Longji Rice Terraces hiking tour from Guilin: Ping'an Fields

Three hours walking through terraces that stack like a dragon's spine

A full-day private tour from Guilin to Longji Rice Terraces, with hotel pickup, an English-speaking guide and a three-hour hike through Ping'an Fields—the most photographed section of the terraces. You stop first at Huang Luo Yao village to see traditional wooden stilted buildings, then spend the afternoon walking the overlapping rice fields still farmed by Yao and Zhuang villagers. Admission to the scenic area is CNY80 per person and is not included in the tour price.

Step-by-step itinerary

Longji Rice Terraces and Minority Villages

• Pick up at Guilin hotel lobby
• Drive two hours to Longji Rice Terraces
• Visit Huang Luo Yao minority village
• Drive 20 minutes to Ping'an Rice Terraces
• Hike for three hours in rice terraces
• Lunch break for one hour
• Drive two hours back to Guilin hotel

The Experience

The day starts with pickup at your Guilin hotel at 8:30am and a two-hour drive to the Longji Rice Terraces entrance. Your first stop is Huang Luo Yao, a minority village where wooden buildings sit on stilts in the traditional style—you'll have about 15 minutes to walk through and see how the structures are built. From there, another 20 minutes of driving brings you to Ping'an, the section of terraces that gives the tour its shape. The landscape here has three named features: "9 Dragons and 5 Tigers" (nine ridges and five raised hills surrounded by fields), and "Seven Stars with the Moon" (seven hills stacked in the center, looking from a distance like stars guarding the curved spine of the mountain).

The three-hour hike through Ping'an Fields is the core of the day. The terraces climb the slopes in overlapping rings, and you walk through them on foot while your guide points out how Yao and Zhuang farmers still grow premium rice on the same land. The scale of the fields—stacked so densely they seem to go straight up the mountainside—is what makes this section distinct from other rice terrace regions in China. You move at a walking pace through the working fields, not a rushed circuit, so there's time to stand still and take in the scale.

After the hike, you'll have an hour for lunch (not included in the tour), then the two-hour drive back to Guilin, arriving at your hotel around 6pm. The vehicle is air-conditioned throughout, and your guide drives as well as provides commentary, so there's no separate driver to coordinate with.

What’s included

• Hotel pickup in Guilin city center at 8:30am.
• air-conditioned vehicle for the full day.
• English-speaking guide who also drives.
• 15-minute stop at Huang Luo Yao minority village.
• three-hour guided hike through Ping'an rice terraces. Admission to Longji Rice Terraces (CNY80 per person) and lunch are not included.

Good to know

Easy physical levelNot for heart conditions

Operated by Jerry's Guide & Driver Service

Is this one for you?The guide speaks English throughout, so you'll understand the commentary on the terraces and the villages without needing translation or a separate interpreter. This works well if you want to follow the details of how the fields are farmed and what the landscape features mean, rather than walking through in silence or with a guide you can't understand.

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Top questions

What does the three-hour hike through Ping'an Fields actually involve?

The hike is a walking tour through the working rice terraces on foot, moving through overlapping fields that climb the mountainside. You're walking on paths within the terraces themselves, not on a separate trail above them, so you're moving through the landscape the farmers use. The pace is steady but not strenuous, and the guide stops to explain the named features like "9 Dragons and 5 Tigers" and "Seven Stars with the Moon."

Are meals included in the tour?

Lunch is not included. You'll have an hour to eat after the hike at Ping'an, and your guide can recommend local options, but you'll need to arrange and pay for your own meal during that break.

Is the admission fee to Longji Rice Terraces included?

No. The scenic area admission is CNY80 per person and is paid separately when you arrive at the entrance. This covers access to the Longji Rice Terraces Scenic Area where Ping'an Fields is located.

What are Huang Luo Yao village and Ping'an, and why do you stop at both?

Huang Luo Yao is a minority village where you see traditional wooden stilted buildings—the first stop gives you a sense of how local Yao and Zhuang communities live. Ping'an is the most photographed section of the Longji terraces, with the distinctive landscape features ("9 Dragons," "5 Tigers," "Seven Stars") that make it the scenic highlight of the day. The hike happens at Ping'an, so the village stop is a shorter introduction before you spend three hours in the terraces themselves.

How much driving is involved, and when do I get picked up?

Your hotel pickup is at 8:30am in Guilin city center. The drive to Longji takes two hours, and the return drive is another two hours, so you'll be back at your hotel around 6pm. There's also a 20-minute drive between Huang Luo Yao village and Ping'an Fields. The vehicle is air-conditioned for all driving segments.

What's the difference between "9 Dragons and 5 Tigers" and "Seven Stars with the Moon"?

These are two named landscape features within Ping'an Fields. "9 Dragons and 5 Tigers" refers to nine ridges and five raised hills that are surrounded by terraces. "Seven Stars with the Moon" refers to seven hills stacked in the center of the fields that, from a distance, look like seven stars guarding the curved spine of the mountain. Your guide will point out both formations during the hike so you can see how the terraces follow the natural contours of the land.