TREK001-1: Miao Festival and trekking

Introduction:

The Sister Festival is one of the Miao people's most active festivals. It is held on the 15th day of the third lunar month, and the Miao celebrate it with numerous traditional activities and customs. Sister Festival, held in Shidong, Taijiang County, Guizhou Province, is the Miao people's busiest time of the year, and it is an opportunity for Miao youth living along the middle reaches of the Qingjiang River to choose their dates. During the festival, Miao people eat "Sister Rice," dress up, dance, watch bullfights, compete in a canoeing contest and sing.

The Lusheng Festival is the most influential festival of the Miao community. It is popular throughout Guizhou, Yunnan, and Sichuan Provinces, the Lusheng Festival in Kaili, Guizhou being the most famous and grand of the bunch. It begins on the 16th of the first lunar month, and climaxes on the 19th and 20th .The festival features a lot of Miao ethnic activities, such as singing, bullfighting, horseracing, and dancing to the rhythm of the Lusheng (a homemade reed mouth organ with five or six bamboo pipes, played by various ethnic groups in southwest China).

Miao Festival and trekking

This tour will lead you to visit both of Guizhou and Guangxi provinces, in the west-south of China, these two provinces are the most populous province of ethnic minorities. In Guizhou, you will participate the Miao festival, and trek into the mountain. In Guangxi province, you will see the most beautiful landscapes in Guilin.

Day1: Shanghai

Arrive in Shanghai, our tour guide will pick you up at the airport and transfer to the hotel in the city. Afternoon, take a river cruise tour for 2 hours, then walk on the bund, enjoying those old buildings mostly constructed in 1920s, such as the Peace Hotel.

Day2: Shanghai - Guiyang

After breakfast, visit the Yuyuan Garden, Yuyuan means a Garden of Peace and comfort, the Garden is a traditional Chinese park complete with pavilions, lakes, bridges and rock, this small park is located in the heart of Shanghai’s old Chinese quarter, built in 1559. Afternoon fly to Guiyang, the capital city of Guizhou Province, is located on the east slope of Yunnan-Guizhou Plateau, has an area of 2,406 square km., and a population of 1.56 million.

Day3: Guiyang - Anshun

Drive 3 hours to Huangguoshu Waterfall in Anshun. Visit the famous Huangguoshu Waterfall, located 128 kilometers west of Guiyang, capital of the southwest province of Guizhou, Huangguoshu Waterfall boasts breathtaking size – 74 meters in height and 81 in width – and beauty, walk for 2 hours (raincoats or umbrellas are needed). Then visit a Buyi village.

Day4: Anshun - Kaili

Drive to Dragon Palace Cave, it’s a magnificent underground cave system with lakes, waterfalls and stalactites, covering an area almost 60 square kilometers. Because the main cave looks like the crystal palace where the dragon king lives, it is known as Dragon Palace Cave. Traveling through a 5km long by boat. Then drive 2.5 hours back to Guiyang. After lunch, go on driving 3 hours to Kaili.

Day5: Take part in festival

Kaili is the capital of Dong and Miao Autonomous Prefecture. Except Miao and Dong nationalities, there are also some other minorities of Shui, Yao and Zhuang live there. They still wear their own traditional costumes; remain their own life style. Every year, there are about 130 festivals celebrations held in different villages around. On festival occasions, people come from villages nearby to celebrate, wearing beautiful costumes and ornaments, singing, dancing and rowing dragon boats. Take part in some of celebrations and return to Kaili.

Day6: Trek on Laowashan Hill

Drive 1 hour to Laowashan Hill, start trekking through those village Miao: Laowashan – Matang – Xijianzhai – Ditang – Huzhuang Middle School, totally 4 hours trek, have lunch at Huzhuang. Afternoon, trek 3 hours on Xianglushan Hill, the road is steep but with stairs near the top. There are a panorama of villages and farms at the top of the hill.

Day7: Kaili – Leishan

Drive 1 hour to Langli village, then trek from here to Xijiang village, trek 5 – 6 hours, we need to ford the river three time (Sandals and slippers are necessary). Xijiang is the biggest Miao village in China, a 1000-households village, in Leishan County, surrounded by green hills and blue waters, rows upon rows of pile dwellings stand in the bamboo forests on the mountain slope. Drive 2.5 hours from Xijiang to Leishan County.

Day8: Leishan - Rongjiang

Drive 3 hours to Pingyong Town, take lunch in this town. After lunch, drive 1.5 hours to Rongjiang. Take a walk to the market opposite to our hotel.

Day9: Rongjiang - Zhaoxing

Drive 5 hours to Zhaoxing village. Visit a village and the Drum Tower on the way. The numerous drum towers which are built in the center of the Dong villages, is used to summon the villagers if something urgent happens in the village. After arrival in Zhaoxing, free time for walk in the village, Zhaoxing is a bigger village in the southern Dong dialect region. The village is divided into five parts according to family groups that each has one roofed bridge and one drum tower.

Day10: Zhaoxing - Sanjiang

Drive 4 hours to Sanjiang, The remote mountain valley region where Guangxi, Guizhou and Hunan provinces meet constitutes the traditional homeland of China's Dong nationality. Sanjiang, which lies in the very meet point of the three provinces, it is known for its "Folk Custom Centre" and Chengyang "Wind and Rain" covered bridge which is protected as a valued relic. Visit the bridge and take walk in your free time.

Day11: Sanjiang - Longsheng

Transfer to Guandong, trek from Guandong to Mapan for 4 hours, a discover of some tradition village of Dong, take our lunch in Mapan. Then drive 4 hours to Longsheng, which is mostly, inhabited by people of the Zhuang, Yao, Miao and Dong minorities. They have kept most of their ancient customs and traditions. The rice terraces in Longji, built centuries ago by the Zhuang people, are the largest terraces in the world, compared with those in Banau in Northern Philippines. Longji means “Dragon’s backbone”.

Day12: Longsheng - Guilin

Trek 2 hours on the rice terraces of Longji, then leave Longsheng, drive 2 hours to Guilin. a famous historic and cultural city with uniquely beautiful landscapes is a tourists city known to all the world over. Visit the Reed Flute Cave, well Known as “Natural Art Palace”. In the Cave, there are lots of “dripstones” in fantastic formations.

Day13: Lijiang River cruises boat
Hotel pick-up at 8:30am to take to the cruise boat; The Li River is one of the many attractions of Guilin. Li River boat cruises from Guilin to Yangshuo are very popular. At each turn of the river, many of the peaks had a legend associated with them, and some rock faces were said to represent figureheads.

Day14: Yangshuo – Hikes and Cycling
Hotel pick-up at 8:30, 4 hours for hikes in the morning and 2 hours for cycling in the after noon. Yangshuo is a great place for hikes and cycling excursions. There's no doubt that taking a close-up exploration to the country villages, you will have a taste of the rural life. One thing surprise is the one-hour bamboo raft trip along Yulonghe River. You will expect the scenery to be such a paradise.

Day15: Guilin – Beijing

Transfer back to Guilin, and to airport. Fly to Beijing, transfer to the hotel near the airport.

Day16: Fly to Back home

Please ask us the date of the Miao Festival!

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