9 day minority lands tour of Hunan & Guangxi

DAY 1: ZHANGJIAJIE

Arrive in Zhangjijaie. Be met at the airport and transferred to your hotel in Zhangjiajie city.

DAY 2: ZHANGJIAJIE NATIONAL PARK (L, D)

Visit the Zhangjiajie National Park. Hike up 3000 steps or take a cable car up to Yellow Stone Village- the most popular viewing spot to look out over the limestone peak scenery. After your descent, go for a 2-3 hour stroll along Golden Whip Stream. Stay in Wulingyuan.

DAY 3: ZHANGJIAJIE NATIONAL PARK (B, L, D)

In the morning, return to the National Park to visit Tianzi Mountain. In the afternoon, visit Yellow Dragon Cave, a 20-hectare wide cavern with a vertical height of over 100 meters. This cave is home to an impressive collection of stalactites and stalagmites, illuminated in a variety of colored lights. Overnight in Wulingyuan.

DAY 4: ZUOLONG GORGE-FENGHUANG (B, L, D)

Travel out to Zuolong Gorge, where you will go for a adventurous, challenging climb through a lush forested gorge. Then drive onto Fenghuang ancient town, the center of the Miao minority people, which has a history of 1300 years. Have dinner in a restaurant overlooking the Tuo river. Overnight in Fenghuang .

DAY 5: FENGHUANG-DEHANG MIAO VILLAGE (B, L, D)

Spend the morning exploring Fenghuang ancient town at your leisure then set out for Dehang Miao Village. Have lunch, then choose between a steep hike up to Heavenly Viewing Platform for awesome views of the surrounding peaks, or a flatter walk out to Liusha Waterfall. Drive back to Jishou and have dinner before boarding your soft sleeper train to Liuzhou.

DAY 6: LIUZHOU-GUILIN-YANGSHUO (B, L, D)

Arrive in Liuzhou at 5am and transfer to a Guilin-bound train (3.5 hours). From Guilin, take an express bus to Yangshuo (1 hour). Settle into your hotel. After lunch, ride bikes out to Yulong River, enjoying the karst peak scenery. Ride back to the city and enjoy free time strolling the shops of West Street. Overnight in Yangshuo.

DAY 7: LI RIVER HIKE (L, D)

Take a van out to Yangdi village, from where you will begin a 4-5 hour hike along the Li River, through fruit orchards and small mud-brick villages, with the karst peaks all around. Upon arrival in Xingping, take a local bus back to Yangshuo. Overnight in Yangshuo.

DAY 8: DRAGON BACKBONE RICE TERRACES (L, D)

Set off early to the Dragon Backbone Rice Terraces, first constructed in the Yuan dynasty (over 700 year old), changing buses twice on the way. Hike up to the "Beautiful Views" guesthouse at the top of the Rice Terraces and settle in, before going out to visit the various viewpoints.

Day 9: GUILIN (B, L)

Hike for 3-4 hours from Dazhai to Ping'an through the Rice Terraces. Have lunch in Ping'an before travelling by local buses back to Guilin (3 hours). Tour concludes in Guilin.

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