9 Days Minority Culture and Landscape Exploration by High Speed Train
Guangzhou - Guilin - Congjiang - Kaili - Guiyang
Guangzhou - Guilin - Congjiang - Kaili - Guiyang
This 9 days trip is particular, scenic, relaxing and interesting, widely praised as one of the most beautiful rail routes in China. It will take you to explore Guilin and Guizhou, the two hidden attractive lands of Karst landscape and ethnic cultures which are quite different from the classic destinations of Beijing, Xian, Shanghai, which are quite famous for “the famous icons of China” - Great Wall, Terracotta Warriors, Shanghai Skyline, etc. You will start your trip from Guangzhou, one of the largest cities in China, then take a high speed train to Guilin to see the limestone Karst landscapes, and keep traveling to Zhaoxing, Congjiang, Rongjiang and Kaili of Guizhou which have the most beautiful villages of different ethnic groups in Guizhou.
Day 1 Guangzhou City Tour (L)
Today's highlights: Chen Clan Ancestral Hall, Mausoleum of the Nanyue King, Six Banyan Temple, Shamian Island
After breakfast, you will be picked up from your hotel by private tour guide and vehicle to explore the historical sites in Guangzhou.
Chen Clan Ancestral Hall is the first site you will visit. This complex compound was built in 1890s by the celebrated Chen Families. It is famous for the exquisite carvings, statues, paintings and ornate scrollwork. Next, you are going to visit Mausoleum of the Nanyue King which was constructed 65 feet (20 meters) underground about 2,000 years ago. Rather than just a tomb of the King Zhao Mo, the site also preserves many colorful murals and more than 1,000 burial artifacts. The most famous one is the burial garment of the king which is made of more than 2, 000 pieces of jade connected by silk thread. It is the only one of its kind in the world.
After lunch, go to visit the Six Banyan Temple. It houses three highest and largest copper Buddha statues in Guangdong all of which stand 20 feet (6 meters) high. You will also stroll around the Flower Pagoda (184-foot high) to admire colorful exterior carvings and the decorative copper top piece which are said to be cast in the Yuan Dynasty (1271-1368). Final stop for today is Shamian Island, a quiet island with historical buildings where you will be reminded of the history of Guangzhou in the colonial European period (mid-19th century). The western prosperous expat traders built many Western-style mansions and churches there. Today it is a peaceful place to enjoy a leisure stroll and enjoy a cup of coffee.
Be transferred to your hotel after the tour.
Exquisite Decoration of Chen Clan Ancestral Hall
Day 2 Guangzhou & High Speed Train to Guilin
Today's highlights: Elephant Trunk Hill, Reed Flute Cave
Today, you will take a comfortable morning high speed train to Guilin, the darling of tourists. The train journey will take about 3 hours. Enjoy the pleasant scenery along the journey. Once you arrive at Guilin Train Station, you will be met by your local tour guide, and be transferred to your hotel in Guilin City. Take some rest.
In the afternoon, you will have a leisure Guilin city tour - firstly make a visit to the symbol of Guilin landscape Elephant Trunk Hill. A giant rock hill vividly shapes like an elephant which is drinking water. Besides, there are many historical sites here for you to explore, such as stone carving, Buddhist temple, relic exhibition, etc. Then, drive about 7 kilometers (about 20 minutes) to next attraction - Reed Flute Cave, a majestic underground palace with sparkling different colors. The magical Mother Nature condenses millions years of natural efforts to form the incredible stalactite, stalagmite, stone shield and stone waterfall of different sizes and shapes.
The rest time is free on your own to have fun in Guilin - strolling, hunting food...
Day 3 Guilin - Yangshuo (B, L)
Today's highlights: Li River Cruise, Yangshuo
As the declaration in Chinese textbook "Guilin’s landscape is the best under heaven", today you will explore this best landscape starting with a relaxing sightseeing cruise along the Li River from Mopanshan Pier to Yangshuo Town. Along the 84-kilometer cruise, dazzling scenery overwhelms your eyes like a vast endless Chinese painting of winding river, green limestone karst mountains, fascinating countryside views.
After about 4 hours’ cruise, disembark in Yangshuo Town, and check in your hotel. Take a short break, immerse yourself into the stunning countryside views and relaxed atmosphere. Be enthralled by the patches of paddy fields nestling under green hills and near the mirror-like river, with farmers cultivating the soil with their water buffalos.
This evening is for you to walk leisurely on the ancient West Street to witness how the western culture and Chinese culture perfectly and peacefully coexist here. Whether you want to enjoy a cup of drink in bar, taste some local food, or just experience the relaxing atmosphere, you get it here.
Optional activity: experience the splendid evening performance Impression Liu Sanjie (17:45~20:45 or 21:20~22:20) with Li River itself as the stage, directed by famous director – Zhang Yimou.
Day 4 Yangshuo - Longsheng ( B, L )
Today's highlights: Longji Rice Terrace hiking
In this morning, you’ll be driven about 150km (about 2~3 hours) to witness one of the most beautiful rice terraces in China - Longji Rice Terrace, an amazing feat of farm engineering rising up to 1000m high in Longsheng County. There are several featured Zhuang and Yao minority villages along the road and you’ll take a visit to the special Huangluo Yao Village, the First Village of Long Hair in the World, where you can see women in red ethnic clothes with very long hairs (the longest can reach up to 1.7 meters).
Later, continue your drive to a beautiful 600-year-old Zhuang Village - Ping’an and check in your hotel located near the rice terraces. After some rest, start to explore the breathtaking views. The rice terrace is layer upon layer, like the changing ladder created by nature leading to the blue sky, forming a majestic painting between heaven and earth. From Ping’an, you can hike on the cobbled paths built among terraces to catch the best landscape. Climb up to the great lookouts at Seven Stars with Moon and Nine Dragons and Five Tigers from which you can get superlative views of terraces and villages. Hike half day around, then back to Ping’an for dinner and accommodation.
Good to Know:
1. Best time to visit: Longji Rice Terrace can be visited all year round. Go mid-April to late June for mirror-like irrigated terrace and rice transplanting scene; go July to mid-September for green terraces; go late September to early-November for golden and harvest scene; or go late December to early February for silvery terraces.
2. Walking: When arriving at Ping’an Village, you can only be dropped at Ping’an Village Tourist Center parking lot that you need to walk about 900 steps to your hotel. Comfortable shoes are highly recommended!
3. Luggage carrying: For the aged or travelers who are lack of physical strength, you’d better hire a local porter to help carry your heavy luggage to the hotel (pay extra expense on your own).
Day 5 Hiking & Drive back to Guilin (B, L)
Today's highlights: Longji Rice Terrace sunrise and hiking
When walking up in the fresh air of peaceful morning, you may forget where you are. You can go to watch the magnificent sunrise over the beautiful rice terraces at a great location. Then get back to hotel for breakfast.
After breakfast, you’ll enjoy an in-depth hiking tour led by your guide from Ping’an to Zhongliu and Dazhai (located in Jinkeng Yao Rice Terraces). The walk from Ping’an to Zhongliu takes about 2 hours, as well as another 2 hours from Zhongliu to Dazhai. You’ll indulge in the most invigorating walk offering the most spine-tingling views - sparkling layers of waterlogged terraced fields tenaciously climbing the hillsides, bubbling stream, local farmers working in the fields and primitive minority villages…It is surely worth your time and effort!
Jinkeng RiceTerraces, is composed of five small villages of Red Yao People, with Dazhai Village on the mountain foot, Zhuangjie Village on the mountain side and Tiantou Village on the mountain top. The shape of Jinkeng Terraces is like a natural formed pit. With less commercial element but majestic scenery is the reason why Jinkeng Terraces is the most popular sites for hikers and photographers. Most of the gorgeous photos of Longsheng Rice Terraces published are shot from here. The spot has three viewpoints which form a triangle.
After the tour, transfer to Guilin for accommodation.
Useful Tips:
1. Most of the roads in the scenic spot are stone trails, so high-heeled shoes are not advisable. Following the stone trails to prevent getting lost the way.
2. Jinkeng Rice Terrace has three main sites - West Hill Music, Thousand-layer Terraces and Golden Buddha Peak and if you want to explore deeply, you can use cableway up to Golden Buddha Peak for the magnificent and panoramic view of the terrace. Please discuss with your guide based on the real situation.
Day 6 High Speed Train to Congjiang - Zhaoxing (B, L)
Today's highlights: Zhaoxing Dong Village, Zhaoxing Dong Village
In the morning, take an early morning high speed train to Congjiang (50～60mins). After arrival at Congjiang Railway Station, you will be welcomed by local tour guide and driver, then start today's amazing tour to two outstanding old villages of Dong people - Zhaoxing Dong Village and Tang'an Dong Village. There are only about 9 kilometers from each other but has different features. Dong people are very good at creating architectures. Their Drum Towers and Wind & Rain Bridge are very stylish and beautiful. At the same times, they are happy, friendly and thankful, and always welcome their guests by dancing and singing.
Zhaoxing Dong Village is the biggest and oldest Dong village. It is located in Liping county in southeastern Guizhou. The China National Geography listed it as one of the China’s Six Most Beautiful Villages and Towns in 2005. The village has five spectacular Drum Towers to host special events and ceremonies and five Wind & Rain Bridges to cross rivers. You will also enjoy a performance of the Grand Song, a unique polyphonic folk music tradition that has been passed down from generation to generation for over 2,500 years.
Tang'an Dong Village is known as the most primitive Dong village in China. It is located on a mountainside and surrounded by paddy fields and lush green plantations. It’s smaller than Zhaoxing Dong Village, but has most of the things that Zhaoxing has, except the Grand Song, and seems wilder. It’s biggest highlight is the stunning layers of rice terraces.
If your energy allows, you can also have a wonderful 2 hours scenic hiking from Zhaoxing Dong Village to Tang’an Dong Village instead of driving.After the visit, drive to check in your hotel in Zhaoxing Town.
Day 7 Zhaoxing - Rongjiang (B, L)
Today's highlights: Basha Miao Village, Zhanli Dong Village
Today, you will travel from Zhaoxing to Rongjiang. Instead of driving directly to Rongjiang on the highway, you will travel another route which has two amazing villages to see – Basha Miao Village and Zhanli Dong Village. Compared with Dong people, Miao People has larger population. The two biggest things about their culture is dancing & singing, and different kinds of costumes.
Basha Miao Village is like a hidden kingdom occupied by the legendary Basha Miao people. It is famous as the Last Gunmen’s Tribe in China. Untouched by modernations, the villagers still live in the wooden houses. Diaojiaolou is the most famous buildings there which are built on wooden stakes and covered with barks. The most interesting thing in the village is that the Basha boys can’t cut their hairs until they are 18 years old when they will hold an adult ceremony – shaving hairs with a sickle. As guests, you will be welcomed by dancing & singing performance and rice wine.
Zhanli Dong Village is a primitive and mysterious village located in deep mountains and dense forests. Apart from it’s beautiful landscapes and architectures, this village also attract tourists to explore their “population culture”. There is a strict rule lasting for centuries the village that each family is only allowed to give birth to two children to maintain a balance between the population and limited land resources. During the 60 years from 1952, the population has increased only 10 people. Another unique custom in the village is that the teenagers usually have group weddings held every year because according to the tradition in the village, only 16th of the 2nd lunar month or the 26th of the twelfth lunar month are suitable for having weddings.
Accommodate in Rongjiang County.
Day 8 Rongjiang - Kaili (B, L)
Today's highlights: Gaoyao Rice Terrace, Shiqiao Miao Village and Upper Langde Miao Village
Today you will travel from Rongxian to Kaili, the cultural center of Guizhou’s Qiandongnan ethnic region. It is a scenic drive around 180km/3 hours with a leisure pace. En route, stop at the Viewing Plaform to enjoy the panoramic landscape of Gaoyao Rice Terrace where over a thousand acres of terraced fields sitting atop a majestic mountain, cascading layer upon layer, stretching all the way from the mountain peak to its base while a beautiful Miao village resting quietly on the terraces. You will then go to Shiqiao Village which is famous for the national intangible cultural heritage of traditional paper making with trees’ bark by Miao ethnic group. Catch the rare opportunity to see the traditional processes of making papers in the Chuandong, a natural cave where the underground river water flows quietly. Recommended optional activity: learn to make Flower Paper in the craftshop of a local family.
The final attraction for today is Langde Upper Miao Village, renowned as "the Hometown of Chinese Folk Song and Dance Art," located approximately 28 kilometers away from Kaili. This charming village offers a refreshing escape from bustling crowds, embracing a tranquil natural ambiance while welcoming visitors with open arms and showcasing its rich cultural heritage. Upon reaching the village, you will be greeted with genuine warmth through a traditional welcome ceremony with the lovely ladies and girls, elegantly adorned in traditional Miao costumes offering "block-the-way" wine. Allow the flavors of the wine to delight your senses while immersing yourself in the genuine hospitality of the villagers. Following the convivial toasts, immerse yourself further in the vibrant atmosphere as you witness an enthralling singing and dancing performance at the Lusheng Ground. Here, the talented men of the village will skillfully play the Lusheng, a traditional musical instrument, while the graceful ladies showcase their artistry through mesmerizing dances. Should you wish, feel free to join in the dance. To enrich your experience, you can take part in the village’s Cultural Program which usually includes catching fish in the field, picking fresh vegetable in the farm and learning to make embroidery. If you want to experience this Cultural Program, please tell your travel consultant in advance to make appointment.
Accommodate in Kaili city which is about 28km from Langde Upper Miao Village.
Day 9 Kaili - Guiyang Departure (B)
Free day
After breakfast, you’ll be driven to Guiyang by a comfortable private car which takes 2.5 hours on the way. After arrival at Guiyang, you are free to leave Guiyang for next destination, or have a good rest, then keep exploring other destinations in Guizhou.
1. This price is for one person, based on a group of 2 adults sharing one standard double-bed room in 4-star hotel and traveling with our private tour in low seasons.
2. This price is subject to change according your traveling season, group size, hotel class, change of activities in your itinerary and possible fluctuation of currency exchange rate. If you want a lower price, you can get more people to join you, or use economy class hotels.
3. This price is only valid to March 31, 2025.
4. Reference exchange rate of USD 1=RMB 7.00. The final quote is based on current exchange rate. It may change according to the currency fluctuation, while the RMB quotation will be remained the same.
Hi Rita,
The best experience ever!!!! I fell in love.
I received your lovely card and cute gifts, thank you so much.
Done it! As always it’s my pleasure to hire your company services, see you in the next adventure.
Emmy
Hi Rita,
Please kindly see the feedback below.
We are a family of 7. This private tour package definitely met our expectations! Both tour guides (Chengdu- MAY & Chongqing-DAVID) provided us a very good service, both friendly and very flexible despite the change in our tour schedules. They were also very responsible and ensured our safety, meals and transports were well taken care of, especially since we have elderly and kids in our group. Both tour guides are very fluent in English too so it is very convenient for some of the non-chinese speakers in our group.
We will look for the same tour agent again in our next trip to China!
Best Regards,
Victoria
Hi Shirley,
Thanks for the tour, and the itinerary that you planned for us was very comprehensive and detailed. We enjoyed it very much. The tour guide was also very friendly and experienced. He followed your itinerary closely and brought us to all the sites and explained in detail. He also recommended and brought us to enjoy some of the local cuisines during lunch.
Overall, we are impressed by the excellent service, reliability and quality that yourself, the tour guide and the driver has provided us. We would like to visit China again and we will not hesitate to engage your services again. Thank you!
Regards
Chun How
Hi Shirley,
I'm writing to provide some feedback on our recent Xian and Beijing trip that you put together for us.
We travel a lot, in the past year to Japan, New Zealand, China, Turkey, Africa, China, and finally this Xian/Beijing trip. I bring this up to highlight that we deal with a lot of travel professionals. You are easily the best travel professional we have dealt with through all of those trips. My wife, who happens to be Chinese asked me to make sure to keep your contact information for future China trips, with the intention of replacing the China based agent her brother usually uses for our trips.
Please let your manager know that we would probably not have used your company if not for you. Bamboo Travel is new to us and in a foreign country, so we had doubts as to what to expect. Your service was excellent from start to finish which really gave us confidence in your company. We had a little bit of an unusual itinerary and some constraints related to our other China travel prior to this tour. You were able to work through all of our issues with fast responses to our questions.
You also went what I would say was above and beyond expectations. The final example of that is a friend in the US was shipping some things to our hotel in Beijing for me to bring home to her. I contacted you to confirm the hotel name before they shipped the items, expecting I would then have to figure out the shipping details. Your reply not only confirmed the hotel, but you provided the shipping info in both English and Chinese, which saved me the hassle of trying to figure which address to use. Not a huge thing, but it's those small things that add up to a big difference in customer experience.
Thanks again for everything!
Xian:
Our guide was Waldner and we liked him from the start. We were just coming off another tour with another company which had maybe the best tour leader we've ever had. Even though we were always comparing Waldner measured up well. He was great at explaining the history of places we visited as well as answering our cultural questions. The restaurants/food were very good. He and the driver also modified the itinerary somewhat to optimize the driving based on our arrival and departure times and locations. We liked the hotel in Xian. The car (van) was very comfortable. Waldner also helped arrange tickets for a night show for us.
Beijing:
Pickup was great; even though we got in late the guide that picked us up was there and actually met us at the track. Cindy was our guide and we really liked her also. She is very knowledgeable and willing to answer (a lot of) questions. This was my 3rd time in Beijing and it was amazing what a difference having a good guide made. Cindy and the driver also modified the itinerary to optimize the driving. She also helped us book tickets to two shows, one of which was not on your list of optional items (Lao She tea house). Cindy was concerned about us ordering a cab so she stayed at the show to make sure we got back to our hotel ok. The restaurants/food were very good. The hotel was good but not great; for example we had hot water issues every day, and when I went to pick up a package that was shipped to me they just left me to dig through a pretty large pile of packages all addressed in Chinese.
To wrap up, I would rate the overall experience of looking for a trip, picking a company, and traveling 9.5 out of 10. Shirley, your service was 10 out of 10.
See you next trip!
Terry
Dear Rita,
Feedback.
The trip organised by Rita Jiang to Beijing and Xian was very well planned and enjoyable, showing the best of Chinese history, culture, heritage, and enormous progress.Your 2 guides, Linda Chua and Beryl are very good. Linda went out of her way to take us to Peking Opera at night. The kids were tired, so we did not go to Summer palace and Heavenly temple, and did not go to Xian Pagoda. It was our choice, so its ok. (I have been to all)
The 2 bus drivers were excellent, very careful, disciplined and good temperament and helpful. I could not give a tip to Beryl at Xian station, as I had to rush into toilet inside, and did not know she could not enter the train Station.
The pace was good, but the last day of train from Xian, to hotel (plus late dinner scrabbling in Beijing), then early next morning to airport was too Hectic. However, it was because we had to return on 8.12.24. we wish we could stay longer in Xian, and elsewhere. We could probably have gone to Xian by train, then fly back to Beijing by plane, but one way tickets could cost much more.
Anyway, thank you very much for all your fine arrangements. We all enjoyed the short trip.
For the kids, the major highlights were the Great Wall, Terracotta warriors, Acrobatic show. They will treasure. I will plan more trips for them to China.
Best wishes and warm regards,
Richard
excellent assistance, helpfulness and courtesy. My contact 'was Shirley, prepared friendly and punctual. Highly recommended...
"Highest Standards of Quality and Honesty" is the core value of each specialized team at China Discovery.
Eveyone in our company is working hard for only one goal, which is to ensure the highest level of service, luxury, and attention to detail from the minute you begin planning your trip, to the day you return home.
Our travel consultants are professional, experienced and responsible, helping you from the very beginning to the end of your China trip!
After sending us an inquiry, one of our travel consultants will get back to you within 0.5~23.5 hrs. In the next few days, he/she will be working closely with you to formulate a customized tour plan, as well as providing professional suggestions based on your travel interests, time, and budget.
Beside, he/she will keep in contact with you during your entire tour in China, continually checking if everything is going well as planned.
We're working at Chengdu Bamboo International Tours, local based in Chengdu.
Our local guide in every destination is not only very friendly, enthusiastic but also very informative and knowledgeable.
Once you arrive in the destination, the patient and punctual guides will pick you up and take you to get under skin of the city at your own pace. By in-depth discovery and explanation, they’ll show you more about the history, culture, customs and authentic local life. Throughout the journey, they're not only expert guides who take care of all the details but also fellow travelers who are dedicated to help you explore in comfort and style.
Our guides are passionate about what they do, and it shows all the way!
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Our private service includes licensed drivers with many years’ driving experience and air-conditioned, non-smoking, clean and well-maintained cars/vans. Drivers are local, polite, friendly and helpful, taking you to your tourist sites, hotels, airport/train stations in safety. All kinds of vehicle are offered, and yours depends on the size of your group. Usually, we offer sedan cars, SUVs, business vans (MPV) and different types of buses, all with extra space for your luggage.
Our private transfer service guarantees you the highest comfort!
In each destination, you’ll enjoy a comfortable stay in a great location!
The hotels we choose are based on star rating, great locations, well-equipped facilities, cozy bed, high quality service and guests’ feedbacks. Choices are a lot ranging from luxury 5 star, comfortable 4 star to budget 3 star. You could decide where to stay to best suit for your budget and likes. Generally, the hotels have both Western and Chinese breakfast with a wide choices.
If you have already got an ideal hotel, please feel free to tell our travel consultants and they'll book the hotel for you.
Have good sleep in our well-selected hotels in all the destinations of China.
We can satisfy all the dietary requirements no matter you want Chinese local food, western food, vegetarian food or muslin food.
The restaurants we will take you for lunch or dinner are all designated tourist restaurants approved by local tourist administration bureau. They have very good sanitary conditions and the food is prepared fresh and clean.
There will be some meals excluded in your itinerary as you like, and your private guide will be delighted to give you some suggestions and take you to the local restaurants to taste like Beijing Roast Duck, Xian Dumpling Dinner, Sichuan Hotpot, etc., if you are interested in local food tasting.
All the dining options will satisfy your stomach!
Exquisite Decoration of Chen Clan Ancestral Hall
Church of Our Lady of Lourdes at Shamian Island
Temple of the Six Banyan Trees
Chusi's family from USA - Elephant Trunk Hill, Guilin
Gerhard from Germany - Reed Flute Cave, Guilin
Gerhard's Group from Germany - West Street, Yangshuo, Guilin
Chona from Philippines - Li River Cruise, Guilin
Gerhard from Germany - Longji Rice Terraces (Pingan), Guilin
Gerhard from Germany - Huangluo Yao Village, Longsheng, Guilin
Caryn from Australia - Longji Rice Terraces (Pingan, Seven Stars with Moon), Guilin
Delma from Ireland - Longji Rice Terrace (Pingan, Seven Stars with Moon), Guilin
Zhaoxing Dong Village
Dong People Singing Grand Songs
Tang'an Dong Village
Shaving Hairs with Sickle in Basha Miao Village
Biasha Miao Village's Wooden Houses
Zhanli Dong Village - A Primitive and Mysterious Village
Shiqiao Village is good at making flower paper in traditional way
Hospitable Miao People in Upper Langde Miao Village
Stunning Gaoyao Rice Terraces in May
Below are some important things to know regarding of train travel tips, traveling documents, hotels and food, weather, booking guide. Traveling with China Discovery, you only need to focus on enjoying your holiday time. We will take care of all the details. Our travel consultants are always ready to help you if you have any questions about the trip.
Shanghai / Tongli / Suzhou / Beijing
Hong Kong / Guilin / Longsheng / Yangshuo / Guilin
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