Real Guilin Tour with Extension to Sanjiang Dong Minority Village
Overview
Forget the tourist-crowded attractions and beaten path, discover the real Guilin, the Chinese countryside with real people and village life on an experiential tour extending to Yangshuo and Sanjiang, where the minority people of Dong retain their traditional custom and original dwelling. Be invited to local family to sip a cup of tea and taste the family-prepared dinner, and experience yourself the local traditional handicraft of making rice wine, tea and iron. There are also active activities you would like to try – hiking Longji Rice Terraces, cycling Yangshuo countryside, picturesque Yulong River bamboo rafting, and even participating in real farming work!
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Upon arrival at Guilin airport or rail station, you will be warmly welcomed by your tour guide, and transfer to hotel check in.
At appropriate time in the afternoon, transfer to visit a local family in the old city area. At the local family, you will experience customary Chinese hospitality. Afterwards, have dinner with the family and learn about their usual life.
Meal: D
This morning you will be taken to the outskirts of the city to visit Daxu Ancient Town, one of the four famous ancient towns in Guangxi province with a history over 1000 years. At the Daxu Ancient Town, there’s chance to visit a traditional rice wine workshop. Go inside and see process of making rice wine in traditional way. And surely you can taste the wine if you like.
Have lunch at a farmhouse restaurant and taste authentic local delicious, especially the fresh vegetables. Afterwards transfer to rail station for high speed train to Sanjiang (30-40mins), a Dong autonomous county lying in the North of the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region. Upon arrival, you will be met by local guide and transfer to a clean and comfortable lodge at Chengyang village.
Chengyang village is made up of 8 small villages, the houses are all made of wood. Inside the village you will find traditional dwellings, Drum-Towers, and wind and rain bridges.
Meal: B, L, D
Breathing fresh air in the village, and continue your exploration at villages. See farmers working at the rice terraces, women weaving with very old wood looms, and even watch the dance & Song Performance during your visit.
If your travel dates are just on Dong’s Festival, villager’s wedding ceremony or newborn babies one-year-old birthday parties, you will see the Long Table Banquet (or Long Street Banquet) which is a time-honored culinary tradition for local Dong people. Of course, you will be invited to join them.
In the afternoon, transfer to Buyang village, and visit the large-scale Tea Plantation. A local tea specialist will welcome you and takes you go inside the tea plantation, you will experience tea-picking, and see the process of stir-frying tea. Afterwards, the tea specialist will show you the art of tea ceremony and introduce you the proper way to taste tea. Back to Chengyang village and end the day with delicious dinner at local villager’s family.
Meal: B, L, D
Pick up from your lodge in the morning and drive directly to visit the imposing Longji Rice Terraces (1.5hrs). The beauty of rice terraces take on different looks with the change of seasons. Most people think spring is the best time to visit the rice terraces, since the fields are filled with water, making the terraces look like silver ribbon hung around the hills.
Visit Ping’an Zhuang minority village, and you can learn to prepare local food at a villager’s family, such as Bamboo tube cooked rice and freshly-extracted oild tea. Tonight, you will stay at a lodge where you could see beautiful view of Longji Rice Terreaces.
Meal: B, L, D
Wake up early to catch the sunrise if the weather permit, continue to see a bit more of the Rice Terraces and then drive to Yangshuo. En route, visit Huixian National Wetland Park. It just like a secret garden, when you are tired of your bustle city like, and want to find a quiet, aesthetical, ecological resort, then Huixian Wetland Park is your best choice. At the Huixian town, there is an ancient village, the villagers have been living on making iron from generation to generation. You will have chance to enter their workshop and see villagers making iron in traditional way here.
Afterward go ahead to Yangshuo, a small county bordering the beautiful Li River at one side, situated on a small plain between numbers of karst peaks. The rest of time for your own exploration at the charming town.
Meal: B, L
Have half day cycling tour at Yangshuo countryside. To avoid the busy traffic in the town area, we will transfer your bike to countryside. The small trails on the farmland make it possible for you to have a quiet scenic ride. Family visits will also be arranged and you will learn more about China’s vast rural world. If you don’t want to ride bike, we can arrange a cool tractor tour for a special experience or classical countryside tour by private vehicle.
Yangshuo is a place where you can have a close-up experience with the farming world of China. In this afternoon you will follow the local farmer to the fields, and do 1-2hrs farm working under the famer’s instruction. As the crops in different seasons are always different, farm working will be arranged according to the season, like, planting rice, growing vegetables, and harvest rice/peanuts, etc.
OPTIONAL ACTIVITIES
- The rest of time you could take the optional Bamboo rafting tour on Yulong river, or join small group cooking class with a visit to local market.
Meal: B, L
Drive to Guilin airport for your departure. End of your 7 days Guilin tour.
Meal: B
