Southern China cycling holiday
| country: | China |
| trip type: | Adventurous cycling holidays |
| departures: | 2008: 11 Oct, 8 Nov 2009: 28 Mar, 11 Apr, 25 Apr, 16 May, 10 Oct, 24 Oct, 7 Nov |
| price: | From US $2075 (15 days) excluding flights |
| offers: | 10% off 11th October departure |
the amazing things you'll be doing
Cycling amongst the countless rice terraces and limestone peaks of Southern China you will experience a beauty so unique it has inspired painters and poets for centuries. From the minority villages and luscious green rice fields of Guizhou Province to the limestone karst peaks and bamboo-lined rivers of Guangxi Province, we get up close and personal with people in their everyday lives. This cycle adventure is rural China at its best!
Highlights include: Hillside rice terraces, Dong, Miao, Zhuang & Yao minorities, limestone karst peaks, bamboo-lined rivers, rural mud brick villages, rice noodle soup, traditional towers, lush rice fields, water buffaloes, rice wine & the idyllic town of Yangshuo.
Price details: Includes all accommodation (twin share in basic & good standard hotels), most meals, transport including domestic flight Guilin to Guiyang, support vehicle and cycling leader & guide. Bikes are also included in the trip cost; our specialised mountain bikes are entry-level standard with front suspension, 21 speed gears, ergonomic seat, off-road tyres, etc. Group size 1-12 people.
Highlights include: Hillside rice terraces, Dong, Miao, Zhuang & Yao minorities, limestone karst peaks, bamboo-lined rivers, rural mud brick villages, rice noodle soup, traditional towers, lush rice fields, water buffaloes, rice wine & the idyllic town of Yangshuo.
Price details: Includes all accommodation (twin share in basic & good standard hotels), most meals, transport including domestic flight Guilin to Guiyang, support vehicle and cycling leader & guide. Bikes are also included in the trip cost; our specialised mountain bikes are entry-level standard with front suspension, 21 speed gears, ergonomic seat, off-road tyres, etc. Group size 1-12 people.
day-by-day itinerary
| Day 1: | Arrive Guilin. |
| Day 2: | Explore Guilin, fly to Guiyang. |
| Day 3: | Cycle to Rongjiang. (40km cycling) |
| Day 4: | Cycle to Congjiang. (85km cycling) |
| Day 5: | Cycle to Zhaoxing. (55km cycling) |
| Day 6: | Rest day in Zhaoxing. |
| Day 7: | Cycle/drive to Chenyang. (44km cycling) |
| Day 8: | Boat/cycle to PingAn. (30km cycling) |
| Day 9: | Rest day in PingAn. |
| Day 10: | Cycle to Hudie Gu. (58km cycling) |
| Day 11: | Cycle to Guilin. (69km cycling) |
| Day 12: | Cycle to Xingping. (74km cycling) |
| Day 13: | Cycle to Yangshuo. (58km cycling) |
| Day 14: | Activity day. |
| Day 15: | Departure. |
small group adventure holiday
Typically you will be sharing your experiences with between 4-20 like minded travellers (depending on the trip, operator and how many others are booked on the trip) and you'll have a group leader with you. Whether you are travelling alone or with friends its good value, and a great way to meet new people! While itineraries are pre-planned there is some flexibility and you'll have plenty of privacy. This trip will appeal to travellers of all ages who enjoy meeting new people as well as seeing new places.how this holiday makes a difference
 On this cycling trip, all of our guides, drivers and mechanics are from the local area that you will be cycling through. We provide purified drinking water for the duration of the cycling component for all passengers and staff, from 20 litre, reusable water drums. This prevents you from needing to buy plastic bottles that add to landfill. We hand out a gift set of chopsticks and cover to all passengers on day one to encourage everyone to avoid using the disposable sets that are provided in many restaurants in China. We send out trip information booklets to all passengers on our trips before the trip has started to encourage participants to start reading and learning about the country and region that you will be cycling through. The maximum group size for these trips is 12. This helps to preserve the experience as a more personalised for you and less intimidating for locals. Our lodgings in the Longji Rice Terraces are the perfect example of the kind of places we prefer to stay when possible; small, locally or family-run guesthouses. In Longji we stay in a guesthouse called the Liqing Guesthouse. It is run by a husband and wife team Keyin and Lily. Both are heavily involved in all aspects of the business. We highly recommend you try some of Keyin home-made wine infused with fruit. Discovering new foods, dishes and flavours is an integral part of travelling, and we love to eat! For breakfast, lunch and dinner we will take you to all manner of local eating establishments, eating fresh, regional produce cooked by the people who know best – the locals! This trip supports an organisation local to the area. The program is called V.E.T. – Volunteer English Teaching. Their aim is to provide native English teachers to the more rural schools. They welcome our passengers to come in and teach a class and donate equipment. If you are interested in staying longer after the trip to teach for a longer period, please let us know when booking your trip. |
Tourism can be good and bad for destinations & local people. We carefully screen every holiday against our criteria for responsible travel. 'Look behind the brochure' to find how each holiday makes a difference (see left). We don't claim to be perfect - there is no global accreditation - but we've led the way since 2001 and screened 1000's of holidays. We invite every traveller to write a review about their experiences and responsible tourism. This valuable feedback is sent to the people who run the holidays. We keep a very close eye on it and take off holidays that don't live up to our standards. |