Hanoi to Hong Kong - 15 days

Drifters Price: £370.50

RRP: £390.00

Trip Code: INTHHK

Local Payment: USD$200.00

Day 1 Hanoi

You and your fellow travellers will be arriving at all times from around the world today, so there are no arranged activities.Your leader will organise a pre-trip meeting for the early evening followed by an optional group dinner. Look for a welcome note at reception in the joining-point hotel explaining where to meet. For those who arrive early, there is sightseeing information on the noticeboard in reception. Hotel check-in time is 12 noon.

Note that your group leader will collect your local payment (USD200 cash) at the group meeting on day 1. Please bring new notes/bills in large denominations.

We recommend you arrive early to fully appreciate this exciting city. You may wish to book extra nights' accommodation as there is plenty to see and do.

Days 2-4 Halong Bay

We travel to Haiphong (approx. 3 hours) and board a ferry for Cat Ba Island (approx. 3 hours). Day 3 is spent on the island and there are options to trek in the national park, spend time on the beaches, check out a village or watch the activity in the harbour - a great foreshore to sip an evening beer and watch the sunset.

On day 4 we board a chartered boat to cruise around majestical Halong Bay for 4 hours, where 2000 limestone peaks emerge straight from the sea. Halong Bay has been declared a World Heritage site and is the perfect start to our journey. During warm weather we may swim around the boat and to beaches. We have the opportunity to visit some spectacular caves, crammed with stalagmites and stalactites, and eat a scrumptious seafood feast on board for lunch. Arriving in the border town of Langson we spend night here before our early start tomorrow.

Day 5 Hua Shan

This morning we travel a short distance to the Chinese border. Be prepared for some long waits at the Friendship Gate border crossing into China. We travel on to Ningming via Pingxiang (approx. 1 hour) and board a riverboat to take us up the Zuo River to Huashan (approx. 1.5 hours).

This is an area filled with magnificent karst scenery and prehistoric rock paintings. We spend the night in the charming Huashan Hotel, set in a little village of wooden Dong and Zhuang-style houses. A quiet and isolated village, it allows us to explore the magnificent mountain scenery undisturbed.

Day 6 Liuzhou

On day 6 we leave the Zuo River and travel from Ning Ming to Liuzhou, via Nanning. This is a travel day (approx. 9 hours) and may consist of both public bus and train.

Days 7-8 Chengyang

We spend the morning exploring Liuzhou before taking a local bus to Chengyang, undoubtedly one of the most special places in China. Here we stay in a traditional wooden guesthouse on the bank of the river after entering the village across one of the many wind and rain bridges in Sanjiang County. The bridges, or 'fengyu qiao' as they are called locally, once served religious purposes but are now mostly used as a place for the local people to sit around, chat and sell their wares. They were traditionally built entirely in pegged cedar, and it has been said that there is not a single nail used in their construction.

We have a full day to explore Chengyang with its 2 and 3-storey wooden houses. In the evening we attend a cultural show held in the village. The village is set around a small lake with waterways running among the houses - it's like stepping a hundred years back in time! Here we can get a feel for rural living.

Days 9-10 Longji

Our journey continues by local bus as we cross the ancestral home of many of South East Asia's minority hilltribes to reach the Longji Valley (approx. 5 hours). The scenery along the way is incredible. We hike a little over half an hour uphill to our guesthouse in a small village which affords magnificent views of the valley. On day 10 we take a day-hike through the Longji valley to visit local hilltribe communities and learn about village life. Expect to carry your own daypack and walk for up to 6 hours.

The Longji Valley has some of the most extensive rice terracing that you are ever likely to see. The terraces change with the seasons, from being filled with pure water from the mountains, to green during the growing season and then golden-coloured when the rice is ready to be harvested, to a glistening white blanket of snow in winter.

Days 11-13 Yangshuo

After walking back out from the village, we travel by bus via Longsheng and Guilin to Yangshuo (approx. 6 hours). The region around Yangshuo is probably the most well-known scenic attraction in China as the Li River winds its way around thousands of limestone karst mountains. Each is impressively named, in true Chinese tradition!

We have free time to venture out onto the waters to observe one of the local traditions, cormorant fishing, or to take a bike ride through the surrounding countryside with a local guide, stopping at markets and picturesque villages along the way. It is also a wonderful area for taking off and exploring by yourself, as every turn in the road brings you to another picture-postcard location and illustrates why Yangshuo is a firm favourite of Intrepid travellers.

On the afternoon of day 13 we transfer to Guilin (1.5 hours) and board a comfortable overnight train bound for Shenzhen (approx. 14 hours).

Days 14-15 Hong Kong

After an early arrival in Shenzen cross the border and catch the metro in to the heart of Hong Kong. There are so many things to do in dramatic Hong Kong, from wandering around Stanley Market and shopping along Nathan Road, to taking in the stunning views from Victoria Peak or cruising across the harbour on the famous Star Ferry - you choose! You may wish to book some extra accommodation to take full advantage of this dynamic city. Hong Kong's many fine restaurants provide the perfect setting for a final night's dinner.

You are free to depart at any time on day 15 as there are no activities planned.

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