Cycle China - The Trail of the Dragon

Spectacular Southern China - Guangxi & Guizhou Provinces Cycling Tour

Cycling through the terraced hillsides of Guizhou Province and amongst the karst limestone peaks of Guangxi Province, you will experience a landscape that has been inspiring Chinese painters and poets for centuries, and still awes people today with its almost surreal beauty.

We travel through areas known for their variety of ethnic minorities and we visit traditional villages where we get up close and personal with people in their everyday lives. This tour takes in the best of the well known sights and attractions in the region but is fundamentally designed to expose you to areas that receive very few tourists.

With a mixture of well-made but quiet riverside and rural back-roads, several hill climbs and descents and awesome secluded off-road sections, this unique to Bike Asia cycle adventure is rural China at its absolute best!

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Itinerary / Highlights

Day 1 - Guiyang
Welcome to China!

Today people will be arriving from different destinations and at different times so there are no activities planned. There will be a group meeting in the evening once everyone has arrived, where we can go over all the formalities of the trip. After the group meeting we will head out for dinner together.

Day 2 - Yongle – Cycling 30kms
After breakfast we’ll head south from Guiyang by vehicle, passing through Kaili and Leishan, and into the Dong and Miao minorities’ autonomous region of South-Eastern Guizhou. Shortly after passing through Leishan we meet the bikes, already set up ready to go.

Today we have just 30km to get us familiar with the bikes and cycling conditions. We start the journey with a 12 km descent which is followed immediately by a 9km climb, halfway we will stop for some lunch. Finally for the day we have another downhill section all the way into the small village of Yongle.

Day 3 – Rongjiang - Cycling 75kms
The day starts with some rolling hills before we have a formidable climb with a similar length descent into Pingyong for lunch at the halfway mark.

After lunch the cycling is on a sealed road which gently undulates down the valley into Rongjiang. The traffic is very light, and we are unlikely to see more than a few buses and cars while we’re cycling. Along the valley we pass Dong villages which, unlike in other parts of China, are built almost entirely from wood.

After a wash and freshen up at the hotel, we’ll head out for a hot-pot dinner in one of Rongjiang’s many local-style restaurants.

Day 4 – Congjiang - 84kms
This morning we visit the Rongjiang markets, just a minute’s walk from our hotel.

Every week, traders from all the surrounding villages converge on Rongjiang to sell wares ranging from hand-made brooms and sickle blades to unrecognisable fruits and spices to live yellow ducklings squeaking in a basket. This is a fascinating experience where we meet people of numerous different minorities, dressed in traditional clothes.

There will be time for exploring the markets before getting on the bikes. The 84km ride to Congjiang cruises along the valley of the Duliu River, and we will see local Miao minority people working in the fields and boats on the river as we pass by.

Day 5 – Zhaoxing – 55kms
After a delicious breakfast of Guizhou’s “hand-chopped rice noodles”, steamed buns, local bread and fruit, we will make an early start to Gaozhen, where we will see the first of this region’s classic Dong minority architecture. Dong villages often feature impressive drum towers and “wind-and-rain” covered bridges. These sometimes huge structures are traditionally built entirely of wood without using a single nail.

The morning’s ride will take us high up into the mountains on a dirt backroad where there are spectacular views of the countless rice terraces shrouded in mist below. A roadside lunch on the other side of the mountains at Guandong will see us through the afternoon’s ride past orange groves into Zhaoxing on sealed country roads. After 56km total we can relax at the lovely wooden hotel, perhaps with some home-made rice wine to help us celebrate, as we have a rest day following.

Day 6 - Zhaoxing (Rest Day)
Today is a chance to rest the legs or explore the Zhaoxing valley on the first rest day of the tour.

Zhaoxing is a unique Dong village, being of a conurbation of 5 tiny hamlets, each with its own traditional drum tower and wind-and-rain Bridge, and small streams flowing amongst the streets. This entirely wooden village is surrounded on all sides by hillsides covered in rice terraces, a fantastic place for a walk.

Here we can also learn a little about the Dong minority’s culture. Originally having no written language, history and legends were recorded in song, and the Dong are famous for their chorus singing and their unique wooden pipes.

Day 7 – Chengyang – Cycling 104kms
This is our biggest day!

Starting early, we head over the first (7km) pass and then down a paved road that winds through picturesque rice terraces. Turning off from the main road, the next 10 km cycling through narrow valleys and ravines are very rough, bumpy and extremely muddy at times. Once we pass the town of Shuikou, we are into remote countryside that sees no other tourists.

Here you will be rewarded with an insight into the lifestyles of the hardy farmers that till this steep hillside terrain into incredible rice growing terraces. After a break we have a long gradual off-road climb to the top of a ridge with stunning views of the surrounding mountains, terraces and villages. Following is a short, steep descent into lunch. From here the road is sealed but still quiet with little traffic. After some undulating terrain we have our third, and final, climb for the day for 13km. Following is a speedy 9km winding descent. The last 20km are more gentle undulations all the way to Chengyang where we have hot showers, hot food and cold beers waiting for us!

This Dong village is famous for having the region’s best example of a “Wind and Rain” bridge. Our guesthouse has views overlooking this impressive structure, waterwheels and rice fields. This is a great place to soak up the rural ambience and relax for the evening.

Day 8 – Pingan – Cycling 60kms
After an early morning breakfast we’ll take a walk around picturesque Chenyang village before transferring (to avoid some heavy congestion) to outside the town of Longsheng where we jump back on the bikes.

We have 33km of paved road from Longsheng to the spectacular village of PingAn. This traditional Zhuang minority village is perched high up on the mountainside in the middle of the Longji Rice Terraces – thousands of rice paddies cut into the mountain by the local people over hundreds of years. The last 6km of our cycling will take us from the valley floor climbing up dozens of hairpins to Ping An.

This is a truly rewarding cycle to one of the highlight locations of the tour!

Day 9 - PingAn (Rest Day)
Today we have another rest day to take in the extraordinary mountain views from the Zhuang minority, traditionally-built Liqing Guesthouse, nestled on the mountainside in Ping An.

During the day we can take a walk to one of the view points over the rice terraces, or simply sit back with a beer and enjoy the view and the atmosphere on the terrace of this very special guesthouse. The owners, Ke Yin and Lily, always make us feel at home and may offer us a sample of their special sweet rice wine.

Those exploring the walking trails will soon discover that this area is also inhabited by people of the Yao minority, whose dress is quite distinctive and whose women often grow their hair so long it can touch the ground when untied!

Day 10 – Hudie Gu – 58kms
What goes up must come down, they say, and that is certainly true this morning, as we ride the twisting road back down the mountainside.

We spend the day on quiet sealed roads undulating through pine and bamboo forests, often passing villages tucked away in the hills. We are now close to Guilin, and delicious Guilin-style rice noodles are on the menu for lunch at the roadside.

In the afternoon we emerge onto a wide valley, but our destination for the night lies up a narrow gorge known as Butterfly Valley, where our hotel is located in a surprisingly picturesque setting. We will have a little free time for people to enjoy the walking paths in the valley.

Day 11 – Guilin – 63kms
After breakfast at the hotel it’s back on the bikes for a day of opposites.

A morning of completely flat cycling on the best surface of the tour makes way for an afternoon of dirt road and rough off-road, as we take the most rural back-road towards the city of Guilin. We may get some speed up on the well-made highway, but we wouldn’t want to race through the later part of the day as this is classic rural China in the city’s backyard.

We pass rice fields, fruit trees, and vegetable plots, as well as two reservoirs and farmyards full of chickens. Finally the karst peaks of Guilin’s skyline appear in front of us and we roll into town to our hotel and a banquet of Sichuan style dishes.

Day 12 – Xing Ping – 74kms
From Guilin we head out of the city where the adventure is in the chaos of Chinese city traffic!

A tangle of cars, scooters, buses, silent electric bicycles, tricycles and a minority of traditional cyclists reveal how China has come a long way fast from the old tag of “Kingdom of the Bicycle”. City riding is great fun and safe if you remember that here, going with the flow, is the only option.

We’ll stop for a break in the village of Daxu where we can soak up the old Ming Dynasty era architecture of the old town and its cobblestone street and surrounding farmland. From here we cycle a flat stretch alongside the famous bamboo-lined Li River. After a 3 km sharp descent into Cao Ping, we stop for lunch and take in what the Chinese often refer to as “the finest scenery under heaven” – Karst Mountains overhanging the beautiful blue/green Li River.

After lunch we climb up into the mountains for an even more breathtaking view of this incredible landscape, finally arriving in the beautiful old village of Xing Ping in time to eat, shower and, perhaps, watch the sun set from our guesthouse roof-top terrace with an ice cold beer!

Day 13 – Yangshuo – 60kms
Our final day of cycling is a great action-packed one as head up through the most beautiful part of the Li River by motorised raft.

This section is famous for its beautiful karst mountains and is a fantastic start to the day. We ride away from the river and take stunning, hilly, quiet back-roads through fruit orchards, rice fields and dozens of tiny villages to Baisha town for lunch.

Baisha is famous for its market where produce from the local area is sold as well as for its stone working industry. From Baisha we take our time riding off-road down the lush and serene Jade Dragon River valley, amongst paddy fields, and through villages overlooked on both sides by majestic karst mountains.

We’ll stop to check out the ancient Jade Dragon Bridge, the old town of Jiu Xian and, if it’s hot enough, take a cooling swim in the clear running Jade Dragon River. Our last leg is a sealed 5km stretch through yet more Karst mountains before we emerge in legendary Yangshuo, for good reasons popular with travellers from all over the world, where we have two nights to celebrate the end of our cycling adventure!

Day 14 – Yangshuo – Free day/activity day
Today we have free time to rest, relax and play in laid-back Yangshuo.

Those who are interested can take a half-day cooking course in local Chinese dishes, learn Tai Chi or Kung Fu, take a calligraphy class, go rock climbing, swim in the river, paddle a kayak, go caving, hike along the river or up a karst mountain, indulge in a Chinese massage or acupuncture, cycle unlimited back-roads, watch a world class evening sound and light show, take a cormorant fishing tour, shop ‘til you drop, or laze about in the many cafes, bars and restaurants.

The options are really endless so we recommend that if more than three or four of these activities sound appealing, and you have the extra time, consider booking some additional accommodation with us! There are many options for accommodation in the Yangshuo area including staying in the comfortable and conveniently located hotel that we use on the tour in Yangshuo town, to a rustic restful getaway in a peaceful rural village surrounded by farm life and beautiful scenery, all the way through to spoiling yourself in an international standard resort with spa’s, saunas and an outdoor pool overlooking some of Yangshuo’s prettiest river and mountain scenery.

Day 15
This is departure day and you are free to leave at any time.

Other Details

Accommodation Details

There is a mix of accommodation styles on this trip. 12 nights are in good standard hotels/guesthouses; twin share, private bathrooms, hot water, television, air-conditioning etc; 2 nights are in more basic style accommodation – possibly without private bathrooms, i.e. shared washing and toilet facilities, sometimes Chinese style squat toilets.

We are staying in these places because, travelling by bike we get to travel through some of the smaller, rural areas, and this means of course that we are limited in our choice of accommodation – sometimes we are staying in the ONLY guesthouse. Whilst not having all the facilities that you may be accustomed to at home, we can safely say that these small, family-run places make up for that in location, views, atmosphere and friendly service.

Hygiene is very important to us and our passengers so we try to use accommodation with a good level of cleanliness. All the sleeping arrangements are for twin share and if you are a single traveller you will be paired up with someone of the same sex. This ensures that whether you are travelling solo or with friends, everyone is paying the same rate.

We choose hotels (where possible) which are comfortable, clean, centrally located places and which are adequate in every way.

Departure Dates, Options & Prices

2012 departures: 15th September (GUARANTEED TO DEPART), 13th October, 10th November
2013 departures: 20th April, 4th May, 31st August, 28th September, 26th October

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