27 October – 15 November 2026 · 20 days · 2 people
From 5,000-metre peaks in Sichuan through cave villages in Guizhou to a border crossing into Vietnam. Each route is its own trip – not a variation of the same one. Eleven of them end at Hong Kong airport, Route 7 deliberately does not: it runs overland from Chongqing across Kham to Kunming. All of them work without a domestic flight. Except two, and they tell you why.
And there is a lucky break: on Saturday 14 November, Hong Kong hosts the four-stage Shi Fu Miz Festival – exactly day 19 of eleven of these twelve routes.
The frame
Three things are fixed: the dates, Hong Kong as the end point, and the wish to travel without domestic flights wherever possible. Almost everything else follows from that.
27 Oct to 15 Nov 2026, both days included: exactly 20 travel days. Day 1 is a Tuesday, day 20 a Sunday.
The onward flight out of Hong Kong is flexible by ±2–3 days. Every route is therefore built so the last two days act as a buffer and can be dropped without losing substance.
No flights booked yet. An open-jaw ticket makes sense: fly into central or western China, fly onward out of Hong Kong. Each route names its own arrival airport.
That removes the return leg to the arrival city and typically saves two full travel days compared with a round trip.
€1,800–2,800 per person for 20 days on the ground, excluding international flights. Mid-range: private rooms, good food, one or two legs with a driver.
The single biggest cost item is always Hong Kong. Four nights there cost roughly what ten nights in Guizhou do.
5–7 bases, mostly 2–3 nights each. Night trains where they genuinely save time. Domestic flights only where there is no sensible alternative.
That works everywhere – except in Xinjiang. Route 5 explains why exactly one flight is unavoidable there.
Two athletic 30-year-olds. Demanding routes are wanted, up to a guided 5,025-metre summit in Route 1.
Every route states difficulty, elevation gain and the kit you need. Altitude is the only genuine risk in the programme.
Late October to mid-November is the best hiking season of the year in southern and central China: clear air, stable weather, no heat, almost no rain.
In the west it flips: Xinjiang is already in winter, high passes lie under snow. Details in Route 5.
Verified groundwork
Everything in this section has been checked against official sources. Status: 29 September 2026. Visa rules change fast – check again before departure.
German nationals holding an ordinary passport enter visa-free for up to 30 days per entry. The unilateral visa exemption has been extended for Germany and 47 other countries until 24:00 on 31 December 2026; your trip falls entirely within it.
For the Vietnam detours in Routes 4 and 6, one detail is decisive: the official FAQ of the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs states explicitly in question 12 that the visa exemption allows multiple entries and that there is currently no restriction on the number of entries or the total days of stay. The 30-day period is counted from the day after entry and restarts on each re-entry. Question 9 makes clear that the exemption applies at all land, sea and air ports open to foreign nationals – including the Friendship Pass.
Question 6 recommends carrying hotel bookings and the onward flight ticket as evidence of the purpose of travel. At land borders this is requested far more often than at airports. Bring printouts.
Sources: Chinese Consulate General Hamburg, notice of 4 Nov 2025 · „FAQs on Visa-free Entry into China", as of 21 May 2026. Both linked below.German nationals enter visa-free for up to 45 days per entry, regardless of the purpose of travel. The basis is Resolution 44/NQ-CP, valid from 15 March 2025 to 14 March 2028. No e-visa, no pre-registration, no fee.
Practical consequence: the detour costs no paperwork, only time.
A separate immigration jurisdiction. German nationals may stay 90 days visa-free. Travelling from the mainland into Hong Kong is formally an exit from the mainland – with passport control, including on the train to West Kowloon.
Because Hong Kong comes last, re-entry into China is no longer relevant.
China recognises neither German driving licences nor the International Driving Permit – the country never joined the 1968 Vienna Convention. You would need a temporary Chinese driving permit (临时机动车驾驶许可) plus a certified translation, obtainable at traffic police service points and some airports, valid for three months.
The realistic solution for mountain legs is therefore 包车 („bāochē") throughout: a car with a driver, typically RMB 600–1,000 per day (roughly €75–130) for two people including fuel. It is more comfortable, cheaper than you would think, and solves the parking and navigation problem at the same time.
Cash has all but disappeared in China. Alipay and WeChat Pay now accept foreign credit cards – install both apps before departure, add your card and push a test payment through.
For connectivity, an eSIM with roaming is the simplest route, because roaming traffic does not pass through the Chinese firewall. In Vietnam and Hong Kong everything is straightforward.
Google Maps is blocked on the mainland. The Google links on the route pages are therefore planning tools for home, not for the road. OpenStreetMap is unreliable too: there are reports of its tile servers being blocked at times, and the Chinese OSM community has suspended its map service citing the legal situation.
The on-the-ground solution is 高德地图 (Amap) by Alibaba, the market leader. Every route page therefore has an Amap button that marks all stops of that route on one map – no app, no account, straight in the browser, and it works behind the firewall. Baidu Maps would be the alternative, but it is clunkier for foreigners.
Two things to do beforehand: install Amap as an app – it has an English interface but Chinese map labels – and additionally download offline maps, for example with Organic Maps or OsmAnd. Those need no network and therefore no way around the firewall. Apple Maps also works in China, because it uses Amap data there.
Technical note: Chinese maps use the GCJ-02 coordinate system, not WGS-84. GPS coordinates from Google or OSM are therefore off by 300 to 600 metres on Chinese maps. The Amap links here are converted accordingly.
Chinese high-speed trains only go on sale 15 days before departure. For a trip starting on 27 Oct, the first window opens on 12 October 2026. In practice: from 12 Oct onwards, book the next leg each day. Your passport number is stored at purchase and the passport itself is the ticket – stations have a separate counter for passports because the machines only read Chinese ID cards. Allow a 40-minute buffer before departure.
Research result
The big names fall just outside the window. One festival, however, sits exactly right – and on day 19 of every one of routes 1 to 6 and 8, because all seven are in Hong Kong that Saturday. Route 7 ends in Kunming and is the one exception.
Hong Kong's most important boutique electronic festival celebrates its anniversary with a special edition on Saturday 14 Nov 2026, 12:00 to 04:00 at Tai Tong Organic EcoPark in Yuen Long, New Territories. Four stages, more than 30 acts, tickets on sale. It is run by FuFu Asia and the La Mamie's collective and has been going since 2016.
This is the lucky break of the whole plan: day 19 is Saturday 14 November in routes 1 to 6 and 8, and in all seven you are in Hong Kong that day. The festival therefore slots in without a single change to any route – it only costs the hiking or city day planned for day 19.
| Stage | Genre | Times | Acts |
|---|---|---|---|
| Feng Shui Stage | House, deep house, disco | daytime, grass field with mountain views | Chez Damier (Chicago deep house pioneer), Dream 2 Science, Melodies International, Mamie's, Ice Cream Sundays, UNKNWN |
| Valley Stage | Techno, 4/4 | 13:30–04:00, longest-running stage, concrete space in the forest | Dr. Rubinstein (Berlin), DJ MARIA. and Elli Arakawa (Tokyo), Mr Ho, Xiaolin, collectives 0159, Abyss, S2 |
| Dragon Stage | UK bass, drum'n'bass, jungle | by the pond | Oil Soundsystem (Shenzhen), 52/F (Guangzhou), Feed the Dragon, Chaotic Pavilion, Magic Room |
| Meadow Stage | Ambient, outdoor cinema, yoga, gong bath | from 22:30 | Finsent C, Taku Hirayama, Yadin Moha |
On top of that: workshops, dance classes from voguing to fitness, and a marketplace with tattoo artists, a barber, massage and a record shop. For price context: the March 2026 edition started at HK$508 per person, around €60. The anniversary price is in the official shop.
Act now: tickets via shop.tiks.asia · shifumiz.com · line-up announcement on Mixmag Asia
Sources: Mixmag Asia, 15 June 2026, plus shifumiz.com and Time Out Hong Kong. Date, venue and times are confirmed; the line-up may still grow before November. Checked on 29 Sept 2026.The big brands miss the window – some of them by only days. For completeness, and so you can see what was ruled out:
| Event | Date | Status | Verdict |
|---|---|---|---|
| Clockenflap, Hong Kong | 4–6 Dec 2026 | confirmed | Three weeks too late. Stated in the official terms and conditions on clockenflap.com, Central Harbourfront Event Space. |
| Tomorrowland China, Shanghai | 17–18 Oct 2026 | confirmed | Ten days too early and outside the geographic frame. |
| Tomorrowland Thailand, Chonburi | 11–13 Dec 2026 | confirmed | Too late, and sold out before the line-up was published. |
| Spirit Tribe Festival, Yunnan | historically around Qingming (April) | no 2026 edition found | China's only established psytrance festival always ran in spring. No fit. |
| Quest Festival, Hanoi | traditionally held in November | unconfirmed | Would have been the perfect candidate. A 2026 edition, however, cannot be verified; documented editions predate 2020. It is therefore deliberately not treated as fixed. |
| A State of Trance, Vietnam | 13 June 2026 | confirmed | Already past. |
Shi Fu Miz is locked in and needs no route change. Day 19 is Saturday 14 November in proposals 1 to 6 and 8. The only decision is what to drop for it: the Sharp Peak day in Route 1, the Macau excursion in Route 2, and the buffer or city day in the rest. Buy tickets now – the festival is small. Route 7 cannot do the festival – it ends in Kunming.
Honest about psytrance: there is no pure psytrance event in the travel window. China's only established psytrance festival, Spirit Tribe in Yunnan, always fell in spring, and no 2026 edition can be found. The Valley Stage at Shi Fu Miz runs techno and 4/4, the Meadow Stage ambient – psychedelic in the broader sense, but not Goa.
The club landscape is also in flux: Chengdu's two flagship venues .TAG and AXIS both closed in 2025, and in Hanoi, Savage is fighting a state redevelopment project. Underground events in China only become public two to four weeks in advance anyway, often only via WeChat. That is why every route carries a last-minute check block with the sources that actually help shortly before departure: Resident Advisor, Mixmag Asia and Bandwagon Asia. Details in Route 4.
The selection
Each card leads to a full detail page with a day-by-day table, map, hiking descriptions, transport analysis and sources.
Route 1 · Nature
The mountain trip. A guided 5,025 m summit in the Siguniangshan massif, Tibetan watchtowers in Danba, the pilgrim path up Mount Emei, then karst walls to climb in Yangshuo.
Route 2 · Culture
3,000 years in 20 days: the Terracotta Army, the plank walk on Mount Hua, Sanxingdui, the Dazu rock carvings, then Canton and Hong Kong. Entirely by rail.
Route 3 · Off the beaten path
The least touristed option. The cave village of Zhongdong, world-class climbing caves on the Getu river, Dong and Miao villages with homestays, the Longji rice terraces.
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Route 4 · Scene & nightlife
Chengdu, Chongqing, across the Friendship Pass to Hanoi and back to Shenzhen and Hong Kong. Halloween Saturday in Chongqing, Shi Fu Miz Festival as the finale.
Route 5 · East–west
The widest range: the Turpan desert, the old town of Kashgar, the Karakoram Highway at 4,000 metres, then right across the country to Hong Kong. With an honest winter warning.
Route 6 · South
Tiger Leaping Gorge on the High Trail, the Yuanyang rice terraces at the best time of year, the Hekou border crossing to Sapa, Hanoi, Hong Kong.
Route 7 · Overland
The strong openings of Routes 1 and 6 joined up, but calmer: Halloween in Chengdu, then overland across Kham – Danba, Tagong, Litang, Yading – to Shangri-La and Kunming.
Route 8 · Glacier
The highlights without the altitude grind: 3 nights Chongqing, western Sichuan as a loop with the Hailuogou glacier and Danba, then Shangri-La, the gorge, 3 nights Dali, Hong Kong.
Route 9 · Yunnan & karst
Start in Yunnan, one mountain week above Tiger Leaping Gorge, then by train to the karst cones of Guilin and Yangshuo and on to the coast. No domestic flight at all.
Route 10 · Chongqing & Yunnan
Route 9 with Chongqing instead of Guilin: 5 nights in Chongqing with Wulong and Halloween, then Lijiang, the High Trail, Shangri-La, Dali and the direct train Kunming → Shenzhen.
Route 11 · Action karst
5 nights in Chongqing, then the cave village and rock arch of Getu He, Dong villages in Zhaoxing and 4 days in Yangshuo for climbing and paddling. No night above 1,500 m.
Route 12 · Diagonal
5 nights in Chongqing, 2 days in Getu He instead of Guilin, then Dali, Lijiang and the High Trail. Shangri-La is dropped, highest night 2,400 m. The best compromise.
Decision aid
Budget is per person for 20 days on the ground, excluding international flights. Difficulty refers to physical effort, not to logistics.
| Route | Focus | Difficulty | Budget p.p. | Highlights | 🚗 Driver | ✈️ Domestic flight | 🛂 Border | 🎶 Nightlife |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 · Alpine Sichuan & Karst | High mountains, trekking | €2,100–2,500 | Dafeng 5,025 m · Danba · Mount Emei · climbing in Yangshuo | Yes, 6 days | No | No | Medium · festival day 19 | |
| 2 · Empire & Megacities | History, cities | €1,900–2,300 | Terracotta Army · Mount Hua plank walk · Dazu · Canton | No | No | Optional, Macau | Strong · festival day 19 | |
| 3 · Guizhou Villages & Cave Karst | Off the beaten path | €1,800–2,200 | Zhongdong cave village · Getu river · Zhaoxing · Longji | Yes, 5 days | No | No | Weak · festival day 19 | |
| 4 · Techno Axis & Vietnam | Nightlife, scene | €2,000–2,500 | Chengdu clubs · Halloween in Chongqing · Detian · Hanoi | Yes, 2 days | No | Yes, Vietnam | Very strong · festival day 19 | |
| 5 · Silk Road to Southern Coast | Maximum range | €2,400–2,800 | Kashgar · Karakoram Highway · Jiaohe · Xi'an | Yes, 3 days | Yes, 1× | Optional, Kazakhstan – not recommended | Medium · festival day 19 | |
| 6 · Yunnan Traverse into Vietnam | South, border region | €2,000–2,400 | Tiger Leaping Gorge · Yuanyang · Sapa · Hanoi | Yes, 3 days | No | Yes, Vietnam, 2× | Medium · festival day 19 | |
| 7 · Kham Overland to Kunming | Overland, calm pace | €2,300–2,700 | Yading 4,700 m · Danba · Litang · Shangri-La · Tiger Leaping Gorge | Yes, 11 days | No | No | Strong at the start · no festival | |
| 8 · Glacier, Watchtowers & Yunnan | Highlights without altitude grind | €2,250–2,650 | Hailuogou glacier · Gongga 7,556 m · Danba · Cangshan · Dali | Yes, 6 days | Yes, 2× | No | Strong · festival day 19 | |
| 9 · Yunnan & Karst by Rail | Mountains + karst, all rail | €2,050–2,450 | Tiger Leaping Gorge · Dali · Li River · Yangshuo karst · Longji | No | No | No | Medium · festival day 19 | |
| 10 · Chongqing & Yunnan by Rail | City + mountains, flight-free | €2,000–2,400 | Chongqing · Wulong · Halloween · Tiger Leaping Gorge · Shangri-La · Dali | No | No | No | Strong · Halloween + festival day 19 | |
| 11 · Chongqing & Karst as Action | Climbing, caves, no mountains | €1,950–2,350 | Chongqing · Wulong · Getu He · Zhaoxing · Yangshuo climbing | No | No | No | Strong · Halloween + festival day 19 | |
| 12 · Diagonal: Chongqing, Guizhou, Yunnan | Best mix, max. 2,400 m | €2,000–2,400 | Chongqing · Wulong · Getu He · Dali · Tiger Leaping Gorge | No | No | No | Strong · Halloween + festival day 19 |
Table scrolls sideways.
The „nightlife" column only rates what happens en route. The festival on Saturday 14 Nov is reachable on every route except Route 7, because all eleven are in Hong Kong that day. So choosing a nature route does not mean giving up the music highlight – it only costs the hiking day on day 19. The exception is Route 7: it ends in Kunming, and day 19 there is the High Trail. Details and tickets above.
Maximum density of memories: Route 1. A summit above 5,000 metres changes the character of a trip more than any city does.
Maximum variety: Route 5, but only if you treat cold as a feature rather than a problem.
Best balance of everything: Route 6. Trekking, rice terraces, a border crossing, Hanoi and Hong Kong – without a single flight.
If the others feel too packed: Route 7. The same landscape as 1 and 6, two genuine rest days, no summit pressure – but no Hong Kong.
If altitude is the problem: Route 8. Glacier, watchtowers, gorge and Dali, but never sleeping above 3,200 m – and Hong Kong stays in.
If Chongqing must be in and no domestic flight: Route 12. Chongqing with Halloween, cave karst instead of Guilin, Yunnan up to 2,400 m.
If nobody wants to see mountains any more: Route 11. Climbing, caves and paddling, no night above 1,500 m, no train over three hours.
Schedule
Today is 29 September 2026, departure is in 28 days. That is doable, but not relaxed. This list is ordered by urgency, not by importance.
Anything that gets more expensive or scarcer by the day goes first: flights, Hong Kong, guides, festival tickets. Anything that only becomes bookable later can wait: trains and events.
Further reading