Deep Touches of Ethnic Villages

The Spring City Kunming welcomes your arrival! Our professional guide and driver will be waiting for you outside the baggage claim area at Kunming’s airport and then transfer you to the hotel. The rest of the day is on your own to explore the city.

► Recommended Activities for Your Free Time:
If you arrive in Kunming early, take a refreshing stroll in Green Lake Park (aka Cuihu Park), to see weeping willows, emerald lake water, and many Qing Dynasty (1644-1911) buildings like Mid-Lake Pavilion, which has beautiful architecture for you to appreciate and provides a shade to admire surrounding views. In summer you will see the lake full of lotus flowers; while in winter, thousands of black-headed gulls await you.

Accommodation: Cachet Boutique Kunming Artime

This morning, take a 3-hour bullet train ride to Lijiang where the local guide will meet you at the railway station and then transfer you to the hotel.

After a short break, start your private tour to Baisha Village. Sitting in the suburbs of Lijiang, the village was the first settlement of Naxi people as well as the economic and political center of Lijiang during the Ming and Qing Dynasties (1368-1911). On visits to ancient palaces and pavilions that the village boasts, besides admiring the traditional architecture, we will also appreciate those 300-year-old Baisha Murals painted on their walls, which depict stories involving various religious figures, galloping horses or blooming lotus flowers in the style of Han, Tibet and Naxi arts. You will be amazed at how they reflect the harmonious coexistence of Buddhism, Taoism and Tibetan Buddhism. It is also one of the four major mural groups in China, with the other three found at Dunhuang Mogao Grottoes, Beijing Fahai Temple and Shanxi Yongle Palace. Here, also visit a Naxi family to learn about the local customs and Naxi people's life. Seize the chance to learn their Dongba language and draw hieroglyphic characters!

► Dinner Suggestion:
Get a taste of Yunnan through local cuisine! We recommend you to try the beautiful garden-style A Song Restaurant. On the second floor, you can also see the amazing Jade Dragon Snow Mountain if it is a sunny day. Don’t miss the restaurant’s signature Wild Mushroom Platter! Human beings have been eating mushrooms for more than 3,000 years according to research, and Yunnan is a well-deserved “Wild Mushroom Kingdom” - edible wild mushrooms of diverse species in Yunnan account for more than half of the world’s total. Tasting natural healthy mushrooms here will surely leave a deep impression on your Yunnan trip! By the way, the per capita cost is about CNY 50 / USD 6.

Meals: Western buffet breakfast
Accommodation: Duofu Resort

A full day is free for you to explore the romantic Lijiang. There are many places to visit in Lijiang, and one must-visit is the UNESCO-marked Lijiang Old Town. Here you will find the layout of the town very different from that of any other Chinese ancient towns: it has no defensive gates and walls enclosing itself, and maze-like streets intersect with each other at random and almost each one lies beside a canal. Canals are usually straight, but here they are winding in a lovely way, so are the streets and houses built on them. It reflects the ancient idea that it’s convenient to live by water. The best time to experience the town is the early morning when the streets are tranquil. You could walk along the stone roads and take some real nice photos with ancient architecture and Jade Dragon Snow Mountain as the backdrop. In the bustling daytime, you will immerse in vigorous vibes while hospitable vendors run their business, from whom you get to explore for a variety of souvenirs. In the evening, you can go for a drink with friends (if you take any!) at a local bar or café to experience the colorful slow-paced nightlife atmosphere of the old town.

Meals: Western buffet breakfast
Accommodation: Duofu Resort

A 3-hour morning bullet train ride will take you back to Kunming. Upon your arrival, our local guide will pick you up at the railway station and transfer you to Lunan to visit the Stone Forest. Prepare to marvel a`t varied karst rock formations which formed a natural labyrinthine forest in this famous 'world's karst landscape museum'! Follow our guide to appreciate the most noted formations with curious shapes, according to which people have given each an interesting name, such as Mother and Son, Camel Riding on Elephant, Buddha Stone, Rhinoceros Looking at the Moon and Beautiful Maiden Ascending from the Water. Take in the incredible landscape while listening to legends that offer insights into the local Yi people’s life, who regard this place as sacred. Besides, beautiful lakes, waterfalls, woods and caves will also impress you. Tonight, you will stay over at the local hotel in Lunan.

Meals: Western buffet breakfast
Accommodation: Yinruilin International Hotel

We will drive you to enter into Guizhou Province via Shizong and Xingyi. En route, if time permits, stop over at a local tobacco farm (generally available from May to August) and a Country Market to enjoy the beautiful landscape and discover a different ethnic life.

Upon arrival in Xingyi, pay a visit to the Maling River Canyon Scenic Area, which is characterized by a rift valley, ancient trees on both sides, connected karst caves, waterfalls and dramatic cliffs. The canyon, "the most beautiful scar on the planet", is a splendid 74.8-kilometer-long (46.5-mile-long) crack that formed after the crust collapsed for a long period of underground river erosion. Of many breathtaking views your guide will take you to see, one are those travertine deposits formed on the limestone cliffs over epochs - you will feel as if you're viewing nature-sketched giant murals. After the sightseeing, transfer to the hotel in Xingyi.

Meals: Chinese breakfast
Accommodation: Xingyi Bast Dreamland Hotel

Go for a private morning excursion to Forest of Ten-Thousand Peaks. We will take you to a vantage point for you to wonder at nearly tens of thousands of lush cone-shaped hills and peaks that sit here, which makes it "China’s Cone Karst Museum". Making the entire landscape more charming is the idyllic Buyi minority villages nestling at the bottom. If you come between February and late March, you will see vast golden fields of blooming rapeseed flowers.

In the afternoon, head for Wanfeng Lake, where limpid lake water is complemented by forests and karst caves on the banks, and enjoy a 1-hour cruise to appreciate it all. You can also see the fantastic European Jilong Castle on an islet embraced by water. Set among pure nature, its red roof and pink-white walls give you a kind of fairytale feeling, making it a perfect place for you to take photos. After that, go back to the hotel for good rest.

Meals: Chinese breakfast
Accommodation: Xingyi Bast Dreamland Hotel

Today, continue our trip to Huangguoshu Scenic Area. On the way, we will pass one of the ten most beautiful highways in China and the only preserved dirt road in Guizhou - 24-Bend Road. As the name implies, it is a sinuous mountain road with 24 switchbacks. We will take a 30-minute ride on a sightseeing vehicle to experience its twists and turns, and then reach the viewing platform at the top of the mountain to enjoy the full view of it. What follows is the Beipanjiang Grand Canyon. It is said that this was once a huge underground cave, which collapsed and formed the canyon due to a violent crustal movement. There are also some ancient ruins such as post stations and battlefields, where you can learn about the profound Chinese Yelang culture, an ancient culture dating back to the Spring and Autumn Period (770 BC - 476 BC). Then we will climb to the red steel-framed Baling River Bridge to enjoy the breathtaking sceneries of verdant hills and the Dishuitan Waterfall in the distance. Finally go to Buyi People Village to get to know their culture and experience their life by appreciating their traditional buildings and batik outfits. Almost all Buyi women can do batik - dye vats can be seen in almost every yard in the village. On arrival at Huangguoshu, you will check in at the local hotel.

Meals: Chinese breakfast
Accommodation: Huangguoshu Waterfalls Yingbin Hotel

Today, let’s go to see the Huangguoshu Waterfall, the largest waterfall complex in Asia. There are all together 18 all-sized waterfalls and the widest and most spectacular one plunges 67 meters (220 feet) down. You will also be attracted by the astonishing waterfall cave, grotesque rocks, vegetation that carpets the landscape, and sometimes rainbows! It presents wonderful scenery in all seasons, especially in spring and summer. In spring, you will see the lush surrounding landscape in harmony with the calm waterfall, and in summer, you will be awestruck by the waterfall at its most magnificent. After that, proceed to Guiyang and check in at the hotel.

Next, you are going to visit Qingyan Ancient Town, originally a military town constructed over 600 years ago with exquisite historical buildings. Walk on flagstone-paved roads and be mesmerized by a historical ambience oozed from ancient monuments scattering everywhere, including Longquan Temple, the biggest Buddhist site here from the Ming era (1368-1644), and Zhuangyuan Mansion. If interested, step in old buildings to explore for books, Chinese tea or intangible cultural heritage like hand-made silver jewelry. The next stop is the Jiaxiu Tower which has seen the development of Guiyang over the latest 400 years and also is the landmark of Guiyang. Interestingly, Jiaxiu Tower takes the meaning of "ke jia ting xiu", hoping that Guizhou can cultivate a Number One Scholar.

► Recommended Night Activity:
Walk 20 minutes from Jiaxiu Tower and you can get to the Qingyun Market, a culinary heaven of Guiyang. As Guiyang’s one of the most popular night fairs before, it carries the past memories of the local people. Now it has been renovated to a preferred site for tourists to get familiar with Guizhou’s food culture. Here you can not only taste traditional snacks, but also experience a variety of cultural activities such as batik-making and horsetail embroidery (embroidered with hair from horsetail).

Meals: Chinese breakfast
Accommodation: Holiday Inn Guiyang City Center

Driving from Guiyang about 170 km, we will get to Kaili today and stay one night at the best local hotel. First, visit the very original ecological Shiqiao Miao Village. The Village is packed with typical Miao-style stilted houses, with the first floor for livestock, the second floor for living and the third floor for food storage. This is where the national intangible cultural heritage "Shiqiao ancient papermaking" is passed down. You will see how Miao people make papers from tree roots and barks only by hands, without the use of any modern tools. Impressed by gurgling streams and the nourished bamboo forests on hills, you will realize why this environment provides the perfect conditions for Shiqiao people to make papers. Then move to Boji Miao Village, named as it is shaped like half of a dustpan (Boji). This quiet and serene village sits in the mountains beside their mother river, Nangao River. It is also interesting to know that almost all the people in the village are surnamed Wang, except some women married from elsewhere.

Afterwards, continue to visit Qingman Miao Village where a family visit is specially arranged for you to learn more about the Miao people's life. You will be greeted into the village by drinking the “block way” wine. Stay over in Kaili.

Meals: Western buffet breakfast
Accommodation: Banshan Hotel (Wanda Plaza in Kaili City Center)

Today, let’s first pay a visit to Langde Long-skirt Miao Village. It was so named because the Miao people in the village wear long skirts. In addition to appreciate their own traditional clothing and stilted architecture, we will also take you to enjoy their traditional singing and dancing performances. After that, head for Datang Short-skirt Miao Village. Similar to its long-skirt counterpart, this village was also named for its people’s traditional costume - short skirt - and they have worn it for more than 500 years. It is said that local women still keep the hairstyle of the Tang Dynasty (618 - 907). Besides, their granaries on the water are amazing constructions, which your guide will point to you.

A visit to the 800-year-old Huanggang Dong Village follows. Drum towers are the most eye-catching and important buildings in a Dong village and you will count five here! They are where all villagers gather to discuss matters or celebrate festivals. Watch Dong people’s life unfold and follow your guide to look into another intriguing culture. After the visit, you will be transferred to the local hotel for check in.

Meals: Western buffet breakfast
Accommodation: Huanggang Hecang

Zhanli Dong Village in Congjiang will be your first stop today. The village is surrounded by a series of rice terraces, in which ducks and fish are farmed. When you learn that this is an agricultural ecosystem invented by the locals, you will be impressed by their wisdom. The next is Basha Miao Village. It is interesting to know that they have kept an intense worship of nature especially of trees, which concentrates on their funeral ritual. When a Basha Miao child is born, the family plants a tree for him in the forest nearby. Till he or she is dead, the tree would be cut to make the coffin. Also, on the grave, a new tree is planted to represent the continuation of his or her life, instead of a gravestone. With stories from guide and maybe some interactions with the villagers, you will delve into their worship custom while wondering at the lush forest.

In the afternoon, the trip will be extended to Zhaoxing to visit the largest Dong village. A famous night performance of Dong people’s chorus songs is in store for you this evening. You are likely to hear their Grand Song, a UNESCO-listed intangible cultural heritage featuring multipart chorus that mainly conveys Dong people’s ideas on farming works, love and friendship, and just prepare to immerse yourself in this mind-blowing atmosphere tonight.

Meals: Chinese breakfast
Accommodation: Qing Ding Ge

Tang'an Dong Village awaits you to discover this morning. It will impress you with its most famous rice terraces fringed by stonework, a tradition aged more than 700 years. Afterwards, you will be escorted to the railway station for a 19-minute high speed train ride to Sanjiang, and once you arrive, the guide and driver there will pick you up to visit Chengyang Wind and Rain Bridge and other Dong villages nearby. As another typical building of Dong people, the Bridge merges walkway, corridor and pavilion into a whole, providing a rest place and a shelter. And it is the largest of the kind and has a history of nearly a century. Late in the afternoon, you will be escorted by a private car to rural Longsheng and check in at the hotel.

Meals: Chinese breakfast
Accommodation: Ping An Hotel

Go see the astonishing Longsheng Dragon's Backbone Rice Terraces in the morning. Stretching layer upon layer from the base of Longji Mountain to the summit, the rice terraces are the fruit of the wisdom and diligence of Zhuang minority people. It changes from season to season, just like nature’s color palette, adding endless charm to the land. If you are here in spring, water would fill the paddies to make them look like silver chains strung on hills; while in summer, green rice seedlings wave in the breeze; in autumn, dropping rice ears become countless small golden towers; and in winter, the terraces are like white jade rings.

Then visit a Zhuang People's village. Follow our guide to learn about Zhuang culture by observing their residential houses and daily life. Pass by villagers in blue-black ethnic dress, and maybe you will have chance to marvel at the craftsmanship of Zhuang women embroidering for new shoes in front of their houses or doing traditional batik works in workshops. Before night, we will transfer you to Guilin and help you check into the hotel.

Meals: Western style breakfast
Accommodation: Guilin Bravo Hotel

Harvest enduring memories as you cruise down the Li River to Yangshuo. Guilin is nothing short of a karst wonderland. Undulating cone-shaped green hills, emerald water, farmlands and grotesque peaks will come into your view along the river. Interestingly, you will encounter the scene printed on the back of the CNY 20 note. If possible, why not bring a note and take a picture of the real scenery with it in the same frame, just as your cruise fellows might do.

► Note :
The cruise lasts around 4 hours and reaches terminal Yangshuo at about 14:00. Lunch is available on board, but the basic Chinese box lunch may fail to meet with your approval. So we recommend you prepare for the cruise with a generous breakfast at the hotel.

Upon your arrival in Yangshuo, a short trip to the countryside is specially arranged for you to get close to the idyllic beauty and experience local farming lifestyle of Yangshuo. We will rent a bike for you to take a free and relaxing tour around the countryside. If cycling is not your wish, we can also provide a private car ride. On the way, a guided family visit to a local villager's home can also help you immerse more into Yangshuo’s rural life. Late in the afternoon, it’s time for us to get back to the hotel in Guilin.

Meals: Western buffet breakfast, Lunch
Accommodation: Guilin Bravo Hotel

Your Guilin city tour today will first cover the Reed Flute Cave. Into the cave, you will feast your eyes on all the beauties a karst cave has to offer, such as various grotesque stone pillars, stalagmites, stalagmites - some like huge woody mushroom, some like waterfalls, some forming even spectacles of a grand scale. People even give many of them names like ‘Crystal Palace', 'Scarlet Stone Wall', ' Tower-shaped Pine ' and so on. Just ready to be dazzled! No wonder the Cave is known as the “Palace of Natural Arts”. Out of the cave, you will be guided to visit the Elephant Trunk Hill. From a distance, the hill looks like a huge stone elephant hanging down its trunk and drinking water in the Li River. The semi-circular hole between the leg and the trunk is called Water Moon Cave, which together with the hill form one of famous iconic sights of Guilin.

As your 15 Days China Yunnan and Guangxi ethnic minority tour finishes here, our guide will transfer you to Guilin’s airport and bid you farewell. Bon voyage!

Meals: Western buffet breakfast