Private Southern China and Zhangjiajie Journey

Meet the driver at Guangzhou Airport and transfer privately to the hotel, where check-in begins after 2:00 pm. In the afternoon, walk along Beijing Road above its visible historical pavement layers, visit a Buddhist temple and continue through Huacheng Square. Ascend Canton Tower for evening views across the modern city, then sit down to dinner in a Cantonese restaurant. A Beijing or Shanghai pre-tour extension can connect with this Guangzhou programme.

Check out and travel to Yangshuo, set among Guangxi's tower-karst scenery. Ride the funicular to a scenic summit, cross the glass bridge and pause at the observation deck for broad views over peaks and river valleys. Check in at a hotel facing the karst cliffs. In the evening, optionally attend Impression Liu Sanjie, an outdoor light-and-music production that incorporates the river and surrounding mountains into its stage setting; tickets are separate.

Travel to Xingping and take a boat trip through the Li River's tower-karst landscape. Stop for the scenery associated with the image on China's 20-yuan banknote, then walk through the old town among narrow lanes and traditional façades. In the evening, meet a fisherman and his cormorants for a visitor demonstration of the historic fishing technique, a cultural presentation rather than a commercial fishing journey.

Travel to Dazhai and check in at a hotel overlooking the Longji Rice Terraces. Walk through the village and terraced landscape while learning about Red Yao culture, including the long-hair custom associated with a coming-of-age haircut at 18. Ride the funicular to an observation deck and continue to a second local viewpoint for another angle across the slopes. Rice-field colour changes with the growing and harvest seasons, while the mountain contours remain visible throughout the year.

Visit a neighbouring village for a Yao cultural performance featuring traditional dress and the celebrated long-hair custom. Continue by private vehicle to Fenghuang and walk through the riverside old town after arrival. Cobbled lanes, bridges and timber stilt houses line the Tuojiang River, while wooden boats move through the reflections. Stay into the evening as lights, cafés and food stalls bring the waterfront to life.

An early private drive links Fenghuang with Zhangjiajie in approximately three and a half hours. On arrival, begin the mountain programme inside Zhangjiajie National Forest Park. Forested ravines divide the quartz-sandstone columns of Wulingyuan, the UNESCO World Heritage landscape whose forms are associated with the visual inspiration for Avatar. The 326-metre Bailong Elevator, recognised by Guinness World Records as the tallest outdoor elevator, carries you to high viewing paths. Finish among the panoramas, then continue to the hotel.

Begin above Zhangjiajie Grand Canyon on its 430-metre transparent bridge, looking between the sandstone walls into the gorge. The afternoon moves below ground at Huanglong, or Yellow Dragon, Cave. Follow the visitor route past limestone formations—stalactites, stalagmites and curtain-like stone cascades—through broad illuminated chambers. Part of the cave experience continues by sightseeing boat on an underground waterway before the return to the hotel.

Tianmen Mountain brings the journey to a dramatic close. Gain altitude by cableway, then explore the summit via cliff-hugging paths and, when open, a glass-floored walkway. The route also visits the mountaintop Buddhist temple and Tianmen Cave, the great rock arch called Heaven's Gate; one approach uses the celebrated 999-step staircase. After descending, your private airport transfer brings the eight-day route to an end.