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Dragon's
Backbone Rice Terraces
in
Pingan, Longsheng County
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An
unforgettable experience: hike in the magnificent
rice terraces,
discover minority villages, and spend a night at a
beautiful wooden farm house.
Only a four-hour bus ride from Yangshuo.
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Things to know: Pingan is the Zhuang village located in the Longji Terrace Fields (Dragon's Backbone Rice Terraces). Jinkeng Rice Terraces have several beautiful Yao villages including Dazhai and Xiaozhai.
Itinerary: (See Map) Go first to Jinkeng, spend one day to visit several beautiful villages including the viewpoint, Dazhai, and Xiazhai. (Trail No. 5). The second day, walk from Jinkeng to Pingan (Trail no. 3, around 4 hours) and stay overnight in Pingan. The third day, walk from Pingan to Golden Zhuang Village via Old Zhuang Village (Trail No. 4, around 3 hours.) You can catch the bus for Longsheng on the road near Golden Zhuang Village. Detailed Guide
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Getting
there / away:
Yangshuo --> Guilin -->
Longsheng (Heping) --> Pingan/Jinkeng
Yangshuo has one bus leaving early in the morning for Longsheng. Otherwise you can go first to Guilin. (See Yangshuo: Getting there). Guilin Bus Station has non-stop express buses and normal buses leaving for Longshen every 15 minutes. There are also buses every half an hour connecting Longsheng either to Pingan or to Jinkeng. It takes one and half hours from Longsheng to Jinkeng (33km, Y7.-).
* Heping Option: If you take a normal Longsheng bus from Guilin, you can get off at Heping (15km before Longsheng) and wait for the Longsheng-Jinkeng bus or Longsheng-Pingan bus at Heping instead of changing the bus in Longsheng. Anyway it takes only 10 minutes by bus from Heping to Longsheng.
In Pingan parking, bus descends to the main road in
the lower river valley, passes Huanglo, Heping and goes
further to Longsheng. Check the schedule
in the hotel. To go back to Guilin, ask the driver to
drop you off in Heping and wait for a bus from Longsheng
to Guilin. Normally you would not wait for more than
half an hour.
Many backpackers go to Longshen and take a bus from
there to further plunge into Sanjiang Dong Minority
County and discover the wonderful Chengyang Wind and
Rain Bridge. (See Iitinerary From Yangshuo to Kaili) |
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When
to visit:
Spring
is the best time to visit Pingan.
A fan of photography should come at this time when the
amazing green rice terraces are filled with water.
Autumn offers a different
color of the striking rice terraces.
Comments: Pingan is frequented by tourists from Guilin. Jinkeng is still isolated and more beautiful. Avoid Pingan during the weekends. Entrance fee: Y50 including both places. |
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Itineraries:
Departure from Yangshuo/Guilin
1. Two days: First morning
for the road. Afternoon hike for route 1 and route 2.
Second morning hike for route 3, afternoon trip to Longsheng
/ back to Yangshuo/Guilin.
2. Three - Four days.
Based on the two-day trip, add one or two days to visit
Dazai, Xiaozai, proposed by trek route 3 and 5. |
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 Lodgings/Food:
Most of traditional wooden
houses in Pingan have been transformed to simple
lodges.  I
stayed at Longying
Hostel (see left photo).It
offers simple clean rooms for Y15/per bed with a fairly
good view (see right photo), and a public shower bathroom
with hot water and clean WC.
Tell the friendly hostess what you want for breakfast:
pancakes, rice soup, or noodles, so that she can prepare
in advance. As for her
family, they usually take copious dishes in the morning:
meat, vegetables and rice
in order to get enough
energy
to work in the fields. While
I was enjoying
the delicious pancake as my
breakfast, six locals gathered
at a round table piled
with more than 10 dishes, meat vegetables and wine.
As for dinner, go to their kitchen to see what they
have: fresh vegetables, tofu, and meat, order what you
like. Their chicken tastes quite good, much more tasty
than those in the big cities.
To find Longying Hostel, enter into the village, take
the stone path turning to the left, in the direction
of no.2 viewing spot.
Accommodations in Jingkeng:
There are a lot of family-run hostels in Jinkeng except Xiaozhai. The guesthouse Quanjinglou 全景楼 situated at the highest Viewpoint in Jinkeng, overlooking rice terraces and beautiful traditional Yao villages, offers the best view. Clean dormitory rooms: Y20 per bed, shared bathroom and good restaurant. The owner can arrange the guide for you to walk to Pingan: Y40/ per day.
Xiaozhai is worth a visit, as it has not been developed to a tourist site. It takes two hours to walk from Quanjinglou to Xiazhai. There is no restaurant in Xiaozhai.
Photo Albums: Pingan, Jinkeng Rice Terraces |
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