Itinerary · 7 days · active
Guizhou minority villages — Guiyang, Anshun, Kaili, Zhaoxing and Xijiang, 7 days
Seven days into Guizhou's minority heartland — Huangguoshu Falls, the Miao village networks of Kaili, the Dong drum-tower villages of Zhaoxing, and the vast terraced hillside settlement of Xijiang.
Guizhou is one of the least-visited provinces in China and one of the most ethnically diverse — home to 18 million Miao people, the world's largest Dong wooden drum towers, and Huangguoshu, China's largest waterfall. The terrain is predominantly karst plateau, deeply dissected into valleys where minority communities have preserved distinct languages, dress and architectural forms. Infrastructure is improving rapidly with HSR now connecting Guiyang, but the village sections require local buses or hired vehicles.
Day by day
Day 1 · guiyang
Arrive Guiyang, Jiaxiu Pavilion
Fly to Guiyang (KWE). Guiyang is a mid-sized provincial capital largely unremarkable architecturally but improving its food scene rapidly. Evening at Jiaxiu Pavilion (Ming dynasty pavilion on a rock island in the Nanming River). Sour soup fish (suantang yu) for dinner — Guizhou's most distinctive local dish.
Stay in: Guiyang city.
Day 2 · anshun
Bus to Anshun, Huangguoshu Falls
Morning bus to Anshun (1.5h, ¥25). Afternoon at Huangguoshu Waterfall (77m high, 101m wide — the largest in China and among the largest in Asia). A tunnel leads behind the main falls; the spray soaks visitors who get close. Return Anshun overnight or continue.
Stay in: Anshun or near Huangguoshu.
Bus Guiyang → Anshun 1.5h.
Day 3 · kaili
Bus to Kaili, Miao village orientation
Bus Anshun → Kaili (3h, ¥50). Kaili is the gateway to southeast Guizhou's Miao village network. Afternoon at a nearby village — Matang (Gejia people, wax-resist fabric) or Chong'an (traditional market on the 3rd, 6th and 9th of the Chinese lunar calendar). The Guizhou Museum of Ethnic Minorities in Kaili provides useful context.
Stay in: Kaili city.
Bus Anshun → Kaili, 3h.
Day 4 · kaili
Langde and Shiqiao villages
Hired van to Langde Miao village (30km south of Kaili) — well-preserved, active community with silver jewellery workshops. Shiqiao village (paper-making from bark fibre in a technique 1,500 years old — still practiced). Return Kaili in the evening.
Day 5 · zhaoxing
Bus to Zhaoxing — Dong drum towers
Three to four hour journey to Zhaoxing (buses or shared minivans from Congjiang). Zhaoxing is the largest Dong minority village in Guizhou — five drum towers of different clans, a large covered wind-and-rain bridge, and wooden stilt houses on a valley floor. Entirely car-free within the old village.
Stay in: Zhaoxing village — simple guesthouses in traditional Dong-style timber buildings.
Bus Kaili → Congjiang 4h then minivan to Zhaoxing 40 min.
Day 6 · xijiang
Return north to Xijiang — the thousand-household Miao village
Xijiang is the largest Miao settlement in the world — 1,300 households of wooden stilt houses rising up a steep valley hillside. The aerial view from the opposite ridge at dusk is the definitive image of Guizhou's minority architecture. Return north by bus (4–5h from Zhaoxing via Congjiang and Leishan).
Stay in: Xijiang village — several guesthouses, quality improving.
Bus Zhaoxing → Xijiang via Congjiang, approx 5h.
Day 7 · guiyang
Bus to Guiyang, depart
Bus to Kaili then HSR to Guiyang (2h total). Afternoon flight KWE → Beijing, Shanghai or Guangzhou for onward connection.
Bus Xijiang → Kaili, then HSR to Guiyang. Flight KWE → onward.
Budget guide (CNY per day)
| Backpacker | ¥1200 |
| Mid-range | ¥3000 |
| Comfortable | ¥7000 |
Per person total 7 days including domestic flight to Guiyang (¥500–800) and local transport (¥500 buses + van hire). Village accommodation is basic but clean. International flights excluded.
Cities covered