Colorful Guizhou | 7-Day Guizhou + Huangguoshu Waterfall + Libo Xiaoqikong + Miao and Dong Villages Nature and Ethnic Tour

Welcome to Guiyang, the cool and pleasant capital of Guizhou Province, China. Our driver will meet you at the airport/train station exit and escort you to your hotel in Guiyang for check-in and rest! You can arrange the remaining time freely. Suggestions for free time 1. Qianling Mountain Park: Known as the "urban green lung," it is a leisure spot loved by Guiyang locals. You can hike through Qianling Mountain and enjoy the charming natural and cultural scenery, with opportunities along the way to encounter lively and interesting wild macaques. If you wish to burn incense and pray, you can visit Hongfu Temple. 2. Jiaxiu Pavilion: One of Guiyang's famous historical and cultural landmarks, ranking alongside the Yellow Crane Tower and Yueyang Tower as one of China's "Nine Great Towers." You can stroll and admire its architectural wonders and cultural elegance, especially at night when the lights reflect on the Nanming River, creating the stunning scene of "a tower in the water, a view in the mirror." 3. Qingyun Market: Only about 1 kilometer from Jiaxiu Pavilion, it is an excellent place to experience authentic Guizhou cuisine and bustling nightlife, known as "Guiyang's late-night canteen." Suggested ways to arrive 1. By plane: Guiyang Longdongbao International Airport (KWE) is the only airport in Guiyang, with multiple direct domestic routes, such as from Beijing, Xi'an, Shanghai, Guangzhou, Chengdu, Shenzhen, Wuhan, and Xiamen, as well as direct international routes, such as from Bangkok, Kuala Lumpur, and Singapore. Transportation is very convenient. 2. By high-speed rail: Guiyang is an important railway hub in southwest China, with direct high-speed rail connections from major cities such as Guangzhou, Kunming, Chengdu, Chongqing, and Guilin to Guiyang and other cities in Guizhou Province.

After breakfast, drive 2.5 hours to Anshun to visit the world-famous [Huangguoshu Waterfall], the largest waterfall in China and even Asia, known as the "No. 1 Waterfall in Asia." The famous Ming Dynasty traveler Xu Xiake once praised it with the words "the pearl curtain hook is not rolled up, a white silk hangs on the distant peak," which made it widely renowned. In addition, Huangguoshu Waterfall was also a filming location for the 1986 version of "Journey to the West." After arriving at the Huangguoshu Waterfall Scenic Area, first head to the Doupotang Scenic Area. This is the waterfall with the widest crest among the Huangguoshu Waterfall Group, with a crest width of about 105 meters and a height of about 21 meters. It is also the filming location of the classic scene at the end of the 1986 version of "Journey to the West" where the four master and disciples lead the horse across the waterfall, and you can take photos up close. If you visit during the flood season (June to October), you can witness the "Roaring Waterfall" spectacle, when the turbid waters of Doupotang Waterfall surge and emit a "rumbling" roar, like thousands of troops and horses. If you visit during the normal water season, you can enjoy the beauty of the "Veil Waterfall," when the water of Doupotang Waterfall is clear and gentle, as soft and beautiful as a bride's veil. Afterward, take the sightseeing bus to the Tianxingqiao Scenic Area to admire the karst landscape wonders where water stone forests, caves, and waterfalls interweave. As a hidden gem of Huangguoshu, Tianxingqiao is a treasure trove for exploration. You can explore the cave wonders in Tianxing Cave and check in at stalactite formations such as "Eight Immortals Crossing the Sea" and "Dinghai Shenzhen"; the Silver Chain Falling into the Pool Waterfall in the water stone forest and the bridge-on-bridge geological wonder are the sights not to be missed. At dusk, you can take backlit photos of the stone forest silhouettes, and in the morning mist, you can capture rainbows over the waterfall. After that, take the sightseeing bus to the Huangguoshu Grand Waterfall Scenic Area. This is the main waterfall of Huangguoshu and also the most famous waterfall there, with a huge drop, about 77.8 meters high and about 101 meters wide. Before you even approach, you can hear the roaring sound of the waterfall. Whether viewed up close or from afar, the waterfall scenery like the "Milky Way pouring down" is breathtaking, and at this moment the line "the flying stream plunges down three thousand feet" becomes more concrete. If you are interested, you can walk to the Water Curtain Cave. This natural karst cave, about 134 meters long, runs across the middle of the waterfall and is the best place to view the waterfall's "rushing down a thousand miles" scenery. It has 6 viewing windows, allowing you to experience the thrill of "the waterfall flying over your head." After sightseeing, take the escalator back. After the visit, you will be escorted to a hotel in Anshun for check-in and rest.

After breakfast, you will drive about 350 km (about 4 hours) to beautiful Libo. Upon arrival, you will have an immersive tour of [Xiaoqikong Scenic Area], praised as the "green emerald on the Earth's belt." This is China's most beautiful karst landscape and a World Natural Heritage site, integrating mountains, water, caves, forests, waterfalls, lakes, and rocks, combining grandeur, wonder, danger, elegance, and beauty. It is exquisite and breathtaking, dazzling and ever-refreshing, an unparalleled wonder of karst landforms, known as a "super bonsai." Best way to visit: sightseeing bus + hiking (both relaxing and allows you to fully enjoy the essence of Libo Xiaoqikong Scenic Area) Recommended route: East Gate → Xiaoqikong Ancient Bridge (built in the 15th year of the Daoguang reign of the Qing Dynasty, a landmark attraction with stunning scenery, very suitable for ancient-style photos) → Laya Waterfall (a 30-meter-drop waterfall, shrouded in mist like a fairyland; in the Bouyei language, "Laya" means "beautiful goddess") → 68-tier Falling Water Waterfall (many dense waterfalls and cascades, truly rare) → Water Forest (a karst wonder where "trees grow in stone and water flows over stone") → Cuigu Waterfall (a 60-meter-high waterfall, once one of the filming locations for "Running Wild with Bear Grylls") → Wolong Pond (a landmark attraction whose water presents a fantastical blue-green color, praised as "Guizhou's Little Jiuzhaigou") After the tour, go to our carefully selected Libo hotel for rest.

After breakfast, depart from Libo and drive about 200 kilometers (approximately 3.5 to 4 hours) to visit the Jiabang Rice Terraces near Congjiang County. 【Jiabang Rice Terraces】 are layered and scattered like "fingerprints of the earth," with lines flowing with the mountain contours like a flowing galaxy. Miao stilted houses dot the landscape, and the scenery varies with the seasons: in spring, the flooded fields are like mirrors; in summer, green waves roll; in autumn, golden rice waves; in winter, snow covers the terraces. Morning mist and sea of clouds add a touch of ethereal beauty, earning it the title of "one of China's three most beautiful rice terraces," alongside the Yuanyang Terraces in Yunnan and the Longji Terraces in Guangxi. You can leisurely stroll along the terrace paths, admire the breathtaking pastoral scenery, and experience authentic Miao farming culture. If you happen to visit the Jiabang Rice Terraces in April, you can join the Transplanting Festival and have the chance to experience folk activities such as catching fish and grabbing ducks, and long-table banquets, experiencing the charm of thousand-year-old farming culture. Tonight, you will stay at a local guesthouse at the Jiabang Rice Terraces, giving you ample time to fully enjoy the enchanting terrace scenery. Especially at dusk, the Jiabang Rice Terraces resemble a flowing scroll of interwoven light and shadow, with the sunset, terraces, mist, and villages creating a dreamlike scene.

If you are interested, you can get up early in the morning to enjoy the quiet and misty terraced fields. At this time, Jiabang Terraces are like a flowing ink painting, with the terraces appearing and disappearing in the clouds and mist, cooking smoke curling up from the Miao villages, and local villagers working in the fields, allowing you to fully enjoy the beauty of the "terraces above the clouds." After breakfast, depart from Jiabang by car to Zhaoxing. Along the way, you will visit Zhanli Dong Village, Basha Miao Village, and Zhaoxing Dong Village, experiencing the rich Dong and Miao customs. First stop, visit Zhanli Dong Village, known as "China's No. 1 Village of Population Culture." This is a Dong village famous for its mysterious "flower-swapping grass" fertility custom and its isolated primitive ecology. For hundreds of years, almost every family has had one boy and one girl, with no overbirths. You can explore the "men's well" and "women's well" in the village, which are said to influence the sex of a fetus after drinking, full of mystery. You can also stroll through the village and terraced fields, photograph the pastoral scenery where the Dong village and terraces blend, visit traditional crafts such as Dong cloth weaving and dyeing and bamboo weaving, and experience the authentic Dong living customs. Next, you will continue to the mysterious Basha Miao Village. This is China's "last gunner tribe," preserving customs such as sickle haircuts and tree worship, and is known as one of the "21 most mysterious primitive tribes on Earth." Basha men legally carry guns for life; firearms are a symbol of tribal identity and courage. Their "guard stick" hairstyle is a major feature: they use a sickle to shave the hair around the head, leaving only a topknot on the crown. When Basha men turn 15, they complete this grand coming-of-age ceremony by worshipping the tree of life, receiving a sickle haircut, and being gifted a firearm. In addition, the Basha people regard trees as sacred. Every Basha person plants a "tree of life" at birth, and after death uses a tree as a coffin and plants an evergreen tree at the grave to continue life. Their clothing is also very special, mainly black. Men wear traditional black cloth clothing, symbolizing tree bark, while women add some brightly colored accessories on a black base. It is worth mentioning that if the hem of the skirt is white, it indicates the woman is married; if black, she is unmarried. You can stroll through Basha Miao Village, deeply experience this unique and mysterious Miao culture and primitive ecology, and also have the opportunity to watch the impressive gun salute and sickle haircut ceremony, as well as wonderful lusheng performances. Finally, take a car ride of about 1 hour to visit Zhaoxing Dong Village, known as the "First Dong Village." This is one of the largest and best-preserved Dong villages in China, fully preserving traditional Dong architecture (drum towers, wind-and-rain bridges, stilted houses), intangible cultural heritage skills (Dong chorus, indigo dyeing), and folk activities (Yueye, Sama Festival). It is called a "Dong Culture Museum." The five drum towers in the village are named after "benevolence, righteousness, propriety, wisdom, and trust," corresponding to the five major clan settlement areas. The tallest reaches 28 meters, with an all-wood structure without nails or rivets, and upturned eaves carved with exquisite animal and plant patterns. In 2016 it was included in the Guinness World Records, an architectural wonder unmatched among China's Dong villages. You can climb the viewing platform at the village entrance to overlook the magnificent panorama of the entire Dong village, or wander through the ancient alleys to experience authentic Dong customs. Optional recommended activities 1. Dong Chorus performance: A unique polyphonic a cappella chorus of China's Dong people, inscribed by UNESCO in 2009 on the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity. You can listen to this beautiful "world-class intangible heritage sound of nature" in a drum tower or training hall.

After breakfast, depart from Zhaoxing and drive about 180 kilometers (about 3 hours) to Langde Miao Upper Village, a famous Chinese historical and cultural village. This is an ancient Miao village first built in the late Yuan and early Ming dynasties, with a history of more than 600 years. The stilted buildings in the village are built against the mountains, and cobblestone paths wind through them, blending with the surrounding green mountains and waters, and it is praised as a "Shangri-La." After arriving, you will be welcomed with a grand welcome ceremony. The local villagers will wear traditional long-skirt Miao festive attire and toast guests with ox-horn cups to express welcome and blessings to visitors from afar. Here you can experience the special 12-course gate-blocking wine ritual, the highest welcoming etiquette of the Miao people, with a very strong sense of ceremony. Afterward, you will walk along the stone-paved path to the lusheng ground (bronze drum ground) in the center of the village to watch wonderful lusheng song and dance performances, such as the lusheng dance and golden pheasant dance, intangible cultural heritage items, and feel the charm of the "hometown of Miao song and dance." In addition, Langde Miao Village still preserves ancient Miao embroidery techniques. The women's hand embroidery patterns are exquisite, stitching their love for life and reverence for nature into their clothing thread by thread. You can leisurely stroll through Langde Miao Village, admire the traditional Miao stilted building architecture, learn about the unique "Long-Skirt Miao" culture, and feel the original Miao customs and simple folkways. Afterward, drive about 1.5 hours to visit Matang Gejia Village. [Matang Gejia Village] is a traditional village mainly inhabited by the Gejia people, with more than 400 residents remaining. These Gejia people claim to be descendants of Houyi, the archer hero in ancient mythology. Sun-shooting totems are commonly seen in their clothing and silver ornaments, and they have a unique language and customs. The village environment is quiet and pleasant, and it is known as the "Shangri-La of Houyi's descendants." In addition, in Matang Gejia Village, from clothing to tablecloths, everything is batik, as if you have fallen into a colorful world of batik. The women here learn batik from childhood. Common patterns include geometric patterns (spiral patterns, sun patterns) and natural patterns (tigers, birds, fish, flowers and plants). Their compositions are full and layered, very beautiful, and it is known as the "hometown of batik art." You can immersively observe the local villagers hand-making batik with beeswax (yellow wax), or stroll through the village to experience the unique ethnic culture and living customs. Optional activity: Personally experience the steps of wax drawing, dyeing, and dewaxing to make your own batik work as a souvenir. After the tour, head to our carefully selected hotel in Kaili for check-in and rest.

After breakfast, check out, then drive about 160 km (about 2.5 hours) back to Guiyang. Our driver will escort you to the airport/train station for your next destination. If you want to extend your journey: Guizhou borders Yunnan, Hunan, Chongqing, Sichuan, and Guangxi. From Guiyang Railway Station, you can take high-speed rail to popular destinations such as Kunming (3 hours), Fenghuang Ancient Town (2 hours), Chongqing (2-2.5 hours), Chengdu (3-3.5 hours), and Guilin (2 hours).