Private Tulou Tour from Xiamen: Hongkeng and Tianluokeng Clusters

Massive circular earthen buildings that have stood seven hundred years through earthquakes

A private day tour from Xiamen to the Hongkeng and Tianluokeng tulou clusters, UNESCO World Heritage Sites in Fujian's mountains. You'll spend roughly seven to nine hours exploring massive rectangular and circular earth buildings (some of them the oldest and largest of their kind) with a local guide and private driver, including hotel pickup and drop-off. Lunch and admission tickets are separate. Your guide speaks English, French, Korean, Chinese or Japanese depending on which option you choose.

Step-by-step itinerary

Explore Tianluokeng and Hongkeng Tulou

• Pick up from hotel lobby
• Drive 2 hours to Tianluokeng Tulou Cluster
• Visit viewing platform for Tianluokeng Tulou
• Admire Four Dishes and One Soup
• Visit Yuchang Building
• Stroll in Taxia Village and visit Zhang's clan hall
• Drive 1 hour to Hongkeng Earthen Folk Culture Village
• Explore Zhenchenglou, Rushenglou, Kuijulou Tulou clusters
• Stroll around ancient villages
• Return to Xiamen and drop off at hotel

The experience

The tour starts with a two-hour drive from your hotel to Tianluokeng Tulou Cluster in the green mountains. A local guide meets you at a viewing platform for a bird's-eye view of the "Four Dishes and One Soup": four square buildings arranged around a circular one, a layout that defines these settlements. You'll then visit Yuchang Building, the oldest and largest round tulou known, which has survived seven centuries of erosion and earthquakes with its columns still standing despite appearing to lean. After exploring the building's interior, you walk through Taxia Village, a typical Hakka settlement where you can visit Zhang's clan ancestral hall, a nationally protected cultural relic.

A one-hour scenic drive takes you through rural Fujian to Hongkeng Earthen Folk Culture Village, where the region's largest and best-preserved tulous stand. Your guide introduces the history and culture of the tulou villages as you travel. At Hongkeng, you explore the Zhenchenglou, Rushenglou and Kuijulou clusters on foot, moving through ancient villages built entirely from rammed earth. The private car and driver remain available throughout, and you return to your hotel at the end of the day.

What’s included

• Experienced local guide in your chosen language.
• private car and driver for the full day.
• hotel pickup and drop-off in Xiamen.
• bottled water throughout the tour.

Options for this experience

4 options

Mandarin Chinese Guide9 departure times: the first at 06:00, the last at 10:00Includes pickup

Guide available in Korean or Japanese9 departure times: the first at 06:00, the last at 10:00Includes pickup

French Guide9 departure times: the first at 06:00, the last at 10:00Includes pickup

English Guide9 departure times: the first at 06:00, the last at 10:00Includes pickup

You pick the guide language when booking.

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

Before you book

Days and timesEvery day9 departure times: the first at 06:00, the last at 10:00

GroupPrivate

Live guideEnglish, French, Chinese, Japanese and Korean

Meeting point and pickupHotel pickup included.

Cancellation and refundsFree cancellation up to 24 h before the start. After that, no refund.It may be canceled due to bad weather. If that happens, you're offered another date or a refund.

ConfirmationConfirmation within 48 h

Prices and times updated 5 days ago

Good to know

Low physical effort

Operated by Elephant Tour

Is this one for you?Choose the language option that matches your group so the guide can explain the history and architecture in detail as you move through each cluster. The private car means you set the pace at each site and can return to your hotel whenever you're ready, without waiting for other groups.

Top questions

What languages is the tour guided in?

Live guide in English, French, Korean, Chinese and Japanese.

What happens if it rains?

It may be canceled due to bad weather. If that happens, you're offered another date or a refund. Free cancellation up to 24 h before the start.

What exactly are the tulou buildings I'll be seeing?

Tulou are massive earthen structures (some circular, some rectangular) built by Hakka communities over centuries as fortified communal dwellings. The ones you'll visit at Hongkeng and Tianluokeng are UNESCO World Heritage Sites, with some dating back seven hundred years and still standing despite earthquakes and erosion.

How much time do I spend actually walking around the sites versus driving?

The tour runs seven to nine hours total, with roughly two hours of driving to Tianluokeng, one hour driving to Hongkeng, and the remaining time split between viewing platforms, walking through the buildings and villages, and exploring the clusters on foot at each location.

Do I need to buy admission tickets separately, or are they included?

Admission tickets to the tulou sites are not included in the tour price and must be purchased separately when you arrive at each location.

Is lunch provided during the day?

Lunch is not included in the tour. You'll have free time at the sites to eat, and your guide can recommend local restaurants in the villages.