- Cycle stunning, quiet, rural southern China back-roads and trails
- Hike the extraordinary Longji – Dragon’s Backbone – Rice Terraces
- Meet local Yao, Miao and Zhuang ethnic minorities
- Raft down an thrilling ravine
- See the UNESCO listed sublime Southern China karst mountain scenery
- Visit and stay in centuries old Ming and Qing dynasty era villages
- Dip into a secluded waterfall
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Destination
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Trip duration
8 days, 7 nights
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Price
From 8600 cny
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Availability period
1 Jun. 2022 - 24 Nov. 2022
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Min/Max travelers
6-16
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Transport
Van,Bike
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Accommodation
Local Hotels
Longji rice terraces, Guangxi province, China
“Get off the beaten track in rural southern China: cycle through stunning limestone karst mountains, hike the cascading Longji Rice Terraces, raft and swim in mountain streams and meet welcoming local minority people.”
We think there’s nothing better than the view from behind the handle bars: every ride is an adventure – exotic peoples, dazzling local cultures, distinctive cuisines and sublime scenery. Liberally sprinkled with opportunities to mingle with locals, discover history, feast on delicacies and lose yourself in the unfamiliar and fantastic: our tours are cooked up to serve you China’s most extraordinary biking.
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Travel is an emotional experience, cherishing new corners and venture into unknown landscapes. Respecting this and giving back to society has taken an important role in our endeavours in leaving only footprints and taking only memories. ATRAILS committed to improving the conditions of communities we encounter on our journeys whilst safeguarding and protecting nature and wildlife
Guangxi
Day 1
Arrival Guilin - transfer to Longji Rice Terraces
Whether you’re coming into Guilin by train or plane we will be waiting for you – just keep an eye out for a sign with your name on it! The drive to our start point in the village of Pingan, nestled in the heart of the Longji Rice Terraces, will take around an hour. On arrival in Pingan, it's a 15 minute walk up to the guesthouse - we'll have porters on hand to help you with your gear if needed. Accommodation for the next two nights is in a local guesthouse with all amenities and some of the best food in the region. After check-in, and a brief group meeting to go over any questions you may have, you can head up to one of the viewpoints for sunset over the intricate network of rice terraces or relax on the balcony and admire the mountain vistas. We'll meet for a banquet dinner in the evening and celebrate the start of the adventure with some local specialities and perhaps some locally made rice wine! The Longji rice terraces (龙脊梯田 – Longji Titian), meaning "Dragon's Backbone" rice terraces, are located in Longsheng county (龙胜) around 100km from Guilin. The terraces, also known as Longsheng rice terraces (龙胜梯田 – Longsheng Titian) are over 600 years old with their construction starting during the Yuan Dynasty (1271-1358) by the Zhuang and Yao ethnic minorities. The area of the rice terraces covers an incredible 65 square kilometres, all built by hand using buffaloes, horses and traditional tools that are still used today. There are three main areas centring on the Zhuang villages of Pingan and Longji and the Red Yao village of Dazhai. We'll be staying in Pingan and exploring the surrounds there as well as hiking to the areas oldest village, Longji, which has the largest group of traditional Zhuang stilt-houses in Guangxi. The Zhuang (壮族) are indigenous to Guangxi and the largest ethnic minority in China. Also living in Yunnan, Guizhou, Hunan and Guangdong provinces, the Zhuang have their own distinct language and customs and are famous for their colorful embroidery. The Yao (瑶族) originally come from Hunan province and have spread across Guangxi, Yunnan, Guizhou and Guangdong provinces. The Yao are well known for their singing and bright clothing and, most famously, for the long hair of the women (often 2 metres in length) that is tied up in a large distinctive bun on top of their heads.
Food
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Day 2
Longji Rice Terraces
After breakfast on the balcony, we'll head up to the terraces guided by our local Zhuang host Keyin or his brother Yibeng. They were one of the first to build a guesthouse in Pingan and we've had a long friendship with them. They'll show us their section of the terraces where we have the opportunity to take part in some of the work that needs to be done - depending on the season that might mean planting rice, tending vegetables or harvesting - whilst learning about Zhuang cultural and village practices. We'll continue our hike up to the various viewpoints above Pingan before heading to Longji village on stone pathways through the rice fields. In Longji we stop for a local lunch a Zhuang farmers house before exploring the old wooden houses, stone bridges and ancient trees in this oldest village in the terraces. We'll return to Pingan with time to freshen up before dinner. Distance: 10 km
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Day 3
Miaoping - River rafting to Shiertan
Our first day on the bikes starts with a bike fitting and a briefing on what to expect on the road ahead. We start with a thrilling downhill for 6km through dozens of switchbacks, down the mountainside. We then follow a smooth twisting gentle downward ride for 11km along a small river, passing several Yao villages. After a short break we spend the rest of the morning on quiet sealed roads climbing gently up over 12km through shady pine and bamboo forests, tea plantations and small settlements, often catching views of villages perched improbably the hills across the deep valley. What follows is a long sweeping downhill through pristine countryside to our lunch spot after 36km. Being close to Guilin, delicious Guilin-style rice noodles are available everywhere and these hearty meals are perfect for biking. In the afternoon, we leave the bikes behind and hop aboard rubber rafts for a sometimes thrilling, sometimes serene, float down the river to our hotel on the riverside at Shiertan. Interspersed with some brumby rapids, the raft ride takes about one and a half hours on mostly flat water passing through ravines and by small villages. Arriving at the hotel you'll have time to shower and relax before dinner on the rivers edge. Distance: 36 km.
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Day 4
Cycle to Qingshitan
Breakfast will be in the hotel overlooking the river and then it’s back on the bikes with a smooth downhill to Wantian village to check out locals going about their daily life; buying and selling in the colourful local market. One of the highlight rides of the tour takes us through farming communities on small, serene backroads and trails through vegetable and fruit orchards as we explore village farm life and old Han villages. At around 30km, we'll stop at Liu San Jie tea plantation for lunch where you see how tea is grown and produced. We'll settle in to learn about tea culture over a traditional tea ceremony before a banquet lunch. Our afternoon ride takes us on small backroads to Qingshitan Lake, where we cycle on it's fringes before descending to the rural plains below. We'll stop and visit Jiangtou Jiuwu ancient village, one of the more intact ancient towns in Guangxi, before heading to our hotel for the evening. Distance: 63 km
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Day 5
Cycle to Daxu
An epic day is in store today as we make to the Li River. Our first section of cycling will take us along flat countryside roads through rice fields, vegetable plots, citrus orchards and numerous villages; many with colourful murals on the roadside buildings. After stopping for a break at Lingchuan, we make our way across the Li River and along wetlands that are used for fish farming. We'll leave the Li River behind and climb up toward Changchongkou, following an ancient trading route that linked distant farming communities to the Li River which was the major transport route in the past. We'll stop in a tiny village for lunch, after which, there's a great walk to a nearby waterfall (and a refreshing dip if it's hot enough). The afternoon is a speedy (mostly) downhill to Xiong Cun village, one of Gunangxi's (and China's) more untouched ancient towns, where we'll stop for a stroll through the old streets. Then it's a riverside ride on small paths through rural landscapes in to Daxu Old Town, one of the regions more famous ancient villages. As it's a long busy day, we'll head straight for our hotel overlooking the Li River, leaving time for the Old Town to be visited the next day. Dinner is riverside with views over the River. Distance: 83 km
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Day 6
Cycle to Xinping
After breakfast, we'll jump on the bikes and head into Daxu Old Town. We'll explore the old streets and meet the mostly old folk who still live in the old Qing brick and wooden buildings. Blue flagstone and river-rock cobble pave the streets and, as Daxu is quite well known, souvenir sellers vie for attention along with snack stalls, antique shops, art dealers, traditional medicine purveyors and juice bars. Our route takes us through town to follow a bike path along the famous Li River to quite near where the Li River cruses begin. On the bikes we'll have the serenity of watching the peaceful river life from the banks, away from the crowds, wending our way through bamboo groves and plantations of citrus, grapes and a myriad of vegetable fields. Our first big climb of the day takes us up high over the river and into the Southern China limestone karst mountain area designated by UNESCO for it's sublime beauty. At the top we'll stop for a coffee break: each day of cycling is punctuated by a coffee break featuring fruit and snacks, tea, and Chinese coffee to keep the legs pumping. A stunning series of long downhills and shorter climbs brings us to lunch in a rural farmers restaurant in the lowlands. After lunch, we head for the hills again with a steep, but short climb taking us into mountain country once again. We'll be making our way to a mountain stream where we'll leave the bikes behind and hike upstream to a narrow gorge and waterfall for a refreshing swim. The last section of riding takes us downhill all the way into Xingping. After freshening up, we'll head into the old town for a banquet of local specialities. Distance: 58 km
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Day 7
cycle to Yulong Valley
Our final day of cycling is definitely a highlight. We follow the Li River upstream for around 2km past the view made famous for being on the Chinese 20 yuan note. From here we load up the bikes onto a local ferry to cross the river, then back on the bikes we send our way through small villages all surrounded by immense karst mountains. A small back road route brings us up our first climb of the day, heading up into the hills for some of the finest views of the tour. We'll stop for a break at Xianggongshan Mt which has a lookout where you can aappreciate the enormity of the landscape: a forest of karst mountains disappearing in the distance over views of the Li River far below. We continue to ride along the ridgeline passing through citrus orchard countryside before heading away from the Li River and down to Baisha and onto the Yulong River Valley. We'll stop for lunch in a local farmer’s restaurant by the river, with views of the 600 year old Yulong Bridge, before a back road ride along the river to our guesthouse in Jiuxian Ancient Town. Our guesthouse for our last night, and celebration of the end of our adventure, is in the middle of the old town in wonderfully renovated traditional buildings: a fitting way to end our tour! 38 km
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Hotel
Day 8
Departure Day
Today is departure day and you are free to leave at any time. If you'd like to stay on in Yangshuo there are plenty of options for further activities so let us know if you need any help planning your stay.
Food
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Travel is an emotional experience, cherishing new corners and venture into unknown landscapes.
Respecting this and giving back to society has taken an important role in our endeavours in leaving only footprints and taking only memories.
ATRAILS committed to improving the conditions of communities we encounter on our journeys whilst safeguarding and protecting nature and wildlife
Various
Various
7 Nt’s accommodation in comfortable hotels or guesthouses
Travel is an emotional experience, cherishing new corners and venture into unknown landscapes.
Respecting this and giving back to society has taken an important role in our endeavours in leaving only footprints and taking only memories.
ATRAILS committed to improving the conditions of communities we encounter on our journeys whilst safeguarding and protecting nature and wildlife
Create the experience of your dream with our travel experts
Make your own trailIncluded
- Accommodation as indicated in the program.
- Meals as described in the program
- Transfers, tours by A/C vehicle and private driver
- Entrance fees as indicated in the program
- Services of a private English-speaking guide
- Support vehicle, great bikes and attentive knowledgeable guides
Not Included
- Ticket(s) for international flights / domestic flights / Train
- Tips for services of local guides and drivers
- Optional tours
- Tours & meals not mentioned in the program
- Porterage at the hotels (in and out)
- Expenditures of a personal nature, such as drinks, souvenirs and laundry etc.
- Excess luggage surcharge
- Insurance is NOT included in this itinerary. It is highly recommended to buy an SOS-covering insurance as the closest hospital is far away.
- single supplement 1800 rmb
Payment and Cancellations
- Deposit: 25% of total package to confirm the booking.
- Full payment is due 4 weeks before departure. We reserve the right to release all services in case of payment overdue
- Cancellation policy:
•Between 60 and 30 days prior to arrival : 25% of total amount
•Between 30 and 15 days prior to arrival : 50% of total amount
•Less than 15 days : 100% of total amount
Is this trip guaranteed to run?
- a minimum of 6 travelers is required to operate the trip
- This is a join in tour
Important notes
Few important details to frame the experience:
- Please note that the itinerary and the order of the visits as described above is subject to change depending on local conditions
- We reserve the right to replace above hotels by other hotels of similar or superior category
- Prices are subject to change in case of VAT or other tax increases
- Wilderness Advanced first Aid Level (WAFA) is included as apart of our in-house training and first-aid kits always accompany our tours.
Prepare for one lifetime experience.
You are booking
Rice Terraces & River Towns
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Destination
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Trip duration
8 days, 7 nights
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Price
From 8600 cny
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Availability period
1 Jun. 2022 - 24 Nov. 2022
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Min/Max travelers
6-16
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Transport
Van,Bike
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Accommodation
Local Hotels
About your trip
RESERVATIONS
All tours and services can be booked directly with our office in China
A TRAILS CHINA / DAOCHENG
Beijing Office
Suite 810, SunFlower Tower
#37 Maizidian Street Chaoyang District, Chaoyang District
Beijing 100022, P.R. China
Tel: (86-10) 6515 9259
Fax: (86-10) 6515 9293
Email: info@atrails.cn
CONFIRMATIONS
All reservations are confirmed by return with the up-dated booking status within 2 working days. Due to occasional delays in communication with more remote destinations, it may take a few days longer to get confirmation.
RATES AND AVAILABILITY
All rates are quoted in RMB and are subject to change without prior notice. Inclusions and exclusions in the tour packages are indicated at the end of each itinerary. Commonly our package tour rates include accommodation, transfers, certain meals, and other tour related services. Domestic or international airfares are included where mentioned. Our tour itineraries do not include visa fees and expenses of a personal nature. The validity of our rates is November 01, 2018, until October 31, 2019, unless otherwise specified.
SERVICES
Local English speaking guides are accompanying tours and transfers in each destination. German, French, Italian, Spanish and Russian and Chinese speaking guides are available on request in major cities and subject to confirmation.
DELIVERY FEES
A delivery fee will be charged according to the distance traveled, if any train tickets are required to be delivered to clients’ hotel.
PAYMENT
Full pre-payment by bank transfer is required 30 days before the commencement of services.
Our bank account details are:
Bank Name: Bank of China Beijing JianGuoMen Wai Sub-Branch
开 户 行：中国银行北京建国门外支行
Account Name：ATC TRAVEL SERVICES (BEIJING) LTD.
账 户 名：北京道成国际旅行社有限公司
Account No.：3259 6908 9747
账 号：3259 6908 9747
Swiftcode : BKCH CN BJ 110
For itineraries operated outside China
Account Name：BEIJING GLORY INTERNATIONAL TRAVEL SERVICE CO, LTD.
账 户 名：北京千乘假期国际旅行社有限公司
Account No.：3211 6010 0100 1577 67
账号：3211 6010 0100 1577 67
Bank Name: Industrial Bank Co., Ltd Sanyuanqiao Sub-Branch
开 户 行：兴业银行三元桥支行
CHILD POLICY
For children aged between 2 and 11 years following rates will apply:
- Child in shared adults’ room with extra bed will pay 80% of the total package price
A maximum of two children per party is granted such a discount. Besides this general policy, specific conditions may apply case by case.
CANCELLATIONS
For cancellation of confirmed reservations, following general cancellation charges apply :
- Between 30 and 15 days prior to arrival : 20% of the total amount
- Between 15 and 7 days prior to arrival : 50% of the total amount
- Less than 7 days prior to arrival : 100% of the total amount.
Special conditions apply for cruises, beach resorts as well as for some of the boutique and landmark hotels. Expeditions and specific products may have different conditions.
Domestic and international air tickets are non-refundable once issued. You are obliged to pay full airfare (inclusive of any tax and fuel surcharge) of any cancelled tickets based on the contract rate.
PROGRAM CHANGES
We reserve the right to re-arrange the order of any tour program, to cancel or substitute elements of any tour itinerary without notice, when local conditions require such changes. All itineraries depending on domestic flight confirmations are subject to changes.
Any increase in taxes or fuel surcharges imposed by the authorities will be advised as soon as we are informed of them, and they will be added to the invoice.
Flight and train details mentioned in our itineraries are for indicative purposes only.
CONFIDENTIALITY
This agreement, its contents and all related documentation sent over to the customer/tour operator are strictly confidential and must not be disclosed to any third parties.
COMPLAINTS AND IRREGULARITIES
We consider complaints as valuable feedback to improve service delivery levels. We request that service delivery failures or customer concerns, be reported during the customer’s stay, to one of our representatives. It is the aim of the company to solve any irregularity on the spot. The company reserves the right to refuse to take action on perceived irregularities submitted to the company 14 days after the customer returns back home.
FORCE MAJEURE
During the term of this agreement, neither party shall be in default of its obligations to the extent that its performance is delayed or prevented by causes beyond its reasonable control, including but not limited to, acts of God, natural disasters, bankruptcy of a vendor, strikes and other labor disturbances, acts of war, or civil disturbances, or other equivalent or comparable events.
INDEMNITY
The client agrees to indemnify and to save A Trails – Daocheng from harm and against all damage or injury (including death) to property or person(s) resulting from intentional or negligent acts or omissions from their respective officers, employees, agents, contractor or subcontractor in connection with the performance of this agreement.
LEGAL NOTE
This agreement is governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of China (and/or applicable in relation to the country it is legally represented) for the time being in force and the parties agree to submit any dispute arising between the parties under this agreement to arbitration in accordance with the Arbitration Rules of the respectable Arbitration Institute, Office of the Judiciary applicable at the time of submission of the dispute to arbitration and the conduct of the arbitration thereof shall be under the auspices of the specific Arbitration Institute accordingly.
IMAGES
Images displayed on the website have a promotional intent only and are not necessarily reflecting the actual destinations and service conditions. These may belong to ATrails staff, customers, photographers we are collaborating with or retrieved from websites such as Pexel, Pixabay, Unsplash or Originoo. While trying to be the most accurate as possible, is agreed that those images do not necessarily depict the actual services promoted.
LIABILITY
We act as an intermediary between the concerned airlines, hotels, all transport operators and local tourist offices providing the services. The Company is therefore not responsible for any loss, injury or damage sustained by the tourists, including those occurring outside the touring programs. Additional expenses incurred due to delay, accidents, natural and disaster, political actions and unrest must be borne by the tourists. Programs and prices, services and conditions are based on those valid at the time of printing and are therefore subject to change without advance notice before or during the tour. Acknowledgment and confirmation of the above-mentioned conditions is active, once clients participate in one of the provided services via us. The itinerary of the excursion, package and/or tour cannot be altered or changed without prior permission from us. We cannot be held liable if you amend the excursion and its content in your brochures or give wrong descriptions to clients that are travelling.
IMPORTANT NOTE REGARDING AUTONOMOUS REGIONS IN CHINA
The Company is not responsible for any last-minute closure of specific regions or tourism sites caused by decisions taken by local or national authorities to restrict access hereto. We will provide alternative itineraries where necessary and reduce cancellation fees to a minimum, however, such imposed closures are beyond our control and constitute a case of force majeure.
The areas concerned include but are not restricted to : The Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region, Tibet Autonomous Region, Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region, minority regions in Qinghai and Gansu provinces.
CORPORATE RESPONSIBILITY
Travel breaks down borders and brings people together: The nearly 900 million people who travel every year make the sector one of the biggest in the world, a major employer and a key element in the global economy. But this has its downside, too: increasing pollutant emissions from the tourist traffic, loss of coastlines and other landscapes through excessive building development and sexual exploitation of children are just some of the negative consequences of the growth in global tourist travel. In order to minimize the negative impacts and enhance the positive ones, our Corporate Responsibility Strategy focuses on four prime issues:
- We increase efforts to ensure that children and adolescents in tourist areas are protected against sexual exploitation, one of the worst forms of abuse of young people today.
- We promote fair working conditions and sensibly service provider partners to social and environmental concerns.
- The supply and saving of clean water is a further key issue.
- We develop our own projects to meet the growing threat posed by climate change. Indeed, helping counter the adverse effects of global warming is one of the biggest challenges faced by the world tourist.