9-Day Hakka Village and Xiapu Mudflat Tour
Suggested Itinerary
A warm welcome awaits you at the airport. Your private guide and driver will be ready to help you deal with all hassles from the airport to hotel check-in. Enjoy a comfortable transfer from the airport to your hotel.
You will visit the highlights of Xiamen, including Gulangyu Island, South Putuo Temple, Hulishan Fortress, and Suzhuang Garden. See many colonial buildings with Western/Eastern architecture on Gulangyu Island. Experience Chinese Buddhist culture in South Putuo Temple, a famous Buddhist temple built during the Tang Dynasty (618–907). Climb to Wulao Peak for a bird's eye view of Xiamen's port.
Good to know:
Hulishan Fortress, a relic of the Qing Dynasty, was constructed in 1891.
Suzhuang Garden, a private villa famous for its traditional Chinese garden, has a splendid view of the sea.
Enjoy a relaxed start. Your private guide and driver will take you to enjoy Hakka culture. You will visit Taxia Village, and see traditional earth buildings at Yuchanglou and Tianluokeng. Taxia Village is a distinctive Hakka village, where you can best learn about the Hakka people’s culture and lifestyle.
Good to know:
Optional choice: From April to November in Taxia Village, you can learn to pick and process tea at a local tea plantation, and take it back home.
See the earthen buildings of Yongding, the symbol of Fujian Province. You will visit the Chuxi Earthen Buildings Cluster, including three massive round buildings and one square building. Then you have the chance to talk with local students at a primary school in Chuxi. Later take a trip to the Hongkeng Earthen Buildings, the biggest concentration of these Hakka marvels.
Good to know:
Earthen buildings are called tulou (土楼 /too-loh/). The Hongkeng Earthen Buildings are known as 'the tulou prince'. because they are the most magnificent cluster.
Take a morning train to Ningde (departure 08:45, arrival 11:00). Your private guide will accompany you on the train. Your driver will be waiting for you at the railway station when you reach Ningde. In the afternoon you will go to Qidu in Ningde, and photograph the mudflats at sunset.
Xiapu is not-so-well-known by travelers, but has fantastic views and is deeply loved by photographers. You will visit Beiqi for sunrise shots, its local fishery, and amazing bamboo standing in the sea. At Dongbi you can take photos of mudflat farming and the sunset.
Good to know:
Famous for China's most beautiful mudflats and its (laver) seaweed, in Xiapu you can capture fabulous photos of local fishermen and its marine culture. The sunrises and sunsets are the classic Xiapu images.
First capture the dawn at Weijiang. Take a boat to see Mantoushan (Steamed Bun Mountain), where you can take pictures of hanging oysters, fishing villages on the sea, and fishing pontoons. There will be another chance to photo the beautiful mudflats and the sunset in the afternoon.
Good to know:
April to June is the best period to take photos of seaweed and the local fishery, because then is the seaweed harvest. This is the theme of many a Chinese ink painting. A typical classic includes thousands of bamboo poles draped with seaweed, egrets, and local people working on the mudflats.
Get up early to catch the sunrise in Huazhu village. Photograph old banyan trees in Yangjiaxi after breakfast, and get some life shots of an old farmer with his buffalo or an old lady carrying water. The whole afternoon is set aside for you to photograph the thousands of bamboo canes in the sea. Keep some battery/memory for the sunset.
Good to know:
October to February is the harvest time of laver. It is the best time to photo the laver, and also croakers, kelp, and oysters.
Visit Yantian after a breakfast to take photos of people living on boats. After lunch catch a train to Xiamen (departure at 14:56 and arrival at 17:05). Enjoy a trouble-free airport transfer to help you on your way back home.
Tour Price
Price includes:
What Our Customers Said
Amazing Beijing
The tour was scheduled perfectly, we had the opportunity to know many places and enjoy local food. Our guide Ivy exceed our expectations. She took care of every detail, taking care of us. I can say that she loves her job. moreJan 2023, Claudia
![]() |
Wonderful Experience
Very professional and knowledgeable. Our tour guide, Lily, went the extra mile on everything. Could not of asked for better planning. The explanations were detailed and interesting. The local restaurant choices were delicious. moreDec 2022, Robin C
![]() |
GREAT Forbidden City tour!
We took a guided tour with Ivy through the Forbidden City. She had everything perfectly organised, knew all the amenities and explained the most important facts around history and design of the palace in an enticing manner. Can absolutely recommend her as a guide, we had a great day! moreOct 2022, Adam A
![]() |
Beautiful Day at Great Wall in Mutianyu
We had a wonderful day visiting the Great Wall together with our guide, Ivy. The organisation - from the pick up to the return - was excellent, we had nothing to worry about. So It was a lovely and relaxed day profiting from the experience to the fullest without having to trouble about transport or tickets. Ivy explained well the history and knew about all nice parts of the part of the wall that we visited. She is very nice company. We had a very good experience. moreOct 2022, Nina
![]() |
Excellent time in Beijing
Ivy was a true professional who spoke excellent English and engaged us with stories of the very rich Chinese cultural heritage and history. We went away with so much more knowledge with her as our guide giving us a live commentary as we walked around. She brought us to the off the beaten track spots, less crowded corners of the attractions and very importantly, knew which toilets were clean and more foreigner friendly. Highly recommend Ivy to any future visitors to Beijin moreOct 2022, JCCEBJ
![]() |
Excellent time in Beijing
Zac from China Highlights organised a 3 day Beijing trip for my family during the Golden Week in China. moreOct 2022, JCCEBJ
![]() |
Excellent service
Our travel planner Monica is kind, very attentive, and there is no pressure or "hard sale". Great service and highly recommended! moreSep 2022, Julia
![]() |
A great tour
Our trip to Beijing was brilliantly organised and stress free. As usual with China Highlights our guide Ivy was really well prepared, knowledgeable and dealt with all the security, covid checks and tests etc. It made the trip really easy. moreAug 2022, Peter F
![]() |
Start planning your tailor-made tour now. Your 1:1 travel consultant will reply within 1 working day.