Fun in Guizhou | 6-Day Excellent Guizhou + Huangguoshu + Matang Gejia Village + Langde Miao Upper Village + Fanjing Mountain Tour

Welcome to the cool and pleasant Guiyang, capital of Guizhou Province, China. Our driver will meet you at the airport/train station exit and escort you to your Guiyang hotel for rest! You can arrange the remaining time freely. Recommended Free Time Activities 1. Qianling Mountain Park: Known as the "urban green lung," the park combines karst landforms, forests, lakes, and cultural relics. Along the way, you can also encounter lively and interesting wild macaques. It is a leisure spot loved by Guiyang locals. You can take the cable car to Kanzhu Pavilion to overlook the panoramic view of Guiyang, then walk to Hongfu Temple, praised as "Guizhou's first temple," to burn incense and pray, and feel the strong Buddhist atmosphere. 2. Jiaxiu Tower: First built in the 26th year of the Wanli reign of the Ming Dynasty (1598), it is 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." About 20 meters high, it is a three-story, three-eave, four-corner pyramidal-roof pavilion-style structure standing quietly in the center of the Nanming River, connected to both banks by a stone arch bridge. This layout of "one bridge, one tower, one pavilion" is rare in ancient Chinese architecture. You can stroll and admire its architectural wonder and cultural charm; especially at night, the lights reflected in the Nanming River create the superb beauty of "a scene in the mirror, a tower in the water." Tip: The best places to photograph Jiaxiu Tower are along the Nanming River and around Xihu Road. After the tour, return to your Guiyang hotel for rest.

After breakfast, take a 2.5-hour drive to Anshun to visit the world-famous 【Huangguoshu Waterfall】, the largest waterfall in China and Asia, known as "Asia's Largest Waterfall." The famous Ming Dynasty traveler Xu Xiake once praised it with the words "the pearl curtain hangs unrolled, a white silk draped over distant peaks," making it widely renowned. In addition, Huangguoshu Waterfall was also a filming location for the 1986 TV series "Journey to the West." Upon arriving at the Huangguoshu Waterfall Scenic Area, first head to the Doupotang Scenic Area. This is the widest waterfall by 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 in the 1986 "Journey to the West" ending credits where the four master and disciples lead their 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 Doupotang Waterfall's turbid waters surge and emit a "rumbling" roar like thousands of horses. If you visit during the normal water season, you can enjoy the beauty of the "Veil Waterfall," when the Doupotang Waterfall's waters are clear and gentle, as soft as a bride's veil. Next, take the sightseeing bus to the Tianxingqiao Scenic Area to admire the karst landscape wonders of water stone forests, caves, and waterfalls interwoven together. As a hidden gem of Huangguoshu, Tianxingqiao is a treasure trove for exploration. You can explore the cave wonders in Tianxing Cave and see stalactite formations such as "Eight Immortals Crossing the Sea" and "Pillar of the Sea." The Silver Chain Falling into the Pool Waterfall in the water stone forest and the geological wonder of the Bridge on the Bridge are the most unmissable sights. At dusk, you can shoot silhouettes of the stone forest against the backlight, and in the morning mist, you can capture rainbows in the waterfall. Afterward, take the sightseeing bus to the Huangguoshu Grand Waterfall Scenic Area. This is the main waterfall of Huangguoshu and also the most famous one, with a huge drop of about 77.8 meters and a width of about 101 meters. Even before you approach, you can hear the roaring of the waterfall. Whether viewed up close or from afar, the "Milky Way pouring down" waterfall spectacle is breathtaking, making the poetic line "the flying stream plunges three thousand feet" all the more vivid. If you are interested, you can walk to the Water Curtain Cave, a natural karst cave about 134 meters long that runs through the middle of the waterfall. It is the perfect spot to admire the "rushing thousands of miles" waterfall view, with 6 viewing windows where you can experience the thrill of "waterfalls flying over your head." After the tour, take the escalator back. After the visit, you will be escorted to your hotel in Anshun for check-in and rest.

After breakfast, take a car ride of about 40 minutes to visit Tianlong Tunpu, one of Guizhou's four major cultural calling cards. This is the settlement of the descendants of Han Chinese soldiers from Jiangsu and Zhejiang who guarded the frontier 600 years ago, forming a unique "Tunpu culture" and completely preserving the living customs of Jiangnan in the Ming Dynasty, known as the "living fossil of Ming Dynasty life." The architecture here combines stone city walls with Jianghuai-style dwellings, rugged yet possessing a touch of beauty. Historical relics such as Ming Dynasty post roads, city walls, and village gates still remain, and the women still wear Ming Dynasty Han Chinese clothing—"Fengyang Han attire"—and wear traditional hairstyles. You can chat with them and experience a different local flavor. In addition, be sure not to miss the wonderful intangible cultural heritage—the Dixi opera performance, which tells historical stories of loyalty and serving the country, including spirit-jumping and mask opera, part of military Nuo culture. After the visit, take a car ride of about 3.5 hours to Kaili. In the afternoon, you will 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 who shot down the suns 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, known as the "Shangri-La of Houyi's descendants." Moreover, in Matang Gejia Village, everything from clothing to tablecloths is batik, as if you have fallen into a colorful world of batik. The women here learn batik from childhood, with common geometric patterns (spiral patterns, sun patterns) and natural patterns (tigers, birds, fish, flowers and plants). Their compositions are full and layered, very beautiful, and the village is known as the "Hometown of Batik Art." Cultural experience: You can immersively observe local villagers doing handmade batik with beeswax (yellow wax), and you can also personally experience the steps of wax drawing, dipping and dyeing, and dewaxing to create your own unique batik work as a souvenir. After the tour, head to our carefully selected hotel in Kaili to check in and rest. Note: If you are interested in staying overnight at Xijiang Qianhu Miao Village to enjoy the stunning night views, please consult your travel advisor in advance.

In the early morning, depart from Kaili and drive 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, you will depart from Langde and drive about 2 hours to Zhenyuan to visit [Zhenyuan Ancient Town], one of the "Top Ten Most Beautiful Ancient Towns in China." This is an ancient town with more than 2,200 years of history, with a large number of surviving Ming and Qing ancient building complexes. The Wuyang River and Qinglong Cave are the two most representative attractions of Zhenyuan Ancient Town. Among them, the Wuyang River flows through the town in an "S" shape, naturally forming a Taiji bagua diagram and dividing the ancient town into the Fu City and Wei City parts; Qinglong Cave is built suspended on a cliff, integrating Buddhist, Daoist, and Confucian cultures, and is known as the "Hanging Temple of the Southwest." Climbing the Yuhuang Pavilion offers a panoramic view of the Taiji ancient town. After the tour, head to a hotel in Zhenyuan Ancient Town for check-in and rest. Optional activity: Take a boat tour on the Wuyang River to enjoy the brilliant night views.

After breakfast, you will drive about 2 hours to the entrance of Fanjing Mountain. Today you have a full day to explore this "pure land" to your heart's content. [Fanjing Mountain] is China's fifth-largest Buddhist mountain, ranking alongside Wutai Mountain and Emei Mountain. In the Ming Dynasty it was imperially designated as the Bodhimanda of Maitreya Bodhisattva and has the reputation of "the foremost of all famous mountains under heaven," with incense offerings continuing for a thousand years. Its geological age exceeds 1 billion years, and it is home to Jurassic living fossils such as dove trees and tree ferns, the only habitat of the Guizhou golden monkey, and unique geological wonders. It is a rare global "double miracle of geography and culture" and was inscribed on the World Natural Heritage List in 2018. Recommended route for today's Fanjing Mountain tour: Fanjing Mountain sightseeing bus → cable car → Mushroom Stone → Hongyun Golden Summit → Cheng'en Temple → cable car → sightseeing bus → return to the hotel at the foot of the mountain. The climb takes about 4-5 hours, including sightseeing bus and cable car. First, you will take a sightseeing bus uphill for about 30 minutes, then continue uphill by cable car for about 20 minutes. Looking down from the mountain, the distant skyline is clearly visible, and the ever-changing clouds occasionally envelop the cable car. When you encounter mist, you may also glimpse the wonder of a "sea of forest and clouds." After getting off the cable car, you will hike along the winding forest boardwalk. After about 40 minutes on foot, you will reach Fanjing Mountain's landmark wonder, Mushroom Stone, a giant rock shaped like a mushroom that has stood firm despite a billion years of weathering and erosion. You can take photos with it and capture this geological miracle. Optional attraction: Walk about 10 minutes to Old Golden Summit (about 2,493 meters above sea level) to overlook the magnificent panorama of Fanjing Mountain. Next, descend along stone steps, pass Pudu Square, and continue for about 1.5 hours to reach Fanjing Mountain's iconic attraction, Hongyun Golden Summit, about 2,336 meters above sea level. It is named for the red clouds and auspicious aura that often surround it, and its homophone "Hongyun Golden Summit" means good fortune. The top of the summit is split into two by a natural fissure called "Golden Knife Gorge," connected in the middle by the Heavenly Immortal Bridge, with temples built on each side, respectively enshrining Shakyamuni Buddha and Maitreya Buddha. It has the reputation of a "Buddhist realm reaching heaven." At dawn and dusk, clouds and mist swirl around it, and under sunlight, wonders such as cloud seas and Buddha's halo often appear, like a fairyland suspended in the sky. To reach the top, you need to climb nearly vertical steps using both hands and feet, experiencing the thrill and awe of a "city in the sky." After reaching the top, first pay respects to Shakyamuni Buddha to pray for blessings in this life; then cross the stone bridge and pay respects to Maitreya Buddha to pray for blessings in the next life. Tip: At sunrise, rosy clouds appear on the eastern horizon and pierce through layers of mist, allowing you to capture the magnificent scene of "ten thousand rays of red clouds." After visiting the must-see attractions of Fanjing Mountain, descend and return to Pudu Square. If you are lucky, you can photograph the reflection of Hongyun Golden Summit from the viewing platform. If time permits, visit Cheng'en Temple near Pudu Square. This Buddhist temple was imperially built and named by Emperor Shenzong of the Ming Dynasty during the Wanli reign. In the Ming and Qing dynasties, it was a royal site for offerings to heaven and earth and was honored as an "ancient Buddhist bodhimanda." After the thrilling hike, you can relax here and enjoy the amazing natural scenery. After the Fanjing Mountain hiking tour, take the cable car and sightseeing bus back the same way. Our driver will escort you to your hotel in Jiangkou County for rest. Tips 1. Due to crowding, please avoid visiting Fanjing Mountain on weekends and major Chinese holidays (such as Spring Festival, National Day, and May Day). 2. The mountain path to the Golden Summit is narrow and only for one-way walking, so please be careful. 3. When hiking, it is recommended to bring snacks such as biscuits, bread, and chocolate to replenish energy.

After breakfast, you will take a 3.5-hour drive back to Guiyang, where our driver will escort you to the airport/train station for your next destination. If you wish to extend your journey: Guizhou borders Yunnan, Hunan, Chongqing, Sichuan, and Guangxi. From Guiyang Railway Station, you can take high-speed trains 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).