Planning a trip to China is difficult; planning it in Guizhou is even more difficult. As in video games, it is the extreme level. To hypothesize an itinerary I swear I had a headache.
But where is the problem? The problem is the complete lack of information. You can find something in English, but nothing more and nothing precise. It is also problematic to look at google maps, because the names are often spelled differently and cannot be found.
That is why in this article, instead of lots of photographs of places, you will find mostly maps to take your cue from. They will make it much easier for you to define your itinerary in Guizhou.
Possible itinerary in Guizhou
Guizhou is a province more than 3 hours by plane from Beijing and 2 hours from Shanghai. Either Guizhou will be your final stop, or you will have to fit it within a longer, more structured China trip. In one week I visited only half of the province and unfortunately we had to skip some really interesting places.
The distances seem short, but they are actually longer than you think. You also have to consider the opening hours and daylight hours in a day. Visiting Guizhou in November means enjoying the same hours of sunshine as in Italy during the same period. By 6 p.m. it is dark and you cannot see anything more.
In my case, had I gone to Guizhou in the summer, I would have had more hours of daylight and would certainly have been able to organize my days better.
The whole of Guizhou takes at least a couple of weeks. The alternative is, as I told you, to include Guizhou in a more complete China itinerary and focus only on the minorities and ethnic villages.
However, I am giving you my itinerary so that it can be a reference.
DAY 1 – Guiyang and drive to the Huangguoshu Waterfalls
The first day was affected by the time difference zones. It is a good 7 from Italy. We preferred to move toward the falls so that we could be ready to visit them the next morning, finding accommodation in the area near Anshun.
Guiyang Airport -> Huangguoshu Waterfall: 164 km – 2 hours and 11 minutes
Find accommodations near Anshun –> CLICK HERE
Or book my own hotel, the Huangguoshu Yingbinguan Hotel
DAY 2 – Huangguoshu Waterfall and Wanfenglin Scenic Area
Two natural paradises in one day. In a few minutes, we reached the falls from Anshun, for which a visit takes a couple of hours. One could linger even longer, if one wanted to, one could walk a few trails. 2 hours was enough to fully enjoy the spectacle and be able to leave the national park late in the morning.
The itinerary in Guizhou continued to the deep south of the country. From the Huangguoshu Waterfalls to the Wanfenglin Scenic Area, it took us about 3 hours to travel to the second natural paradise of the day.
Huangguoshi Waterfall -> Wanfenglin Scenic Area: 199 km – about 3 hours
Huanggoushu Waterfall entrance fee: 230 RMB – Hours 8 a.m. -> 6 p.m
Wanfenglin Scenic Area entrance fee: 110 RMB – Hours 8 a.m. -> 6 p.m
Finally, in a few minutes we reached the Jilongbao Resort on the shores of Wanfeng Lake. Opposite the resort stands a brand new hotel reminiscent of the castles of Bavaria. It has nothing to do with the landscape. Perhaps it is this inconsistency that makes it so strange. The road down to the resort is scenic, and one is able to take beautiful pictures of the lake and the castle.
Wanfenglin Scenic Area -> Jilongbao Resort: 21 km – about 30 minutes
Find all accommodations in the Xingyi area –> CLICK HERE
DAY 3 – Zhijin Cave and transfer to Guiyang
I can anticipate that although you are taking your cue from this itinerary of mine in Guizhou, you are likely to find several issues on your route. Whether they are various delays, slowdowns or bad weather, it may be that you will arrive at the various places with little margin on closing (many attractions close early). This means that it will happen that you will have to rearrange your itinerary by moving something to the next day or skipping some places of interest.
In my case, for example, we had to move the Wanfleing Scenic Area to the next day, still not being able to appreciate it because of the weather conditions.
So my advice is to take this itinerary as a cue but, at the same time, as I explained in the post on “how to plan a trip“, try to find a compromise with the agency that will follow you so that you can be as flexible as possible.
The third day included many hours of driving. The Zhijin Caves are huge as is the distance from the Jilongbao Resort. They are a 2-hour drive from Guiyang; looking at the map they are immediately west of the capital of Guizhou.
To reach them from the Jilongbao Resort we drove several hundred kilometers.
If you have never seen karst caves, they are definitely worth it. Touring the caves takes about 2 hours. These are not claustrophobic caves; those who suffer from enclosed spaces at Zhijin Cave should have no problem.
Finally, in the evening we reached Guiyang. My advice is to spend an evening in town and why not...go sing Karaoke since the Chinese are crazy about this “sport.” Karaoke marathons in private rooms complete with double screens, double microphones, rivers of beer to go with lots of spicy food.
Find all accommodations in the city of Guiyang –> CLICK HERE
Jilongbao Resort –> Zhijin Cave: 371 km – about 5 hours 25 minutes
Zhijin Cave entrance fee: 70 RMB – Hours 9 a.m. -> 4 p.m
DAY 4 – Guiyang and train to Zhaoxingxiang
On this day we discovered one of the most beautiful features of the itinerary in Guizhou: ethnic minority villages. They will surprise you.
From Guiyang by high-speed train we reached the town of Congjang. From this town you can continue, by car/van or the means you prefer, to the village Zhaoxingxiang of the Dong ethnic group. This, in my opinion, is the most interesting and most fascinating stop on the entire itinerary. A completely wooden village crossed by the river. Stunning.
Entrance to the village is chargeable and costs 120 RMB.
You will need to spend at least one night here. Get lost discovering it far and wide and wait for the evening lights that will make this small Chinese village even more magical!
Find all accommodations in the city of Zhaoxingxiang –> CLICK HERE
Or book my own hotel, the Zhaoxing Indigo Hotel
Guiyang –> Congjang: 2 hours by train
Congjiang –> Zhaoxingxian: 46 km – 1 hour and 10 minutes by car
Please note: Just a 20-minute drive from Zhaoxingxian is another very small village called Tang’ancun that is worth a visit. Quiet and quaint.
Zhaoxingxian –> Tang’ancun: about 8 km and 20 minutes
DAY 5 – Basha Miao Village and transfer to Kaili
On the fifth day, we left Zhaoxingxiang and moved to an ethnic Miao village called Basha Village. You enter by paying a ticket (80 RMB with hours 8 a.m. -> 6 p.m.) and around 11 a.m. you can watch a show. I recommend a visit only if you have not included anything better in your itinerary in Guizhou. This village did not blow me away, I thought it was a bit too built up, although reading in the guidebooks it seemed to be among the most authentic.
The rest of the itinerary related to Day 5 was an endless drive to Kaili, another area of ethnic villages including the Langde Miao Village.
Zhaoxingxian –> Basha Village –> Kaili: 273 km — 5 hours 15 minutes approx
Find all accommodations in the city of Kaili –> CLICK HERE
DAY 6 – Langde Miao Village and transfer to Guiyang
Having stayed overnight near Kaili, we were just a stone’s throw away from Langde Miao Village, a village that amazed me. It is quite touristy, but the way it is structured, it is really pleasant to get lost in its alleys. Every day, around 12 noon, you can watch the show in the main square.
Admission Langde Miao Village: 70 RMB – Hours 8 a.m. -> 9 p.m
It is a nice stop to add to an itinerary in Guizhou.
From Langde Miao Village we then headed back toward Guiyang. As you may have guessed by now, the distances, although the kilometers are not many, do add up in travel hours. From Langde Miao Village it takes just over 5 hours to reach the capital where we spend the evening.
Find all accommodations in the city of Guiyang –> CLICK HERE
Kaili –> Langde Miao Village –> Guiyang: 240 km — about 3 hours and 40 minutes
DAY 7 – Guiyang to Qingyan and departure
We devoted the last day to exploring the ancient city of Qingyan a short distance from Guiyang. The center of Qingyan is extremely touristy, but there are some interesting spots and museums within the city.
Very nice is the climb up the city wall that leads to admire city from another point of view.
Guiyang –> Qingyan: 56 km — about 1 hour
Qinhyan Old Town entrance: 70 RMB – Hours 8 a.m. -> 9 p.m