Great Southern Land Tour
Itinerary
Day 1 -
Guilin -
(Dinner Included)
- Arrival Transfer (From airport or train station)
- Hotel Check-In
- Dinner at a local Sichuan restaurant
- Tour briefing
- Cycling adventure along the Li River to Xing Ping
- Approximately 5hrs riding through old villages and spectacular scenery
- Picnic lunch and afternoon swim
- Spend the afternoon back on foot exploring Xing Ping ( featured on the 20¥ note)
- A free morning to relax before white water rafting! Finally arriving into Yangshuo in the late afternoon
- Option to see the famous Liu San Jie show created by Academy Award winner Zhang Yi Mou
- Free day optional activities include rock climbing, bamboo rafting, Tai Chi, Kung Fu, Cooking School and many more
Our Road Trip Begins…
We begin our road trip through the minority people of Guangxi and Guizhou provinces. This will be a fantastic journey!
Day 5 - Yangshuo - Dazhai- Take a private bus to the Dragon’s Backbone rice terraces arriving in the early evening
- This area is home to the colourful women of the Yao and Zhuang minorities
- Have dinner and drink some local rice wine
- Spend the day hiking through the terraces to Ping An with spectacular views down the deep valleys
- Enjoy the hospitality of our local guesthouse - Drink some more local rice wine
- We spend the morning travelling to Chengyang
- Transport times can vary depending on conditions
- Visit the famous Wind and Rain Bridge and explore this traditional rural village
- Spend the day hiking through the surrounding countryside littered with tiny Dong minority villages. A chance to experience local village life
- Cross the mountains by bus into Guizhou province
- We spend the day travelling to the remote village of Zhaoxing
- Transport times can vary depending on conditions
- Possibly see a Dong cultural show in a local drum tower
- This Dong minority village only receives a small number of foreign visitors a year
- It is known for its many wooden drum towers where you can see locals still living and relaxing in the shade
- Optional picturesque day hike
- Travel to Guiyang, the journey will be long however very scenic
- Guiyang is the capital city of Guizhou province and is a transit point for us
- Depart early to catch a morning flight to Zhongdian via Kunming
- Wander the ‘Old Town’ area with its Tibetan architecture, appreciate the scenic beauty and clear mountain air up here on the plateau of Shangri-la
- Free day
- Visit Songzanlin, the largest Tibetan Monastery in Yunnan, see monks praying and pilgrims circling the temples
- Relax in the Tiansheng hot springs
- Free day
- Relax in the Tiansheng hot springs
- Hike to a Naxi minority village and spend the night with spectacular mountain views from our family run guesthouse
- Trek through the gorge arriving for a night in Walnut Garden
- Explore Walnut Garden and some of the gorge's deepest areas
- Catch an early private bus to Dali and enjoy the return to civilization in this sleepy backpacker friendly town
- Dali is situated on the shores of Lake Er Hai, and is home to the Bai minority
- Afternoon Cormorant fishing experience
- Spend the day relaxing in Dali
- Option to walk the stunning Cang Shan Mountain hiking course with views of lake Er Hai
- Catch an overnight train to Kunming
- We will arrive to the city of ‘Eternal Spring’ in the morning and transfer to the hotel
- Free day, watch the locals play mahjong in Government Square or explore the vibrant market areas
- In the evening we will have our farewell dinner
- Tour Ends
What To Expect...
This tour has been put together with all the planning, skill and attention to detail possible. We need you to know however that this is a My Travel class tour and it does go to many less developed places than regular cities, we think this is what makes it particularly special. Therefore there are a few things to keep in mind
It’s a Journey
It’s not the destination, it’s the journey! We will be travelling on public buses, private buses, hard sleeper trains, in taxis, on bikes, on foot, by plane and maybe even a tractor or two. Some of these trips will be long and demanding. The trips on this tour are more than just an A – B function they make up the very fabric of the journey and will be stories in themselves. The rewards are the places we stop along the way
Go with the flow
Expect the unexpected, changes of plans, problems to be solved and things to be fixed. It’s called outback China for a reason. Be as flexible as possible, we don’t envisage any major problems but you never know what might get thrown at us. Remember if this was straight forward everyone would be doing it
It’s not that serious
It’s important not to take anything too seriously, after all this is a holiday and holidays are fun! No matter what happens on tour good/bad/ugly it will all make a good email or story at the pub. Travel with this attitude and you’ll never have a bad day!
Things To Know…
Aside form cameras and iPods make sure everything you pack can be kicked, dropped, sat on and slept on. We ride many buses and local vehicles, luggage isn't priority and it can be on roofs or under grubby buses. It might be a good idea to buy a pack cover (raincoat) to keep it clean and dry. Packs make handy seats or pillows, so don't pack anything to valuable or breakable. Remember, your pack goes on your back! This means make it light and keep mobile
What to Pack
Note: We will travel from warm to cold climates; it will be warm in Yangshuo and then become quite cold in Tiger Leaping Gorge and Zhongdian, pack appropriately. Check the ‘More Info’ section of our website for yearly weather information. You will also need to have good shoes for hiking (actual hiking boots not necessary) and something to keep you dry
What to Spend
China isn’t an expensive country, it all depends on how well you haggle and what you like to eat/drink. We recommend budgeting 150¥ per day. This itinerary crosses a large section of China so there will be times and places where you will spend far more than this and other times when you can’t give it away
Visa
Entry to China is your responsibility. You will need a Tourist Visa (type L) to cover you for the duration of your stay. Visa extensions are difficult and not always possible, and you can not stay longer than the terms of your permit
Note: If you are living in China or a regular visitor your Visa (type F or Z) will be adequate to travel with us. Just remember not to stay longer than your Visa terms or exceed your valid number of entries
Getting Here/Away
Both Guilin and Kunming have an international airports with connections all over China as well as Hong Kong, Macau, Korea, Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore, Vietnam and Japan. This is how most people choose to travel. There are also many trains that make their way to both cities from the other parts of China
Note: Please see the ‘More Info’ section of our site for more detailed instructions on getting here
What To Tell Us…
Insurance
It is a requirement that all clients on our tours must have travel medical insurance. It is your responsibility to make sure this is in order as it is for your benefit and security
You will need to provide us, in advance, your insurance details, specifically your policy number and a 24-hour world wide emergency contact number
Health
If you have any health/allergy/dietary concerns, requirements or problems please tell us. We need to know so that we can avoid problems. We must also be able to communicate the right information to the right people at the right times
Anything Else
Tell us anything else you feel relevant that we have not covered, be it special requests, needs or questions. Your clear communication with us will make you more relaxed, and your holiday more enjoyable. Our email contact is enquiry@myjourney-asia.com. Just remember to include the tour code MTGS and the date of your tour so we can respond to you promptly
