One-Day Longji Rice Terraced Fields and Minority Villages Tour

You’ll receive a telephone call before 9:30pm from your tour guide to let you know the exact collection time for your trip the next day.

If, for any reason, you don’t receive our email or get a telephone call from your guide, which has never happened before, please call our 24-hour hotline in Guilin at +86-18807734970 or add WeChat ID: trippest666, and we will rectify this.

Please Note:

• The listed itinerary might be adjusted by your guide due to the weather, transportation or other reasonable situations based on your agreement.

Your guide will be waiting for you in your hotel’s lobby or other appointed location at the agreed time, which is usually 8am. He/she will hold a Trippest banner so that you recognize him/her immediately. You’ll join a group with no more than six members, which is a great size to ensure you enjoy a better travel experience.

Professional tour guide and our vehicle / Photo by: David Deng

After collecting all the members, your tour group will head to the first destination - Longji Ancient Zhuang Village. It takes about 2 hours (108 kilometers) to get there from Guilin while it takes about 2½ hours (152 kilometers) to get there from Yangshuo County.

A simple map of Longsheng area

Details about Your Transport:

• If you stay in a hotel in Yangshuo County, the departure time is at about 7am–7:30am. The exact time will be given to you by your tour guide the day before your departure. Your driver will collect you from your hotel and drive to the ancient Zhuang village in Longji where you will meet your guide and the other tour members.
• The free hotel collection and drop-off areas will be within the urban areas of Guilin and Yangshuo. For further distances, you can hire a taxi to the apointed hotel, please provide your hotel information in the booking form. For detailed pick-up and drop-off area, please read our FAQ.
• Our drivers are licensed and have at least 5 years’ driving experience. This ensures you have a safe trip. Our vehicles are comfortable and spacious, being equipped with a safety belt on every seat, air conditioners, and an unlimited supply of bottled water.
• We purchase trip insurance for each member to protect your safety.

The Longji Rice Terraced Fields are located in Longsheng County, Guilin. They span across six villages and have a long history of more than 2,000 years.

The local Zhuang and Yao people have farmed these mountainous fields day after day and year after year their entire lives.

Their ancestors would never have dreamed that this tough terraced land, farmed with their tears and sweat, could be transformed in such a way over time and now reward the locals with amazing scenery that attracts the rest of the world.

The ancient Zhuang village you are going to visit is a small and quiet village where more than 300 Zhuang families live. Many of the local residences have a history of over 100 years. This village has now become a window into the Zhuang culture for the rest of the world. Longji Ancient Zhuang Village is the originating point of the Zhuang people’s terraced fields. The highest altitude in the village is about 1,300 meters while the lowest altitude there is 350 meters. The terraced fields there look magnificent.

Zhuang village in Longji

Details about Your Visit to the Village:

• First, you will walk for about 15 minutes from the ticketing gate to the Ecological Museum. You’ll have the chance to see the locals plowing and sowing the terraced fields. In just the same way as their ancestors did, they are still working hard on this land to make a living without machines, preserving the history of this magnificent wonder.

Local villagers

• When you arrive at the Ecological Museum, you’ll find lots of folkloric articles exhibited there, highlighting the Zhuang people’s folklore and customs. Afterward, you will visit a local Zhuang person’s house to discover what their daily lifestyle is like.

The houses of Zhuang people

Visit a local Zhuang person's house

• Later, you’ll take an eco-vehicle to the mountaintop - the viewing point known as ‘Slender Ditch’ offers the best angle from which to view the beautiful terraced fields in Longji Ancient Zhuang Village.

Slender Ditch

Stream on the mountain

Good to know:

• Most tour groups don’t go to the Slender Ditch viewing point because it takes up extra time, money, and energy - but it’s worth it.

After admiring the beautiful terraced fields from Slender Ditch, you will hike to another famous village - Ping’an Village. This hike takes about 1 hour to complete and is a distance of about 8 kilometers. The condition of the road you’ll hike along isn’t bad - there are no steep or dangerous paths and only a medium level of energy is required.

Hiking Tips

• If it rains, the stone road might be very slippery so we recommend that you wear anti-skid shoes.
• For children over 3 years old, this hike can be a little challenging, but most complete it with extra encouragement from their parents.
• We can provide alpenstocks for you  - feel free to ask your guide if you prefer to use them.

Hiking along the fields

After completing the 1-hour hike, you will finally arrive at Ping’an Village. You will probably be thirsty and hungry, so it’s time to take a break and enjoy a delicious lunch.

You will have lunch at a local farmer’s family restaurant where you’ll have the chance to taste delicious local dishes, such as bamboo rice and other minority dishes. Bon appétit!

Delicious bamboo rice

Delicious bamboo rice

After lunch and feeling refreshed, you’ll visit the most famous village in Longji - Ping’an Village. You’ll see the beautiful scenery of Longji’s magnificent terraced fields - this area is a paradise for shutterbugs.

Many award-winning pictures were taken in this village. That’s why it has become more and more famous, attracting many tourists each year.

First, you’ll head to the Seven Stars with the Moon viewing point. There, you’ll see seven terraced fields surrounding a small hill - that’s why people gave it this name.

Seven Stars with the Moon viewing point

Take a nice shot

After visiting the Seven Stars with the Moon viewing point, you’ll speak with an elderly Yao lady with very long hair who has come from another village nearby so that you can learn about another ethnic group. The Yao people favor red clothing and the women always have long hair.

In their culture, girls are only allowed to have their hair cut twice in their life. Do you know when? We’ll keep it a secret and you can ask this lady yourself.

After the Interview

• In order to show gratitude to this lady for kindly giving an interview, your guide will give her a tip.
• You don’t have to tip her as well but it’s up to you if you are happy to give her an extra amount.

The Yao people with long hair

After speaking with the Yao lady, you’ll go to the most beautiful viewing point - Nine Dragons and Five Tigers. This viewing point is the highlight of the day. See the awe-inspiring view of the terraced fields, consider the wisdom of the Zhuang people and all the hard work they have put into this land, and appreciate the beautiful harmony between man and nature.

Take out your phone/camera and capture the beautiful sight so you can admire it again later.

The view point of Nine Dragons and Five Tigers

The view point of Nine Dragons and Five Tigers

Your trip comes to an end after visiting the Nine Dragons and Five Tigers viewing point. You’ll be dropped off safely at your hotel in Guilin or Yangshuo.

Share Your Experiences

Please share your happy experiences of this day with your friends on your Facebook page or via TripAdvisor. This encourages more people to have the chance to see the beautiful scenery of the terraced fields in Longji. Follow us on our Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/trippest/ for updates and our trip photos. We hope to see you again soon.

Internet Access

Due to the state-controlled Internet security in China, many popular websites and apps are blocked, such as Google, Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, and WhatsApp. This means you might not be able to visit your favorite sites and might not receive your emails and other important information. For this reason, we highly recommend you use a VPN service before your trip to make sure you can get connected to the global Internet.