How much walking is this, really?

Less than the mountains suggest. Elevators and cableways do the climbing while stream and city walks adjust to the group.

What if clouds close in at Tianmen?

Long views are not guaranteed. The cableway, cliff paths, glass skywalk and Heaven's Gate remain the core of the day in most conditions.

Is the bamboo raft guaranteed?

No. Rafting follows river levels and safety rules; cycling and walking remain available across the same countryside.

Why does a mountain trip end in Shenzhen?

The contrast is the route's point. Shenzhen lets the newest city chapter answer the old landscapes that came before it.

Why aren't all meals included?

Breakfast is included from day two. Other meals stay flexible and are paid locally.

Three Speeds | LyrikTrip

Overview

Four mountain days move slowly, the middle follows the Li River, and the last chapter accelerates into Shenzhen. Rail links the changes and local guides meet each arrival.

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Why you'll love this trip

Things to do

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Itinerary

Arrivals

Zhangjiajie · Day 1 - Day 4

Day 1 · Arrival: into the mountains

Land, transfer, breathe. The stone forest opens tomorrow.

Arrival & transfer Your guide meets you at Zhangjiajie's airport or railway station and drives you to Wulingyuan, the town at the gateway of the national forest park; check-in is handled while you look at the ridgelines.

An easy evening Rest, or take a slow walk through town, with tomorrow's mountains already standing at its edge; nothing is scheduled tonight, on purpose.

Day 2 · Yuanjiajie & Tianzi Mountain

The pillar forest, from its high balconies. Learn to read a landscape with no horizontal lines.

Bailong Elevator The elevator climbs the cliff face and opens onto Yuanjiajie; it does the ascending so your legs stay fresh for the platforms.

Yuanjiajie You stand at the First Bridge Under Heaven, a natural arch joining two sandstone towers, then at the Enchanting Terrace, with thousands of pillars ranked into the haze below you. You'll notice your voice has dropped, the way it does in a cathedral.

Tianzi Mountain Sweeping views across the peak forest, from Imperial Writing Brush Peak to the West Sea Stone Forest; mist and light keep changing the picture, so your guide keeps you at the balconies and lets the weather do the work.

Day 3 · Golden Whip Stream & Huangshi Village

The same mountains, twice. Their feet in the morning, their shoulders in the afternoon.

Golden Whip Stream A walk on the valley floor: clear water beside you, dense forest around you, and the sandstone walls going straight up on both sides; the length is cut to fit your pace.

Looking up From down here the pillars you photographed yesterday become walls; the valley is the quieter, closer way to meet the same landscape.

Huangshi Village The cable car lifts you to open platforms in the afternoon; below you, the pillar country runs to the horizon, and the geology finally reads as one connected landscape.

Day 4 · Tianmen Mountain

One mountain fills the day. You walk along its cliffs, then stand in its arch.

The cableway From downtown Zhangjiajie, one of the world's longest mountain cableways carries you to the summit; the city drops away under your cabin on the way up.

Cliff pathways & glass skywalk You walk the pathways fixed to the rock face, including the glass skywalk section where the valley opens under your feet; weather permitting, the views run across deep gorges, the winding mountain road and layers of far peaks.

Heaven's Gate The immense natural arch of Tianmen Cave, a hole punched clean through the mountain; you stand beneath it and let it argue for itself.

Down to the city After the mountain, transfer to your hotel in Zhangjiajie city, one night closer to the rail line south.

High-speed rail

Guilin · Day 5

Day 5 · Rail to Guilin

A travel day that earns its keep. Guilin introduces itself after dark, in light on water.

Rail south From Zhangjiajie West Railway Station the train runs you south; your Guilin guide is waiting when you step off and takes you straight to the hotel.

Two Rivers & Four Lakes on foot An evening walk along the waterways that ring the city center: lit pagodas standing on the lakes, gardens along the banks, the pace set by however the train day left you.

Li River cruise

Yangshuo · Day 6 - Day 7

Day 6 · Li River cruise to Yangshuo

Half a day on the water. Let the river set the schedule.

Boarding You board the Li River cruise in the morning and travel downstream toward Yangshuo; seats are assigned by name on the boat ticket, so yours is set before you step aboard.

The river Limestone peaks rise along both banks and double themselves in the calm water; bamboo groves line the shore, small farming villages pass, and working boats move through the scene. An hour in, you'll notice you've stopped asking what's next on the plan.

West Street evening You land in Yangshuo in the afternoon and check in; the evening is yours on West Street or along the riverfront of this busy little river town.

Day 7 · The Yangshuo countryside

The slowest day of the ten. Pick your speed: pedals, footsteps or a raft.

The viewpoint Weather permitting, the day opens early at a panoramic viewpoint above the Li River, karst peaks stacked away to the horizon while the light comes up.

Into the countryside Rice fields, villages that still farm, quiet paths along the water; the day is built with stopping in mind: for photographs, for village life, for nothing in particular.

Your speed Cycle the lanes, walk them, or let a poler take you down the Yulong River on a bamboo raft; you can decide that morning, and change your mind at lunch.

High-speed rail

Shenzhen · Day 8 - Day 10

Day 8 · Rail to Shenzhen

The fast train to the fast city. The skyline changes material.

Rail south The high-speed train carries you from the karst country to Shenzhen; peaks outside your window at departure, towers by arrival.

The new city on foot You walk the Civic Center district and Gangxia North Station, where contemporary design and urban planning are on open display, then follow the water at Shenzhen Bay.

Shenzhen Bay after dark Four nights ago your window opened onto a forest of stone. Tonight, across the bay, a skyline switches on tower by tower. Somewhere over the water, the sentence you'll say at home puts itself together: ten days, one country, three speeds.

Day 9 · Technology and innovation

A city that faces forward. Spend a day reading how it got that way.

The city, explained The day starts with the maps and models: an introduction to Shenzhen's industrial rise and urban transformation at a public exhibition or urban planning venue, so the streets make sense afterward.

Huaqiangbei One of the world's best-known electronics districts: counters of components, prototypes and finished devices packed into a few dense blocks, and your guide walking you through what is being bought and built around you. You'll catch your own pace quickening to match the city's.

Landmarks & Talent Park Architecture views of DJI Sky City and Tencent's Seafront Towers, then a walk through Shenzhen Talent Park along the water: technology, business, architecture and public life sharing one shoreline.

Day 10 · Departure

One more Shenzhen before the airport. Sized to your flight.

Shekou or Nantou Depending on your departure time, one last neighborhood: Shekou, where the story of China's economic reform meets a modern waterfront, or Nantou Ancient Town, where historic lanes and contemporary creative studios share the same blocks.

Onward A private transfer to Shenzhen's airport, railway station or border checkpoint, with margin built in.

Departures

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Hotels

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Included / Excluded

What's Included

HotelsNine nights with breakfast daily from day two
ExperiencesNational forest park and Bailong Elevator, Huangshi Village and Tianmen cableways, Li River cruise, and one chosen Yangshuo countryside activity
MealsBuffet lunch on board the Li River cruise on Day 6

Not Included

Internal railZhangjiajie-Guilin and Yangshuo-Shenzhen rail tickets quoted with confirmation
MealsLunches and dinners beyond breakfast, other than the Day 6 buffet lunch on the cruise

Special Notes

Weather, water levels and departure timing affect parts of this route.

Tianmen views — Long views depend on weather; the cableway, cliff paths and Heaven's Gate remain the core.
Yangshuo raft — Rafting depends on river levels and safety rules; cycling and walking remain available.
Shenzhen venue — Confirm a public exhibition or urban-planning venue for the travel date.

Is Ten Days Your Length?

Tell us your arrival point and departure plan. We will keep the mountain, river and city tempo in balance.

Keep the full 10 days

Best when you want Zhangjiajie, Yangshuo and Shenzhen without turning the rail days into a rush.

Shorter on days

We can trim one nature day or the Shenzhen close, but the core Zhangjiajie mountain days should stay intact.

Good to Know

Language: English-speaking guides throughout
Shopping Policy: No shopping stops or commission detours on the route; your time is dedicated solely to the places listed here.
Tailoring: Fully flexible. Days, stops, and pace can be added, removed, or swapped. We'll reshape the plan together before you confirm and pay.
Ports: Zhangjiajie In · Shenzhen Out
Gateway markets: Lead country marker: FR. Gateway markets from inventory: WEU, SEU. Both ends may need a connection.

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Three Speeds

Overview

Why you'll love this trip