15-Day China Rural Tour

Tour Overview
OH YES this tour is designed to give you a truly China, you will visit the beautiful countryside in Guangxi and Yunnan provinces. You will be stunned by the most breathtaking karst landscape and terraced rice fields in the world. You will visit some traditional ethnic villages and track the civilization on the Ancient Tea and Horse Route in Southwest China. When enjoying the local attractions and picturesque scenery, we also talk with the minorities and learn about their culture, history, unique buildings, stories, and even their current situation.

Day1 Arrive in Guilin (no meals)
Be met at the airport and picked up to the hotel. The rest of the day is at leisure.

Day 2 Guilin /Yangshuo(B, L)
Morning have a Li River cruise to Yangshuo. It will take you 3.5-5rs to enjoy the most beautiful karst landscape in the world. Disimbark in Yangshuo and visit the West Street. Enjoy a fantastic night show in the Li River -Impression Liu Sanjie. 

Day 3 Yangshuo/Guilin (B, L)
Today, you will enjoy a cycling tour about 4-5hrs in the Yangshuo countryside. Drive back to Guilin in the afternoon.

Day4 Guilin/Longsheng/Guilin (B, L)
Drive to Longshen to visit the Ping'an Village and Dazhai Village. Drive back to Guilin.

Day 5 Guilin/Kunming (B, L)
Visit the Elephant Trunk Hill and the most fantastic cave in south China - Reed Flute Cave. Transfer to Kunming by plane.

Day 6 Kunming (B, L)
Drive about 90km to see the world natural wonder -The Stone Forest. After that, visit the Sani Minority Villages - These ancient ideologically isolated villages are famous for their beautiful ethnic garments, mystical ancient traditions and beliefs. Drive back Kunming.

Day 7 Kunming/Dali (B, L)
Transfer to Dali. Visit the Chongsheng Three Pagodas and ascend the beautiful Mt. Changshan by a cable car. 

Day 8 Dali/Xizhou/Shaxi (B, L, D)
Morning cruise on the Erhai Lake and visit two islets. One has a big historical temple with many interesting legends and stories. The other is home to the Bai people. The locals are proud of their traditional buildings and live on fishing. A temple and a small primary school are also found in this tiny island.

Proceed to visit Xizhou Old Town and have lunch there. Drive to an ancient village in Shaxi Town and check into a unique hotel. The hotel was once the inn on the ancient Tea and Horse Route, it still keeps many things as its before apart from the western food, comfortable beds and some modern facilities in the rooms. Have dinner at a farmer's restaurant.

-Xizhou Old Town
In Xizhou, we will stroll in the streets to see the old folk houses and visit a local market. We also visit a local personage's former residence. In his big home, we will enjoy an interesting show which related to the Bai people's customs and traditional garments and be served the "Sandaocha" (a traditional regional tea ceremony consisting of three unique tea flavors) as well as.

-the village in Shaxi Town
This village played a very important role as part of (properly speaking untill the 1970s) the Horse and Tea Route. It is quiet and traditional. Today it is not known by the outside world and is least visited. The village has several old samll inns with morden facilities, old temples, folk buildings, ancient bridegs, square, old trees and a small museum in the time-honored theater stage etc.

Day 9 Shaxi/Shibaoshan/Lijiang (B,L)
Explore the Shaxi village including the temple, the theater stage, some buildings and the beautiful natural fields by the bridges. Transfer to the Shibaoshan Scenic Area to visit the Shizhongshan Grottos and the Baoxiang Temple. Drive to Lijiang, we will stop at a restautant for lunch en route from the area to Lijiang Old Town. Free explore the old town in the evening.

Day 10 Lijiang(B,L)
Pay a visit to the beautiful Black Dragon Pool Park and its museum that shows the Naxi civilization. In the park, you can see the breathtaking snowclad Jade Dragon Snow Mountain. After that, transfer to visit Yufeng Lamasery, the Baisha murals, Baisha Village and the Shuhe Old Town. 

-Yufeng Lamasery
Built in the Qing Dynasty and famous for the buildings, monks, some old trees, especially the legendary 1000-year-old camellia tree.

-Baisha Village
Noeted for the murals, Naxi buildings and imbued with a strong smack of traditional life

-Shuhe Old Town
Nicknamed the "tiny Lijiang" but has a lot of interesting things that you cannot find in Lijiang Old Town. Rent a horse or a carriage to pay a visit the town will be unforgettable in your life-time.

Day 11 Lijiang(B)
In the morning, visit the Lion Hill (not high and easy to climb), from a tall traditional building there we will have a bird's eye view of the Lijiang Old Town and see the beautiful Dragon Snow Mountain. After that, visit the Mu's Residence. Free explore the old town in the afternoon. In the evening, enjoy the Naxi Ancient Music.

-Mu's Residence
Mu's Residence is comparable to the Forbidden City for the Naxi People, and presents the ebb and flow of a big and well-known local family.

Day 12 Lijiang/Kunming/Beijing (B)
Today you will be picked up to the airport for the flight to Beijing (The plane may stop over at Kunming for a moment). The rest of the day is on your own arrangement.

Day 13 Beijing (B, L)
Morning visit the Temple of Heaven and the Qianmen Dajie. Proceed to explore the Forbidden City and the Tiananmen Square in the afternoon.
Enjoy your Beijing Roast Duck Dinner and then watch the Beijing Opera (including a behind-the-scenes look at the colorful make-up being applied to the performers.)

Day 14 Beijing (B, L, D)
After breakfast, you will be driven around the Olympic Green and stop for two views, the Bird's Nest and the Water Cube. While you are not allowed inside you can view them from outside and take photographs. Proceed to visit the Mutianyu Great Wall - one of famous sections of the Great Wall of China, about 1 hours drive from Beijing downtown, this section is less touristy than the Badaling Great Wall. It includes cable car tickets up and down.

Day 15 Beijing/Departure (B)
Visit the Summer Palace. Then drive to the airport for your homebound flight.

Services End

Note: This tour package is flexible. If you want to make it something special, please tell us when inquire. We can arrange some bamboo rafting (Yangshuo) and hiking (Longsheng, Dali, Shaxi or Lijiang) tours. Any extension of this tour is acceptable.