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Last updated: 2012-04-20

Itinerary

Day 1

Day 2

Xiamen 厦门,is situated right by the South China Sea, not far from Taiwan. The city, previously known as Amoy, was one of five Chinese cities opened to foreign trade in 1842 according to the Treaty of Nanjing (the humiliating end of the First Opium War). Today Xiamen is one of the more modern cities in south China, however there is also some trace of history.

You will stay on the island of Gulangyu 鼓浪屿, just across the harbour of Xiamen, where many of the European merchants that settled in the colonial times. There is a ferry across the strait, which leaves all the time. On the island, there are still some colonial buildings and churches, some well preserved and some not. There are no cars, except for the electric tourist train. Today Gulangyu is a popular tourist site for domestic visitors with plenty of shops and restaurants. Take a walk around the island. In the south part there are a couple of beaches. On a hot day they could be an option for a swim.　

On the mainland the large and lively Buddhist temple, Nanputuo Temple 南普陀思 is worth a visit. Across the street from the temple is the famous Xiamen University 厦门大学, founded in 1920's.

Day 3-5

Departure by bus in the morning. First to Zhangzhou 漳州, and then to Shuyang 书洋. The area around Zhangzhou is commonly called "the banana district". You will understand why. After passing the city of Nanjing 南靖 the bus starts climbing, heading for the mountain area. The total time of travelling will be about 5-7 hours before arriving in Shuyang. Continue for half an hour more to Tianloukeng village 田螺坑, which is your final destination.

This area in the southwest Fujian province is populated by farmers. Rice, corn, fruits, tea and tobacco are some of the crops being cultivated. The mountain landscape is green and beautiful. Rice terraces cover many of the slopes. During the last 4-500 years, perhaps longer, the local people have been building so called tulou 土楼, "earth buildings". The buildings are often of circular shape and large. Sometimes hosting a whole clan or a village.

The village of Tianloukeng has five or six tulou buildings. You will stay in one of the tulou houses, close to the villagers and be able follow their daily life. Although the facilities in the tulou buildings are simple, the standard of living is decent compared to Chinese farmers in other parts of China. Many families have one or more members in the coastal area working or studying. It is not uncommon that both girls and boys attend high school or even university. In many of the tulou villages you can see that modern houses have been built next to the traditional houses. It is probably a matter of time before the tulou buildings will be deserted in favour for the more convenient housing. In the village of Tianzhong 田中 there is a tulou museum.

Day 4 you will divide into small groups of 2-4 people and go trekking to other tulou villages in the area. If you wish you may stay the night in one of the other villages.

Day 5 you will hike back to Tianluokeng where you will have lunch. After lunch departure by bus back to Xiamen.

Day 6-8

Flight to Guilin in the morning. Transfer to Yangshuo, 83 km south of Guilin.

The area around the Li River 漓江 is world-wide famous and a big tourist attraction for both domestic and foreign tourists. The landscape is beautiful with "sugar-top" mountains peaking everywhere. The lush-covered limestone-hills rise along the Li River straight up from the fields. Ten years ago, Yangshuo 阳朔 was a popular hangout for young back-packers from all over the world. Today the Chinese tourists and the dollar tourists come here too. The number of hotels is still increasing. Despite the large number of tourists, the town has a nice atmosphere. The commerce is busy and there are many small restaurants featuring "Western" food.

You will spend three nights and two days in Yangshuo. There are many nice daytrips to do from here. A good idea is to rent a bicycle and go around in the fascinating countryside and visit some nice villages. Most visitors go on boat rides on the river. You may also take an evening trip on the river in order to get a close look of the remarkable way of fishing with trained cormorants (skarvar).

Day 9

Departure to Sanjiang by bus in the morning. Major part of the road follows the Xun River. Sanjiang is a city of some 300.000 inhabitants. As says in the name of the city (san=three and jiang=river), three rivers meet here. The city is capital for the Sanjiang Dong Minority Autonomous County, populated by the Dong ethnic group. Many of the Dong villages have beautiful "wind & rain bridges", 风雨桥 fengyu qiao. In the Sanjiang County it is said to exist 108 such bridges. Most villages also has drum towers, 鼓楼 gulou and the rice fields are often irrigated by beautiful wooden water wheels.

You will stay over night outside Sanjiang, in a village famous for having one of the largest "wind & rain bridges", the Chengyang Bridge 程阳桥. It was built in 1912 and measures 78 meters. Here you stay in one of the guesthouses next to the bridge. There are a number of villages situated nearby and it is easy to take a walk around the area.

Day 10

By bus along the Duliu River to Rongjiang 榕江. During the trip you will leave Guangxi Province and enter Guizhou Province. This southeastern part of Guizhou Province is one of the poorest regions in China and is not frequently visited by foreigners. However, it is one of the most beautiful parts of the country. It is populated by large groups of ethnic minorities, among them the Miao, Dong, Zhuang, and Shui people. The Miao is one of the largest ethnic minorities in China, numbering around 7½ million. Another two million live outside China, in northern Vietnam, Laos and Thailand. They are famous for their fantastic clothes and their skill with embroidery, silver and vowing.

Rongjiang is a semi-large town by the river. Every Sunday there is a market in town. Neighbouring smaller towns have markets more often, commonly every five days. The dates are decided according to the lunar calendar. Your tour leader knows where and when there is a market.

Day 11-15

During the next five days you will go trekking in small groups. The area of trekking is a hilly landscape mainly without car roads. There are many villages in the area, sometimes only a few kilometres apart. Different villages belong to different ethnic groups. Guizhou province is one of China's poorest provinces and you will notice a difference from life among the Fujian farmers. Still, the standard of living among local people is simple but not extremely poor. The land is fertile and the climate is propitious for good harvests. Many villages have electricity thanks to investments from the local government.

Prior to the trek you will divide into small groups. The most suitable size of trekking group is 2-4 people. Each group will be accompanied by a local guide from the area. Together with the tour leader and your local guide you will discuss the route of trekking for your group. You can either start walking right in town, walk a loop of five days and end you walk in Tingdong. Or you can either start or end by taking a local bus to somewhere and trek back. If the water level is high enough, there is also an option to take a boat somewhere first, and start trekking from there. No matter which route you choose, the landscape will vary between open fields, mountain slopes and forest. And the landscape is hilly. Sometimes very steep indeed! Tingdong is situated at a level of approximately 300 meters above sea level. The highest peaks in the region measures around 1400 meter. The trek will mainly be along small trails, sometimes along rice fields. Since it is often raining, the trails might be slippery. Sometimes, you might have to cross streams or small rivers by foot.

You will be able to leave the major part of your luggage in Tingdong and carry along only the stuff that you will need for the trek.

During the trek, you will spend the nights in local people's houses in villages along the way. The local people are friendly, curious and hospitable and will welcome you to stay in their house. The facilities will be very simple. If there is a spare bed, you will probably be offered to sleep in a bed. If not you will have to stay on the wooden floor. So you will need a mattress and a sleeping bag or a quilt. There will be no shower and only simple facilities for washing yourself. Why not take a swim in one of the rivers while passing during the trek?

During the trek, you will pay your own cost for accommodation, food and transportation (if you use any). Each group will also cover the expenses of their local guide.

On day 15, in the afternoon you need to be back in Rongjiang.

Day 16-17

By bus to Kaili. Kaili is the capital of the Qiandongnan Miao & Dong Autonomous Prefecture, which is the area where you have been trekking. This is also the hometown of your tour leader, Li. You will spend two nights and one day in Kaili.

The town of Kaili is quite small and comparatively clean. You will stay in the centre of town. You can spend the spare day resting after the trek, or if you are not yet satisfied you can make a day trip to any of the villages around Kaili. Perhaps there will also be the chance to visit any of the farmer's market days.

Day 18

Departure by train to Guangzhou in the afternoon. The train journey will take almost 21 hours, and it will be yet another experience of China. You will travel second class, which is also called "hard sleeper". The carriages are open and divided into separate sections with six berths in each. The beds are not as hard as it may seem, the standard is rather like "liggvagn" in Swedish trains. The Chinese trains are a place to meet people indeed. There will be plenty of time to start conversations and many people are curious. Be prepared to reply questions about your marital status, your age, how many children you have etc. There is a restaurant in the train. It is usually only open certain hours. You could also buy one of the boxes of rice and some vegetables that they sell on the train. There is always a free supply of boiled water on the trains so bring a mug and tea or coffee. Or perhaps a bowl of instant noodles. Most often the nights on the train are quiet and you can sleep well.

Day 19-21

Arrival in Guangzhou station by noon. Transfer to the hotel.

Guangzhou 广州 (formerly called Canton) is a huge city with more than 3 million inhabitants. In this southern province of Guangdong the economic development was started in the 1980'ies. Thus you will find the most developed and prosperous cities in China around here.

Shamian Island 沙面岛 in south part of central Guangzhou was an old British and French concession after the Opium War. Some of the colonial atmosphere still persists. Not far from the Shamian Island is the Qingping Market 清平市场. It is most well known for being the market where all most any living creature could be bought and eaten. After the SARS out-break in 2003 the animal department of the market was cleaned up and closed, but now it is opened again. There are some museums in Guangzhou. Guangzhou Museum of Art 广州艺术博物馆 has both ancient and contemporary Chinese art. There is also Guangdong Museum of Art 广东美术馆. The Revolutionary Museum (Peace Movement Institute 农民运动讲习所) is housed in a temple from the Ming Dynasty.

Tour ends and you may start your trip home.

If you fly home from Hong Kong (or just want to visit) our tour leader will help you buying tickets for the bus or the train. He will also tell you how to get from the bus-/trainstation in Hong Kong to where you want to go.