Tianluokeng Tulou Village day trip from Xiamen: Private guide

Walk inside five Tulou clusters and climb to the highest viewpoint for a bird's-eye village view

A private guided day trip from Xiamen to Tianluokeng Tulou Village in Nanjing county, where you explore UNESCO-listed ancient Hakka earth buildings and visit Yuchang, one of Fujian's oldest Tulou from the 13th century. Your local guide leads you through the village, explains the traditional cluster lifestyle and feng shui design, and arranges a home-cooked lunch in a tea garden. Hotel pickup and drop-off in Xiamen are included. The tour runs eight to nine hours with flexible departure time.

Step-by-step itinerary

Explore Tianluokeng and Yuchang Tulou

• Pick up from Xiamen accommodation
• Drive 2 hours to Nanjing county
• Explore Tianluokeng Tulou village
• Visit highest viewpoint for photos
• Enjoy local lunch in tea garden
• Visit YuChang Tulou and explore
• Walk souvenir streets
• Drive back to Xiamen and drop off

The experience

You start from your Xiamen hotel and travel two hours by air-conditioned car through countryside scenery to Nanjing county. Once there, you walk through Tianluokeng village and enter the complex of ancient Tulou: the circular earth buildings that housed multiple families in a single structure. Your guide explains how the round design works as both fortress and home, and you interact with residents still living in the houses to understand what daily life looks like inside. The highest viewpoint in the village gives you a bird's-eye view of five Tulou clusters arranged among the hillside terraces, and your guide points out the feng shui elements built into the layout centuries ago.

After exploring and taking photos, you break for lunch at a home-cooked restaurant set in a tea garden overlooking the countryside. Then you move on to Yuchang Tulou, built in the 13th century during the Ming Dynasty and famous as China's leaning tower. It has tilted 15 degrees for over 700 years. You spend time inside this older residence, learning how five different families once lived there, and can walk the souvenir streets nearby if you want to pick up local crafts. Your driver then takes you back to Xiamen, arriving in the late afternoon.

Your guide speaks English or Chinese and travels with you the entire day. The tour is private, so the pace and timing flex to what you want. Entrance fees to both Tulou sites are included. Lunch you pay for on the spot at the restaurant.

What’s included

• Entrance fees to Tianluokeng and Yuchang Tulou.
• experienced local guide speaking English or Chinese.
• air-conditioned vehicle and driver for the full day.
• hotel pickup and drop-off in Xiamen.
• lunch at a local restaurant in a tea garden.

Before you book

Days and timesEvery dayDepartures at 08:30, 09:00, 09:30 and 10:00

AgesAdult (8 to 88 years) · Child (3 to 7 years) · Infant (under 3): free

GroupPrivate

Live guideEnglish and Chinese

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 7 days ago

Good to know

Moderate physical effortStroller-friendlyPets welcomePublic transport nearbyInfants must sit on laps

Operated by Sunny Private Tours

Is this one for you?The tour runs eight to nine hours with a two-hour drive each way, so you're in the car and on your feet for most of the day. Book this if you want to go deep into one village and understand how people actually live in these buildings, rather than rushing between multiple sites.

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Top questions

What languages is the tour guided in?

Live guide in English and Chinese.

Can children come?

Yes. Ticket types: Child (3 to 7 years); Infant (under 3): free.

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

Tulou are ancient circular or rectangular earth buildings unique to the Hakka people of Fujian province. Built from rammed earth, wood and stone, a single Tulou could house an entire clan, sometimes over a hundred people, in rooms arranged around a central courtyard. They served as both home and fortress, and the round ones like those at Tianluokeng were designed with feng shui principles that your guide will explain as you walk through.

How much walking is involved in this day trip?

You walk through the village and around the Tulou complexes at a moderate pace, and climb to the highest viewpoint to see all five clusters from above. The walking is steady but not strenuous, and you set the speed with your guide. Comfortable shoes are a good idea.

Will I have time to interact with people who live in the Tulou?

Yes. Part of the tour is meeting residents and learning about cluster lifestyle directly from them. Your guide facilitates these conversations and translates, so you get insight into how families actually live in these centuries-old buildings today.

What's the difference between Tianluokeng and Yuchang that I'm visiting?

Tianluokeng is the main stop, where you explore multiple Tulou complexes and climb to the viewpoint. Yuchang is older, built in the 13th century, and is famous for leaning 15 degrees for over 700 years. It's called China's No. 1 Tower. You spend less time there but see a different style of Tulou and its long history.

Is lunch included, and what if I have dietary restrictions?

Lunch is a home-cooked meal at a local restaurant in a tea garden, and you pay for it on the spot. Tell your guide about any dietary needs when you book, and they can arrange options or let you know what to expect.

What time do I need to be ready for pickup?

The tour has flexible departure time, so you arrange a pickup hour that works for you when you book. Your hotel in Xiamen is where the driver collects you, and you're dropped back there at the end of the day.