6 Days Best Guilin Huangshan Nature Tour

Day 1 Guilin Arrival - Guilin to Longsheng

Pick up in Guilin and transfer 2.5 hours to Longji Rice Terrace

Welcome to Guilin, the most scenic city in China. Upon your arrival at airport (railway station), our local guide and driver will pick up you and then transfer you to Ping'an Village at Longji Rice Terrace. Check in your hotel. The rest of today is free for you to explore beautiful surroundings.

Important to Know: 1) The driving from Guilin to Ping'an is about 2.5 hours. If your flight or train arrives at Guilin after 5pm, we suggest you spend a night at Guilin, then transfer to Ping'an on the next day; 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).

• The Peaceful Village in Longji Rice Terracse, Taken by Santos from Canada in late August, 2019

Day 2 Longji Rice Terrace - Longsheng to Guilin (B, L)

Longji Rice Terrace Sunrise - Seven Stars with Moon - Nine Dragons and Five Tigers

When you wake up in the fresh air of peaceful morning, you may forget where you are. Try to watch the magnificent sunrise from a great location on the terraces if you don't mind getting up very early. After breakfast, your guide will take you to explore the breathtaking views of Longji Rice Terrace leisurely. 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. Then transfer back to Guilin City. Check in your hotel. The rest time is free on your own to have fun in Guilin - strolling, hunting food...

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) The Viewing Platform of Seven Stars with Moon is under a reconstruction which means it is closed for travelers at present. The hiking route between Seven Stars with Moon and Nine Dragons and Five Tigers would do some adjustment during the construction. You won’t miss the amazing rice terraces scenery when visiting.

• Sunrise in Longji Rice Terrace
• People Zhuang Ethnic Group at Longji Rice Terrace
• Longji Rice Terrices in late August 2018, Taken by Our Customer Gerhard from Germany

Day 3 Guilin - Li River Cruise - Yangshuo (B, L)

Li River Cruise -Yangshuo Yulong River - West Street

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, amazing scene of A Painting of Nine Horses, and notable view printed on the back of the 20 RMB note. (Please note: Lunch is served by the cruise with simple local Chinese cuisine. And you can take some snacks when getting on board.)

After about 4 hours’ cruise, disembark in Yangshuo Town, and check in your hotel. After a short break, start your impressive exploration of the best charming sightseeing and ideal countryside ease at Yulong River. Let all the refreshing scenes please your eyes and souls to the utmost. Just enjoy every moment with the Karst hills dotted around, chatting stream, rippling mountain reflection, swaying floras, patches of vivid crops, comfortable breeze….There are diverse kinds of ways for your enjoyment of the fun and beauty, including biking, hiking, sightseeing bus, bamboo rafting and scooter. You can easily choose and combine your ideal way(s) and part of Yulong River. (Please tell your likes to your travel consultants before booking the tour, as the final prices will differ by activities you choose.).

Biking (some physically demanding & sightseeing by the river) - Ride to enjoy the river view and the real fields (route: Yangshuo - Jima - Shuiedi Dock - Gongnong Bridge - West Street; for 1.5-2 hours).

Bamboo Rafting (relaxing and interesting & sightseeing on the river) - have fun with the classic bamboo rafting (Route A: Shuiedi Dock - Gongnong Bridge for 40-50 minutes; Route B: Jima Dock - Gongnong Bridge for 1.5 hours) to see the more serene view like pieces of traditional Chinese landscape ink paintings.

Sightseeing Bus (most leisurable and comfortable & sightseeing on the road) - sit leisurely on the bus from Jima to Gongnong Bridge to appreciate the lovely countryside view (about 0.5 hour). You can get off and on anywhere on the middle way to explore more about your interested place.

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.

Note: according to the regulations of Yulong River Tourism, children less than 1 meter high and elders over 70 years old are not allowed to take the bamboo rafting.

Optional evening activity:

Watch the splendid evening performance of Impression Liu Sanjie with the Li River itself as the stage, which was directed by famous director - Zhang Yimou (usually performs for an hour between around 19:45 and 22:20).

• Panorama of Yangshuo Ten-mile Gallery Countryside
• Visit Yangshuo West Street at Night
• Lush Guilin Li River Scenery, Taken by Claire from UK in October 2021
• Chusi's family visited Moon Hill at Yangshuo Ten-mile Gallery in June, 2018

Day 4 Yangshuo to Guilin & Guilin to Huangshan (B)

Transfer from Yangshuo to Huangshan

Today is free until your guide and driver escort you from Yangshuo to Guilin Liangjiang Airport for your flight to Huangshan (about 1 hour and 45 minutes usually). After your arrival, your local tour guide will meet you with a sign on which says your name at the arrival hall in the airport. Then our guide and driver will transfer you directly to your hotel in Huangshan City.

After a short rest, go for a relaxing stroll on the 900-year-old Tunxi Ancient Street to appreciate authentic old Huizhou-style architectures. Next comes an interesting visit to Hu Kaiwen Ink-stick Factory to find out how ancient Chinese people produce ink sticks (major item used to write and paint in ancient time).

• Tunxi Ancient Street

Day 5 Yellow Mountain (B, L)

Route: Yungu Cable Way - Begin-to-believe Peak - Dispelling Cloud Pavilion - Bright Summit - Flying-over Rock

Walking Distance: about 7~9km/5~6 hrs

Today after breakfast, our guide and driver will pick you up at your hotel, then drive about 80 kilometers (1.5 hours) to the foot of Mount Huangshan (Yellow Mountain), the UNESCO World Heritage Sites and one of the most beautiful mountains in China. Your memorable Huangshan trip starts!

To save energy and time, you will directly transfer by park bus from the mountain foot to Yungu Temple to take a cableway to upper beautiful sightseeing area of Huangshan Mountain – North Sea Scenic Area which is famous for marvelous precipitous peaks, beautiful giant pine trees and far-reaching vision. Walk to lofty Begin-to-Believe Peak (1668m) to stretch your eyesight over cloud seas to far distance, and then hike about 40 minutes to Dispelling Cloud Pavilion to look down the Dreamland - West Sea Grand Canyon. Walk down along the stone steps to the bottom of the canyon while enjoying the Avatar-like rising rock peaks, unfathomable cliffs, bizarre stones and tenacious pine trees. 

Generally speaking, it takes about 3 hours for energetic hiker to hike from the Dispelling Cloud Pavilion, via 1st Ring and 2nd Ring to the bottom and return to the starting point. For beginners, children, and senior travelers, you can decide the hiking length on your own according to your physical condition, usually 2 hours for the 1st Ring and 2.5hrs for the 2nd Ring. In the bottom of the canyon, there is also a monorail cable trains for those who don’t want to return by walking to transfer back to the peak area. 

If time and energy allow, you can spend about one hour to explore the Sky Sea Scenic Area where you can enjoy the sunset from the second highest peak - Bright Summit (1840m), visit the incredible Flying-over Rock, then return to your hotel on the mountain and have a good rest.

(Please Note: from December to the late March of next year, West Sea Grand Canyon is usually closed for the cold weather and heavy snow. Please feel free to contact us to adjust your itinerary.)

• Yungu Cable Car on Mount Huangshan
• Enjoy the amazing scenery on Begin-to-believe Peak
• Jack and Emily from UK visited West Sea Grand Canyon, Yellow Mountain in October, 2019

Day 6 Yellow Mountain - Hongcun Village & Huangshan Departure(B)

Yellow Mountain Sunrise - Hongcun Village

Huangshan. We suggest you watch the sunrise from the Refreshing Terrance which is only a few minutes’ walking from Beihai Hotel. In good-weather days, you can see clearly the golden light of the sun piercing the mists, and rocky peaks rising above the frothy, ever-changing sea of white clouds. After the sunrise, get back to your hotel for breakfast. Continue on your wonderful sightseeing on the Yellow Mountain to see the famous Dawn Pavilion, Stone Monkey Watching the Sea on the Lion Peak (1690m). Then walk along the wood path to the cable station to take a cable car to exit the mountain. Your driver is ready at the mountain foot to transfer you to visit Hongcun which is the best example of ancient Huizhou-style architecture, and listed in UNESCO World Heritage Sites with Xidi Village.

Hongcun was originally established during Song Dynasty (960-1276). It is praised as the most beautiful village in China, known as the "ancient village in the Chinese painting". As the home to the local successful officials or merchants, Hongcun Village's layout was designed very well, acting up to both China's Geomantic Omen and actual natural environment. All houses, halls and yards are very exquisite and grandiose, and retain most of the original features. Moon Lake, the crescent-like pond surrounded by several grand dwellings, and Southern Lake in front of the village are the best locations to take photos. Famous Oscar-winner film Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon was filmed in Hongcun.

After the sightseeing, you will be transferred to catch your flight/train to the next destination.

• Stone Monkey Watching the Sea (on Lion Peak)
• Mr. and Mrs. Gorges from Australia visited Hongcun Village in June, 2019
• Our Client Jenny's group from Vietnam enjoyed sunrise on Yellow Mountain in November, 2020