From Misty Mountains to Hidden Villages

From Lijiang, you'll head out for your two day trek through Tiger Leaping Gorge. You’ll be collected by your guide at 7:45 and take the public bus towards the starting point about 2 hours away in Qiaotou. Once you arrive at the starting point you'll pay the entrance fee (Y 50) and begin your trek together with your guide. You’ll walk for two hours until you reach the Naxi guest house. This first leg of your hike won’t be easy. You’ll climb quite a bit, however if you have an average level of physical fitness it shouldn’t be a problem. Along the way you’ll find places to stop for a bite to eat or drink, just let your guide know if you would like to have a rest.

Once you reach Halfway Lodge you can take off your shoes and relax in one of the rooms in the wooden building. There’s a heater and warm blankets available, however it can still get quite cold (especially from October - April) so bring warm clothes along for the evening.

After your final night in the same Lijiang hotel you'll wake up early for your bus transfer from your hotel in Lijiang to Dali (approx 4 hours). Near Dali Old Town you'll then board a minibus to your hotel. The trip will take you through a very diverse landscape: wooden houses surrounded by green farmland and forested hills. Look beyond the hills and you'll be able to see the Himalayas. This last part of your holiday in China will take you past the Erhai Lake.

Old town Dali and modern Dali are only about 20 minutes apart from each other. However, the modern part of Dali is busy, with lots of Chinese tourists so we don't recommend staying there. Old town Dali, where you’ll stay, is much more enjoyable to visit.
 

This morning you'll begin by visiting two Dong villages near Zhaoxing. The first village is Tang'an, located high up in the mountains and surrounded by colourful rice terraces. The village will give you a spectacular view of the seemingly endless rice paddies. Tang'an's bustling village centre is a square with a large drum tower. While you're here, you can go for a walk up through the village and enjoy the view from the hill. This is the ideal place to take a few pictures, rest your tired feet and simply enjoy the moment. Afterwards you'll head towards the second village, Jitang. This is a slightly larger and more modern Dong village.

Sometime around noon you'll be back in Zhaoxing and you'll have the rest of the afternoon and evening to yourself. Wander through the rice paddies next to the hotel, cross through to the other side of Zhaoxing and visit the new wind and rain bridge. Stroll through the local market or simply sit back and relax at one of the bridges or drum towers and soak up the enchanting atmosphere of authentic China.

At around 9am you’ll take off with your guide on a walk through some of the world’s highest rice paddies; The Dragon's Back Bone or Long Ji. You’ll climb and descend through marvellous scenic areas, past rivers, through wooded areas and through rice paddies. You’ll pass several villages, most of them nothing more than a few houses built on poles, with friendly, curious inhabitants who will treat you to their biggest, brightest smiles when you pass.

This trek will take about 5 hours. If the weather is bad or if you don't feel like walking the entire 5 hours, there are also shorter treks available during this holiday in China. In the evening, the Zhuang will show you their singing and dancing traditions at your request. Afterwards travellers usually gather on the veranda to sit, talk, drink or play a game until late in the evening.

Start off the day by enjoying the magical sunrise and the silence of the morning. The shrouds of mist surrounding the mountains will gradually pull away and while you have your breakfast on the veranda you'll see the sun climb into the sky. When time has come to move on, you'll take your baggage to the car park where a transfer will be waiting to take you to Guilin airport (a 1.5 hour drive).

You'll continue your holiday in China as you fly to the city of Guangzhou (Canton), which lies near Hong Kong. This flight is much less expensive than flying directly into Hong Kong. A transfer will be waiting to take you to the Guangzhou train station. Your train ride to Kowloon i9n Hong Kong will take another 2 hours. On arrival in Hong Kong you will arrange your own transfer to your hotel. 
 

Our most popular hotel lies in the central district of Tsimshatsui on the southern point of Kowloon where you'll find the famous shopping street, Nathan Road. This is our standard hotel choice for this holiday in China - unless you indicate that you would like a room with a view of the impressive Hong Kong skyline from the luxurious Harbour View Hotel - our upgrade option. You'll spend two nights in Hong Kong and you'll have the day after arrival free to spend as you wish.

Please note: despite the large number of hotels in Hong Kong, there is a shortage of hotel rooms during the Christmas holidays and during the month of October (the month in which many conventions are held in Hong Kong). Prices for rooms are higher than normal during this period of time.

If your flight home is in the afternoon or evening you might have some time to check out a few more of Hong Kong's attractions. You could take the ferry in Kowloon and then the trolley to Victoria Peak on Hong Kong Island. This is where you'll be able to enjoy the magnificent view of the Hong Kong skyline.

Unfortunately all good things must come to an end, and today this holiday in China must draw to a close. Today you'll return to the airport (you can arrange a transfer at your hotel reception for just a few pounds) and catch your flight back to the UK.