Summary
This is a professional and in-depth photography tour, composing with the great natural wonders of Li River and typical photo material by the authentic ancient architectures and countryside scenery strongly recommended by the local senior photographer, who has many years’ photography experience about the best shooting routs in this area.
Climbing to the top of Xianggong mountain to photograph the great bend of the Li River, grabing the most beautiful section of the river in the blue hour of morning to shoot the picturesque scenery, capturing an old fisherman and his ospreys, and photographing of Yao minority people living near Dazhai village of Pan family in jinkeng rice terraces; shooting the sunset at Longji rice terraces.
Highlights
*Professional English-speaking guide specialized in photography tours
*Professional guiding to photography locations
*Personal transportation from place to place with enough space for your photo equipment
*Entrance fee to the places listed
*Attractions around Guilin that only serious travelers and shutterbugs can find
*The beautiful nature and idyllic life around the Li River
Day 1: Arrival in Guilin
Arrive in Guilin, meet your guide in Guilin Liangjiang International Airport, and then take you to your Guilin hotel. If you arrive by train, your guide will meet you at the exit of the train station. Have a good rest and be ready for the next day’s adventure!
Evening optional:
The night scenery in Guilin is beautiful and provides a great way to unwind after a flight. The ‘Two Rivers and Four Lakes’ in the downtown area offer pleasant lakeside walks and night cruises.
Day 2: Guilin to Longji Rice Terraces
In the morning start at 05:00am to Li River of the city section for the sunrise. Return to hotel for breakfast before heading to Longji rice terraces.
Longji is about 2½ hours’ drive from Guilin. Head to Dazhai Yao village, one of the most beautiful areas around Guilin. Upon your arrival, first have lunch in a local farmer’s restaurant. You will have an opportunity to taste the local food, and some local fresh vegetables. After lunch, photos of Yao minority people living near Dazhai village of Pan family, have a taste of photographing the fields, as you hike along for about 2 hours to reach your hotel. You’ll snap the marvelous terraced fields from all angles, with local minority houses dotted around; especially spectacular in autumn when the harvest is ripe and golden.
Good to know:
Recommended Hotel in Longji : Longji Panorama House Hotel (3-star,the best hotel in the village) , meijinglou Hotel (2-star) wooded house. Longji Panorama House Hotel is at the top of a mountain and it takes about 2 or 3 hours to walk there from the parking lot. If you are not able to walk that far, please ask your advisor to substitute another hotel, nearer the cable car station.
We tentatively arrange the overnight stay in Dazhai because from July to October the scenery there is more attractive. From November to March, however, the scenery at Ping’an is more attractive. If your trip is any time between November and June, please ask your travel advisor to arrange the overnight stay at Ping'an Zhuang village.
Day 3: Sunrise with Terraced Rice Fields, Dazhai Village
5:00am get up and wait for the sunrise. You will get some photos of magnificence with mist-shrouded mountains. The large-scale rice terraced fields with the sunrise is stunning. Head down the hill about 1.5 hours to the parking lot after breakfast. And it will be take 1 hour driving to Pingan Village.
Sunset shoot: 17:30—19:30 in nine dragons and five tigers view point.
Longji rice terraces is one of the most impressive man-made wonders in China, built into steep mountainsides. When viewed from the mountaintops, they look like a dragon’s ribs; hence the name ‘Dragon's Backbone’ (Longji).
The rice terraces cover an area of 66 square kilometers (25 sq. mi.), they were built 600 hundreds years ago by the local ethnic people. There are several villages in Longji. The four most famous ones are Ping’an Zhuang Village, Longji Ancient Zhuang Village, and Jinkeng and Dazhai Yao villages.
Day 4: Sunrise with Terraced Rice Fields at Pingan Village, Longji to Yangshuo
Sunrise shoot: 05:30—08:30 Pingan Village
Your hotel is the nice hotel in Pingan village, with the good location for photographing the sunrise less than 10 –20 minutes’ walk away. Get up early (if the weather is good) to shoot the stunning sunrise over the spectacular terraced rice fields. Walk down through the fields, and you can continue to take photos from different angles. After breakfast, the nearby Yao and Zhuang minority villages, with traditional wooden houses, should not be missed.
After lunch, you will go down the mountain and leave Longji for Yangshuo (about 3 hours’ drive), visiting Cuiping on the way. Cuiping Mountain, is a nice place for taking sunset photos. It takes around 30 minutes to climb the mountain with 730 steps and from there you’ll photograph the karst mountain peaks, with some villages, a river flowing by. It’s a wonderful view, not to be missed, even in bad weather.
Sunset shoot: 17:30—19:30 Cuiping Mountain
Day 5: Xianggong Hill and Fisherman Photos; stay in Xingping
Sunrise shoot: 05:30—08:00 Xianggong Hill
You will rise early and transfer to Xianggong Hill, the best place for photos of the breathtaking sunrise over the bend of Li River. After you reach the top, you’ll have about 20 minutes with 500 steps to the top of the hill and to see the Li River running round a right-angled bend as the sun rises in the background (the top photo of this tour).
After Xianggong Hill, you’ll visit Fuli Bridge, which has a history of over 500 years. It’s a special spot not so well known to travelers, located at the upper reaches of the Yulong River. You can take some photos of the bridge stretching across the river, surrounded by Guilin's unique Karst hills. Take a ride on a bike about 1.5 to 2 hours from Jiuxian village to Yangshuo along the Yulong River.
In the afternoon, you will be driven to Xingping Ancient Town to photograph another highlight of the Guilin area: a Li River fisherman, on his bamboo boat and with a unique gas lamp, resplendent in the rose sunset (pray for cooperative weather). You will love the fisherman, who poses in many different natural ways. Your guide will make sure you get the best possible photos of the fisherman and the river.
Recommended Hotel in Xingping : Yangshuo Xingping Island Resort (a boutique hotel on a beautiful location beside the Li River)
Good to know:
1. Upon arrival in Xingping, you will take a ferry to a small, beautiful and peaceful island, where you hotel is located.
2. Besides, Xingping is the best place for photographing the beautiful Li River sunrise and sunset.
Day 6: Xialong to Daxu to Guilin
Sunrise shoot: 05:45—08:30 Xialong
Continue to collect sunrise photos or misty-morning photos around the Li River. You’ll be taken to Xialong. Enjoy the beautiful, peaceful river, to sunrise spots nearby, for some fantastic photos of the sunrise. This stretch is one of the most spectacular on the river.
The next destination is Daxu Ancient Town, it is in strolling along the long and narrow blue flagstone paths. Houses on both sides are made of black brick and grey tile in the style of the Ming (1368-1644AD) and Qing Dynasty (1644-1911AD), reflecting historical vicissitudes over past years. And visit Zhou Family for portrait, you'll see how to make it and will interact with local people who have lived there for generations.
Sunset shoot: 17:30—19:00 Guimo bridge
After today's activity, we will drive back to Guilin.
Day 7: Guilin Departure
Your guide and driver will take you to Guilin Liangjiang Airport for departure, end this impressive photographing tour.
Longji Rice Terraced Fields Photography Tips
Jinkeng (Dazhai) Terraced Fields is better preserved with more capacious views and has much less tourists and is less commercial than Ping’an Village. The golden rice is cut later than Ping’an Village during China’s National Day holiday.
In spring
The end of March is the best time to shoot the many cole flowers in the terraced fields. From the end of April to the beginning of May, the fields turn a beautiful red, because of the fertilizer the farmers use.
In summer
At the beginning of June, the watered fields are like mirrors, yielding impressive photos. June 8-10 is the annual Spring Plow Festival of the local Zhuang and Yao minorities. If you are fortunate to be there for the festival, you will see many celebrations, but relatively few visitors.
July to August is the best time for viewing the terraced fields. They turn a verdant green, with some clouds in the otherwise clear blue sky.
In autumn
Golden terraced fields are fabulous during China’s National Day holiday. Although we don’t recommend visiting China during this period, it’s the best time to photograph the countless yellow rice terraces. The rice stalks don’t turn golden before National Day and are quickly harvested after the holiday. Rice in Dazhai village is harvested later than in the Ping’an village area. In October, morning and dusk are better periods for photos.
In winter
Snow sometimes covers the fields during China’s Spring Festival holiday. It’s the best chance to obtain photos of snowy terraced fields and at the same time to experience local minority culture.
Important Tips for photographers
*The prime time for photography in Guilin is from May to October. During these months, the daytime is longer and the light is good, and temperatures are hot or warm. November to February is the low-water season.
*Best sun-set observation place
1.Guilin: Chuanshan Park, Dudu Hill, Taohua River, Wujiali Village
2.Yangshuo: Cuiping, Yangshuo bridge, Gongnong Bridge
3.Xingping: Xingping island,
*Best Sun-rise observation places
1.Guilin: Li River, Tianxin Village, Sha Lake
2.Yangshuo: Xianggong Hill, Gongnong Bridge, TV tower
3.Xingping: Laozhai Mountain, Yellow Cloth Shoal, Xialong Bay
*Xianggong Hill is great for sunrises and sunsets. It takes 1.5 hours to drive there from Guilin city center, and 40 minutes from Yangshuo. The sunrise is at about 05:30 hrs from June to August, 06:00 hrs from September to October, and 06:30 hrs in December. You must climb many steps to reach the viewpoint. Our guide will prepare flashlights for you.
*Fuli Bridge: Suitable for shooting at any time. Rarely interrupted by tourists, you can take photos of this ancient bridge with its reflection in the water. There are more chances to come across water buffalos or ducks in this fantastic karst landscape between 16:00 and17:00.
*Xialong: Xialong is one of the highlights of the Li River and one of the best places for Guilin's Karst landscape sunrise. The morning clouds in Xialong, however, are fantastic. Sunrise starts at 05:00 hrs in summer and 06:30 hrs in winter. September is the best time for the sunrise.
