This route skips Beijing and Xi'an entirely. It is for a second China trip, or for a first trip by someone whose interest is scenery rather than imperial history.
It also ends in Hong Kong, which is convenient in two ways: excellent long-haul flights, and — if you are travelling under the 240-hour visa-free transit scheme — a valid "third region" exit.
The route#
| Days | Place | Nights |
|---|---|---|
| 1–4 | Zhangjiajie | 4 |
| 5–6 | Fenghuang | 2 |
| 7 | Longji rice terraces | 1 |
| 8–10 | Yangshuo | 3 |
| 11–12 | Hong Kong | 2 |
Fly into Zhangjiajie (via Changsha or Chongqing) and out of Hong Kong.
Days 1–4: Zhangjiajie#
Three thousand quartz-sandstone pillars in subtropical forest — the visual reference for Avatar's floating mountains.
Day 1. Arrive, transfer to Wujiaping village at the Forest Park gate. Stay there rather than in Zhangjiajie City an hour away.
Day 2. Enter the national forest park (¥228, valid four days, fingerprint-registered). Walk Golden Whip Stream — 7.5 km along a clear stream at the foot of the pillars, looking up rather than down, shaded, full of macaques, and skipped by most tour groups. Afternoon: the Bailong Lift (¥72), a 326 m glass elevator on a cliff face, up to Yuanjiazhai and the Avatar Hallelujah Mountain.
Day 3. Early to Tianzi Mountain for the morning mist — the sea-of-clouds views are the classic image and happen on mornings after rain. Then walk to Yangjiajie, the quiet section with ladder-steep stairs.
Day 4. Tianmen Mountain (¥263–278, separate ticket, separate mountain, above Zhangjiajie City). A 7.5 km cable car — one of the world's longest — over the ridge, the 99-bend road, Heaven's Gate arch, and glass skywalks cantilevered off the cliff. Choose your ticket route carefully; queue lengths differ enormously between them.
Days 5–6: Fenghuang#
Bus Zhangjiajie → Fenghuang, about 4h.
A Miao and Tujia town on the Tuo River, with wooden stilt houses (diaojiaolou) standing in the water and an old walled centre. It is heavily touristed by domestic visitors and remains genuinely beautiful, particularly at dawn and after the day crowds thin at night.
Walk the riverbank, cross the stepping stones, take a boat, and visit the South Great Wall — a Ming frontier wall built not against Mongols but against the Miao. Two nights lets you see the town without the day-trip crowd.
Day 7: Longji rice terraces#
Bus/train Fenghuang → Guilin, about 5–6h, then bus to Longsheng.
Eight-hundred-year-old terraces cut into slopes up to 1,100 m and farmed by Zhuang and Yao communities. Entry ¥80 plus internal shuttles.
Dazhai/Jinkeng is the more dramatic of the two village areas, with a cable car and good walking between viewpoints; Ping'an is easier to reach.
Timing is everything: flooded and mirror-like from mid-May to mid-June, golden in late September, bare brown earth from November to April.
Stay overnight in a village guesthouse. The day-trippers leave at 16:00 and the terraces at dawn are extraordinary.
Days 8–10: Yangshuo#
Bus Longsheng → Yangshuo, about 4h via Guilin.
Stay in a guesthouse along the Yulong River or in the villages around Gaotian, not in Yangshuo town, whose West Street is a loud bar strip.
Day 8. Rent bikes or e-bikes (¥30–70/day) and ride the Yulong River route — past the 600-year-old Dragon Bridge, through paddies and villages, entirely flat, about 25 km round trip. Climb Moon Hill (¥15, 800 steps) in the late afternoon.
Day 9. Bus to Xingping and take a bamboo raft or the local ferry on the Yangdi–Xingping stretch of the Li River — the exact view on the ¥20 note, and better value than the four-hour Guilin cruise. Climb Laozhai Hill above the town for the panorama.
Day 10. Either rock climbing — Yangshuo is the best sport-climbing destination in Asia, with English-speaking outfitters running beginner days — or a sunrise at Xianggong Hill, or a cooking class, or simply another day on a bike.
Days 11–12: Hong Kong#
Rail Guilin → Guangzhou (2h20) → Hong Kong West Kowloon (50 min), or fly direct.
Day 11. Check in in Sheung Wan or Tsim Sha Tsui. Star Ferry across the harbour at dusk, walk the Tsim Sha Tsui promenade, eat in Sham Shui Po.
Day 12. Victoria Peak and the free Lugard Road circuit, dim sum in the morning, and either the Big Buddha on Lantau or a Dragon's Back hike before the flight.
Practical notes#
- Season: October and November are the clearest and driest; April to June is misty, green and wet, which suits the karst and floods the terraces. July and August are hot, humid and packed with domestic school holidays.
- Buses: this route uses more road transport than a rail-based itinerary. Journeys are slow and winding; do not schedule tightly.
- Walking: Zhangjiajie involves 15–20 km and many stairs per day. Proper shoes matter.
- Visa: at 12 days this exceeds the 240-hour transit allowance for the mainland portion — though exiting to Hong Kong satisfies the third-region requirement, the ten-day limit does not stretch. Check our visa guide.
Frequently asked questions#
What is the best scenic route in China?#
For landscape rather than monuments, the southern route through Zhangjiajie's sandstone pillars, Fenghuang's stilt-house river town, the Longji rice terraces and the karst country around Yangshuo, finishing in Hong Kong. It takes about twelve days.
Is Zhangjiajie or Yangshuo better?#
They are different. Zhangjiajie is vertical, dramatic and hard-walking, with 3,000 sandstone pillars and heavy crowds at the famous viewpoints. Yangshuo is gentle, cyclable countryside among limestone towers. Most travellers find Yangshuo more relaxing and Zhangjiajie more spectacular.
When should I visit the Longji rice terraces?#
Mid-May to mid-June, when they are flooded and reflect the sky, or late September, when they are golden before harvest. Between November and April they are bare earth and much less rewarding.
How do I get from Zhangjiajie to Yangshuo?#
Overland via Fenghuang and Guilin — bus to Fenghuang (about 4 hours), then bus or train to Guilin (5–6 hours), then bus to Yangshuo (1h20). High-speed rail from Zhangjiajie West to Guilin is also possible and faster if you skip Fenghuang.
Can you climb in Yangshuo?#
Yes — Yangshuo is the best sport-climbing destination in Asia, with hundreds of bolted limestone routes and several English-speaking outfitters running beginner and intermediate days.