2024 Spring Festival Self-Drive Travel Guide: Liuzhou, Guilin, and More in Guangxi (Part 1)

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Guangxi - Liuzhou - Sanjiang - Sanjiang Wind and Rain Bridge

Guangxi - Liuzhou - Sanjiang - Chengyang Eight Villages Scenic Area - Hundred Family Banquet

Guangxi - Liuzhou - Yaobu Ancient Town

Guizhou - Liping - Zhaoxing Dong Village

Guizhou - Liping - Tang'an Dong Village - Tang'an Terraced Fields

Guangxi - Guilin - Yangshuo - Yulong River Scenic Area

Guangxi - Guilin - Yangshuo - Xianggong Mountain Viewing Platform - Overlooking the Li River Scenery

Guangxi - Guilin - Yangshuo - Yulong River - Fuli Bridge

During this year's Spring Festival, seizing the festive spirit and the boundless spring scenery, we took a self-drive trip to Liuzhou and Guilin in Guangxi, as well as Liping in Guizhou. While admiring the cityscapes and splendid landscapes along the way, we experienced diverse local customs and festive atmospheres. The ancient folkways and unique traditions of the numerous ethnic minority settlements along the route were particularly eye-opening and captivating, making us reluctant to leave. It was a joyful and rewarding journey.

Our self-drive trip started from Shantou on February 11th (the second day of the lunar new year). We originally planned 8 days, but due to heavy highway traffic on the return route from Guangxi during the latter part of the holiday, we extended it by a day, arriving back in Shantou on the 19th (the tenth day). The total trip took 9 days, covering 2,790 kilometers. Our main route: Shantou – Wuzhou – Liuzhou – Sanjiang – Liping – Guilin – Yangshuo – Huaiji – Shantou.

Guangxi - Liuzhou - Sanjiang - Duoye Square

Guangxi - Liuzhou - Sanjiang - Chengyang Eight Villages - Drum Tower

Guizhou - Liping - Zhaoxing Dong Village

Guangxi - Guilin - Elephant Trunk Hill Scenic Area - Elephant Trunk Hill

Guangxi - Guilin - Yangshuo - Ten-Mile Gallery

Guangxi - Guilin - Li River Four-Star Cruise - Li River Scenery

Since last year, the Chinese people's passion for travel has soared, sweeping the nation. During holidays, scenic spots are packed with visitors, and iconic sites become overcrowded. The Spring Festival holiday this year was particularly long, and many places had introduced measures to boost consumption and tourism before the holiday, so we anticipated huge crowds. Therefore, to plan our Spring Festival destination and route, we did extensive homework well in advance, researching a lot of information online. After careful consideration, we finally decided on Liuzhou and Guilin in Guangxi as the main destinations. We planned to visit relatively less-crowded places like Liuzhou first during the early part of the holiday, then shift to the very popular Guilin area later to avoid the peak crowds. This way, we could fulfill the kids' wish to see 'Guilin's scenery is the best under heaven' while effectively sidestepping the peak tourist flow in Guilin at the start of the holiday, and also explore nearby less-traveled spots like Liuzhou and Sanjiang. Looking back, this itinerary worked out quite well.

Guangxi - Liuzhou - Yaobu Ancient Town

Guangxi - Liuzhou - Chengyang Eight Villages Scenic Area - Chengyang Wind and Rain Bridge

Guizhou - Liping - Liping Ancient City - Qiaojie Street

Guizhou - Liping - Zhaoxing Dong Village

Guangxi - Guilin - Twin Pagodas Park

Guangxi - Guilin - East West Lane

Guangxi - Guilin - Yangshuo - Crown Cave Scenic Area - Underground Cave

Guangxi - Guilin - Yangshuo - Yulong River - Bamboo Rafting

D1, February 11th (the second day of the lunar new year), Shantou – Wuzhou (680 km).

This was the first day of our trip. We got on the highway at 8 a.m. Except for two sections near Guangzhou and approaching Guangxi where traffic slowed for about 20 minutes each, it was basically smooth all the way. We arrived at our hotel in Wuzhou before 5 p.m., where we stayed overnight. It was really fortunate that we didn't encounter any congestion on a day when highway traffic was extremely heavy during the Spring Festival. After a short rest at the hotel, we had dinner nearby and made a point of visiting Wuzhou's famous Qilou City (arcade buildings), where we sampled the local specialty, guilinggao (turtle jelly).

We stayed overnight at the Venus Royal Hotel (Wuzhou Sanqicheng Rose Lake Park Branch), located at 62 Hubin Road, Changzhou District. The hotel was clean, the room spacious, parking convenient, and there were many dining options around.

Tips:

1. During holidays, be sure to book hotels in advance, especially in popular cities or scenic areas.

2. Because of the high probability of highway congestion during holidays, on a self-drive trip you should generally not plan too long a day's drive, avoid driving when fatigued, and try to avoid driving at night. When traveling, always keep safety in mind.

Guangxi - Wuzhou - Highway - Smooth Traffic Section

Guangdong - Zhaoqing - Highway - Slow Traffic Section

Guangxi - Wuzhou - Qilou City - Night View

Guangxi - Wuzhou - Rose Lake Park

D2, February 12th (the third day), Wuzhou – Liuzhou (250 km).

Liuzhou is a place I had wanted to visit for a long time but never had the chance. This time, conveniently planned to avoid the tourist peak in Guilin, we came to explore Liuzhou first. Today we visited Liuhou Park (including Liuhou Temple and Liu Zongyuan Memorial Hall), Yaobu Ancient Town, Panlongshan Park, and the Hundred-Li Liujiang River Scenic Area. Although these spots were bustling with holiday crowds, the experience was not hampered by the number of people, making it pleasant and comfortable.

We stayed overnight at Liuzhou Pingshan Shuxiang Shijia Hotel. Although the room was not large, it was clean and tidy, the service attentive, and the breakfast sumptuous—worth a thumbs-up.

Guangxi - Liuzhou - Liuhou Park

Guangxi - Liuzhou - Yaobu Ancient Town

Guangxi - Liuzhou - Hundred-Li Liujiang River Scenic Area

Tips:

1. Liuzhou's economic development, urban construction, and tourist attractions are all quite good; it's worth staying a few days to wander around.

2. Liuzhou is the birthplace of luosifen (snail rice noodles). Naturally, the luosifen here is the most authentic. Shops selling luosifen line the streets, and everyone who tried it loved it.

Guangxi - Liuzhou - Liuhou Park

Guangxi - Liuzhou - Yaobu Ancient Town

Guangxi - Liuzhou - Panlongshan Park

Guangxi - Liuzhou - Hundred-Li Liujiang River Scenic Area

Guangxi - Liuzhou - Luosifen

D3, February 13th (the fourth day), Liuzhou – Sanjiang (210 km).

Leaving Liuzhou in the morning, we arrived at Sanjiang County, which is under Liuzhou's jurisdiction. We visited the Sanjiang Grand Dong Village, Duoye Square, Sanjiang Drum Tower, Sanjiang Wind and Rain Bridge, and Chengyang Eight Villages Scenic Area. We admired the unique ethnic landscapes and experienced the simple artistry and customs of the Dong people.

In the evening, we checked into Sanjiang Jingxiang Hotel, a chain hotel that was excellent in every way. Finding such a hotel in a mountainous county town was truly nice, which also shows how well tourism has developed here.

Guangxi - Liuzhou - Sanjiang - Sanjiang Drum Tower

Guangxi - Liuzhou - Sanjiang - Sanjiang Drum Tower - Interior Structure

Guangxi - Liuzhou - Sanjiang - Xunjiang River Scenery

Guangxi - Liuzhou - Sanjiang - Chengyang Eight Villages Scenic Area

Guangxi - Liuzhou - Sanjiang - Chengyang Eight Villages Scenic Area - Chengyang Wind and Rain Bridge

Guangxi - Liuzhou - Sanjiang - Chengyang Eight Villages Scenic Area

Guangxi - Liuzhou - Sanjiang - Chengyang Eight Villages Scenic Area - Drum Tower

Guangxi - Liuzhou - Sanjiang - Chengyang Eight Villages - Hundred Family Banquet

Tips:

1. Sanjiang is located in a remote mountainous area of Guangxi, but now it's accessible via expressway, and the national and provincial roads are well-paved. There are plenty of places to eat and stay, and the scenic spots have distinctive features—making it a worthy destination.

2. The distinctive Dong-style Chengyang Eight Villages is a little over ten kilometers from the county seat. The scenic area is quite large, with many dining and accommodation options, so it would be ideal to set aside a day or even overnight to explore thoroughly.

3. In front of the drum towers of the Dong villages in Chengyang Eight Villages, during the evening of holidays, there is a lively Hundred Family Banquet full of folk culture. The scene is bustling and worth seeing. If you pay to join in, it's even more fun.

Guangxi - Liuzhou - Sanjiang - Duoye Square

Guangxi - Liuzhou - Sanjiang - Sanjiang Wind and Rain Bridge

Guangxi - Liuzhou - Sanjiang - Morning Mist on the Xunjiang River

Guangxi - Liuzhou - Sanjiang - Chengyang Eight Villages Scenic Area

Guangxi - Liuzhou - Sanjiang - Chengyang Eight Villages Scenic Area - Single-Pillar Drum Tower - Interior Structure

Guangxi - Liuzhou - Sanjiang - Chengyang Eight Villages Scenic Area - Folk Performance

Guangxi - Liuzhou - Sanjiang - Chengyang Eight Villages Scenic Area - Hundred Family Banquet

D4, February 14th (the fifth day), Sanjiang – Liping Ancient City (Liping) – Zhaoxing Dong Village (Liping) – Sanjiang (110 + 70 + 70 = 250 km total).

Since we were in Sanjiang County, which is not far from Liping in Guizhou, we decided to spend a full day visiting Liping. The Zhaoxing Dong Village in Liping Dong Township was once voted one of China's most beautiful ancient villages and towns by Chinese National Geographic; and the Zhaoxing Drum Tower cluster is the world's largest grouping of Dong drum towers. So we dedicated today to visiting Liping Ancient City's Qiaojie Street Scenic Area, Tang'an Dong Village, Tang'an Terraced Fields, and Zhaoxing Dong Village Scenic Area. Although time was tight and we could only manage a quick tour, we could still feel how unique the landscape is—the lush mountains and clear waters complemented by the hardworking silhouettes of the Dong people, the poetic scene of homes nestled among the clouds—it was truly mesmerizing. Definitely not a wasted trip.

We returned to Sanjiang in the evening and stayed again at Sanjiang Jingxiang Hotel.

Guizhou - Liping - Liping Ancient City

Guizhou - Liping - Liping Ancient City - Qiaojie Street

Guizhou - Liping - Tang'an Dong Village - Tang'an Terraced Fields

Guizhou - Liping - Zhaoxing Dong Village

Guizhou - Liping - Zhaoxing Dong Village - Drum Tower

Tips:

1. From Sanjiang County in Guangxi to Liping Ancient City's Qiaojie Street Scenic Area is 110 km, while to Zhaoxing Dong Village is only 70 km; if you're short on time, just visit Zhaoxing.

2. Zhaoxing Dong Village is a well-known spot, so during holidays there will be lots of people and cars. You need to park your car in the parking lot and take a shuttle bus into the scenic area.

3. To visit Tang'an Dong Village and Tang'an Terraced Fields, after entering Zhaoxing Dong Village Scenic Area, you purchase a ticket at the other end of the village and take a bus there; the round trip takes about half an hour.

Guizhou - Liping - Liping Ancient City - Qiaojie Street

Guizhou - Liping - Tang'an Dong Village - Tang'an Terraced Fields

Guizhou - Liping - Tang'an Dong Village - Pig Slaughter for the Festival

Guizhou - Liping - Zhaoxing Dong Village

(Continued in 2024 Spring Festival Self-Drive Travel Guide: Liuzhou, Guilin, and More in Guangxi (Part 2))