10 days 9 nights
Specific Tour
14 people
English
Quick answer
A 10-day private landscape tour of China: three days in Zhangjiajie National Forest Park and on Tianmen Mountain, then Guilin, the Longji rice terraces, a Li River cruise and the countryside of Yangshuo and Xingping.
From US$1,400 per person for the whole tour, as an indicative price for a small private group in 4★ hotels. It changes with group size, hotel level and season, and is confirmed in your tailor-made quote.
| Day | Route and highlights | Overnight |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Arrive in Zhangjiajie | Zhangjiajie |
| 2 | Bailong Elevator, Yuanjiajie and Tianzi Mountain | Zhangjiajie |
| 3 | Golden Whip Stream and Huangshi Village | Zhangjiajie |
| 4 | Tianmen Mountain | Zhangjiajie |
| 5 | Travel to Guilin and Reed Flute Cave | Guilin |
| 6 | Longji rice terraces | Guilin |
| 7 | Li River cruise to Yangshuo | Yangshuo |
| 8 | Yulong River and the Yangshuo countryside | Yangshuo |
| 9 | Xingping old town | Yangshuo |
| 10 | Depart Yangshuo | — |
Private tour with your own English-speaking guide · 10 days / 9 nights · Zhangjiajie – Tianmen Mountain – Guilin – Longji Rice Terraces – Li River – Yangshuo – Xingping
This Zhangjiajie and Guilin tour brings together two of China's most striking natural regions in one unhurried trip. In Zhangjiajie National Forest Park, thousands of sandstone pillars rise from forested valleys, often wrapped in mist; they inspired the floating mountains in the film Avatar. Over three days you ride the Bailong Elevator up a cliff face, walk the ridges of Yuanjiajie and Tianzi Mountain, follow the Golden Whip Stream and take one of the world's longest cable cars to Tianmen Mountain.
You then head south to Guilin, where the scenery turns softer but no less famous. A day trip to the Longji rice terraces shows how Zhuang and Yao farmers have shaped entire hillsides into steps, and a Li River cruise carries you past karst peaks to Yangshuo.
The final days are spent in the countryside around Yangshuo and the old riverside town of Xingping, rafting on the Yulong River, cycling between villages and climbing to viewpoints over the peaks. It is a trip with plenty of walking and fresh air, balanced by comfortable hotels and a private guide throughout.
Moderate to active. Zhangjiajie involves three to five hours of walking a day, with many steps, though elevators, cable cars and eco buses take care of the big climbs. The Longji terraces involve uphill village paths. Drives are short except the two-hour road to Longji. Best for fit travelers, including families with children over 10.
Nine nights at 4-star level: a 4-star hotel in Wulingyuan near the park entrance, a 4-star hotel in Zhangjiajie city for Tianmen Mountain, a 4-star hotel in Guilin and a 4-star countryside hotel in Yangshuo. 5-star options are available in Zhangjiajie and Yangshuo.
April to May and September to November are the best times, with mild temperatures and clearer views; late October and November bring autumn color to Zhangjiajie. Summer is hot and humid with frequent rain, and the parks are crowded in July and August. The Longji terraces are flooded and mirror-like in May and June, green in summer and golden at harvest in late September and October. Winter can bring fog and occasional snow in Zhangjiajie.
Your guide and driver are yours alone for the whole trip, so the pace, the stops and the start time each morning follow you. The standard version has an English-speaking guide; guides who speak French, German, Italian, Spanish, Portuguese, Russian, Hebrew, Arabic, Chinese or Vietnamese can be arranged on request.
More ideas: All private tours in China · Yunnan Discovery: Kunming, Dali, Lijiang and Shangri-La in 10 Days · Classic China: Beijing, Xi'an, Guilin and Shanghai in 12 Days · China Essentials: Beijing, Xi'an and Shanghai in 8 Days
Photos: Kuruman from Tokyo, Japan, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons; xiquinhosilva, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons; xiquinhosilva, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons; Rutger van der Maar, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons; chensiyuan, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons; Jakub Hałun, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
China’s Great Landscapes: Zhangjiajie, Guilin and Yangshuo in 10 Days is a starting point. Our Hanoi travel designers adjust every day to your pace, interests and hotel style, then run the trip with your own guide and driver.
Fly into Zhangjiajie Hehua airport, where your guide and driver meet you. Drive about 45 minutes to Wulingyuan, the small town at the main entrance to the national park, and check in to your hotel. After a rest, take an easy walk around town, and your guide will explain the plan for the next days, including the best order to visit the park's viewpoints to avoid the crowds. The evening is free.
Overnight: Zhangjiajie
Enter Zhangjiajie National Forest Park early. Ride the glass-sided Bailong Elevator up the cliff face, then walk the paths of Yuanjiajie, where stone pillars rise hundreds of meters from the valley floor. The most famous, now named Avatar Hallelujah Mountain, stands beside the First Bridge Under Heaven, a natural stone arch. Eco buses take you on to Tianzi Mountain for wide views over the peak forest, and a cable car brings you back down at the end of the day.
Overnight: Zhangjiajie · Meals: B, L
Today follows the valley floor. Walk the Golden Whip Stream trail, an easy, mostly flat path of about seven kilometers beside clear water, with sandstone towers rising on both sides and macaques often watching from the trees. In the afternoon, take the cable car up to Huangshi Village, a high plateau with viewpoints over some of the park's most dramatic formations. Return to your hotel in Wulingyuan for a quiet evening.
Overnight: Zhangjiajie · Meals: B, L
Drive to Zhangjiajie city and board the Tianmen Mountain cable car, which climbs more than 1,200 meters over roughly half an hour. At the top, walk the cliffside paths, including short glass-floored sections for those who wish, and visit the Tianmen Mountain Temple. Then descend by bus along the winding road known for its 99 bends to Tianmen Cave, a huge natural arch in the mountain, reached by stairs and escalators. Check in to your hotel in the city.
Overnight: Zhangjiajie · Meals: B, L
After breakfast, travel to Guilin by flight or high-speed train, with routing confirmed at booking according to the current schedules. Your Guilin guide meets you on arrival. In the afternoon, visit Reed Flute Cave, whose limestone chambers are lit in color, and walk along the Li River to the great rock arch at the water's edge that has become the symbol of the city. In the evening, stroll around the central lakes to see the Sun and Moon pagodas lit up.
Overnight: Guilin · Meals: B
Drive about two hours north into the hills of Longsheng to the Longji rice terraces, carved into the slopes over several centuries by Zhuang and Yao farmers. Walk up through Ping'an village, with its wooden stilt houses, to viewpoints such as Seven Stars with Moon and Nine Dragons and Five Tigers. Have lunch in a village restaurant and, if time allows, visit a Yao village known for the women's very long hair. Return to Guilin in the late afternoon.
Overnight: Guilin · Meals: B, L
Board a boat south of Guilin for the cruise down the Li River to Yangshuo, around four hours. The river passes between karst peaks with names such as Nine Horses Fresco Hill, past water buffalo, bamboo groves and fishermen on narrow rafts. Lunch is served on board. On arrival, your driver takes you to your hotel in the countryside outside Yangshuo. In the evening, explore West Street and the riverbank in town.
Overnight: Yangshuo · Meals: B, L
Take a bamboo raft along the gentle Yulong River, where a boatman poles you past fields and small weirs. Later, cycle or walk on quiet lanes through villages and orchards to Moon Hill, a peak with a large natural arch near its top. Climbing the steps to the arch takes about 30 minutes and rewards you with a wide view. The rest of the afternoon is free to relax at your hotel or join a local cooking class, an optional extra.
Overnight: Yangshuo · Meals: B, L
Drive about 40 minutes to Xingping, a small riverside town with old stone streets and wooden houses. Walk down to the riverbank to see the bend of the Li River printed on the back of the 20-yuan banknote, and take a short boat ride on this beautiful stretch. Fit travelers can climb a steep trail to a hilltop viewpoint over the river. Have lunch in town, then return to Yangshuo for a free afternoon and a final evening in the countryside.
Overnight: Yangshuo · Meals: B, L
After breakfast, your driver takes you to Guilin airport, about 90 minutes, or to Yangshuo station for a high-speed train to Guangzhou or Hong Kong. From here it is easy to continue to Shanghai, Beijing or Hanoi, so this route also works as the scenic half of a longer trip through China and Vietnam. We can plan the onward journey for you.
Meals: B
You should be comfortable walking three to five hours a day with stairs. Elevators, cable cars and eco buses cover the big climbs in Zhangjiajie, and your guide can shorten any walk.
It can be busy, especially on Chinese holidays and summer weekends. We start early, plan the viewpoints in a quieter order and avoid holiday weeks where possible.
Yes. Zhangjiajie and Guilin both have flights to Beijing and Shanghai, so it is easy to add two or three days in a city at the start or end of the trip.
Yes. This is a private tour with your own English-speaking guide. We also arrange private guides who speak French, German, Italian, Spanish, Portuguese, Russian, Hebrew, Arabic, Chinese or Vietnamese: tell us when you enquire and we confirm your guide in the quote. Book early for the busiest seasons, such as spring and autumn.
Nothing is payable until you approve your written quote. We then ask for a 30% deposit to confirm, and the balance 45 days before arrival, by bank transfer or card. Bank details come with your booking confirmation; always confirm them with us by phone or WhatsApp (+84 812 247 572) before any transfer.
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