Trip Overview
Our 6 Day Sofe Hiking Tour visits some of China’s most beautiful and scenic trails known for their ease of passage and mountain villages which dot the landscape. Hikers will be able to get up close and personal with many historic sites and see minority villages and rice terraces which have remained unchanged for centuries.
Day 1 Arrival Guilin
Upon arrival at Guilin airport, you will meet your guide and be transferred to Longji Rice Terraces where you will begin your trek up the mountain to Pingan Zhuang Village. At Pingan Zhuang Village you will ascend flagstone steps which will be challenging, but not impossible.
Day 2 Longji to Dazhai
Day 2 is spent at Longji where tourists hike the mountains and rice terraces near Dazhai Yao Village. The Yao people of Dazhai are dressed in ornate red embroidered costumes and welcome visitors to the area. The hiking trail is slightly more difficult with a flagstone path and many winding, hilly areas where you will encounter local farmers and water buffaloes.
Day 3 Longji to Guilin
The day begins with a 2-hour hike from Ping’an through the rice terraces to a local Zhuang village. You will then travel by van to Guilin and see the Reed Flute Cave, Yao Mountain and an organic tea farm at the foot of Yao Mountain.
Day 4 Guilin To Yangshuo
Day 4 includes a hike alongside the Li River to Xingping where you will encounter beautiful scenery and a breathtaking nature show that is sure to create fond memories of this trail. From beautiful mountains, verdant fields and farms, to villages with water buffalos and cows strolling through the streets, Li River to Xingping is one of the best sections to hike and experience the local area.
Day 5 Yangshuo
Once in Fuli, you will follow an ancient trade path through villages arriving at Suoshi Village. Perhaps the most difficult walking portion of the tour, the 12-kilometer trek from Fuli Town to Suoshi Village takes around 4- 4.5 hours and includes a wide range of terrain including hilly areas, old stone steps, a dirt road a climb over two small hills and more. You will meet local villagers along the way who can communicate with you through your guide/interpreter.
Day 6 Yangshuo to Guilin
On Day 6, you will transfer to Guilin airport for your departure flight.
Itinerary At a Glance
DAY 1 ARRIVAL GUILIN (D)
Meet your guide and driver either at Guilin airport or Sanjiang in early afternoon, then transfer to Longji Rice Terraces (about 1.5 hours’ drive from either the airport or Sanjiang); then change the local shuttle bus and keep driving up the mountain (about 40 minutes), start walking up to Pingan Zhuang Village. Stay overnight in Pingan Zhuang Village.
Walking info: there are flagstone steps from the bus parking to Pingan village, this walking-up may take about 30-40 minutes, and the ascent is about 250 meters.
DAY 2 LONGJI TO DAZHAI
(BLD) breakfast, have the whole day excursion at Longji, hike on the mountains to Dazhai Yao Village and visit the minority villages and view the rice terraces from different angles. Here in Dazhai it is all Yao people, dressed in their eye dazzling red embroidered costumes. Then back to your hotel in the afternoon. Stay overnight at Pingan Village.
Walking info: there is a flagstone trekking path on the mountains with many ups and downs shared by the local minority farmers and water buffaloes. You need 4–5 hours to finish this hiking, but these 4–5 hours hiking allows you to have a better understanding of these mountain tribes and their real life.
DAY 3 LONGJI TO GUILIN (BLD)
After breakfast, start to do a 2 hours hike from Ping’an via the rice terraces to a local Zhuang village, transfer to your van or bus. Then drive 2 hours to Guilin, visit: Reed Flute Cave (the most famous limestone cave in this area and good example of this Karst Formation), Yao Mountain (the highest in Guilin, by chair lift, for a great bird’s eye view of the surroundings on the summit), the biggest organic tea farm at the foot of Yao Mountain. In the evening, follow your guide and take a 1.5 hours’ leisure walk along the city’s ancient water system – this ancient water system was built by the locals 800 years ago and was served as moat before.
Accommodation: Lijiang Waterfall Hotel http://www.waterfallguilin.com
DAY 4 GUILIN TO YANGSHUO (BLD)
After breakfast, drive 1 hours to Yangdi and start your walking along the beautiful Li River to Xingping, transfer to your hotel in Yangshuo from your walking ending point – Xingping.
Accommodation: Green Lotus Hotel (the only central located local 5-star) http://www.greenlotushotel.com
Walking info: Li River is always a must for all the tourists in Guilin due to its breathtaking scenery, the Li River section from Yangdi to Xingping is the best. Along the way, You will enjoy the beautiful mountains, verdant fields, farms and villages with water buffalos, cows wondering around on both sides of the river bank. The walking distance is about 12 kilometers, and it is level walk without any ups or downs, but it is needed to take the local ferry to cross the Li River three times.
DAY 5 YANGSHUO (BL)
Drive about 30 minutes to the walking starting point – Fuli, follow the old trade path through villages to escape the tourist crowds, end your walking at Suoshi Village. Then transfer back to Yangshuo to visit the Moon Hill for a good bird’s eye view of the surroundings (there are about 800 flagstone steps from the foot to the top of the hill, the walk-up time may be around 40 minutes). Back to your hotel in Yangshuo in late afternoon and enjoy your own dinner and evening.
Walking info: This 12 kilometer-walking from Fuli Town to Suoshi Village takes around 4- 4.5 hours, the first half will be bit hilly, and we need to walk up the old stone steps through two hills – the first one is around 60 meters ascent and the second one 130 meters ascent; the latter half walking can be either up and down the dirt road or climbing over two more small hills (about 100 meters’ ascent each) to Suoshi, On the way, you can explore the villages and talk to the local people there with our guide as your interpreter. The scenery along the way is really mind-blowing.
DAY 6 YANGSHUO TO GUILIN (B)
Transfer to Guilin airport for your departure flight (2 hours’ drive, if the flight is in the afternoon, via the way to the airport, stop over at Guilin to visit Reed Flute Cave – the most famous limestone cave in this area and good example of this Karst Formation)