Trip Dossier.
Remote Dong and Miao hill-tribe villages, drum-towers, wind and rain bridges, rice terraces, local hill tribe markets: Guizhou is one of China’s more remote and still unspoilt destinations.
This trip is designed around the new high speed rail that links both Guangzhou through Guilin, and Guiyang to our bike trail head near Rongjiang.
Hong Kong, Guangzhou, Guilin and Guiyang are all access points to join this trip. Please advise us in advance so we can help coordinate your arrival.
This is a biking/hiking trip with brilliant photography opportunities of steep cascading rice terraces, the customs and culture of the Dong and Miao nationalities, and outstanding village architecture.
The cost is 4900 RMB pp for the four day cycle weekender, with a minimum of 8 people for the trip to run.
Inclusions: food, accommodation, local ground transport, entry fees, bikes, local guide, and support, and transfers by train from Hong Kong / Shenzhen /Guangzhou / Guilin / Guiyang
Undersubscribed cycling trips may still run as hiking trips. The cost of bringing in bikes and extra support vehicles for small groups is just too expensive. There are some lovely mountain traverse and river valley rides which we have cherry-picked, but In Guizhou, the most untouched minority villages are up high in the mountains and sometimes walk in only – so if it becomes a hiking trip, it will be amazing in a different way. The hiking trip will be 3700 pp.
Upcoming trips:
April 28 – May 2
August 2nd 2016 Mark the date. There’ll be a trip around this date based on a shaman-led harvest festival at one of the Dong villages along our route. Stay tuned for details
Itinerary
Day 1 Meet up in Guiyang or Hong Kong with accompanied transfer on the high speed rail to Rongjiang.
Day 2 Cycle through the remote Jiabang rice terraces, home staying with the high mountain Miao.
Day 3 Descend the Jiabang Mountain range to Ting Dong, a town famed for a strange form of bull fighting where competing villagers try and control the outcome through tug of war. Transfer up to Zenchong with China’s oldest drum tower and overnight in a comfortable country inn in this quaint Dong village.
Day 4 Dong Villages valley ride with a wonderful winding back to Rongjiang.
Day 5 Morning ride along the Duliu River, transfers back to Hong kong and Guiyang.
Getting there and away
The Hong Kong meet up is at 1pm at Kowloon Tong KCR station.
We cross the border and catch the bullet train from Shenzhen North.
Shenzhen meet up is 2pm at Shenzhen north station.
Guangzhou meet up is at 3.30 pm at Guangzhou South Station.
Guiyang meet up is at 3 pm at Guiyang airport. .
The trip finishes on day 4 at Rongjiang. Those headed south towards Hong Kong will depart from Rongjiang to Guangzhou South at midday.
For those flying out from Guiyang, check the following train schedule back to Guiyang and time your flights accordingly. From Guiyang train station to the airport requires about 60-90 minutes. As there are so many different flight options out of Guiyang, you might not be accompanied by a guide all the way to the airport.
Pitcures from our Reccy
Archived 5 day Itinerary (April 3-7 2015)
Day 1 Arrive Guiyang or Guangzhou and transfer to Rongjiang (3.5 hours on the new very scenic elevated express way.)
Day 2 Transfer to the rice terraces ( killing of a 20km rise). Traverse cycle for half day through stunning rice terraces through Miao and Shui villages. Trek along the old walking pathways to a Miao Village. Miao family Homestay.
Day 3 Continue traversing the rice terraces, extensive open views, Indigo dyeing villages- by bike high above the Duliu River. We descend on a decent hill stretch with local villagers weaving through many villagers who will be heading in the same direction for a local water buffalo showdown – a festival that is specific to these valleys. After we’ve had our fill of the festival, transfer by vehicle ( optional but its a big up hill) to an architecturally spectacular Dong village – little known by tourists but listed on the national registry for having the oldest drum tower in China. We stay in a small wooden guesthouse hotel overlooking one of the village’s two wind and rain bridges.
Day 4 Spend time exploring this spectacular village with our local guide. Rice farming traditional weaving, indigo cloth production are a few of the occupations in this village. All activities are by shamanistic design. The centre of village life is the drum tower where each family in the village is responsible by strict roster to keep the fire burning in the colder months. we can hike, ride and use our two support vehicles to explore more Dong villages. The roads are a little rough, but smooth out for the last 25 km for a switch back mostly descending ride back to Rongjiang – and a comfortable hotel.
Day 5. Morning exploratory of Rongjiang local markets with guide. Transfers back to Guiyang – or directly to the railways station if you’ve managed to secure a bullet train ticket.