Itinerary for south-west china

You're traveling around quite a lot. I would cover less ground than you personally, but if you don't mind the flights, your route is possible.

I haven't traveled in the Guangxi/Guizhou border region since they put the high-speed line through there; I don't know how much it's changed and developed since then. My favourite base for exploring in the region was Chengyang, as well as Kaili with its helpful tourist office. But both places might be very different these days.

You have "night buses" and "night trains" in some odd places. Yangshuo-Guilin is no more than 2 hours by bus; there are no "night buses", unless you simply mean catching a regular bus later in the evening. Kunming-Dali is about 5 hours by bus; there's no need to spend a night on the train for that trip, unless you particularly want to.

Dali-Lijiang is an easy trip by bus, and you can catch buses in Dali's old city, rather than having to go to Xiaguan to catch the train.

You have "night buses" and "night trains" in some odd places. Yangshuo-Guilin is no more than 2 hours by bus; there are no "night buses", unless you simply mean catching a regular bus later in the evening. Kunming-Dali is about 5 hours by bus; there's no need to spend a night on the train for that trip, unless you particularly want to.

Yes, that's exactly what I mean (: I'm simply trying to maximize my traveling time, so I'm trying to focus all the moving around to later hours. That's also why I wanted to take the night train to Dali, since it gives me 5 more hours to travel around Kunming and saves me 1 night stay in a hostel.
Anyway, thanks for your reply! I can consider thinning out my itinerary a bit, I too feel like it needs a little more air. What would you change to do this? What can I give up on?

Hi Liolar,

Same comment as Giora, it is a very busy trip ! and you re going to some places when you might feel to enjoy just to chill around and take your time ;)
I have been to some places you said.
Yangshuo: last time I went, i did two days in Yangshuo and two days in Xingping (one hour from Yangshuo in bus). but it is also possible to do a day visit in Xingping. You should check with your hostel in Yangshuo but there is probably buses going directly to Longji rice terrace (last summer I went from the Longji rice terrace directly to Yangshuo, opposite way should also exist).

Maybe you can also just spend two days in Lijiang. It is a very over-crowded touristic city, beautiful but looks like fake.

A friend of mine went from Lijiang to Lugu Lake and from there to Chengdu. It seems a long journey but it is a very famous lake and the landscape is known to be amazing. However I am not sure about buses and all.

Emeishan: if you like hiking, better to do it in two days and sleep in the mountain.

Usually trains are cheaper than long distance buses and more confortable

I would give up on Sichuan if I was you. A panda zoo is just a zoo, and Jiuzhaigou is hideously touristy. I've been to Sichuan a couple of times, and have never been to either personally, but it's the obvious place to give up on your route.

Kunming isn't a particularly exciting city. I wouldn't spend a night on a train for the sake of a few hours there, but you might be different.

I wouldn't recommend arriving in unfamiliar cities in China after dark, if you can avoid it. Unless you plan on taking taxis everywhere, and have a good idea of where you're going (and directions written down in Chinese for the taxi driver).

As above - I'd look into spending some time in the countryside around Yangshuo, rather than in Yangshuo itself. Yangshuo is one of the most touristy little towns on the planet. I guess after you experience Yangshuo you can decide how much time you want to spend in other hypertouristy places in China.

Late September, is the peak season, to Jiuzhaigou visitors, very many,,More than 40,000 people every day.
Sep 25th - Bus to Jiuzhaigou, then stay in JZG.This is a problem.Every day, there are only four buses from Chengdu to Jiuzhaigou.A bus, 40 seats.Usually, we buy tickets three days in advance.
from jiuzhaigou to huanglong is 140 km,This is also a problem.

Thank you very much, this is all very helpful. I think I'll give up on Jiuzhaigou then. I've heard great things about Emeishan though, and my flight out of china is from Chengdu anyway, so I can cut my time there to about a day. That will give me another day or two to figure out the mess in Guangxi/Guizhou, I think. What do you think?

Oh and of course I'll only be using Yangshuo as a base to explore the area, I intend to spend as little time in Yangshuo itself as possible. It just seems more comfortable than basing myself in a smaller town that has fewer public transport options and nothing to do at night.

#4, how can you say a panda zoo is just a zoo if you haven't been? We went in Chengdu and apart from seeing pandas in Singapore, we had neither before or after had the opportunity to see so many pandas up close.

You might not need to spend the night in Guilin before heading to the Rice Terraces. Our hotel in Yangshuo organised tickets on a bus which left Yangshuo early in the morning and arrived around lunchtime. The next day we went on to Chengyang as you plan to do. I would stay 2 nights in Chengyang otherwise you will have no time to see it. It is beautiful and I liked it there more than Yangshuo, so much so that i went back during another trip to China.

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