# Suopo Ancient Watchtowers (梭坡古碉楼)

Garze Prefecture, Sichuan Province · Southwest, China · Guidebook rating: 4/5
Canonical: https://cnatrip.com/en/places/suopo-ancient-watchtowers
Language: en

## Key facts

- **Admission:** Free, but the owners of the watchtowers charge a fee when you climb up to visit.
- **Opening hours:** Open all day (all year 2026)
- **Time needed:** 3-4 hours
- **Address:** Inside the Suopo Ancient Watchtower dwellings, Moluo Village, Suopo Township, Danba County, Garze Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture
- **Getting there:** Take a vehicle from the Danba county seat to Suopo Township (梭坡乡), then walk uphill for about half an hour.
- **Good for:** Architecture, Photography, Nature

## About Suopo Ancient Watchtowers

Suopo has 84 ancient watchtowers, the most concentrated cluster of such towers in all of Danba and indeed the world, including the world's only pentagonal watchtower. Built from earth and stone, the towers stand upright and straight, with sharp, knife-edge corners, and their walls of stacked stone are thick and sturdy. Most are attached to residential watchtower-houses, while others stand alone on flat ground or in valleys. Despite centuries of wind and weather, they still rise defiantly, displaying a majestic grandeur.

## Tips from the guidebook

- 1. The best viewpoint is across the Dadu River from the village, where the watchtowers look spectacular from a distance.
- 2. The best time to photograph them is at dusk, when all the watchtowers are bathed in evening glow and turn golden.
- 3. Climbing the watchtowers requires a single-pole ladder, which carries some risk. Please take care and stay safe.

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Source: China Self-Guided Travel 2025 (《中国自助游》, Tianjin Science & Technology Press, Aug 2024), p. 397. Prices, hours and transport details are as printed in the August 2024 edition and may have changed. Always confirm with the venue before you travel.
Site: China Trip (https://cnatrip.com) — independent China travel guide in 13 languages.