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A Hiking Trip to Minority Villages in Guizhou, China

พ.ย. 4, 2025

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A Hiking Trip to Minority Villages in Guizhou, China

High on the Yunnan–Guizhou Plateau in southwest China, Guizhou is a land of misty mountains, hidden valleys, and remarkable cultural diversity. Often described by the saying “no three days without rain, no three hectares without a mountain,” it is known for its dramatic karst formations, clear rivers, and rich mix of peoples and traditions. Home to more than 17 officially recognised ethnic minority groups, who together make up over one-third of its population, Guizhou offers a rare blend of nature, history, and living heritage. Among its rice terraces and river valleys lie ancient villages where the Miao, Dong, Shui, and Gejia communities continue to preserve their crafts, music, and rituals even as modern life gradually reaches their doorsteps.

The Siam Society, under the leadership of Ms Kanitha Kasina-Ubol, Managing Director of The Siam Society, are pleased to invite you to this nine-day journey to explore both landscape and culture in Guizhou Province, China. In Guiyang, we will visit the Guizhou Provincial Museum and the graceful Jiaxiu Pavilion, before travelling east to Kaili to meet the Gejia and Miao peoples — masters of batik, weaving, and embroidery. Gentle hikes through the forests and terraces of Nangong Mountain Reserve lead to remote villages, while farther south, the karst landscapes of Libo reveal waterfalls, stone bridges, and clear pools. In Rongjiang, the Shui people share their ancient pictographic script, and in Dong villages, we hear the haunting harmonies of the Grand Chorus beneath wooden drum towers built entirely without nails.

More than a hiking trip, it is a cultural exploration — a chance to walk among landscapes shaped by legend and to meet communities whose traditions continue to evolve with grace and resilience.

When

Thursday, 26 February to Friday, 6 March 2026

Leader

with Ms Kanitha Kasina-Ubol

Managing Director of The Siam Society

Booking

See information below

Or contact Khun Thun

studytrips@thesiamsociety.org

 

The tentative programme will be as follows:

Day 1: Thursday, 26 February:  Bangkok – Guangzhou – Guiyang
06:00 Meet at Bangkok Suvarnabhumi Airport, China Southern Airlines check-in counter.
08:20 Depart Bangkok for Guangzhou by China Southern Airlines flight CZ362.
12:10 Arrive at Guangzhou Baiyun International Airport. Then transfer for the flight to Guiyang.
15:05 Depart from Guangzhou for Guiyang by China Southern Airlines flight CZ3618.
16:45 Arrive at Guiyang Longdongbao International Airport.
– Transfer to the hotel.
Evening: Dinner and overnight at Sheraton Hotel, Guiyang.
   
Day 2: Friday, 27 February: Guiyang
– Breakfast at the hotel.
Morning:

Sightseeing in Guiyang, Guizhou Provincial Museum. The collection includes historical relics related to the history, culture and life of ethnic minorities in Guizhou.
–

Afterwards, a visit to Jiaxiu Pavilion to admire the city’s symbolic historic tower, contrasting the modern buildings, with a pleasant leisure stroll along the city’s mother river.
Noon: Lunch at a local restaurant.
Afternoon: Visit Qingyan Ancient Town, located just south of Guiyang in Guizhou Province, which is a beautifully preserved historic town dating back to the Ming Dynasty.
Evening:

Dinner and overnight at Sheraton Hotel, Guiyang.
   
Day 3: Saturday, 28 February: Guiyang – Kaili
– Breakfast at the hotel.
Morning: Check out of the hotel and proceed to Matang Gejia Village. The Gejia people are one of the unrecognised minority groups in China. They call themselves the descendants of the Manchu originating in Northeast China, with the legend that their ancestor was the hero who saved the world in ancient times by shooting down 9 of the 10 suns in heaven. The Gejia people are best at batik making with the dye from the indigo plant; many of their batik patterns include the sun because of their strong connection to solar worship.
Noon: Lunch at a local family restaurant and get a chance to enjoy the Miao-style lunch, which is called “Long Table Banquet.” We will be welcomed by local Green Miao people with a traditional ceremony, where singing and rice wine drinking will be offered. The Green Miao people are famous for textile making, including silk weaving, brocading, braiding and embroidery. They are called Japanese Miao internationally because 30% percent of their dialect is similar to the Japanese language, and the women keep the same hairstyle as the one used by traditional Japanese women in ancient times.
Afternoon: Drive to the hotel.
Evening: Dinner and overnight at Wyndham Kaili Downtown, Kaili.
   
Day 4: Sunday, 1 March: Kaili – Leishan – Kaili
– Breakfast at the hotel.
Morning: Drive 2 hours to Leigongshan Nature Reserve. Upon arriving, walk 30 minutes up to visit Xijiang Miao Village, built on top of rice terraces.
Noon: Lunch at a local restaurant.
Afternoon: After lunch, we will begin a three-hour hike through pristine forest and rice terraces, following a crystal-green river flanked by ancient trees aged between 300 and 1,000 years. The cloud sea over the deep valleys can also sometimes be seen. Then hike another 1 hour to visit a wild waterfall.
– Drive back to Kaili.
Evening: Dinner and overnight at Wyndham Kaili Downtown, Kaili.
   
Day 5: Monday, 2 March: Kaili – Libo – Rongjiang
– Breakfast at the hotel.
Morning: Check out of the hotel and drive south to Libo County.
Noon: Lunch at a local restaurant.
Afternoon: Visit the Xiaoqikong Scenic Area to see the famous Seven Arches Bridge and its surrounding beauty, including the 68-Level Die Shui Waterfall, Water Forest, and Wolongtan Waterfall.
– Drive to Rongjiang.
Evening: Dinner and overnight at Guizhou Village Chao Hotel, Rongjiang.
   
Day 6: Tuesday, 3 March: Rongjiang
– Breakfast at the hotel.
Morning: Proceed to visit the village of the Shui People. The Shui ethnic minority is descended from the Baiyue ethnic group in ancient times. They are famous for their own Shui script, which refers to distinctive embryonic (an embryonic process, idea, organisation, or organism is one at a very early stage in its development) characters created by ancestors of the Shui citizens. The Shui script is the generic term for ancient characters and books of the Shui minority.

The ancient character symbols resemble oracle bone inscriptions and bronze inscriptions, and recorded ancient cultural information such as astronomy, folklore, ethnics, philosophy, aesthetics, law of the Shui minority, and so on. Thus, it is acclaimed as the ‘living fossil’ of pictographic characters, constituting the last unexplored territory of pictographic characters. You will have the opportunity to learn how to write Shui Characters and learn the drum dance from a local Shaman.
Noon: Lunch at a local restaurant.
Afternoon: Hike 2 hours to a Miao Village and visit a local embroidery master to learn unique embroidery skills practised by locals.
– Drive back to Rongjiang.
Evening: Dinner and overnight at Guizhou Village Chao Hotel, Rongjiang.
   
Day 7: Wednesday, 4 March: Rongjiang – Liping
– Breakfast at the hotel.
Morning: Check out of the hotel and drive to the hiking trail point.
– Begin a 2-hour hike along an ancient trail paved with blue slats to Jiaxi Village of the Dong People, which will offer an amazing view of rice terraces and traditional villages.
Noon: Lunch at a local restaurant.
Afternoon: After that, drive about 1.5 hours to a beautiful Dong Village.
Evening: Dinner at the hotel.
  After dinner, enjoy a Grand Chorus Party with locals at one of the five drum towers. The Dong originated from East Coast China and migrated to Guizhou because of the war 2000 years ago. Their ancestors came from the Yue Kingdom conquered by the Qin Kingdom during the war. They are famous for singing, especially the Grand Chorus, which is called Eastern Acappella by Western musicians. The Dong people are one of the best carpenters in China; they still build their houses, bridges and drum towers by tenon and mortise. Drum tower, Flower bridge and Grand Chorus are thought of as the top 3 treasures by the Dong. You will have the opportunity to see their “Shiny Cloth” made from the egg white.
– Overnight Boutique Guesthouse Hotel, Liping.
   
Day 8: Thursday, 5 March: Liping – Guiyang – Guangzhou
– Breakfast at the hotel.
Morning: Leisurely explore an 800-year-old Dong Village, and observe locals’ traditional lifestyles in the morning.
– Then, drive to Guiyang.
Noon: Lunch at a local restaurant.
Afternoon: If time permits, we will visit some sites in Guiyang.
– Continue to Guiyang Longdongbao International Airport.
19:35 Depart from Guiyang for Guangzhou by China Southern Airlines flight CZ6394.
21:15 Arrive at Guangzhou Baiyun International Airport. Then transfer for the flight to Bangkok.
23:00 Depart from Guangzhou for Bangkok by China Southern Airlines flight CZ3035.
   
Day 9: Friday, 6 March: Bangkok
01:05 Arrive at Suvarnabhumi Airport.
   

The Siam Society reserves the right to change the programme as necessary.

 Important notes:

– The Siam Society may utilise photos taken from study trips, lectures, performances, and other activities as part of its public relations and marketing campaign. These photos, which may sometimes contain image(s) of activity participants, can also be featured on The Society’s website and other online social media channels.

– As part of our effort to address the issue of global warming, The Siam Society strongly supports the reduction of plastic waste. We kindly recommend bringing your own water flask during the trip, if possible.

Booking:

Contribution of THB 78,000 (THB 83,000 for non-members). Single room surcharge of THB 11,000. A deposit of THB 30,000 and a photocopy of the identification page on your passport must accompany the booking. Your reservation will be confirmed as soon as the deposit has been made. Payment in full will be required 60 days before the start of the trip (i.e. by Sunday, 28 December 2025). There is a 4% surcharge for credit/debit card payment to cover bank charges. Please pay by cash or cheque payable to “The Siam Society Under Royal Patronage”. Transfer can also be made to The Siam Society travel account at TMBThanachart Bank (ttb), saving account no. 053-2-18000-7, swift code: TMBKTHBK or by scanning the QR code on your right. Once the payment has been made, please e-mail the deposit or transfer docket to us.

Inclusions:

  • The contribution includes accommodation (sharing basis), meals as mentioned in the programme, transfer and sightseeing cars, entrance fees, gratuities and other costs incurred to make this trip possible.
  • Meal as mentioned in the programme
  • Basic travel insurance, which will only cover participants travelling from and back to Thailand.

Exclusions:                                                                                                                                          

  • All air tickets are not included in the price (Bangkok – Guangzhou, Guangzhou – Guiyang, Guiyang – Guangzhou, and Guangzhou – Bangkok). The approximate airfare for economy class is THB 16,000, and for Business class is THB 28,000 (as of October 2025).
  • Visa fees (if any), personal expenses, personal food and beverage consumption, etc.

Tourist Visa Policy

Citizens from over 38 countries, including Thailand, Japan, Singapore, Australia, New Zealand, Germany, France, Italy, the Netherlands, and Switzerland, are eligible to enter China without a visa for tourism purposes for a period not exceeding 30 days.

(Source: https://www.visaforchina.cn/HAM3_EN/tongzhigonggao/277650362838683648.html)

United States and the United Kingdom passport holders are required to obtain a visa to enter China. Please be informed that your passport must be submitted to The Siam Society for the visa application process. The list of required documents, as specified by the Chinese Visa Application Service Centre, will be provided to you when the trip is confirmed. Kindly note that visa fees range approximately from THB 1,800 to THB 7,000, depending on nationality.

Please ensure that your passport remains valid for at least six months beyond your intended period of stay in China.

**For passport holders from countries eligible for visa exemption. The Siam Society will reconfirm the visa policy once again if we receive any updates/changes regarding each country’s agreement in 2026.

 

Cancellation charges:

76 days before the start of the trip (before Friday, 12 Dec 2025): Deposit forfeited
75 – 61 days before the start of the trip (Sat, 13 to Sat, 27 Dec 2025): 50% of the tour cost
Less than 60 days or cancellation without notice (Sun, 28 Dec onwards): No refund

 

*The cancellation charges will also depend on the date we pay the deposit to our travel agent. If we have to pay the deposit to the travel agent before the 60-day period prior to the start of the trip, our officer will send an email to inform every participant before we make the payment, as only a partial amount of the deposit can be refunded after that point.

For further information and bookings, please contact Khun Thun at 02-661-6470-3 ext 205, or studytrips@thesiamsociety.org.The Society’s office is open from 09:00 to 17:00, Tuesday to Saturday.

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