Long Sheng's Dragon Spine Rice Terraces
Long Sheng's Dragon Spine Rice Terraces
Long Sheng's Dragon Spine Rice Terraces
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jensen_chua
Singapore, Singapore3,629 contributions
Aug 2019
The no.1 attraction in Long Sheng, worth the 2.5hr drive from Guilin. For avid photographers, its recommended to stay at least a night over at one lodges at Ping'An village to capture the sunrise and sunset version of the amazing valley.
For day trippers, a trek along the rice terrace trails are a real treat. Drone is allowed at this venue.
For day trippers, a trek along the rice terrace trails are a real treat. Drone is allowed at this venue.
Written 12 August 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Gaia-son
Geylang, Singapore93 contributions
Sept 2014 • Solo
The trek to Dazai and Jinkeng Rice Terraces took more than 4 hours. It is a challenging trek along narrow mountain trails. The scenery however more than compensate for the stress on the knees due to the stone slabs trails.
My guide, Mr Liao a Zhuang minority and the father in law of the Baike hotel owner walks like he is on a sunday stroll. He has to slow down considerably for me.
My guide, Mr Liao a Zhuang minority and the father in law of the Baike hotel owner walks like he is on a sunday stroll. He has to slow down considerably for me.
Written 18 December 2014
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
mareth1
Palm Coast, FL44 contributions
Sept 2013
I had no idea what to expect but it sounded like a wonderful opportunity to get away from the hustle and bustle of Chinese cities. We were so glad we made the decision and despite being scheduled for total knee replacement the week after our return, I made it to the top of Long Sheng rice paddies under our own steam. Both of us have pacemakers so as you can see it is very doable climbing the 1200 steps as you can pace yourself.For the faint of
heart, you can be carried up the mountain by local farmers on a chair like device. Some rather heavy folks had opted for this mode of transport and I felt sorry for the farmers who were dripping with sweat and panting but I am sure glad of the tourist money.
But back to the beginning. It took us about three hours from Guillin to the base if the mountain where there was a market selling local wares and where we changed from our larger bus to a smaller local bus to take us closer to the foothills of the rice paddies.
As we weaved our way around blind bends on this narrow road, the driver leaned on the horn to warn descending drivers. If you like roller coaster rides (not me nor by the screams our fellow passengers) then you will love the ride. Not sure if the driver was bent on giving us a thrilling
ride as he swung the bus out wide and your eyes viewed the sheer drop off or it was the only way to navigate the bends. We survived! Then, we made our way up the mountain under our own steam via steps (1200)that the locals built for the tourists no doubt. Breathtaking views of the terraced rice paddy fields and mountains. It was a beautiful, clear day in Sep with temps around 80. Sunscreen and water is a must We passed through local villages on our way up where you could buy local goods including candies and other snacks. The local minority women were dressed in beautiful local finery and they had the most gorgeous black hair. Their hair does not turn gray which is attributed to the rice water they used to wash their hair. Photo ops of the women for a price but you can take as many photos of the scenery as you wish. In Sep the rice field were still green but spectacular. We ate lunch at the half way point and there were toilet opportunities(one western-yeh! my knees were appreciative). They served local fare and we really enjoyed the rice cooked in a bamboo. Had a nice smokey
taste.
Lots of construction taking place in the area so go now before the uniqueness is lost.
If you have the time and enjoy hiking, stay in one of the villages for a couple of nights. Appeared to be some chalet type buildings going up.
While your in the Guillin area, take a day boat trip on the Li River. Loved the feel of the local river traffic here more so than on the Yangtze River.
Our day trip to the terraces were part of our China Tour through our tour company, China Spree and like all if the tours was very well organized.
heart, you can be carried up the mountain by local farmers on a chair like device. Some rather heavy folks had opted for this mode of transport and I felt sorry for the farmers who were dripping with sweat and panting but I am sure glad of the tourist money.
But back to the beginning. It took us about three hours from Guillin to the base if the mountain where there was a market selling local wares and where we changed from our larger bus to a smaller local bus to take us closer to the foothills of the rice paddies.
As we weaved our way around blind bends on this narrow road, the driver leaned on the horn to warn descending drivers. If you like roller coaster rides (not me nor by the screams our fellow passengers) then you will love the ride. Not sure if the driver was bent on giving us a thrilling
ride as he swung the bus out wide and your eyes viewed the sheer drop off or it was the only way to navigate the bends. We survived! Then, we made our way up the mountain under our own steam via steps (1200)that the locals built for the tourists no doubt. Breathtaking views of the terraced rice paddy fields and mountains. It was a beautiful, clear day in Sep with temps around 80. Sunscreen and water is a must We passed through local villages on our way up where you could buy local goods including candies and other snacks. The local minority women were dressed in beautiful local finery and they had the most gorgeous black hair. Their hair does not turn gray which is attributed to the rice water they used to wash their hair. Photo ops of the women for a price but you can take as many photos of the scenery as you wish. In Sep the rice field were still green but spectacular. We ate lunch at the half way point and there were toilet opportunities(one western-yeh! my knees were appreciative). They served local fare and we really enjoyed the rice cooked in a bamboo. Had a nice smokey
taste.
Lots of construction taking place in the area so go now before the uniqueness is lost.
If you have the time and enjoy hiking, stay in one of the villages for a couple of nights. Appeared to be some chalet type buildings going up.
While your in the Guillin area, take a day boat trip on the Li River. Loved the feel of the local river traffic here more so than on the Yangtze River.
Our day trip to the terraces were part of our China Tour through our tour company, China Spree and like all if the tours was very well organized.
Written 10 October 2013
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
HelsBels
Adelaide, Australia157 contributions
Oct 2019
The terrraced rice fields are an amazing sight, although we were unfortunate to have a very wet and foggy day which made it a little disappointing as the weather was not normal for October. It was still spectacular, and worth the long trip to and from Guilin. Our guide was very helpful. We ended up taking a golf cart to the top section due to the weather, then walking around the mountains in the rain and fog, seeing the great views, and experiencing some of the locals and the produce and crafts. We had lunch at an amazing little restaurant before climbing to the bottom. A great day.
Written 12 November 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
SOH KIEN PENG
Singapore, Singapore9,283 contributions
Aug 2016 • Couples
I came to Guangxi in the month of August. It was summer and the weather is scorching hot and humid. My wife chided me for choosing this hot sauna period to visit and no amount of sun tan lotion that we applied on our skin could protect the epidermis layer from solar burn. It was 37 degrees in the day much hotter than the weather in my equator island of Singapore.
My travel itinerary in Guangxi includes staying one night up at the peak of Jinkeng Tiantou Zhai near to the First Viewing Point of the Dazhai Village. My research findings convinced me that the view of the dragon spine rice terraces at Dazhai is definitely much more stunning than that at Pingan. But the hot summer weather had a dampening effect on my adventurous spirit.
Both me and my wife had melted under the scorching heat in Yangshuo for few days and `burnt' for another two days in Nanning and Detian Waterfall. By the time we were in Guilin, I was sort of suffering from the heatstroke effect and was at the verge of contemplating to cancel our hotel booking at Dazhai when our Guilin hotel receptionist strongly discouraged us from doing so. He felt that we should go ahead and have a look since we came a long way here.
We were appreciative of his enlightening words. We eventually discovered that the painstaking effort to make the `pilgrimage' were well rewarded and compensated by the stunning and gorgeous sceneries.
Prior to the trip, I was worried that the sanitary facilities, the utilities, the purification of the drinking water and the availability of the air-conditioners were not up to my wife's expectation. I thought of my North Vietnam's Sapa Hmong village rice terraced field expedition in March this year and wondered if my wife would faint on seeing that similar poor sanitary condition in Longsheng. I was wrong. The toilet and the room cleanliness in my hotel was superbly tip top and well maintained. The air conditioner was efficient and the water was pure and boil and safe for drinking. I was silly to pack so many bottles of water in my luggage and carried with me all the way up the terraced mountains.
Traveling to Longsheng from Guilin was easy. I took a public bus no. 88 from my hotel near the Guilin railway station and alighted on the main road near Qintan Bus station. The bus fare is only RMB 4. I then waited at the bus stop for the bus to Longsheng. I informed the bus conductor of our destination and she alerted us when we reached Heping junction. The bus fare was RMB 26 per pax.
When we reached Heping village, there was another bus to Dazhai in the opposite direction waiting for us across the road. We boarded the bus to Dazhai and paid the bus fare of RMB30 (inclusive of return trip). We arrived at the admission office to Dazhai about 10 minutes after we boarded the bus and an admission staff boarded the bus and we paid RMB95 (per pax) for our entrance to Dazhai.
We departed Guilin at about 7 am and arrived at Dazhai at about 10 am, about 3 hrs journey from Guilin. The Dazhai bus ended at a relatively big car park and we started our hike up the dragon spine terrace. I had booked a room via elong website for RMB 138 at `Terraced View Hotel' which is near the 1st View Point.
The hike up the terraced rice field reminded me of our hike up Taishan in Shandong Province. However, this hike was totally different from that at Shandong. Our surrounding was full of greenery while Taishan presented herself with more concrete steps than the green terraces. The gradient up is also more gentle and less steep than Taishan. The steep gradient is followed by a flat walk and thus it was more relaxing and the scenery up is so mesmerizing. I kept clicking my digital camera along the way. The minority Yao villagers may be a bit of pestering as we entered the village inviting us to eat at their house and buy their local products but as you climbed higher you are all alone. The pavilions and rest huts along the way gave us respite and time to rejuvenate before the next walk up. At my age of 57, I was not panting for breath or heaving heavily. The hike was reasonably rewarding and my wife gradually released her smiles when she saw the awesome terraced greenery around her and the uniqueness of the minority Yao culture wooden homes. We reached the 2nd Viewing Point about an hour from our starting point. There were seats for us to take our rest and enjoy our sights. The minority Yao stall vendors do not harass you. It was the hospitality in their culture to welcome you to their village.
We took almost 2 hrs to reach our hotel. I was alarmed that we managed to reach the hotel so fast. It was so amazingly beautiful overlooking the great valley of the Dragon Spine Rice Terraces from our hotel. It was marvelously creative knowing that they were created by the minority Yao people one thousand years ago. I saluted to their bravery and tenacity to overcome the physical barriers and environmental adversity to sculpture this piece of golden land for their livelihood and benefit the subsequent generations.
I was in Sapa in Mar, visited the Hmong village and saw their terraced fields there but in terms of dynamism and grandeur, Longsheng has the scale and the beauty that Sapa cannot surpass. The summer weather bestowed radiantly verdant greenery in the terraced fields that you cannot find in any part of the world. I found myself lost in this wilderness of the green in the heart of the minority Yao culture.
The window of my hotel faced the great green terraced fields and commands an amazingly panoramic view but I expected to see the sunrise the next morning. I was not so lucky. It started to drizzle and streaks of lightning could be seen in the dark wilderness at 5 am. The sky was cloudy at dawn. While we missed the sunrise, it did not stop me from hiking another 30 minutes right to the peak from our hotel.
I passed by the many hotels near the 1st viewing point - the various great view hotels and I could not stop the urge of clicking my digital cameras from different angles as I stood at the various viewing platforms at the peak.
The views are spectacular and gorgeous. My wife who grumbled about the hot weather was silenced by the stunning sceneries. We had our `sumptuous' vegetarian dinner by the edge of the great terraces. The vegetables that we ate were grown in these terraces without any fertilizers.
The way down the terraced fields was even shorter. We only took about an hour to reach the entrance. We had come with a heavy heart but as we departed and look back, we knew we had made the right decision to come here.
It was gorgeous view and a rewarding trip. I really regretted having an earlier thought of canceling it. I strongly recommend this attraction to those who love nature and culture.
My travel itinerary in Guangxi includes staying one night up at the peak of Jinkeng Tiantou Zhai near to the First Viewing Point of the Dazhai Village. My research findings convinced me that the view of the dragon spine rice terraces at Dazhai is definitely much more stunning than that at Pingan. But the hot summer weather had a dampening effect on my adventurous spirit.
Both me and my wife had melted under the scorching heat in Yangshuo for few days and `burnt' for another two days in Nanning and Detian Waterfall. By the time we were in Guilin, I was sort of suffering from the heatstroke effect and was at the verge of contemplating to cancel our hotel booking at Dazhai when our Guilin hotel receptionist strongly discouraged us from doing so. He felt that we should go ahead and have a look since we came a long way here.
We were appreciative of his enlightening words. We eventually discovered that the painstaking effort to make the `pilgrimage' were well rewarded and compensated by the stunning and gorgeous sceneries.
Prior to the trip, I was worried that the sanitary facilities, the utilities, the purification of the drinking water and the availability of the air-conditioners were not up to my wife's expectation. I thought of my North Vietnam's Sapa Hmong village rice terraced field expedition in March this year and wondered if my wife would faint on seeing that similar poor sanitary condition in Longsheng. I was wrong. The toilet and the room cleanliness in my hotel was superbly tip top and well maintained. The air conditioner was efficient and the water was pure and boil and safe for drinking. I was silly to pack so many bottles of water in my luggage and carried with me all the way up the terraced mountains.
Traveling to Longsheng from Guilin was easy. I took a public bus no. 88 from my hotel near the Guilin railway station and alighted on the main road near Qintan Bus station. The bus fare is only RMB 4. I then waited at the bus stop for the bus to Longsheng. I informed the bus conductor of our destination and she alerted us when we reached Heping junction. The bus fare was RMB 26 per pax.
When we reached Heping village, there was another bus to Dazhai in the opposite direction waiting for us across the road. We boarded the bus to Dazhai and paid the bus fare of RMB30 (inclusive of return trip). We arrived at the admission office to Dazhai about 10 minutes after we boarded the bus and an admission staff boarded the bus and we paid RMB95 (per pax) for our entrance to Dazhai.
We departed Guilin at about 7 am and arrived at Dazhai at about 10 am, about 3 hrs journey from Guilin. The Dazhai bus ended at a relatively big car park and we started our hike up the dragon spine terrace. I had booked a room via elong website for RMB 138 at `Terraced View Hotel' which is near the 1st View Point.
The hike up the terraced rice field reminded me of our hike up Taishan in Shandong Province. However, this hike was totally different from that at Shandong. Our surrounding was full of greenery while Taishan presented herself with more concrete steps than the green terraces. The gradient up is also more gentle and less steep than Taishan. The steep gradient is followed by a flat walk and thus it was more relaxing and the scenery up is so mesmerizing. I kept clicking my digital camera along the way. The minority Yao villagers may be a bit of pestering as we entered the village inviting us to eat at their house and buy their local products but as you climbed higher you are all alone. The pavilions and rest huts along the way gave us respite and time to rejuvenate before the next walk up. At my age of 57, I was not panting for breath or heaving heavily. The hike was reasonably rewarding and my wife gradually released her smiles when she saw the awesome terraced greenery around her and the uniqueness of the minority Yao culture wooden homes. We reached the 2nd Viewing Point about an hour from our starting point. There were seats for us to take our rest and enjoy our sights. The minority Yao stall vendors do not harass you. It was the hospitality in their culture to welcome you to their village.
We took almost 2 hrs to reach our hotel. I was alarmed that we managed to reach the hotel so fast. It was so amazingly beautiful overlooking the great valley of the Dragon Spine Rice Terraces from our hotel. It was marvelously creative knowing that they were created by the minority Yao people one thousand years ago. I saluted to their bravery and tenacity to overcome the physical barriers and environmental adversity to sculpture this piece of golden land for their livelihood and benefit the subsequent generations.
I was in Sapa in Mar, visited the Hmong village and saw their terraced fields there but in terms of dynamism and grandeur, Longsheng has the scale and the beauty that Sapa cannot surpass. The summer weather bestowed radiantly verdant greenery in the terraced fields that you cannot find in any part of the world. I found myself lost in this wilderness of the green in the heart of the minority Yao culture.
The window of my hotel faced the great green terraced fields and commands an amazingly panoramic view but I expected to see the sunrise the next morning. I was not so lucky. It started to drizzle and streaks of lightning could be seen in the dark wilderness at 5 am. The sky was cloudy at dawn. While we missed the sunrise, it did not stop me from hiking another 30 minutes right to the peak from our hotel.
I passed by the many hotels near the 1st viewing point - the various great view hotels and I could not stop the urge of clicking my digital cameras from different angles as I stood at the various viewing platforms at the peak.
The views are spectacular and gorgeous. My wife who grumbled about the hot weather was silenced by the stunning sceneries. We had our `sumptuous' vegetarian dinner by the edge of the great terraces. The vegetables that we ate were grown in these terraces without any fertilizers.
The way down the terraced fields was even shorter. We only took about an hour to reach the entrance. We had come with a heavy heart but as we departed and look back, we knew we had made the right decision to come here.
It was gorgeous view and a rewarding trip. I really regretted having an earlier thought of canceling it. I strongly recommend this attraction to those who love nature and culture.
Written 1 September 2016
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
johnsak
Geelong, Australia387 contributions
Jul 2014 • Couples
This is not a tour you could do easily on your own. We had a local guide pre-booked to show us around from the Guilin Overseas Tourist Company (haiyanlisa@hotmail.com), and our guide Lisa did a wonderful job of taking us "up close & personal" with the locals. We traveled with our own driver and his van about 2 hours from Guilin into the area, so the entire trip will take the best part of a day. You can catch a ride to the village once you're in the rice fields areas, or you can just walk and really take in the local atmosphere, as we did.
The locals are happy for you to visit in the hope that you might be a little generous.
These people live as sustainably as can be imagined in our modern hustle & bustle world, so it is really worth seeing what is possible with so few resources other than the magnificent rice terraces and themselves.
The locals are happy for you to visit in the hope that you might be a little generous.
These people live as sustainably as can be imagined in our modern hustle & bustle world, so it is really worth seeing what is possible with so few resources other than the magnificent rice terraces and themselves.
Written 13 October 2014
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
SuzandGee
Adelaide, Australia128 contributions
Sept 2014 • Couples
My partner and I recently spent three nights on the Longii rice terraces at Li An Lodge, one of many established and decent accommodation options.
Firstly, it should be spelt out that walking is the only form of transportation on the terraces and that to access the best vantage points requires walking upwards from the entry points. The good news is, what goes up must come down.
For those who either aren't capable or don't enjoy physical exercise sedan chairs are available at the entry points and porters will carry your luggage for a fee. We took the porters service and I would recommend you use this service as it gives you the opportunity to take in the landscape. The cost will vary depending on the point of entry. As the porters are mostly older women, you might not initially be inclined through embarrassment but be assured they will lead on happily chatting between themselves.
We stayed in PingAn. There are many food and beverage options in the village and after being out and about on the terraces just sitting and relaxing (over a beer) allows you a first hand look at village life as it occurs around you.
In the main most villages are accessible by (mostly) defined paths, although directions aren’t always obvious. I would strongly urge walkers to get the best directions they can including questions in Chinese from their lodge prior to leaving on a trek.
This will be particularly useful to walkers visiting one of the neighboring villages and moreso from PingAn to Dazhai (or vice versa) as negotiating some of the villages is far from straight forward. Don't be surprised if some villagers attempt to supplement their income through offering their assistance, for a fee (of course).
We did the 5 hour walk between these villages and I strongly recommend doing it. Yes, the first 3 hours might be mostly uphill but you can accomplish it at your leisure whilst the final 2 hours are downhill. Take water but the villages do have shops and you will find natural water "springs" along the way which will allow you to refresh, but I wouldn't drink from same. A great experience!!
There are spectacular views from the pathways but be aware it might be dangerous to look whilst attempting to walk? It is apparent that accidents could occur and Longii is “out of the way”.
Also be aware that apart from the spectacular views there is the opportunity to see and photograph flowers, birds, butterflies and dragon flies, yes spectacular reds and blues.
The terraces themselves offer great photo opportunities as the light changes throughout the day. This would also be true of the seasonal changes.
Our few days on the Rice Terraces was a great inclusion in our visit to the Guilin area along with a trip to Yangshuo.
Weather permitting get about as it would be unlikely that you'll get back!!
Firstly, it should be spelt out that walking is the only form of transportation on the terraces and that to access the best vantage points requires walking upwards from the entry points. The good news is, what goes up must come down.
For those who either aren't capable or don't enjoy physical exercise sedan chairs are available at the entry points and porters will carry your luggage for a fee. We took the porters service and I would recommend you use this service as it gives you the opportunity to take in the landscape. The cost will vary depending on the point of entry. As the porters are mostly older women, you might not initially be inclined through embarrassment but be assured they will lead on happily chatting between themselves.
We stayed in PingAn. There are many food and beverage options in the village and after being out and about on the terraces just sitting and relaxing (over a beer) allows you a first hand look at village life as it occurs around you.
In the main most villages are accessible by (mostly) defined paths, although directions aren’t always obvious. I would strongly urge walkers to get the best directions they can including questions in Chinese from their lodge prior to leaving on a trek.
This will be particularly useful to walkers visiting one of the neighboring villages and moreso from PingAn to Dazhai (or vice versa) as negotiating some of the villages is far from straight forward. Don't be surprised if some villagers attempt to supplement their income through offering their assistance, for a fee (of course).
We did the 5 hour walk between these villages and I strongly recommend doing it. Yes, the first 3 hours might be mostly uphill but you can accomplish it at your leisure whilst the final 2 hours are downhill. Take water but the villages do have shops and you will find natural water "springs" along the way which will allow you to refresh, but I wouldn't drink from same. A great experience!!
There are spectacular views from the pathways but be aware it might be dangerous to look whilst attempting to walk? It is apparent that accidents could occur and Longii is “out of the way”.
Also be aware that apart from the spectacular views there is the opportunity to see and photograph flowers, birds, butterflies and dragon flies, yes spectacular reds and blues.
The terraces themselves offer great photo opportunities as the light changes throughout the day. This would also be true of the seasonal changes.
Our few days on the Rice Terraces was a great inclusion in our visit to the Guilin area along with a trip to Yangshuo.
Weather permitting get about as it would be unlikely that you'll get back!!
Written 25 September 2014
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
KLE2013
Centreville, VA3,503 contributions
Aug 2013 • Family
This day trip out of Guilin arranged by our tour operator, China Spree, was the highlight of our family's trip to China. Imagine 2000 foot peaks sculpted into step like terraces for growing rice by the indigenous minority peoples. Imagine climbing over 1200 uneven stone steps through hillside villages where the fragrance of the local delicacy bamboo rice wafts throughout the air. After several days touring in crowded cities, this day was a peaceful chance to reconnect with nature and see a blue, not smoggy sky. I had injured my foot the day before and expressed concerns that I couldn't handle the climb, but our wonderful guide Ming assured me that there were local farmers eager for the income who acted as porters and carried tourists up the hills in sedan chairs. So Ming negotiated a reduced fee ($30.00) she said because I was petite and I was carried up the steps in a covered bamboo sedan chair by two smiling, strong farmers. The views from the summit were breathtaking. the opportunity for shopping on the descent was great fun. Our son still waxes poetic about the unique to the region chili sauce served with our lunch that day. Our only regret - the chili sauce packaged in the villages could not be exported back to the states.
Written 3 October 2013
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
yeonghaur
Singapore, Singapore495 contributions
Sept 2018 • Solo
We visited in early Sep, stayed for 2 nights at Tiantouzhai.
The Dragon Spine ("Long ji") rice terraces is a generic name given to this area. There are currently 3 main rice terraces that are open to tourists. First is Ping'An terraces (opened to public the earliest, has 2 main viewpoints), JingKeng rice terraces (which includes the villages of Da Zhai and TiantouZhai, has 3 main viewpoints) and the least visited Ancient Zhuang terraces. I visited and stayed at Tiantouzhai, and also visited Ping'An on a half-day hike. It is easy to do the trip on your own. Entrance to the whole Dragon Spine rice terrace is 95 RMB per person. Good for a month.
We first traveled to DaZhai car park (in JingKeng Rice terrace). From there, we took a cable car (100 RMB return, 70 RMB one way) to Viewpoint 3 ("Golden Buddha Peak"). We went at around 11.30 am. Not crowded. View was spectacular. We stayed for about an hour before taking the cable down again.
At the car park, we took our pre-arranged jeep to Tiantouzhai. The jeep takes a detour around the hill (road was constructed in this way to avoid the rice terraces, I was told) to reach the highest point. From there, we still had to walk up for a further 10 min to our hotel. View was incredible. From our hotel, it is about 10 min to Viewpoint 1 (even further up). The next morning, I joined many others to see the sunrise at Viewpoint 1 but while it was beautiful, I thought the view along the way was just as spectacular. We didn't visit Viewpoint 2 in JinKeng as I was traveling with my 70+ parents and it was too tiring for them.
I did a short half-day hike from Tiantouzhai to Ping'An Zhai. It took about 2.5 h to reach the "9 Dragon 5 Tiger" viewpoint. Although the hike was rated highly, I thought it was just ok, especially if you have seen the JinKeng terraces. You do walk through terraces and an old village (Zhong Liu), which was nice. Weather was very hot. It was also sad to see the many construction going on, some of which are like scars on the otherwise green and beautiful hills. But I know developments also help to improve the lives of the locals, who prior to tourism, led very poor and hard lives here (based on my conversation with them).
The viewpoint in Ping'An zhai was very beautiful as well. They are smaller than JinKeng's but more well-maintained (almost like manicured). On the whole, if I were to compare, I would say JinKeng's are of a bigger scale, more staggering and awe-inspiring. Ping'An is on a smaller scale, but more exquisite. If you have time, I would suggest you visit both.
After lingering in Ping'An for about an hour, I took a bus to "He Long" bridge, then switched to a van to head back to DaZhai car park. Remember to bring your entrance ticket with you as they will check again. From the car park, I made the climb up to TiantouZhai (1 hour) this time.
One final sharing. On our last day out, we made a stop at the "Red Yao Long Hair Village". I read comments that it was over commercialized but we actually quite enjoyed it. I did to keep things in perspective, with developments, it is not realistic to expect locals living in ancient ways completely untouched by modernity. The show as about 30 min, and performed once there are enough people. It was an interesting insight to the culture of the long-haired ladies. The setting of the village (suspension bridge and traditional wooden houses) was beautiful too. Worth a stop.
The Dragon Spine ("Long ji") rice terraces is a generic name given to this area. There are currently 3 main rice terraces that are open to tourists. First is Ping'An terraces (opened to public the earliest, has 2 main viewpoints), JingKeng rice terraces (which includes the villages of Da Zhai and TiantouZhai, has 3 main viewpoints) and the least visited Ancient Zhuang terraces. I visited and stayed at Tiantouzhai, and also visited Ping'An on a half-day hike. It is easy to do the trip on your own. Entrance to the whole Dragon Spine rice terrace is 95 RMB per person. Good for a month.
We first traveled to DaZhai car park (in JingKeng Rice terrace). From there, we took a cable car (100 RMB return, 70 RMB one way) to Viewpoint 3 ("Golden Buddha Peak"). We went at around 11.30 am. Not crowded. View was spectacular. We stayed for about an hour before taking the cable down again.
At the car park, we took our pre-arranged jeep to Tiantouzhai. The jeep takes a detour around the hill (road was constructed in this way to avoid the rice terraces, I was told) to reach the highest point. From there, we still had to walk up for a further 10 min to our hotel. View was incredible. From our hotel, it is about 10 min to Viewpoint 1 (even further up). The next morning, I joined many others to see the sunrise at Viewpoint 1 but while it was beautiful, I thought the view along the way was just as spectacular. We didn't visit Viewpoint 2 in JinKeng as I was traveling with my 70+ parents and it was too tiring for them.
I did a short half-day hike from Tiantouzhai to Ping'An Zhai. It took about 2.5 h to reach the "9 Dragon 5 Tiger" viewpoint. Although the hike was rated highly, I thought it was just ok, especially if you have seen the JinKeng terraces. You do walk through terraces and an old village (Zhong Liu), which was nice. Weather was very hot. It was also sad to see the many construction going on, some of which are like scars on the otherwise green and beautiful hills. But I know developments also help to improve the lives of the locals, who prior to tourism, led very poor and hard lives here (based on my conversation with them).
The viewpoint in Ping'An zhai was very beautiful as well. They are smaller than JinKeng's but more well-maintained (almost like manicured). On the whole, if I were to compare, I would say JinKeng's are of a bigger scale, more staggering and awe-inspiring. Ping'An is on a smaller scale, but more exquisite. If you have time, I would suggest you visit both.
After lingering in Ping'An for about an hour, I took a bus to "He Long" bridge, then switched to a van to head back to DaZhai car park. Remember to bring your entrance ticket with you as they will check again. From the car park, I made the climb up to TiantouZhai (1 hour) this time.
One final sharing. On our last day out, we made a stop at the "Red Yao Long Hair Village". I read comments that it was over commercialized but we actually quite enjoyed it. I did to keep things in perspective, with developments, it is not realistic to expect locals living in ancient ways completely untouched by modernity. The show as about 30 min, and performed once there are enough people. It was an interesting insight to the culture of the long-haired ladies. The setting of the village (suspension bridge and traditional wooden houses) was beautiful too. Worth a stop.
Written 11 September 2018
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Lynda P
Beckenham, UK221 contributions
Aug 2018 • Couples
We did this on a day trip from Guilin. Journey was around 1.5 hours. Firstly we stopped at one area for the guide to get tickets then climb up in the car for another 30 minutes to start the walk. Much of the walk is through villages. I think Ping'an. The views were stunning but I just could not make it to the top. Combination of high temperatures 30+, humidity and lack of fitness. We were also visiting at peak Chinese summer holiday season so many many tourists. My husband went on up with our guide. Be aware the steps are steep and uneven in places. There are also numerous restaurants and souvenir shops. Very touristy in parts. Stunning views though.
Written 3 August 2018
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Has anyone purchase direct bus tickets at yangshuo north bus station to get to Longji Rice Terrace from yangshuo? Here are my question.
1) If i were to buy the ticket one day prior to my departure, what are the chances of me getting a ticket?
2) Which counter at yangshuo north bus station should i go to, to buy the ticket?
3) i read online that the direct bus normally departs at 8am, but where is the departure point?
Thank you in advance.
Written 19 March 2017
We didnt buy the bus ticket ourselves. Our local guide bought it after the transportation we were travelling in has no permit to enter LongJi so we had to go by bus which were permitted to go up to the mountain. The buses actually have several trips a day to/fro. The buses go up to where the cable car station is. You can also buy bus tickets for the way back from that station so that you dont have to be constrained by a certain time.
Buying your own ticket to get there is a bit of a hassle as the bus station is very crowded and very confusing. If you miss 1 schedule, you sit around until the next schedule as counter will only open for that particular trip and there is always a long queue. The local guides are always there and they buy lots of tickets which also means you dont know whether there is tickets left for you and you remain in the queue for the next schedule which maybe 2 hrs or so. Sometimes the road up may be closed for a couple of hours depending on traffic. The schedules are not fixed.
Once at the Longji base station - you can either hike up the western slope of take a cable car up the eastern side of the base station.
Written 19 March 2017
Como estão os campos em Maio
Written 25 February 2016
what is the difference between this location and Dragon's Backbone Rice Terraces? which is recommended if visiting in late April?
Written 7 December 2015
HI, it is the samething. Longji is the Chinese name and it actually means the same translated into English.
Written 9 August 2017
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