The Ultimate Adventure Through China — Self-Launched

Fly into Beijing Capital (PEK). Take the Airport Express train to Dongzhimen (¥25, ~25 min) then the metro to your hostel near Nanluoguxiang or Qianmen (beds from £14-20/night). Spend the late afternoon wandering the hutongs around Nanluoguxiang and Yandaixie Jie, and get a Chinese SIM/data eSIM sorted at the airport or a China Mobile shop. For dinner, book a table at a well-known roast duck house (Siji Minfu or Quanjude) — a whole duck to share runs ~£15-20 per person. If you want the Forbidden City and Temple of Heaven, arrive 1-2 days early and pre-book Forbidden City tickets online (they sell out days ahead).

🚌Airport Express train £3 + metro; no private transfer needed

🛏Hostel dorm or budget boutique hotel, central Beijing (£14-30)

• →Hutong orientation walk
• →Peking duck dinner
• →Optional pre-trip: Forbidden City & Temple of Heaven (book ahead)

Catch an early bus from Beijing's Dongzhimen long-distance station toward Chengde/Luanping and ask to be dropped at Jinshanling (roughly 2-2.5 hrs, ~£6-8) — or book a shared minibus transfer via Klook/GetYourGuide (~£20-25). Buy the Jinshanling entry ticket (~£6). Hike the watchtower-to-watchtower section (4 hrs, ~4 miles, big uneven steps, 500m of up/down) — far quieter than Badaling or Mutianyu. Late lunch at a village-run restaurant by the wall (~£6). Check into a simple village guesthouse below the watchtowers (rooms ~£15-25). In the evening, join a local family dumpling-making session (often bookable through the guesthouse, ~£8) and eat together.

🚌Public bus to Jinshanling (~£7) or shared minibus transfer (~£22)

🛏Local village guesthouse beneath the Wall (£15-25)

• →Jinshanling Great Wall hike (entry ~£6)
• →Watchtower photo stops
• →Dumpling-making with a local family (~£8)

Optional sunrise walk on the Wall before breakfast (guesthouse is a short walk from the trail). Then transfer back to Beijing and take a high-speed train to Chengdu (G-series sleeper-style day trains run ~7.5-10 hrs, ~£70-90 2nd class; alternatively fly Beijing-Chengdu ~£60-90 if you'd rather save the day). Continue by bus or taxi (~1 hr, £8-12) to Qingcheng Mountain and check into a budget guesthouse or hot-spring hotel near the base (from £20-35). End the day soaking in the town's natural hot springs (~£8-15 entry).

🚌High-speed train Beijing-Chengdu (~£75) + local bus/taxi to Qingcheng (£10)

🛏Guesthouse or budget spa hotel near Qingcheng Mountain (£20-35)

• →Optional sunrise Wall walk
• →Chengdu-Qingcheng transfer
• →Hot spring soak (~£10)

Buy your Front Mountain ticket (~£9) at the gate and hike the stone stairways and shaded forest trails through Jianfu Palace, Tianshi Cave and the Upper Qing Palace (4-5 hrs, ~5 miles, 600m up). It's steep in places but well-signposted, so no guide needed — download an offline map. Descend by foot and cable car (~£5). Afternoon free for another hot spring soak, or take a local bus to Jiezi Ancient Town (~£2, 30 min) for teahouses and riverside lanes.

🚌Local bus or taxi to trailhead (£2-4)

🛏Guesthouse or budget spa hotel near Qingcheng Mountain (£20-35)

• →Qingcheng Front Mountain hike (~£9 entry)
• →Cable car descent (~£5)
• →Optional Jiezi Ancient Town visit (~£2)

Arrive at Dujiangyan Panda Base at opening (8:00-8:30) when pandas are most active — pre-book tickets via Klook/GetYourGuide (~£7-8) and take a public bus or shared taxi from Qingcheng (~£3, 45 min). Walk the bamboo-hillside enclosures for 2 hrs, spotting giant and red pandas. Then travel to Chengdu (~1 hr, £4-6 by bus or ~£10 by shared car). In the afternoon book a beginner kung fu or tai chi class with a local master via Klook (~£18-25). Evening: wander Kuanzhai Alley and eat Sichuan hot pot (~£8-12).

🚌Public bus/shared taxi Qingcheng-Chengdu and to the panda base (~£10 total)

🛏Hostel or budget hotel in central Chengdu (£15-30)

• →Dujiangyan Panda Base (~£8)
• →Kung fu class with a local master (~£22)
• →Kuanzhai Alley and hot pot evening

Late-morning high-speed train from Chengdu East to Yangshuo (G-series, ~6-8 hrs, 2nd class ~£60-75) — book on Trip.com or the official 12306 app a few days ahead. Arrive late afternoon and walk from the station to town (local bus ~£2). Check into a hostel or budget inn in Yangshuo town or West Street (from £12-25). Take an evening orientation wander along the Li River and West Street for street food, then a riverside dinner with the karst silhouettes behind you (~£6-10).

🚌High-speed train Chengdu-Yangshuo (~£68) + local bus (£2)

🛏Yangshuo hostel or budget guesthouse (£12-25)

• →Yangshuo orientation walk
• →West Street food stroll

Rent a bike with helmet from any West Street shop (~£4-6/day). Ride the flat countryside loop past rice fields and villages toward the Yulong River (3 hrs, ~16 miles). Stop for a home-cooked lunch in a village family restaurant (~£6). In the afternoon, take a motor-free bamboo raft on the Yulong River (shared raft, ~£12-18, book at the riverbank or via Klook) — one of the best ways to see the karst peaks up close. Ride back into town for the evening, free to explore or hit the night market.

🚌Bike rental for the day (~£5)

🛏Yangshuo hostel or budget guesthouse (£12-25)

• →Countryside cycling (~£5)
• →Village home-cooked lunch (~£6)
• →Yulong River bamboo raft (~£15)

Leave Yangshuo by bus toward Guilin and on to Ping'an at the Longji Rice Terraces (~3.5 hrs total, ~£10-12, or a shared car ~£25). En route or first thing on arrival, visit a small tea farm for a walk through the fields and a leaf-picking session (~£8, arrange locally or via your guesthouse). Climb up to Ping'an village (be ready for steps) and check into a guesthouse with terrace views over the terraces (£15-28). In the late afternoon, walk to a nearby viewpoint for sunset over the hand-carved terraces.

🚌Bus Yangshuo-Longji (~£11) or shared car (~£25)

🛏Longji terraces guesthouse with valley views (£15-28)

• →Tea farm visit and leaf picking (~£8)
• →Sunset viewpoint walk

Full-day self-guided hike from Ping'an to Dazhai through the terraces (5-6 hrs, ~6 miles, 600m up and 500m down) — the stone paths are signposted but bring an offline map and cash for entry checks (~£6). Pass remote Zhuang and Yao villages, stop for lunch in a village eatery (~£6), and take in the constantly shifting terrace views. Return to your guesthouse in the afternoon and relax on the terrace with a view.

🚌On foot

🛏Longji terraces guesthouse with valley views (£15-28)

• →Ping'an to Dazhai terraces hike (~£6 entry)
• →Village lunch stop
• →Sunset from the guesthouse terrace

Transfer down to Guilin (~2.5 hrs, ~£6 by bus), then take the high-speed train Guilin West to Hong Kong West Kowloon (~3.5 hrs, ~£40-55 — pre-book, and bring your passport for the cross-border immigration check). Arrive, drop bags at a hostel or budget hotel in Kowloon (dorms from £18-28, private ~£45-70). Head to Victoria Peak for the sunset skyline view — take the Peak Tram (~£7 return, book online to skip queues) or hike up via Old Peak Road for free. Finish with a Cantonese dim sum dinner in Kowloon (~£8-12).

🚌Bus Guilin (£6) + high-speed train Guilin-Hong Kong (~£48)

🛏Kowloon hostel or budget hotel (£18-45)

• →High-speed train to Hong Kong
• →Victoria Peak and Peak Tram (~£7)
• →Dim sum dinner

No planned activities. Take the Airport Express from Kowloon or Hong Kong Station to HKG (~£10, 25 min) — or a taxi ~£25-30, 30-45 min. If you have time, Hong Kong rewards an extra day or two: coastal hikes on the Dragon's Back, ferry to Lamma or Cheung Chau island, and quiet beaches are all easy without a guide.

🚌Airport Express train to HKG (~£10)

🛏—

• →Optional Dragon's Back hike
• →Optional Lamma Island ferry day trip