Private day
Longji Rice Terraces Full-Day Private Tour from Guilin
From $119 per person
Check AvailabilityFree cancellation up to 24 hours ahead. You will not be charged yet.
- Length7 to 12 hours
- On the hillUp to 5 hours, 2.5 at Ping'an and 2 at Dazhai
- Leaves fromGuilin or Yangshuo
- GuideGuide on the guided option
- Gate ticketTicket included
- LunchNot included
- CancellationFree up to 24 hours ahead
The only day here that puts both terrace valleys within reach, in a car that waits while you walk. Admissions to every named site are in the fare, and the option ladder runs from a driver on his own up to a private guide for the whole day.
What the day gives you
Both valleys, one day
Ping’an for two and a half hours and Dazhai for two, which no fixed departure here attempts.
Admissions included
The scenic-area ticket for every site named in the itinerary is already in the fare.
Guilin or Yangshuo
Collected from either, and one traveller had the drop-off switched to Yangshuo for a small extra fee.
Huangluo, if you want it
The Red Yao long-hair village is an optional thirty-minute stop on the way in.
Seven to twelve hours
The length is yours: the shorter end is one valley, the longer end is both with time to stop.
101 reviews at 4.7
The most-reviewed listing here that is a Longji tour and nothing else.
Ping’an and Dazhai in one day
Almost every day trip to Longji quietly picks one valley for you. This is the tour that does not. The itinerary allows two and a half hours guided at Ping’an and two more at Dazhai, with the drive between them absorbed into a private car rather than a coach timetable.
That matters because the two are not variations on a theme. Ping’an is compact and photogenic, a Zhuang village on a shoulder with two numbered platforms above it. Dazhai sits higher in the Jinkeng bowl, and it is bigger, emptier and served by a ropeway.
Seeing both is normally a two-day job. On a private car with a ninety-minute run up from Guilin, it fits into one long day.
Choosing your option before you book
This listing is really a ladder of options rather than a single product, and the one you pick changes the day more than the date does. At the bottom is a self-guided package: a private car and an English or Chinese-speaking driver, with the walking left to you.
Above that sit the guided options, where a private guide comes with the car and the admissions are handled at every gate. There are more than seven configurations, and one pairs the terraces with a Cuiping Hill sunset, another with the Four Lakes night cruise.
On the self-guided package an English-speaking driver is usual but not promised. If the language matters to your day, pick a guided option and the question disappears.
How the day runs
- Pickup, from your hotel. Guilin or Yangshuo, at a time you agree with the operator rather than a fixed departure slot.
- Ninety minutes to the car park. The shortest drive of any tour here, because the route goes straight to the scenic-area parking rather than collecting other passengers.
- Huangluo, optional, thirty minutes. The Red Yao village at the foot of the road, taken or skipped as you prefer.
- Ping’an, two and a half hours guided. The climb to the platforms, the village, and time on the rail.
- Dazhai, two hours guided. The bigger bowl, with the ropeway available if you would rather not walk up.
- Two hours back. To Guilin, or to Yangshuo if you arranged it in advance.
What the fare covers
In the fare
- ✓ Private air-conditioned car or van between your hotel and every site
- ✓ Admission to all sites named in the itinerary
- ✓ Private guide on the guided option
- ✓ English or Chinese-speaking driver on the self-guided option
Not in the fare
- ✗ Lunch
- ✗ Personal expenses
The day, hour by hour
- Pickup from your Guilin or Yangshuo hotel
- Ninety-minute drive to the Longji car park
- Huangluo long hair village, optional 30 minutes
- Ping'an Village guided tour, 2.5 hours
- Dazhai Village guided tour, 2 hours
- Two-hour transfer to Guilin or Yangshuo
The sequence the operator publishes for this tour. Times shift with the traffic on the mountain road.
Who this suits, and who should book something else
This one suits you if…
Travellers who want the terraces on their own terms. If you would rather decide at the junction which valley the light is doing something in, or linger at a platform because the cloud is moving, this is the one that lets you. It also suits anyone moving on to Yangshuo, because the drop-off can be switched.
Choose something else if…
If you are travelling alone or as a pair and the guiding matters more than the flexibility, a fixed departure gives you a licensed guide, the gate ticket and lunch for less. See the in-depth day trip with lunch.
Where you are collected
Your hotel lobby in Guilin or Yangshuo, at a time agreed with the operator when you book. The meeting point varies by the option you choose, so the confirmation email is the authority rather than any general rule — check it when it arrives.
Know before you go
- The drive is ninety minutes, not two and a half. This tour goes straight to the car park. Ask for an early start and you can be on the hill before the coaches arrive at eleven.
- Lunch is not in the fare. There are village restaurants at both Ping’an and Dazhai. Carry cash, because cards are rarely taken past the gate.
- The self-guided option has a driver, not a guide. If you want somebody to walk the terraces with you, pick one of the guided options at the booking stage.
- Made for travellers who are steady on stone steps. The paths are stone stairways. The Dazhai ropeway removes most of the climb if steps rather than distance are the difficulty.
- The ropeway is extra. It is paid at the station at Dazhai. One other day tour bundles the return trip into its fare if you would rather settle it in advance.
- Bring your passport. The operator asks for a passport or ID card, and the scenic area checks documents at the gate for reduced-price tickets.
What travellers said about this tour
Excellent English and excellent driving. The operator arranged a Yangshuo drop-off for us at the end for a small extra fee, which made the rest of our planning much easier. Warmly recommended for the rice paddies and the region.
Kari & Roxi · Friends, Germany · May 2026
A good day at the terraces. Our driver-guide was kind and supportive and shared a lot about the region, the culture and the history as we went.
Liljana · Traveller from North Macedonia · May 2026
If I could give our guide six stars I would. He told us a great deal about the places we stopped at and about China more generally, and he was helpful and polite throughout. I recommend the tour without reservation.
Laura · Traveller from Italy · July 2026
Our driver and guide were the same person and he was good company all day. He understood what we wanted to do and what we did not, and drove safely on a road that needs it. We were very happy with the care we were shown.
Peter · Traveller from the United Kingdom · May 2026
Read all reviews on the booking page
Photographs from the terraces
See more photographs and live availability
Questions about this tour
Does this tour go to Ping’an or Dazhai?
Both. The itinerary allows two and a half hours at Ping’an and two hours at Dazhai, which is why it runs seven to twelve hours rather than eight. Almost every fixed departure visits only one of the two.
Is the CNY 80 scenic-area ticket included?
Yes. Admissions to all the sites named in the itinerary are in the fare, so you go through the gate rather than queue at the window.
Can I be dropped in Yangshuo instead of Guilin?
Yes, and one traveller here arranged exactly that for a small extra fee. Ask when you book rather than on the day, because it changes the driver’s return route.
Is lunch included?
No. There are village restaurants at both valleys and you pay on the day. If you would rather have the meal settled in advance, the in-depth day trip includes a Zhuang lunch and the long-hair show.
How far ahead should I book?
A few days for most of the year, and a week or more through the harvest weeks in late September and October. Cancellation is free up to 24 hours ahead, so an early booking costs nothing.
What if the weather is bad?
The tour runs and the terraces are worth seeing wet — cloud in the valley is half of what photographers come for. If the forecast changes your mind entirely, cancel free up to 24 hours before.
Other ways onto the terraces
- In-Depth Longji Rice Terraces Day Tour with Lunch — From $88 per person, 10.5 hours
- Private Longji Rice Terraces & Minority Villages Day Tour — From $68 per person, 10 hours
- All Longji Rice Terraces tours