Picturesque Karst Scenery and Idyllic Countryside
8-Day Guilin, Yangshuo and Guizhou Relaxation Tour
Guilin City Highlights, Daxu Ancient Town
Li River Cruise, Bamboo Rafting
Rice Terrace Hiking,Minority Crafts Experience
Guiyang Departure
Highlights
- Relax on a Li River cruise and view the natural art of karst landscape.
- Cycle along the river in the most beautiful countryside around Yangshuo.
- Hike through cloud-wrapped rice terraces and green paddy fields.
- Make a piece of paper in the original way in a distinctive minority village.
Itinerary Details
This tour promotes a leisurely transfer from picturesque karst scenery in China's most beautiful countryside near Guilin, to diverse minority cultures in Guizhou, the provincial home of many of China's of ethnic minorities. Wonderful landscapes and cultures are combined.
Welcome to Guilin! Your private guide will meet you at the airport/train station arrivals hall and transfer you to your hotel in a private car.
Tailor-Made Idea:
The night scenery in Guilin is beautiful and it makes a great way to unwind after a flight. The ‘Two Rivers and Four Lakes' in the downtown area provide pleasant lakeside walks and night cruises.
Hotel options:
Lijiang Waterfall Hotel
Sheraton Guilin
breakfast & lunch
Daxu is an old town along the Li River and used to be the busiest bazaar in Guangxi. Popularity comes and goes, however, but the older generation still living there bears ongoing witness to the history of the old town. Today, discover the forgotten stories of Daxu.
After lunch, start sight-seeing in the city from Guilin's landmark, Elephant Trunk Hill. The name comes from the hill's shape. Seen from afar, it looks like an elephant drinking from the Li River.
Admire the natural art in Reed Flute Cave, a famous and massive limestone cave, with multicolored lighting, which casts intriguing shadows on the water.
breakfast & lunch
Feast your eyes on picturesque views either side of the Li River, as you enjoy the highest-standard cruise, to ensure your comfort. Your guide will show you the best spots for taking photos.
The cruise arrives in Yangshuo at noon and you will be welcomed by the sight of the most beautiful countryside in China.
Pick the transport of your choice, whether private car, bicycle, or moped, to embrace and enjoy these natural surroundings.
Hotel options:
Yangshuo Mountain Retreat
Alila Yangshuo
breakfast & lunch
After a good night's sleep, start your day with a bamboo-rafting tour. One great way of enjoying the rural view and tranquility is to sit back on a non-motorized raft that's steered along the Yulong River by a gondolier.
Your private guide and driver will transfer you to Yangshuo Railway Station. Take a rest on the easy journey of 1.5 hours. Your Guizhou guide will pick you up at Congjiang Railway Station and help you check in to your hotel.
Hotel options:
Indigo Lorge Zhaoxing (Boutique)
breakfast & lunch
The rice terraces in Guizhou are impressive for their altitude and wildness. Today you will hike round some of them.
The hike will be a 2.5-hour walk on solid flagstone, combined with morning rice-terrace viewing. You'll walk down from the top of the mountainside on paths through refreshing paddy fields. You will be guided through small yet unspoiled villages.
Freshen up and have lunch at our chosen restaurant, then have a free afternoon at Zhaoxing, one of the biggest Dong villages in China.
breakfast & lunch
Guizhou is home to many ethnic minorities. The Miao and Dong are large ancient groups with different subgroups, representing different cultures.
Settled deep in the mountains and with limited resources, rural people have a knack of making ends meet: for example, making paper from wood pulp. Visit a village where people still today carry on their forbears' trade of papermaking.
Learn how to make a piece of paper with a respected expert, step by step. Use your imagination to make a unique paper craft with your own hands, under the guidance of an experienced natural-paper maker.
Have lunch in a farmer's house, cooked with fresh local ingredients. Then visit a small yet unspoiled village famous for its dustpan-like shape. Stroll along the bluestone path, and observe close-up the daily lives of minority people.
breakfast & lunch
The village you are going to visit this morning is quite a special one.
The villagers dress differently. Females used to join the army, and their costumes still resemble army-uniforms. They are also renowned for their batik work. Villagers hang a pair of dyed cloths on the door, instead of the usual antithetical couplets written on red paper.
You will have an opportunity to step into the dye-house and see how to make a fine batik. Participate in the batik-making process.
After lunch, visit another special Miao village, famous for its females' gorgeous mini-skirt costumes and unique creative centuries-old way to store food.
Trip Notes
Every element of the tour above can be tailored. Feel free to tell us your ideas and we will be happy to make adjustments for you.
1. Extend the Tour
- Zhenyuan:Add a day to take a relax gorge cruise and peaceful ancient town.
- Anshun:Add a day for China's biggest waterfall and karst park.
- Guilin and Yangshuo: Add 2-3 days for Li River Cruise and Yangshuo countryside.
- Zhangjiajie:Add 2-3 days to Zhangjiajie.
2. Hotels and Meals in Remote Areas
In remote areas, such as Zhaoxing, star-rated hotels might not be as good as the same standard of hotels in big cities.
China Highlights has carefully selected the best restaurant and hotel available, based on criteria like location and environment. Your private guide will assist you in ordering the dishes you like and will accompany you to check in to your room.
3. Transportation
As China's new big data valley, the network of Guizhou high-speed rail now links to many directions over the country.
Guizhou is a mountainous province but roads to every villages are accessible. So car is a ideal vehicle when transferring between villages. To provide you with a comfortable experience, private car is provided.
Tour Price
Price includes:
- Private air-conditioned business car with big windows and ample space
- English speaking local guide
- Activities, hotels, and meals listed in the itinerary
- 24/7 helpline for while you are traveling
Tour code: gy-4
98.8% positive customer reviews among 10,000+
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Great tours!
I had an amazing two trips on the Great Wall and the Forbidden City with the guide Ivy during my stay in China. She was very helpful and answered all of our questions with an enthusiastic approach. I have nothing to say but to highly recommend the trips they offer on the Great Wall hiking/camping and also the in-depth Forbidden City tour! Thank you Ivy and China Highlights. more
May 2023,
Serhat Altay
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Amazing First Time to Beijing with China Highlights
Tom, my private tour guide was there when I landed and accompanied me all the way through to sending me off at the airport after check-in at the end of my trip. Zhao the driver, who also did all the driving during my trip, was calm, confident and knowledgeable in taking us around. Both Tom and Zhao were punctual too. The Great Wall of China Hike I wanted to do started in a very remote, unrestored part of the wall. This would not had been possible without Tom problem solving many issues we had on the way up and I could not have done this on my own a a foreigner. It was well worth the effort and probably the highlight of my trip.The remainder of the tour around Tiananmen Square, Forbidden Kingdom and The Temple of Heaven was paired with a detailed commentary by Tom of which I learnt a lot. more
May 2023,
Munsie
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Beijing - city of surprises
A fantastic guide was waiting for us - Jack, who told all the stories with passion and commitment. He also fulfilled those wishes that were not in the plan. I highly recommend visiting Beijing with this guide. more
May 2023,
Joanna i Piotr Kuzebscy
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Liu Yuan was a superb guide and a lot…
Liu Yuan was a superb guide and a lot of fun to spend time with during my first visit to Beijing. It was a wonderful intensive three days. more
May 2023,
Pam S.
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Great weather and a good trip out with Lily!
Many thanks to my guide Lily for customising the trip to make it as efficient and enjoyable as possible. She arranged to start an hour earlier to beat the crowd and I got to enjoy the Great Wall before the crowd streamed in and while the weather was cool. I requested to switch the next attraction to visit from Temple of Heaven to Ming Tomb and she not only accommodated the prompt request, but made all the necessary arrangements even before the trip coordinator managed to reply! Kudos! Our driver was jovial and friendly, always on top of traffic conditions and took detours to beat slow moving traffic. Hassle free day and I wouldn’t have been able to cover the two attractions so easily and comfortably without them! more
May 2023,
Meibao
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This was our first time traveling to Beijing
This was our first time traveling to China, so we really wanted to experience some of the major historical sights of Beijing together with a tour guide. Our itinerary was very carefully planned out according to our interests and tailored to our needs. First, we went camping on the Great Wall and hiked from Jiankou to Mutianyu, and the next day we got an in-depth tour of the Forbidden City as well as a tour of the Temple of Heaven and a taiji experience in the gardens. Our tour guide, Ivy, was truly wonderful in preparing and organizing our personalized itinerary. She is very friendly and knowledgeable, and she was always able and willing to answer all of our questions. Ivy provided us with a truly amazing first visit to China and I would warmly recommend China Highlights for everyone who wishes to travel to China and I would especially recommend Ivy as a tour guide for your trips! more
May 2023,
Annalina Wheeler
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Tom is the BEST tour guide EVER!
Just had the most AMAZING tour with Tom. He was beyond knowledgeable, so generous with his time and made me feel so at ease which was super important as I am travelling by myself. Thank you Tom for the best day-you have totally made my China trip a fabulous experience, one I will never forget! more
May 2023,
SHARRYN HINCHLIFFFE
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Superb service and wonderful time in Beijing
Superb service from Jack who were with us for 4 wonderful days in Beijing. Jack was clearly knowledgeable about the history and able to deliver insight information to us about places. He was also kind and accommodating to my mother who has bad knees. Both China Highlights and Jack were flexible about the itinerary to ensure that we enjoy the best of Beijing. We'll definitely use China Highlights' services again for our next trip to China. more
May 2023,
Chani
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Amazing Trip
First time booking a trip with China Highlights and was fortunate to have Sunny as my private tour guide. We went to the Jinshanling section of the Great Wall, then arrived and walked around Gubei Water Town, and then visited the Simatai portion of the Great Wall at night. Was a very enjoyable trip as we were able to see a night time drone show in the sky, ride a private boat through the canals of the Gubei Water Town, and eat a delicious lunch at a local restaurant along the way. Sunny is super knowledgeable when it comes to the history of the Great Wall and took the time to explain various interesting facts and stories which made the trip very meaningful. The driver we had was also a very nice man who was always on time and eager to help. Was an unforgettable experience and would highly recommend Sunny and China Highlights :) more
May 2023,
Allen C
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Tour to the great wall from the airport
My guide Tom was ver kind and knowlegable, he explained everything to me about the great wall and even went out of his way to help me the next day at Bejings downtown! amazing service!!! thank you so much Tom! more
May 2023,
Fer Villasefior
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Great tour, fantastic guide!
This tour was fantastic! I loved hearing about the history of the Forbidden City and admiring the views at the Great Wall. William was a fantastic tour guide. We were a group of families with several young children, and he was very accommodating and flexible with timing and arrangements. I totally recommend this tour and William as a guide! more
May 2023,
Ryan Corless
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Four excellent sightseeing days in Beijing
We had wonderful four days in Beijing. The entire trip was tailored exactly to our wishes. From experiencing local food, to exploring the major sites of the city up to hiking the great wall of China. Additionally, we had two amazing guides Ina and Fan taking care of all the tickets and coordination required. Also, they could not only tell us everything about the sights we visited and give us an insight to local customs and traditions, but they did so in perfect German. The chauffeur service from Mr Chang was also excellent, getting us from A to B without any hazzle. The past couple of days were one of the most carefree trips we have had so far. more
May 2023,
Katha
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Great tour from William
Great tour organized by China highlights, our tour guide was William - his knowledge was impressive, his English was great and he was always on time. We did the four day tour including the wall and forbidden city - would definitely recommend to anyone looking for an English tour guide. more
Apr 2023,
Lawrence
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Beijing 2 day private tour
The tour itself was great, private driver to and from, my guide Ivy was great English speaking guide. She was very knowledgeable and passionate about her country. Was a great time exploring the Great Wall of china and then my second day did a city tour (forbidden city, hutong tour, summer palace). Felt extremely safe, and was confident having an English guide. Thank you china highlights. (Provide them what you want and they’ll make it happen). Prices are reasonable as I looked at a few places but for private tour, my own schedule, and confidence of getting around safely you can’t go wrong. more
Apr 2023,
Mark
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Very enjoyable
Everything was to the vest standard, the history all very well explained by the Tour Guide in Beijing, Ivy. Really enjoyed it, and appreciated the time. more
Apr 2023,
Jonathan
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Amazing Beijing Experience
I had an amazing time in Beijing and glad Tom was my tour guide. He went above and beyond and I’m truly grateful. Tom did all that he could to ensure my stay in Beijing for two days was pleasant and thanks to him, I say that it was. The driver was also nice and courteous, I called him Jon. The company is blessed to have a good tour guide like Tom on their team so if you are planning to come down to Beijing, make sure you ask for Tom. Thank you Christy and Kimmy for replying all my emails with questions that I had. more
Apr 2023,
Pedro V
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Great experience
We had a great experience with China Highlights and Roger was highly efficient and helpful planning our itinerary exactly how we needed. more
Apr 2023,
Brenda Sarmanho
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Excellent service and tour guide!!
Excellent service and communication from the travel agent Roger Li and amazing tour and experience of Great Wall of China from our tour guide Amber. Highly recommended! more
Apr 2023,
Evangelos Athanasopoulos
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Maggie was such a tremendous help for…
Maggie was such a tremendous help for our recent Beijing trip. Very prompt and helpful in helping us plan and adjust/amend to our requests. more
Apr 2023,
Hi
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HK-Beijing-Wuhan-Guilin-HK
We travelled first to Beijing for a few days before moving on to Wuhan for the wedding and then for a few days in Guilin along with my son and daughter in law. It was a great trip and all went smothly with the help of the guides we had along the way. William in Beijing and Jenny in Guilin were excellent. Chas in HK was also very helpful in getting us to the right place and the right time to fly home. more
Apr 2023,
Alan Harris
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