4-day Guilin Essence tour with minority discovery

After breakfast, start exploring Longsheng. Usually, it takes 3 to 4 hours to get there on the mountain road. You will travel on the highway instead, to shorten the journey to 2½ hours.

Arriving at the famous terraced rice fields, you can either walk up or take an electric buggy to get to the top.

The Longji Rice Terraces are known widely for the awe-inspiring view, particularly when they turn golden during autumn.

With autumn undoubtedly being the best time to get perfect photos, the other seasons also boast unique beauty, too. Standing on top of such a huge man-made wonder is itself an extraordinary experience.

When you get back down, you will enjoy lunch with a Yao family who invite you into their home. First, you will learn how to stuff and cook rice inside a bamboo tube.

Then you will sip the freshly-extracted oil tea that keeps the farmers warm in harsh winters. You will return to Guilin by the evening.

Accommodation: 4* Guilin Bravo Hotel/ 5* Sheraton Hotel Guilin

Listed as one of the world’s 15 best rivers for travelers by CNN, the Li River presents itself differently in each season and there are different ways you can appreciate it.

You will enjoy the most classic way: a cruise from Guilin to Yangshuo. To maximize your experience, we will arrange a 4-star cruise for you, which is the highest level. It offers better facilities and a buffet lunch.

The entire journey starts with a smooth transfer from your hotel to the pier. Staggering limestone formations are scattered along the riverbanks and the scenery changes from a cityscape to rural tranquility as you approach Yangshuo.

Take a short break after checking in at your hotel in Yangshuo. Meanwhile, your private tour guide will prepare the bikes or electric scooters for you (a private car is also available if you prefer).

After your break, it’s time to ride along the country roads. As China is developing at full speed, pastoral lifestyles can rarely be seen elsewhere.

Yangshuo’s countryside is one of the handfuls of places left that reminds you of nature’s quietness and pureness.

Enjoy a relaxing night in Yangshuo.

Accommodation: 4*Yangshuo Mountain Retreat/ 5* Yangshuo Ancient Garden Boutique Hotel

Unlike most Western countries, agriculture in China depends greatly on manual work rather than machinery and some traditional farming methods have been passed down for generations. Check them out during your last day in Guilin.

Pay a visit to a local farmer’s house in Gaotian Village. The host will walk you around his/her fields and brief you about the work that needs to be done during the day.

Spend a couple of hours helping out, either in the fields or in the backyard barn, ploughing, harvesting, and stocking, to name a few of the farming activities.

Sit down with the family for a home-cooked lunch and exchange your life stories.

Nothing could be more meaningful than getting a glimpse of people’s lives from a totally different culture while yours is also being shared. With great memories, you will leave Guilin in the afternoon.