11-day Mountain Tribe Adventure of China

Arrival in Guilin, you will be picked up at the airport or train station. Transfer to the hotel.

Take a leisurely Li River cruise, disembark at the beautiful small town famous for its Karst landscape--Yangshuo. After you check into the hotel, it is followed by an excursion to the countryside to see the local farmer’s life and beautiful landscape by either bike or golf-car-like vehicle. Overnight at Yangshuo.

In the morning, transfer to take a 1.5-hour bamboo rafting trip down Yulong River and an easy hike to the countryside near old town of Yangshuo. Free afternoon at leisure.

Drive back to Guilin in the morning. Visit the famous Reed Flute Cave, also called “Natural Arts Gallery”, which is filled with a large number of stalactites, stalagmites and rock formations in weird and wonderful shapes. Then enjoy a stroll at the central lakes at downtown. After lunch, transfer to Longji to see the stunning Dragon’s Back Rice Terraces and colorful minority lifestyle. The terraces look like great chains or ribbons as they wind from the foot to the top of the hill. This ingenious construction makes best use of the scare arable land and water resources in the mountainous area. Overnight at the local guesthouse at Ping An Village.

Around 500 years ago, immigrants of various tribes began to settle here building it into an earthly paradise. Trekking along stone trails to Dazhai Yao Village. (about 4-5hrs). After shower and lunch at the local guesthouse, walk down the mountain and continue driving onward to Sanjiang, which means the confluence of 3 rivers, is the political hub of surrounding Dong tribes. Overnight at Chengyang Guesthouse.

Chengyang is famous for the covered Rain and Wind Bridge. It is made up of 8 villages, offering a chance to observe the local people' life. Drive from Chengyang to Heli and visit the Dong King Temple. This is a legendary site of "Night man Kingdom", which has been recorded in many Chinese epics since Han Dynasty 2000 years ago. Proceed to Yangxi for uphill trekking (4-5hrs) to visit Yao, Miao and Dong three tribes coexisting peacefully in one community. Overnight at Yangxi Guesthouse with basic accommodation.

Drive from Yangxi to Tang'an Dong village. Tang'an, a good example of human living harmoniously in an agro-eco system, it has been listed as an eco-museum by the joint efforts of Guizhou provincial government and Dr. John Aage Gjestrum, a leading museologist in Norway. After visit to this village, we will start trekking down to Zhaoxing (2-3hrs). Overnight at Zhaoxing Guesthouse with basic accommodation.

Drive on to Rongjiang. Stop over at Xiajiang market. During the market day, minority ladies in their traditional colorful costume come here buying articles for daily uses. Visit Miao and Shui Tribe Village and have a walk around Rongjiang. Overnight at Rongjiang Hotel.

Transfer from Rongjiang to Leishan. You will be amazed by the dazzling sliver costume of short skirt Miao ladies at Datang. Being the 4th largest minority group in China, Miao well-maintains their deep-rooted custom and heritage from ancestors. During their traditional festivals, many celebrations are sponsored in the town. 2-3 hours trekking required (Estimated driving time: 6hrs). Overnight at Leishan Hotel.

Driver from Leishan to Kaili. Visit a Miao village famous for making musical instruments-Lusheng, popular among South-China mountain tribes at a family-based workshop. Then proceed to Kaili and visit a local museum boasting a large collections of minority handicrafts. Overnight at Kaili Hotel.

Take a visit to Tonggu (30 kms), a village well known for Miao paintings with their specific tastes and aesthetics, which have been introduced successfully to some other countries. Then transfer to Guiyang for the flight to next stop.

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