River Landscapes and Rice Terrace Walks in Guangxi

When traveling to China, people often are curious as to whether they should go to Guilin and Yangshuo. We have carefully designed the following 7-day program to feed our guests for an exciting, off-the-beaten, and happy tour to this quiet place of southern China.  Guilin has a good fortune being located in one of China’s most beautiful landscapes. We believe 3-hour hiking at the Rice Terrace and the bamboo rafting along the Yulong River through picturesque paddies and riverine scenery are the best things to do in Guilin and Yangshuo.  
 

HIGHLIGHTS:

· Take a cruise down the enchanting Li River, which will provide you some of the gorgeous scenery of a lifetime. The Li River was just selected by National Geographic Magazine as one of the world’s “Ten top watery wonders.”

· Experience the majestic beauty and rolling magnificence of the Longsheng Rice Terraces, which is widely considered the most fantastic rice terrace in China. 

· Hike through the gorgeous Chinese countryside.

(Some photos are credited to Unsplashphotographers)

  Day 1: Arrive in Guilin-Longsheng (D)  

Fly into Guilin, where your English-speaking guide and driver will meet you for the approximately 2.5-hour drive to the Longji Rice Terraces in Longsheng. Also known as the Dragon’s Backbone, these terraces were developed from the Yuan dynasty (1279–1368) through the Qing dynasty (1644–1911) by local Zhuang communities. The fields rise along the slopes from roughly 380 to 885 meters above sea level. Longsheng lies about 100 km north of Guilin in a forested area of more than 2,400 square kilometers, near the Heping and Sang rivers. Its population of around 160,000 includes Miao, Dong, and Zhuang communities.

We’ll then trek a few hours to Pingan. Hiking along the large pieces of rice terraces is a fantastic experience. The scene of farming and the beautiful village scenery will feast your eyes with a pure country lifestyle. Pingan is a village made up of the minority Zhuang peoples. The town built on the mountain slopes boasts banyan trees separate rows of tall buildings. We’ll spend the night at an inn in Pingan.

 Day 2: Longji (B,L)

In the morning we’ll walk about 90 minutes in order to reach the Longji Old Village. Being a part of the Longji Rice Terraces Area in Longsheng, Longji Old Village Cultural Terraced Fields Scenic Spot has recently been unveiled to the public. It will bring you into a wonderland of rice terrace landscapes and will give you have a better understanding of the local ethnic minority culture.

There are about 300 families with a population of over 1300 people in the Longji Old Village. The residents are mainly of the Zhuang ethnic minority. The ganlan style houses of Longji (the wooden house supported by the wooden pillar over water) are the best-preserved, oldest and largest ones in China. There are seven houses that are more than 100 years old, and the oldest one was built during the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911). Many historic sites have been retained: the stone-made gates are standing on the east and west of the village, the Taiping water vat used for fire proofing is still serving the local people, the Longquan Fountain, carved with a dragon, is projecting water day and night.

Following our tour of the Longji Old Village we’ll drive back to Guilin, where you will spend the night. 

Day 3: Guilin (B,L)

Famous people and poets down through the centuries have eulogized Guilin’s scenery. It really has to be seen to be believed. The mountains are so sheer they come vertically out of the ground, as Guilin has some of the most spectacular karst topography in the world. The tooth-like limestone mountains come in clusters, or as isolated monoliths or mesas, often with caves, and sometimes with holes all the way through, like Elephant Hill and Moon Hill in Yangshuo.

Today you’ll be able to experience some of the attractions that make this city so memorable. Following breakfast at the hotel we’ll head out to the Elephant Trunk Hill. Located at the confluence of the Li River and Peach Blossom River in the south central area of Guilin City, it looks like a huge elephant stretching its trunk and drinking water, hence the name. Elephant Trunk Hill is the symbol of Guilin and its karst landscape.

Then it is off to the Seven-Stars Cave Park. Seven Star Cave got its name for the seven peaks supposed to resemble the star pattern of the Big Dipper constellation nearby - four peaks in the north are called Putuo Hill, three in the south are called Lunar Hill. The famous Seven Star cave is just located at the halfway the Putuo Hill. The cave is famous for its stalactites of various shapes inside. The cave is divided into three parts. The upper part is so high and steep that one can hardly reach while the lower part is an underground river channel. The middle part, an 814-meter-long tunnel, with the widest place of 49 meters and the highest of 27 meters, serves as the main touring area. Since Sui and Tang dynasties, the cave has been a favorite tour resort, and many visiting poets, writers, scholars and nobles once left their inscriptions on the wall.

 Day 4: Yangshuo (B,L)

Today you will be cruising down one of the world’s most stunning rivers, the Li. Gorgeous karst peaks give you surprises at each bend of the limpid river under the blue sky. Water buffalo patrol the fields, peasants reap rice paddies, school children and fisherman float by on bamboo rafts. With its breathtaking scenery and taste of a life far removed from the concrete metropolis, the scenery along the Li River become one of China's top tourist destinations. Some of the highlights you will see on your 7-8 hour cruise will be Elephant Trunk Hill (which we saw yesterday), Pagoda Hill, just a few minutes away from the Elephant Trunk Hill, Daxu Town, an ancient river town, and of course you will also see local fisherman and workers over their normal course of work. The cruise down the Li River offers a fascinating insight into the lives of the local population here.

The cruise will end at Yangshuo. Yangshuo is a lush and exotic city that includes minority groups from all over Asia. Yanghsuo is characterized by crystal clear rivers, limestone crags, lush vegetation, traditional Chinese architecture and customs, which have been immortalized in Chinese classical landscape paintings and poetry. The beautiful natural scenery so admired by painters and poets has made Yangshuo famous throughout China and internationally. Word of Yangshuo's charm has spread like wildfire among travelers worldwide, greatly boosting its popularity and made it a paradise for backpackers. After checking into your hotel, you can go down to West Street, the hip main street that features foreign pubs and bars, along with traditional shops and inns.

In the evening, attend Impression Liu Sanjie, an outdoor performance inspired by the folk traditions of the Li River region. Liu Sanjie is a legendary singer associated with the Zhuang people. The production combines daily-life scenes, folk songs, and modern and classical music in seven chapters, including a prologue and epilogue. More than 600 local performers take part in the river landscape setting.

Day 5: Yulong River Bamboo Rafting (B,L)

In the morning we will float on bamboo rafts down the Yulong River (Dragon-meeting River). The languid river is surrounded by a primitive, but pure, natural landscape, along with green bamboo forests and rolling hills. Visitors to the area will delight in the picturesque scenes of simple rural life: bamboo waterwheels irrigating the paddy fields; village girls hand washing clothes outside of their cottages with smoke curling upward from the chimneys; old men fishing in the river; flocks of ducks swimming in the pond.

Next we will visit the Big Banyan Tree Park. It has survived from wind and rain over centuries since the Sui Dynasty (581-618), and is one of the main scenic attractions of Yangshuo. This tree is 7 meters (about 23 feet) in width and 17 meters (about 55.8 feet) in height, and has experienced extensive growth over the years. Although its stem is very old and its roots twist, its branches and leaves stretch out so lushly that the sunshine hardly penetrates its shadow. Sitting in its shadow on even the hottest day of the summer, you barely break out in a sweat.

We will again spend the night in Yangshuo.

Day 6: Yangshuo (B,L)

Today’s itinerary is up to you. You will have a free day to explore and wander through the dreamy and lush paradise that is Yangshuo. 

Day 7: Departure (B,L)

In the morning you will be driven back to Guilin from Yanghsuo and taken to either the airport or train station, where you will move on to your next destination, ending your tour with us.