Natural Wonder Discovery, on UNESCO's List
10-Day Private Tour: Guiyang - Qian Dongnan - Tongren - Hunan
Huangguoshu Waterfall, Ground Opera
Minority Crafts Experience, Zhenyuan Gorge Cruise
Fanjing Mountain Hiking
Fenghuang Ancient Town, Zhangjiajie
Highlights
- Discover the cave habitat of Sun Wukong at one of the largest waterfalls in Asia.
- Explore mysterious villages of minority people hidden deep in the mountains.
- Find peace at an old yet delicate town with a horseshoe-shaped river running through.
- See the cloud-wrapped mushroom rock at the latest UNESCO World Heritage site of 2018.
- Feast your eyes on the unique Avatar Hallelujah Mountain in Zhangjiajie.

Itinerary Details
This 10-day itinerary is a feast of geographical features, a highlight being one of UNESCO's 2018 World Heritage Sites.
Beginning with formerly hidden minority groups in Guizhou, southwest China, and moving on to Zhangjiajie, Avatar's wonderland, this journey includes wonderful, abundant landscape: roaring silver waterfalls, mountainous rural areas, unruffled rivers along canyons, and huge mountain rocks of different shapes.
Welcome to Guiyang! Your private guide will meet you at the airport/train station arrivals hall and transfer you to your hotel in a private car.
Tailor-Made Idea:
We offer a half-day tour of city highlights, including a brief introduction to Guiyang's history, with a walk past different architecture and an opportunity to taste classic local snacks. Let us know, if you are interested and will arrive before noon.
Hotel options:
Howard Johnson Plaza Guiyang
Sofitel Guiyang Hunter
breakfast & lunch
If you are a nature lover, your visit to Guizhou would not be complete without an excursion to Huangguoshu Waterfall.
You may have seen other world-renowned waterfalls. Here, however, you can not only see the silver waterfall cascading down the cliff 20-stories in height; but also touch and feel it by walking through the water-curtain cave of Sun Wukong, the Monkey King, muse of the Chinese classic TV series, Journey to the West. On sunny days, rainbows often appear on the spray.
Explore a world of stone by taking a stroll after refreshing yourself in the karst landscape park. Built 600 years ago for military use, the old village retains its original style and pace of life. It is interesting to see stone foundations, stone walls, flagstone roofs, stone watchtowers and even stone dog holes everywhere.
Locals like to dress up and perform their unique folk drama, Ground Opera, as a way of explaining their long and checkered history. Just take a seat and enjoy it.
Tailor-Made Idea:
The rainy season at the waterfall is June and July, but try to avoid the students' summer vacation in July and August. From November to April, during the dry season, the waterfall is less voluminous.
Hotel options:
Howard Johnson Plaza Guiyang
Sofitel Guiyang Hunter


breakfast & lunch
Guizhou is home to dozens of China's 55 official ethnic minorities. The Miao are a large ancient group with many sub-groups and a myriad of cultures. Today you will explore the charms of the Miao.
Settled deep in the mountains and provided only with limited resources, rural people are good at using whatever is available to make a living: they know, for example, how to make paper from wood pulp. There is a village where people are still today making paper by hand, carrying on the legacy of their ancestors.
Learn how to make a piece of paper from one of the heirs of the technique, step by step. You are encouraged to be as imaginative as possible and make a unique paper craft with your own hands, under the guidance of an experienced natural-paper maker.
Have lunch in a farmer's house, cooked with fresh ingredients. Then visit a small yet unspoiled village famous for its dustpan-like shape. Stroll along the bluestone path, allowing you to have a closer look at the daily lives of minority people.
Hotel options:
Heaven Sent Dragon Hotel

breakfast & lunch
The village you are going to visit in the morning is quite a special one.
People there dress differently. Female villagers used to belong to the army, so some of their costumes are still like army-uniform. They are famous for ancient batik craftwork. Villagers hang a pair of dyed cloths on the door instead of antithetical couplets on red paper.
You will have a chance to step into their dye-house and see how to make a fine batik. Participate in the process.
After lunch, visit another special Miao village, which is famous for its females' gorgeous mini-skirts and its unique creative way to store food, used for centuries.


breakfast & lunch
Located on the outskirts of Zhenyuan County, Wuyang River is an offbeat retreat with a picturesque view of lovely gorges. Feel the breeze on deck and see exotic peaks changing shape, as the cruise ripples through the dazzling green water.
Then transfer to the ancient town. Straddling both sides of a horseshoe-shaped river, the town has a longer history than many other such towns.
The style of architecture in the main street is like that of many other old towns in China, but when you walk along the four old alleys away from the river, an extremely well-preserved and well-maintained labyrinth of the ancient Ming dynasty (1368-1644) town, lit up with red lanterns by night, it is like stepping into the past.
On the other side of the river, there is a vertical complex of temples, grottoes and caves, dedicated to the three faiths of Buddhism, Taoism and Confucianism. Climb up and enjoy bird's-eye views of the cozy town.

breakfast and lunch
Fanjing Mountain became a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2018, and got its name from the term in Chinese meaning "Buddhist Brahma's Sacred Land". It is a significant pilgrimage site in China for Buddhist worshippers from all around the world.
The most popular area consists mainly of two peaks: the Old Golden Summit (2,494 meters) with the giant Mushroom Rock, and the Red Golden Summit (2,336 meters), whose peak is cut into two separate peaks connected by a bridge up the lofty gap.
The mountain is home to an array of wildlife. Prepare to be amazed when hiking by the wonder of nature. If you are lucky enough, you may meet some rare animals.

breakfast and lunch
You will be transferred to Fenghuang via a 1.5-hour journey.
It would be a good idea to slow down and stroll around Fenghuang ancient town. Visit some interesting shops and homes, and discover some interesting nooks and crannies. The local minority handicrafts are really delicate and special in this region.
At night, the town becomes more quiet and peaceful. It is wonderful to sit in a bar beside the river and enjoy the marvelous sunset.

breakfast and lunch
It takes about 5 hours to drive from Fenghuang to Zhangjiajie, so it is better to start the day early. Although it's a long journey, you won't be bored along the way, as you will visit Red Stone Forest National Geopark, where you will see all kinds of strangely-shaped rocks everywhere.
Zhangjiajie National Forest Park is in the Wulingyuan Scenic Area, and Tianzi Mountain and Yuanjiajie are its most renowned sights.
Take the cable car up Tianzi Mountain and look through the glass walkway to see spiky sandstone peaks beneath your feet.
After a simple lunch on the mountain, visit Yuanjiajie Scenic Area, which was the inspiration for the Hallelujah Mountains in Avatar.
Tailor-Made Idea:
April to October is considered the best time to visit Zhangjiajie. April to June is the rainy season with extensive fog, adding an enchanting atmosphere to the scenery. From September to October the autumn foliage becomes colorful.

breakfast and lunch
Baofeng Lake is in the middle of this mountainous area. It is relaxing to float across the clear water, observe the hills of various shapes, and enjoy entertainment provided by local minority people, as they sing their traditional songs.
Regarded as the 'soul' of Zhangjiajie, Tianmen Mountain is the highest mountain there. The views range from graceful ancient trees and karst hillocks, to long roads carved from the sides of the cliff.
You will enjoy a breathtaking view of the world's longest cable car, the suspended glass walkway almost a mile (1,430 meters) above the ground, and the '99 Bends' mountain road.

Trip Notes
Every element of the tour above can be tailored. Feel free to tell us your ideas and we will be happy to make adjustments for you.
1. Extend the Tour
- Guilin and Yangshuo: Add 2-3 days for Li River Cruise and Yangshuo countryside.
2. Hotels and Meals in Remote Areas
In remote areas, such as Zhenyuan, Tongren and Fenghuang, star-rated hotels might not be as good as the same standard of hotels in big cities.
hina Highlights has carefully selected the best restaurant and hotel available, based on criteria like location and environment. Your private guide will assist you in ordering the dishes you like and will accompany you to check in to your room.
3. Transportation
As China's new big data valley, the network of Guizhou high-speed rail now links to many directions over the country.
Guizhou is a mountainous province but roads to every villages are accessible. So car is a ideal vehicle when transferring between villages. To provide you with a comfortable experience, private car is provided.
Tour Price
Price includes:
China Highlights, Asia Highlights, and Global Highlights collaborate to provide families and couples with personalized and stress-free experiences in diverse destinations.


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One Day Beijing Trip (Great Wall, Summer Palace) With Jennifer
My tour guide Jennifer made this quick one day trip to Beijing great! The day started out a bit overcast and rainy when I landed, but Jennifer’s positive attitude and kind communication (along with her being able to keep up/put up with my jokes) made it fine.Despite this, Jennifer and our driver Chen were able to swing an extra photo shoot stop at the Olympic Stadium. I guess it gives me an excuse to come back to visit again, and when I do - I will use China Highlights and this great fantastic team. more
Sep 2023,
Alan Landau
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Best Great Wall experience
Used China Highlights for a private all-day tour of Jinshanling portion of the Great Wall. One of the best days of my life! Tour guide Alan and a driver met me at my hotel and the ride was very comfortable. Alan was extremely knowledgable and friendly, I really enjoyed talking with him. The scenery was astoundingly beautiful; this is a less touristy portion of the Wall. The hiking was fun, Alan brought plenty of water, and showed me things I would not have noticed by myself. On the way back to the hotel, we stopped at a local restaurant for lunch that Alan had arranged - delicious! Once in a lifetime experience. more
Sep 2023,
LZviajera
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Best way to see Beijing
Our guide Lily Liu was lovely - super patient, warm, knowledgeable about Chinese history, and great English skills. Would definitely recommend this service! more
Sep 2023,
Stephanie N
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Amazing tour!
Our guide, Linda, was by far the best person to have for our tours of The Forbidden City, Tianamen Square, and Mutianyu Great Wall. She was an encyclopedia with great knowledge of Chinese History and was able to explain every detail of what we were seeing. She picked us up with a very nice car and driver from our hotel both days, at the time most convenient to us, and dropped us back off wherever we wanted at the end of our tours. Both the Forbidden City and the Great Wall are marvels of human and Chinese achievements and are a must to see in Beijing. Visiting them both with a tour guide that feels more like a friend was certainly helping enjoying it even more. more
Sep 2023,
Robin Z
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Beijing is AMAZING
Linda Wang our amazing tour guide helped us to have an unforgettable trip to all the best of Beijing. From organizing the driver (also excellent) to drop us/pick us up exactly when we were leaving busy tourist sites, excellent food recommendations, fascinating knowledge relevant to us and our children (13yo and 11yo) making The Forbidden City, Tiannamen Square, Great Wall, Beijing Zoo and The Hutongs thoroughly enjoyable. Handling all the entrance/exit passport and ticket requirements, interpreting, answering any questions we had about local culture, we were so comfortable and happy, never rushed, everything you could want and more. more
Sep 2023,
Michelle A
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Unforgettable trip!
Helen, my tour guide, to make possible this amazing first trip to China that I'll never forget! Each day was amazing, Helen helped a lot and was there since I got out to the arrival hall at the airport and replied all my curious questions related to China's history during the visit. For sure an unforgettable trip!!!! more
Sep 2023,
Rebeca Elena
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Highly recommend
Our tour guide, Mark was excellent. He was very accommodating and knowledgeable! We wouldn’t have seen half the places without Mark. He was able to get us past crowds and organised passport entry. Alongside Mr Who, the driver, it made our time in China hassle free and very memorable! Thank you Mark, Mr Who and China Highlights! more
Sep 2023,
Sara N
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Beijing and a little beyond!
We have recently returned from an action packed 4-days in Beijing, including a trip to the Great Wall, in the company of Bruce, our tour guide from China Highlights. Bruce was very knowledgeable throughout the 4-days and took the time and effort to discuss various aspects of Chinese history with our teenage son, including quite a bit in mandarin . Our days were both busy and enjoyable and Bruce also seemed to know all the good places to eat – thanks Bruce and look forwards to next time! more
Aug 2023,
Mike M
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China Highlights - Beijing
Our trip to Beijing with China Highlights was amazing! We took our 12 year old daughter. Mark our guide did a wonderful job making sure we were all comfortable, stayed busy and got acclimated to China as Beijing was our first stop on the mainland. Mark has a lot of knowledge about China and the sites we saw and communication was easy (with us and with our daughter in Chinese). Thanks Mark! more
Aug 2023,
Breton P
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2-day Beijing
Top notch! Our 2-day Beijing trip was very well organised and tailored to our wishes. We visited the Great wall, Tiananmen square, forbidden city and had food at local restaurants. Email contact with China Highlights (Chandler Wang) was very convenient and replies were quick. Our tour guide (Felix) was very knowledgeable and very easy to speak to. The local restaurants visited during our trip had amazing food, really great experience! We had a great time and would definitely use China Highlights again. Thank you! more
Aug 2023,
Jonna
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Der Partner für eine individuelle China Reise
Die Agency (in unserem Fall vertreten durch Tutu Sun) hat für uns eine perfekte Reise organisiert. Sehr gute Kommunikation im Vorfeld der Reise und vor Ort. Zu 100% verl?sslich, immer pünktlich und an jedem Ort sehr freundliche und engagierte Guides. Wir k?nnen eine Buchung bei diesem Unternehmen absolut und uneingeschr?nkt empfehlen. In Beijing hatten wir mit Herrn Chen 3 interessante Tage inklusive einer sehr spannenden individuellen Wanderung auf der grossen Mauer. more
Aug 2023,
Jeanne K
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Beijing Tour
Bruce was an amazing guide and very knowledgeable. He got me past ALOT of long lines fast and knew all the best places to go to take pictures! Also provided good recommendations for additional activities! If you get Bruce you’re in good hands! more
Aug 2023,
Anthony L
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Great two weeks in China with China Highlights
The trip included Shanghai where Kris was our amazing guide, Guilin and Yangshuo with Gary who did an amazing job at adjusting the schedule to meet our needs given the incredible heat, Chengdu with Helen who shared her passion for the Pandas with us, had fun in the peoples park with us and introduced us to the local opera which was fascinating and ensured we were able to taste amazing Sizhuan food without burning up! We then moved on to Xian with Jenny who ensured we got to the Terracotta army early enough to get an amazing view, took us to try our hand at making our own warriors, was very knowledgable about the history of Xian which was very interesting and lastly allowed us to try making dumplings which we all loved. Our final stop was Beijing. Ethan was our tour guide and he again did an amazing job ensuring we got to the Great Wall of China early enough to see the amazing wall without too many people and whilst it was still relatively cool, share his great knowledge of the Forbidden City and Summer Palace with us, introduced us to the Beijing Hot Pot and importantly ensured we were able to celebrate our sons 18th birthday in style and with his favourite Chinese food!! Thank you again for making our 2 weeks so special and we will for sure be back very soon. more
Aug 2023,
Sandra
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There is tour guides and there is felix
I had a blast with this tour! Felix is such an amazing person and so knowledgeable! He understands how to share knowledge and make us interested! Me and my friends had a wonderful day with Felix around the city I highly recommend China Highlights and would most likely recommend felix!!! more
Aug 2023,
PrettoMauricio
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Jennifer is an awesome guide and the…
Jennifer is an awesome guide and the tours were great! more
Aug 2023,
Renan Santos
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Beijing2023 a not to be missed experience!!
We spent 3 days in Beijing with Jennifer as our tour guide. The Great Wall, Forbidden City and the Summer Palace were all amazing, the Hutong tour was very interesting and we enjoyed seeing a typical home from that era. Jennifer was a wealth of information in Chinese history with names and date’s giving us insight into what we were seeing and the historical significance. She was warm, friendly, kind and professional and I would highly recommend her to enhance your trip more
Aug 2023,
Rita A
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Amazing Time at Honk Kong, Beijing and The Great Wall
We were a group of 10 people, our trip started at the beautiful Hong Kong, we had the best guide ever, Ken Ku, a really polite man and He always was worried for our needs. We met the Abeerden harbour, the beach side, the grand Buda, beautiful templesVictoria Peak, Temple Street, Jade market and lots of amazing places. Also we spend some days at Beijing and there we were in the main places you should go. The Summer Palace, Tiananmen Place, Chaoyang theater and spectacular show. We also travelled to the Mutianyang area to see the unveliable Great Wall, we eat in spectacular restaurants, we had a comfortable and fresh bus to travel all places. I tried to resume everything but still missing things. Thanks to all the team and our guide Lluvia in Beijing, She was so sweet. more
Aug 2023,
Community Manager
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High quality and flexibility
Bruce has been a very good guide to us. We spent different days with him, trekking on the great Wall, visiting forbidden City, hutong, summer palace and many other places in Beijing. He was also able to arrange for me a last second calligraphy class in a school as well. I strongly recommend him to anyone visiting the city. more
Aug 2023,
Isabella L
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Amazing 3 day tour in Beijing with Linda
We are from France and arrived in the best conditions. First of all, Linda, our Beijing tour guide came to pick us up, and we knew straight away that the 3 next days would be amazing. She is incredibly kind, so professional and very passionate. We’ve learned so much with her, from the Great Wall to the Summer Palace, through the hutong and more for you to discover! We are so grateful to have met her and we highly recommend her for your future journey to Beijing. Thank you some much Linda and hope to see you again soon! more
Aug 2023,
Remi Crozet
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Amazing 3 days in Beijing with Linda
We are from France and arrived in the best conditions. First of all, Linda, our Beijing tour guide came to pick us up, and we knew straight away that the 3 next days would be amazing. She is incredibly kind, so professional and very passionate. We’ve learned so much with her, from the Great Wall to the Summer Palace, through the hutong and more for you to discover! We are so grateful to have met her and we highly recommend her for your future journey to Beijing. Thank you some much Linda and hope to see you again soon! more
Aug 2023,
Alain
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