6 days China Minority Highlights Tour in Guizhou

Upon arrival at Guiyang in the morning, you will be welcomed by our tour guide. We will visit the last Ming village Jichang in Tunpu in the afternoon then drive back to Guiyang. After the welcome dinner, we will visit the popular and spicy food market--Hequn evening market.

Drive 2 hours along the scenic mountain roads to Kaili. Visit Matang, a quiet village inhabited by the Gejia minority, where we will learn about their culture. You will see the typical costumes, houses, embroidery and batik making. In the afternoon, we will drive to Xijiang to visit the largest Miao village which has a population of nearly six thousand. Stay at Guest House in Xijiang Miao Villege.

Hidden in the folds of the Leigong Hills, Xijiang is thought to be the largest Miao village in China. It's a superbly picturesque place, set in a natural basin and bordered by paddy fields drenched in green, with wooden houses rising up the hillside. The village is a site in itself and there are also plenty of pleasant walks you can take around the hillside.

We will take a short drive from Xijiang to Langde. Visit the village of Langde, a real gem with traditional wooden houses and waterwheels. After lunch we will continue our journey to Datang, a Miao village with an aquatic granary and the women's “Mini-skirt”. Then visit the Paika village to know more about Lusheng—the Miao people's most important musical instrument.

This is the Chinese name for the Miao minority's bamboo pipe and is translated as “reed instrument”'. These pipes are most commonly played at festivals related to courtship and are not generally used at religious gatherings.

Visit Basha, a small ancient Miao village with very little signs of modern influence. The people rarely venture out of the village except for selling firewood and shopping for daily necessities in markets, and both men and women can be seen in traditional costumes, wearing their hair long. Then visit Yintan, a Dong village built on the top of the mountain with beautiful landscape. Drive to Zhaoxing to visit one of the largest Dong Villages in China. After dinner, we will be entertained by the Dong people's welcome ceremony (singing and dancing included) right beneath the Dong's Drum Tower. Stay in Zhaoxing at night (the wooden houses are not in good condition).

Take a short walk in Zhaoxing Dong Village in the morning and then we will continue our journey south to Sanjiang in Guangxi province. Sanjiang is a village inhabited by the South Dong, one of the two subgroups of the Dong ethnic minority. A short drive away from Sanjiang will take us to Chengyang, a quaint little village with one of the biggest Fengyu bridges (Wind and Rain bridge) in the region. Here we will explore the villages on foot, visiting lively markets and hillside farms. Late of the day, drive to Longsheng. Stay overnight at Longsheng.

Longsheng is covered with terraced rice fields, some of which are reaching up to 1,000 m (3,300 ft) peaks. Walk on the majestic terraced rice fields in the morning and after lunch we will drive to Guilin for your departure to the next destination.