, so if you're there to shoot, go straight there or accept that you'll be waiting your turn at the edge. The reflections on the deck are strange and beautiful in flat light, less so once the sun is high. The Buddha hand itself was a smaller moment for me than I expected - there's a queue, a fee of about 10 to 20 yuan depending on the day, and you get maybe thirty seconds on the palm while someone takes your picture. Worth doing once, but it isn't really the point of the place. What actually got me was the waterfall trail in the afternoon. Multiple cascades along a rough path, the main drop well over 80 metres, spray drifting across the rocks so the light goes soft every few minutes. I spent almost an hour at the observation corridor photographing the whole canyon from above while my feet got soaked through my sneakers. Bring water shoes and a cloth for your lens. Small practical things: lunch is on you, the local steamed chicken place the driver suggested was excellent and cheap; there are vendors at the end of the corridor selling dried fruit, bamboo crafts and herbal tea; and the driver was exactly where he said he'd be at the car park at five. Home by 6:30. I'd go back in autumn when the light is lower.