Guilin Tea Plantation & Longji Rice Terraces Day Tour

Pick tea leaves at a research plantation, then walk the carved slopes of Longji where the terraces rise like a dragon's spine.

A full-day tour from Guilin that pairs a morning at the Guilin Tea Science and Research Institute with an afternoon in the Longji Rice Terraces, about 100km northeast. You'll learn tea-picking and tasting techniques, visit Huangluo (Long Hair Village) and Ping'an Village among the terraces, and walk the hillside fields with an English-speaking guide. Private car, driver and park entry are included. Lunch is on your own.

Step-by-step itinerary

Stops and time spent at each

1. Longji Rice Terraces3h · entry included
2. Ping’an Village2h

Visit tea plantation and Longji terraces

• Meet guide at hotel lobby at 8:30am
• Transfer to Guilin Tea Science and Research Institute
• Enjoy tea performance and tasting at tea plantation
• Drive about 1.5 hours to Longji ticket office
• Stop 15 minutes to purchase Longji tickets
• Drive to Huangluo Long Hair Village
• Learn about Yao women's hair and lifestyle
• Travel to Ping'an Village among rice terraces
• Explore rice terraces and traditional wooden houses
• Enjoy traditional lunch in Ping'an (own expense)
• Return to Guilin or Yangshuo in late afternoon

The experience

The day starts at your hotel lobby at 8:30am, where your guide meets you for the drive to the tea plantation. The Guilin Tea Science and Research Institute sits about 10km from downtown Guilin and runs the only authorized tea research base in Guangxi. You'll spend roughly 1.5 hours there learning how to pick leaves and taste tea from staff who walk you through the full manufacturing process. A tea performance show is part of the visit. (Note: November through March is not growing season, so leaf-picking isn't available then, but the performance and tasting run year-round.)

After tea, the drive to Longji takes about 1.5 hours from Guilin. You'll stop at the park ticket office for 15 minutes to purchase entry, then continue to either Ping'an or Dazhai village. Your first stop is Huangluo, known as Long Hair Village because Yao women here grow their hair to lengths of 6.6 feet or more. Your guide explains Yao customs and daily life before you head up to Ping'an Village, set directly among the rice terraces. The wooden houses and the fields around them belong to Zhuang and Yao families who have farmed these slopes for centuries, carving the hillsides into stepped paddies that rise like a dragon's backbone, which is what locals call Longji. You'll walk through the terraces with your guide, who explains how these landscapes were built over generations.

Lunch in Ping'an is on your own. Afterward, you'll have time to photograph the scenery and absorb the quiet of the place before heading back. If you're staying in Guilin, you'll leave around 3:30pm and arrive back around 5:30pm. From Yangshuo, departure is around 4:30pm.

What’s included

• Private car and driver.
• air-conditioned vehicle.
• English-speaking guide for the full day.
• entrance tickets to Longji Rice Terraces.
• tea performance and tasting at the plantation.
• visits to Huangluo (Long Hair Village) and Ping'an Village.

Options for this experience

3 options

Starting point: Guilin hotelGuide in English · 08:30Your guide will collect you from your Guilin hotel and, after the tour, can drop you off at a Guilin hotel, the airport, or the train station. Pickup is included.

Starting point: Yangshuo hotelGuide in English · 08:00Your guide and driver will collect you from your Yangshuo hotel and can drop you off at a hotel in Guilin or Yangshuo, or at Guilin airport. Pickup is included.

Starting point: Xingping hotelGuide in English · 08:00Your guide and driver will meet you at your Xingping hotel and can drop you off at a hotel in Guilin or Xingping, or at Guilin airport. Pickup is included.

You'll see the exact price of each option when you check availability.See dates and prices

Before you book

Days and timesEvery dayDepartures at 08:00 and 08:30

AgesAdult (10 and older) · Child (4 to 9 years) · Infant (under 4): free

GroupPrivate

Live guideEnglish

Meeting point and pickupHotel pickup included.

Cancellation and refundsFree cancellation up to 24 h before the start. After that, no refund.

Prices and times updated yesterday

Good to know

Low physical effortInfant seats availableNot recommended during pregnancyNot recommended with heart problemsNot recommended with back problems

Operated by happychinatours

Is this one for you?Choose your departure point at checkout (Guilin, Yangshuo or Xingping), and the driver will pick you up at your hotel. The private car means no waiting for other travelers and no shared stops, so the pace stays yours and the schedule stays tight enough to fit both the tea plantation and a full afternoon in the terraces inside one day.

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Top questions

Can children come?

Yes. Ticket types: Child (4 to 9 years); Infant (under 4): free.

Can I pick tea leaves at the plantation year-round?

Tea leaf picking is only available during the growing season, roughly April through October. From November to March, the plantation offers tea performance and tasting instead, so you still experience the tea culture but without the hands-on picking.

What are the Longji Rice Terraces and why are they called Dragon Backbones?

Longji Terraced Field is a series of rice paddies carved into steep hillsides over many centuries by local farmers. The stepped pattern of the terraces, rising up the mountainside, resembles a dragon's spine when viewed from above, which is why locals call them Dragon Backbones.

What's included in the tour price?

The private car, driver, air-conditioned vehicle and main entrance tickets to Longji are included. Your English-speaking guide is with you for the full day. Lunch and any drinks or snacks are your own expense.

How long is the drive from Guilin to the rice terraces?

The Longji Rice Terraces are about 100km northeast of downtown Guilin, roughly a 2-hour drive from the city. The tea plantation stop adds time to the morning before you head out.

Will I have time to walk around the villages and terraces?

Yes. After lunch in Ping'an (which you arrange), your guide leads you through the rice terraces and villages. You'll have time to walk, photograph and take in the scenery before the return drive begins around 3:30pm from Guilin or 4:30pm from Yangshuo.