Travel in China Part III: More Adventurous Trips
Tuesday, December 14, 2010 | 3 Comments For the more adventurous traveler who is hoping to avoid some of the foreign tourists, here is a look at some of the lesser-known tourist locations. (Although lesser-known to foreigners, these locations may still have crowds of domestic tourists during the winter months)!
CAUTION: Traveling to remote areas, or outside of the major cities in China, may require tour guides and/or a firm grasp of the Chinese language.
Haer’bin
Description: Northern city famous for its ice festival. Every year around Christmas, sculptors carve statues of people, castles, etc. and fill them with brilliant neon lights. The city itself is worth exploring for its Russia-inspired architecture at any time of year, but during the festival, the city really comes alive.
Getting There: Requires a three-hour flight from Shanghai.
Accomodations: May need to be booked in advance for the festival (Dec-Feb)
Time Needed: One or two days
Weather: Extremely Cold (Freezing to –20 degree Fahrenheit)
Sichuan
Description: While you are more likely to find Sichuan pandas sleeping than practicing their Kung-fu, Sichuan is a great place to visit to see many pandas in a large, outdoor habitat. When I went there, the panda zoo and research center had a record seven or eight baby pandas! In addition to being famous for pandas, Sichuan is also famous for its challenging hiking/scenic vistas, beautiful women, and hot pot (Chinese fondu). Unfortunately, the area is also famous for the major earthquake a few years ago in which more than 300,000 people died.
Getting There: Three-to-four-hour flight from Shanghai
Accommodations: Major city with a range of accommodations
Time Needed: Time requirements differ based on itinerary. One or two days are needed for the capital city of Chengdu, you might want more days if you attempt mountain hikes
Weather: Moderate (40-55 degrees Fahrenheit)
Yunnan (Lijiang/Dali)
Description: Yunnan is the home to most of China’s minority populations. This is a place where you can visit a lot of smaller villages and really interact with the people. The tourist areas are a bit out of the way, but the combination of great people, unique architecture, good shopping, and natural vistas make the trip worth the trouble. Lijiang and Dali are the major attractions. They are old cities nestled in the mountains. They are also home to many of China’s minority populations (non-Han Chinese). Lijiang is a little bigger, with fantastic wooden architecture and a more established nightlife, while Dali is smaller, with blue marble buildings and smaller villages surrounding the city.
The most adventurous travelers may want to try hiking Tiger Leaping Gorge, a short ride from Lijiang, or travel to Xishuangbanna in southern Yunnan to take part in village hikes.
Getting There: Four-hour flight to Kunming (nice city with the surfing Buddha temple) and then another one-hour flight or eight-hour bus ride to Lijiang. Dali is a short, three-hour bus ride from Lijiang.
Accommodations: Both cities are small but support a tourism industry. There are numerous hostels and smaller, unique hotels. I always booked once I was in the city, but you can also pre-book before you go.
Time Required: Each city requires one or two days. Travel time alone can eat up a day or more.
Weather: Fairly warm (45-60 degrees Fahrenheit)
Guilin/Yangshuo
Description: These two cities, which are half an hour apart from each other, are always mentioned as two of China’s most beautiful cities. They have awesome caves to explore and unique rock formations that jut straight out of the ground. This area has some great rock climbing and a lot of outdoor activities. A small river runs through Yangshuo’s ancient village center for river trips/fishing. The town has a lot of character and is fun to walk around and shop in. Bikes are also available for exploring.
Getting There: Three-to-four-hour flight from Shanghai to Guilin. Frequent buses to Yangshuo.
Accommodations: A variety of hostels and cool little family-owned hotels. I booked once I was in the city, but pre-booking is possible.
Time Needed: Two days to explore both cities, more to take part in the outdoor activities.
Weather: Moderate (45-60 degrees Fahrenheit)
Hope you enjoyed this three-part series on traveling in China. Safe Travels!
Posted by Jeff
Reader Comments (3)
Jenie
Great pic!
Sharon