China: Zhangjiajie, Fenghuang, Longji and Yangshuo

1. Day 1: Arrive in Zhangjiajie, settle in at Wulingyuan

   Zhangjiajie Hehua airport (DYG) or Zhangjiajie West station to Wulingyuan

   • Drive about 45 min
   • Welcome dinner
   • Stay in Wulingyuan
   Day 1 details

   Fly into Zhangjiajie Hehua airport (DYG), usually by a connection through Shanghai, Beijing or Guangzhou, or arrive by train at Zhangjiajie West station. A driver meets you and takes you about 45 minutes north to Wulingyuan, the small town at the park gate of the Wulingyuan scenic area, where we stay three nights. Basing ourselves here rather than in Zhangjiajie city is what lets us be in the park at opening tomorrow, minutes from the gate, before the coaches drive up from the city. The rest of the day is yours to rest after the journey. In the early evening your See Sight Tours guide meets the group for a short briefing on the week: why the early starts, what the mountain paths are like, and how the train day works. Then we sit down to a welcome dinner of Hunan and Tujia dishes at a local restaurant, smoked pork, river fish and plenty of chili, with milder plates for anyone who prefers them.

   Included

   • Pick-up at Zhangjiajie Hehua airport (DYG) or Zhangjiajie West station
   • Welcome briefing with your guide
   • Welcome dinner

   Free time: Free until the evening briefing

   Activity: Plan to arrive by about 4 pm to join the briefing; later arrivals are met and briefed in the morning.

2. Day 2: The Bailong lift early, Yuanjiajie and Tianzi Mountain

   Wulingyuan gate, the Bailong lift to Yuanjiajie, then Tianzi Mountain and down by cable car

   • Drive about 15 min
   • Breakfast and lunch
   • Stay in Wulingyuan
   Day 2 details

   This is the day the early start is for. Wulingyuan, listed by UNESCO in 1992 for its 3,000-odd quartz sandstone pillars, is one of China's busiest parks, and by mid-morning the queues for the lifts run long. We leave the hotel at about 6:45, enter at opening and take the park bus to the Bailong lift, a glass elevator about 326 m high built against the cliff, riding up on one of the first cars of the day. At the top we walk the Yuanjiajie loop while it is quiet: the First Bridge Under Heaven, a natural stone span between two pillars, and the pillar now called Avatar Hallelujah Mountain, with the valley falling away below the railings. Lunch is a sit-down meal on the plateau. In the afternoon the park bus takes us on to Tianzi Mountain for the long views across the peaks from Helong Park, then we ride the Tianzi cable car down and are back at the hotel in the late afternoon.

   Included

   • Wulingyuan multi-day park ticket and park buses
   • The Bailong lift up, early in the day
   • Yuanjiajie with your guide: the First Bridge Under Heaven and Avatar Hallelujah Mountain
   • Tianzi Mountain and Helong Park viewpoints
   • The Tianzi Mountain cable car down

   Easier option: Stay with the park buses between viewpoints and skip the side paths; the main viewpoints are a few minutes' walk from the bus stops.

   More active option: Walk down from Tianzi Mountain on the stepped path instead of the cable car, about 2 hours of steep stairs through the forest.

   Free time: Evening free

   Activity: About 6 to 8 km on paved paths and steps. Mist often hides the pillars in the morning and lifts by midday; your guide may swap the order on the day to catch the clearest views.

3. Day 3: Golden Whip Stream and a free afternoon

   Wulingyuan to the Forest Park entrance, Golden Whip Stream to Water Winding Four Gates, back to Wulingyuan

   • Drive about 1 h
   • Breakfast and lunch
   • Stay in Wulingyuan
   Day 3 details

   A gentler day on the same park ticket. After breakfast we drive about 45 minutes round to the south gate of Zhangjiajie National Forest Park, the oldest part of the Wulingyuan area, and walk Golden Whip Stream, about 7 km on a flat, paved path beside clear water under the pillars, with Golden Whip Rock rising straight up from the bank. Walking it in the morning means cooler air and quieter paths. Rhesus macaques live along the stream; your guide will ask you to keep food out of sight. The walk ends at Water Winding Four Gates, where four valleys meet, and the park bus takes us back to Wulingyuan. Lunch is Tujia three-in-a-pot in Wulingyuan, three meats and vegetables cooked together in one pot at the table. The afternoon is free: rest, wander the town or go back into the park on your ticket.

   Included

   • Golden Whip Stream walk with your guide
   • Water Winding Four Gates
   • Tujia lunch in Wulingyuan

   Optional experiences

   • Huangshi Village viewpoint by cable car, before the stream walk

   Easier option: Walk the first half of the stream and ride the park bus to Water Winding Four Gates.

   More active option: Start early with Huangshi Village, climbing the stepped path to the viewpoint, about an hour up, before the stream walk.

   Free time: Afternoon and evening free

   Activity: About 7 km, flat and paved. Keep bags closed near the macaques.

4. Day 4: Tianmen Mountain at the first cableway, on to Fenghuang

   Wulingyuan to Tianmen Mountain at Zhangjiajie city, then by road to Fenghuang

   • Drive about 4 h
   • Breakfast and lunch
   • Stay in Fenghuang
   Day 4 details

   Another early start. Tianmen sits on the way out rather than on a day of its own because the mountain rises right above Zhangjiajie city, on the road to Fenghuang. We leave at about 6:45 with our bags to be on the first cable car of the day, before the queues build. Which line takes us up depends on what is running: the long cableway from the city has had sections closed for work, so the way up may instead be the cable car from the mountain gate, with escalators inside the mountain. We confirm the route when we confirm your dates, and the ticket covers it either way. On the summit ridge, at around 1,500 m, we walk the cliff paths, including the glass walkway bolted to the rock face, and reach Tianmen Cave, the arch through the mountain known as Heaven's Gate, by the 999 steps or the escalators. Lunch is in the city. Then it is about three hours by expressway into the hills of western Hunan, with a stop on the way, reaching Fenghuang in the late afternoon. The total driving is about four hours, split by the morning on the mountain and lunch.

   Included

   • Tianmen Mountain ticket with the cable car that is running, escalators and park bus
   • The cliff paths and glass walkway, with shoe covers
   • Tianmen Cave (Heaven's Gate)
   • Transfer to Fenghuang

   Easier option: Use the escalators inside the mountain instead of the 999 steps, and skip the glass walkway if heights are not for you.

   More active option: Climb the 999 steps up to Tianmen Cave and back down.

   Free time: Evening free in Fenghuang

   Activity: The glass walkway is open-sided and high above the drop; it is optional. Tianmen's cable car routes have been changing with renovation work; we confirm the route at booking. On busy days the lines can still be long; we aim for the first ride.

   

5. Day 5: Fenghuang old town at 7 am, the Miao villages of Shanjiang

   Fenghuang old town and the Tuo River, then the Miao villages around Shanjiang and back

   • Drive about 1.5 h
   • Breakfast and lunch
   • Stay in Fenghuang
   Day 5 details

   Fenghuang fills with day-trippers from mid-morning, so we walk it at 7 am, when the shopkeepers are opening their shutters and mist sits on the Tuo River. Your guide leads you along the stilt houses, wooden homes propped on posts over the water, across the stepping stones and up to the North Gate tower on the old town wall. We visit the former home of Shen Congwen, the writer whose novel Border Town made this region known across China, and the Yang family ancestral hall. Then we drift downstream in a small wooden boat poled by a boatman, under the bridges and past the riverside houses. After lunch we drive about half an hour into the hills to the Miao villages around Shanjiang, where stone and timber houses step up the slopes and older women still wear embroidered dress. Your guide explains Miao festivals, silverwork and farming, and we walk the village lanes. We are back in Fenghuang by late afternoon; the evening is free to see the river lit up.

   Included

   • Early walk through Fenghuang old town with your guide: the stilt houses, the stepping stones and the North Gate
   • Shen Congwen's former residence and the Yang family ancestral hall
   • Tuo River boat ride
   • Afternoon in the Miao villages around Shanjiang, with lunch

   Easier option: Stay in town after the boat ride and spend the afternoon in a riverside teahouse instead of the village visit.

   More active option: Before breakfast, climb to the viewpoint above the old town for the rooftops and the river in the morning light.

   Free time: Evening free

   Activity: The old town is car-free, with uneven stone lanes and steps; the stepping stones are optional. We do not stop at the Miao silver shops.

   

6. Day 6: High-speed train to Guilin, up to Ping'an

   Fenghuang Ancient City station, direct train to Guilin North, then by road to Ping'an in the Longji terraces

   • Drive about 3 h
   • Breakfast and dinner
   • Stay in Ping'an (Longji)
   Day 6 details

   The longest day of the trip, about nine hours door to door, and we would rather say so plainly. After an early breakfast our vehicle takes the group about an hour to Fenghuang Ancient City station, allowing time for passport checks, and we board a direct daytime train south into Guangxi, about six hours on the rails. A daytime train with reserved seats is what breaks the day up: you can stretch your legs, read, and watch the hills of western Hunan and northern Guangxi pass, instead of sitting in a van. Lunch is on board or bought at the station before we leave; your guide helps you order. We reach Guilin North in the early afternoon, where our vehicle is waiting, and it is about two hours north into the hills of Longsheng county to Ping'an, a Zhuang village built of dark wood on the slopes of the Longji rice terraces. Cars stop below the village, so you take a small bag up the stone steps while your suitcase stays in the vehicle. We arrive in the late afternoon or early evening, with time to settle in before dinner at the guesthouse, with bamboo-tube rice.

   Included

   • Transfer to the station
   • Reserved seats on the direct train to Guilin North, about 6 hours, with your guide
   • Transfer from Guilin to Ping'an
   • Longji terrace entry
   • Dinner at the guesthouse

   Easier option: Ask us about a first-class seat on the train for more room, for a supplement. Your guide and driver handle suitcases at both stations, and your main bag stays in the vehicle overnight in Ping'an.

   Activity: About 9 hours door to door: about 1 hour to the station, about 6 hours on the train and about 2 hours by road. The walk up into Ping'an is 15 to 20 minutes on stone steps; porters can carry bags for a small fee.

   

7. Day 7: The Longji terraces in the early light, on to Yangshuo

   Ping'an terrace viewpoints, then by road via Guilin to Yangshuo

   • Drive about 3.5 h
   • Breakfast and lunch
   • Stay in Yangshuo
   Day 7 details

   The terraces are at their best early, with mist in the valley and the low sun picking out the walls, so we set out after an early breakfast. Your guide walks the group up through Ping'an to the two classic viewpoints, Seven Stars with Moon and Nine Dragons and Five Tigers, about three hours on stone steps and narrow paths between the paddies. The terraces were cut into these slopes over several centuries and are still farmed by hand; your guide explains how the Zhuang families flood, plant and harvest them, and what the season is doing to them as you look. Lunch is in the village. In the early afternoon we walk down to the vehicle and drive back through Guilin and on to Yangshuo, about three and a half hours with a break, and the karst begins on the way: limestone peaks rising straight out of the rice fields. We check into a hotel near the river for two nights. The evening is free.

   Included

   • Guided walk to the Seven Stars with Moon and Nine Dragons and Five Tigers viewpoints
   • Village lunch
   • Transfer to Yangshuo

   Easier option: Walk to the nearer viewpoint only, about an hour each way, then wait at a guesthouse terrace with tea.

   More active option: Before breakfast, climb to the upper viewpoint for sunrise over the terraces.

   Free time: Evening free

   Activity: Wear shoes with grip: the paths are stone steps, often wet with morning dew.

   

8. Day 8: Down the Li River by raft, a farewell dinner

   Yangshuo to Yangdi, a raft down the Li River to Xingping, back to Yangshuo

   • Drive about 1.5 h
   • Breakfast, lunch and dinner
   • Stay in Yangshuo
   Day 8 details

   Between Yangdi and Xingping the Li River winds through a narrow valley of karst peaks, and the morning is the calmest time on the water. We drive about an hour to the pier at Yangdi and board rafts, two guests and a boatman each; they are still called bamboo rafts, though today most are built of plastic pipe with a small outboard motor, a canopy and seats. The ride downstream takes about an hour and a half, between karst peaks and past Nine Horse Fresco Hill to the bend near Xingping pictured on the back of the 20 yuan banknote. We land at Xingping, walk its old street and sit down to lunch: beer fish, river fish braised with tomato, chili and local beer. Back in Yangshuo by about 2:30, the afternoon is free for a nap, a massage or a wander along the river. In the evening we gather for a farewell dinner at a local restaurant.

   Included

   • Li River raft from Yangdi to Xingping
   • Xingping old street with your guide
   • Beer fish lunch in Xingping
   • Farewell dinner

   Optional experiences

   • Impression Liu Sanjie light show on the river
   • Cooking class in Yangshuo

   Easier option: Stay in Xingping's old street with a tea while the others climb, then ride back with the group.

   More active option: Climb Laozhai Hill above Xingping, a steep stepped path of about half an hour each way, for the view over the river bends.

   Free time: Afternoon free

   Activity: Rafting stops when the river runs high after heavy rain; if it does, we take the same stretch by riverbank path and road, and tell you on the day.

9. Day 9: The Yulong valley by bike, then Guilin airport

   Yangshuo to the Yulong valley and Moon Hill, then Guilin Liangjiang airport (KWL)

   • Drive about 2 h
   • Breakfast and lunch
   Day 9 details

   A last morning in the countryside. After breakfast we cycle out of town with a local cycling guide, about 15 km on flat country lanes and farm paths along the Yulong River, a quieter tributary of the Li, between rice fields, orange groves, karst peaks and small villages, at an easy pace with plenty of stops. We pause below Moon Hill, named for the half-moon arch through its summit, and watch the hand-poled bamboo rafts drifting over the small weirs. Our support van follows, so anyone can hop off the bike at any point. Lunch is at a farmhouse restaurant in the valley. In the early afternoon we drive about an hour and a quarter to Guilin Liangjiang International Airport (KWL), where your guide sees you to check-in and says goodbye. Book a flight leaving after about 5 pm; most guests connect through Guangzhou, Shanghai, Beijing or Hong Kong.

   Included

   • Guided bike ride in the Yulong valley, bikes and helmets included
   • Moon Hill
   • Farmhouse lunch
   • Drop-off at Guilin Liangjiang International Airport (KWL)

   Optional experiences

   • Hand-poled bamboo raft on the Yulong River, in place of part of the ride

   Easier option: Skip the bikes and ride in our support van to Moon Hill and lunch.

   More active option: Climb Moon Hill to the arch, about 30 minutes of steep steps each way.

   Activity: Book a flight leaving after about 5 pm. For an earlier flight we shorten the ride or go straight to the airport.

   

Wildlife and weather: Spring brings mist drifting through the Zhangjiajie pillars, some rain and flooded, mirror-like terraces at Longji; autumn is clearer and the terraces turn gold for the harvest from late September. Mountain mornings are cool in both seasons, so bring a warm layer and a rain jacket.

• Wulingyuan3 nights
• Fenghuang2 nights
• Ping'an (Longji)1 night
• Yangshuo2 nights