General Information

Duration:

3 Days

Location Start:

Yangshuo

Location Finish:

Ping

Phone:

01273 322048

Fax:

01273 732 791

Payment Types:

• Cash
• Credit Card
• Cheque
• Travellers cheque
• Paypal
• Wire Transfer

We Speak:

English

Last updated: 03/11/2009

Itinerary

Day 1

Yangshuo - Ping'AnMost travellers travel from Yangshuo to Ping'an. These two cities are approximately three hours apart. The scenery changes during the ride, from karst mountains and farmland to rugged hills and rice paddies. Your driver will drop you off at the trail that leads to Ping'an and will accompany to the area where a staff member of the hotel will be waiting for you. The 800 inhabitants of Ping'an live in isolation from the outside world. There are no roads leading into the village, you can only get there by foot during a 20 minute subtle climb. You’ll spend two nights in a guest house in the middle of rice paddies. Some rooms overlook the rice paddies, other have a view of the village. The guest house has a large veranda outside where you can enjoy your meals in the open air with spectacular views of the rice paddies and the mountains. In no time at all you’ll become accustomed to the Ping'an atmosphere of peace and spaciousness.

There are few travel agencies that arrange hotel accommodation in this area due to the small number of guest houses and limited number of rooms available. Spending the night here means waking up to shrouds of mist between the mountains, walking or relaxing in nature in the afternoon and seeing the sun set behind the mountains, getting to know the locals or spending a quiet evening by moonlight on the porch in the evening. After lunch you can explore the village independently. The Ping’an territory is home to the Zhuang minority. Around 5000 years ago they introduced the terraced irrigation system used for rice cultivation today.

Day 2

Ping'An - Hike with Guide Today you will walk through the world’s largest rice paddies, The Dragon's Bone or Long Ji. A guide will join you, and your walk will be anything but ordinary. You’ll climb and descend through marvellous scenic areas, past rivers, through wooded areas and through rice paddies where the Zhuang push their oxen through the blubber. You’ll pass several villages, most of them nothing more than a few houses on built on poles, with friendly, curious inhabitants who will treat you their biggest, brightest smile when you pass. Around lunch time you’ll have a bite to eat and you’ll rest up for a bit in the village before continuing back to Ping'an.

This trek will take about 5 hours. If the weather is poor or if you don't feel like walking the entire 5 hours, there are also shorter treks available. In the evening, the Zhuang will show you their singing and dancing traditions at your request. The Zhuag perform a type of folk dancing for Chinese country women in traditional dress. Afterwards travellers usually gather on the veranda to sit, talk, drink or play a game until late in the evening.

Day 3

Departure from Ping'AnToday you depart from Ping'An, but not before enjoying a quiet breakfast on the veranda of your guesthouse, with the view of mist shrouded mountain tops in the distance.

Extra Information

Inclusions -

Transport, accommodation and hiking trips with English speaking guide

Exclusions -

Meals and drinks, entrance fee Ping'an (50 Yuan)