- 🥾 Difficulty 3 / 5
- 📍 highest night 2,400 m
- 🚄 all rail
- ✈️ 0 domestic flights
- 🧗 caves + trek
- 🛂 mainland → Hong Kong
- 🎶 Halloween + festival
- 💶 €2,000–2,400 pp
- In: Chongqing · Out: Hong Kong
- The idea
- Day by day
- Map
- Hiking & action
- Off the beaten path
- Nightlife
- Transport
- Border check
- Practicalities & cost
- Sources
The character of this route
The route draws a diagonal from north-east to south-west and back to the coast, and follows rail lines almost all the way. Three wishes at once: Chongqing for a few days, action instead of scenery from a boat and no second dose of high mountains for the one who works in the Alps.
Chongqing gets five nights with the Wulong karst, Dazu and Halloween Saturday. Then Getu He in Guizhou: an inhabited cave village, a rock arch more than a hundred metres high, an underground river and men who climb cave walls without a rope. This replaces the Guilin block of Route 9 – the same karst, but to climb into rather than look at.
After that Yunnan in the right order: Dali at 1,970 m to settle in, Lijiang at 2,400 m, then the High Trail as the sporting highlight. Shangri-La is dropped – it would be the only night above 3,000 m and is mostly monastery and plateau. To finish, the direct train Kunming → Shenzhen.
📊 Route in numbers
- Stops
- 10 (Chongqing, Wulong, Dazu, Getu He, Dali, Lijiang, Tiger Leaping Gorge, Kunming, Shenzhen, Hong Kong)
- Highest night
- about 2,400 m (Lijiang)
- Highest point on foot
- about 2,670 m, the High Trail above the gorge
- Driver
- none – transfers to Getu He and the gorge
- Domestic flights
- none
- Total train time
- about 21 h, longest leg about 7.5 h
- Changes of accommodation
- 8
🎶 Two nights that make the order worthwhile
Sat 31 Oct, day 5: Halloween in Chongqing. Sat 14 Nov, day 19: Shi Fu Miz at Tai Tong Organic EcoPark in Yuen Long, four stages. Details and tickets in Route 4.
⭐ Why Route 12 is the best compromise
- Compared with Route 9: Chongqing and Halloween are added, Guilin is replaced by Getu He, Shangri-La is dropped. The Yunnan core – Dali and the High Trail – stays.
- Compared with Route 10: more action, at most 2,400 m sleeping altitude instead of 3,200 m, but no Songzanlin monastery.
- Compared with Route 11: Yunnan stays in; in return less climbing in Yangshuo and longer train rides.
The honest price: this route has the most travel days of the three Chongqing variants – two of them long: Getu He → Dali about 7 h and Kunming → Shenzhen about 7.5 h. Exactly the "long train instead of short flight" trade.
20 days
Day by day
27 October to 15 November 2026. City, caves, lakeshore, old town, gorge, coast – each block has a different rhythm.
| Day | Date | Place | Activity | Overnight | Transport |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Tue 27 Oct | Chongqing | Arrival early in the morning, 250 m. Pre-book early check-in, sleep. In the evening 📍 Hongyadong and the Jialing riverfront, first hotpot. | Chongqing | Flight arrival |
| 2 | Wed 28 Oct | Chongqing | 🧭 The vertical city on foot: Liziba, where the monorail runs through an apartment block, the Shibati stairs, Eling Park, then the Yangtze cable car across the river. Evening bars around Jiaochangkou. | Chongqing | Metro, cable car, on foot |
| 3 | Thu 29 Oct | 🚄 Wulong karst | 🥾📍 Day trip: 🚄 to Wulong South, about 1 h, then a shuttle. The Three Natural Bridges – arches up to almost 300 m, a glass lift down into the sinkhole – and the Longshuixia fissure: 2 km of walkways between vertical walls. Be at the bridges by 8 am. | Chongqing | 🚄 2 × approx. 1 h + shuttle |
| 4 | Fri 30 Oct | Dazu | 📍 The Dazu rock carvings, UNESCO World Heritage, about 1.5 hours out. If you would rather stay: Nanshan and the view over both rivers. Evening 🎶 Friday round in Jiefangbei and Guanyinqiao. | Chongqing | 🚄 + bus |
| 5 | Sat 31 Oct | 🎶 Chongqing | A slow day: Ciqikou on the Jialing or the observation deck above the confluence. Evening 🎶🎶 Halloween Saturday – Jiefangbei and Guanyinqiao in a state of emergency, costume compulsory. | Chongqing | Metro |
| 6 | Sun 1 Nov | 🚄 → Getu He | 🚄 Midday Chongqing West → Anshun West via Guiyang, about 2.5–3 h, then 🚗 via Ziyun into the valley of Getu He, about 2 h. Dinner in the village by the river, early to bed. | Getu He | 🚄 approx. 3 h + 🚗 2 h |
| 7 | Mon 2 Nov | Getu He | 🥾🧗📍 The full Getu day: in the morning by boat onto the underground river section and into the Swallow Cave, where Miao men climb the wall without a rope. Then the Great Arch, over 100 m high, via walkways and the glass lift. Afternoon the climb to Zhongdong, the inhabited cave village. If you want to climb: half a day with a local guide instead of Zhongdong. | Getu He | Boat, on foot |
| 8 | Tue 3 Nov | 🚄 → Dali | 🚗 Morning back to Anshun West, then 🚄 west: Anshun West → Kunming South → Dali, direct or with a change in Kunming depending on the train. About 7 h door to door. Evening in Dali old town, 1,970 m. | Dali | 🚗 2 h + 🚄 approx. 4–5 h |
| 9 | Wed 4 Nov | Cangshan | 🥾📍 The Jade Belt Road on Cangshan: cable car up to about 2,600 m, then roughly 11 km almost level along the eastern flank, with a constant view over Erhai Lake. Also the first altitude adjustment for the High Trail. | Dali | Cable car, on foot |
| 10 | Thu 5 Nov | Erhai or Shaxi | 🚲 Option A: bike loop on the eco corridor along the Erhai east shore to Xizhou, a Bai village with a market and batik workshops. 🧭 Option B: day trip to Shaxi, the best-preserved market town on the Tea Horse Road. | Dali | Bicycle or bus |
| 11 | Fri 6 Nov | 🚄 → Lijiang | 🚄 Dali → Lijiang, about 1–1.5 h. Afternoon the canals and rooftops of the Naxi old town, 📍 evening view from Wangu Tower. Friday night on the canal bar street – one beer, no more, tomorrow starts early. | Lijiang (2,400 m) | 🚄 approx. 1.5 h |
| 12 | Sat 7 Nov | High Trail, stage 1 | 🚗 Early to Qiaotou, then 🥾📍 up onto the High Trail. The 28 bends are the hard part: about 900 m of ascent in one go to roughly 2,670 m. Then a balcony path with a constant view of the north face of Jade Dragon Snow Mountain. Night at the Halfway Guesthouse. | Halfway Guesthouse | 🚗 2 h + 🥾 6 h |
| 13 | Sun 8 Nov | Stage 2 → Lijiang | 🥾📍 From Halfway across the open flank to Tina's, then the steep descent to Tiger Leaping Stone on the Yangtze – ladders, chains, roaring rapids – and back up. Afternoon 🚗 back to Lijiang. | Lijiang | 🥾 5 h + 🚗 2 h |
| 14 | Mon 9 Nov | 🚄 → Kunming | 🚄 Lijiang → Kunming, about 3.5 h. Afternoon Green Lake Park and the quarter around the flower and bird market. Hotel near the south station. | Kunming | 🚄 approx. 3.5 h |
| 15 | Tue 10 Nov | 🚄 → Shenzhen | 🚄 The long rail day: Kunming South → Shenzhen North, direct train about 7.5 h, leaving mid-morning, arriving mid-afternoon. Dining car, window seat, Guangxi karst rolling past. | Shenzhen | 🚄 approx. 7.5 h |
| 16 | Wed 11 Nov | Shenzhen | 🧭 The design and coffee district around OCT-LOFT, Talent Park on the water, or Shekou. Evening 🎶 OIL in Chegongmiao if the programme fits. | Shenzhen | Metro, on foot |
| 17 | Thu 12 Nov | 🛂 → Hong Kong | 🛂 Across the border to Hong Kong. Afternoon Star Ferry and Sham Shui Po, evening 🎶 Sheung Wan. | Hong Kong | 🛂 border + MTR |
| 18 | Fri 13 Nov | Hong Kong | 🥾📍 Dragon's Back with a swim at Big Wave Bay – or the steep Sharp Peak in Sai Kung. Evening 🎶 Kwun Tong. | Hong Kong | MTR, bus |
| 19 | Sat 14 Nov | 🎶 Hong Kong / Yuen Long | 🎶🎶 Shi Fu Miz Festival at Tai Tong Organic EcoPark, Yuen Long, 12:00 to 04:00, four stages – date and line-up confirmed, see Route 4. | Hong Kong | MTR + bus |
| 20 | Sun 15 Nov | Hong Kong | Dim sum in Sham Shui Po, Star Ferry, then the Airport Express. Flight home from Hong Kong. | — | Airport Express |
Table scrolls sideways · 20 days, 27 Oct – 15 Nov 2026, no gaps.
📉 Altitude profile – it stays at 2,400 m up top
Chongqing 250 m → Getu He below 1,500 m → Dali 1,970 m (3 nights) → Lijiang 2,400 m → High Trail up to 2,670 m → Lijiang → Kunming 1,890 m → coast. Dali and the Cangshan path at 2,600 m are the preparation; the High Trail comes after four nights in Yunnan – without a single night above 2,400 m.
Geography
Map
From Chongqing south into the Guizhou karst, then along the axis to Kunming west to Dali and Lijiang, back to Kunming and by direct train east to the coast.
In China: the Amap link works behind the firewall. Google Maps is blocked on the mainland and OpenStreetMap is unreliable – background, app tips and offline maps.
🚗 The road legs individually in Amap
- Anshun → Getu He · approx. 2 h (same way back)
- Lijiang → Tiger Leaping Gorge (Qiaotou) · approx. 2 h
- Tiger Leaping Gorge → Lijiang · approx. 2 h
Everything else is rail – use Trip.com or the 12306 app.
The core programme
🥾🧗 Hiking, caves and viewpoints
Two karst days, two high paths, one serious trek. Plus Hong Kong's coast.
Getu He: arch, cave river, Swallow Cave
Difficulty: moderate, many steps. The Great Arch of Getu is a rock portal over 100 m high with the river running through it. Walkways and a glass lift lead up to galleries and cave entrances; the cave river is travelled by boat.
🧗 Climbing: only with a local guide, permit and liability waiver on site. A ban was reported for the arch itself in 2019 – check beforehand which sectors are open.
Zhongdong, the cave village
Difficulty: moderate. A climb on footpaths to a huge karst cave in which a Miao community has built its houses – without roofs, because the cave is the roof.
🧭 Not a museum village but inhabited. Take photos respectfully, buy a tea rather than handing out money.
Tiger Leaping Gorge, High Trail
Difficulty: moderate to hard – the route's real test. Stage 1 starts with the 28 bends: about 900 m of ascent in one push to 2,670 m. Hard on the legs, no exposure.
Stage 2: high path to Tina's, then down via ladders and chains to Tiger Leaping Stone on the Yangtze. 📍 The view from the open flank onto the north face of Jade Dragon is the strongest image of the trip.
Cangshan, Jade Belt Road
Difficulty: easy. Cable car up to about 2,600 m, then roughly 11 km almost level along the eastern flank. Rock wall on the left, Erhai Lake 600 metres below on the right.
At the same time the altitude adjustment for the High Trail three days later.
Wulong: Three Natural Bridges and Longshuixia
Difficulty: easy to moderate, many steps. The highest of the three arches spans almost 300 m above the gorge; a glass lift takes you to the floor. Then about 2 km of walkways through the Longshuixia fissure, waterfalls, spray.
A foretaste of Getu He – here you look, there you climb.
Hong Kong to finish
Dragon's Back, an 8.5 km ridge walk looking over Shek O, then into the water at Big Wave Bay. Or Sharp Peak, 468 m, extremely steep on scree.
Both on day 18, i.e. before the festival – not after.
.jpg?width=800)
Substance over sights
🧭 Off the beaten path
The "spider-men" of Getu
In the Swallow Cave, Miao men climb the wall without a rope – once as work on the rock, today as a demonstrated tradition. Framed for tourists, but real: only a few people can still do it.
Two nights in Getu He
Most people come as a day trip from Guiyang. Sleeping in the valley gives you the walls in the evening and the village kitchen without groups – and puts you at the river before the first bus.
Shaxi on the Tea Horse Road
2.5 hours north of Dali lies Shaxi, the best-preserved market town of the old Tea Horse Road: square, theatre, temple, fields all around. The same substance as Lijiang, a tenth of the visitors.
Xizhou on the Erhai
Instead of Dali's main lane: the Bai village of Xizhou with a market, courtyard houses and batik workshops, reachable by bike along the eco corridor. In the morning, baba – the local flatbread – fresh off the griddle.
Chongqing's staircase neighbourhoods
Away from Hongyadong: stair alleys with noodle kitchens, mahjong on the landings and the bangbang porters with bamboo poles. Just walk downhill between Eling and the river.
Yuen Long instead of Central
Because the festival is in Yuen Long, we sleep in Hong Kong's north-west. Night markets, prices nobody on the island would believe – and twenty minutes to bed after the festival.
Evenings
🎶 Nightlife on this route
Loud at the start, village and old town in the middle, loud at the end.
🎶 Shi Fu Miz Festival · Saturday 14 Nov 2026 · day 19
Four stages at Tai Tong Organic EcoPark in Yuen Long, 12:00 to 04:00: house and disco on the lawn, techno on the Valley Stage until four, UK bass by the pond, ambient to close. Date, venue and line-up confirmed, tickets on sale. Stages, line-up and ticket link in Route 4.
Source: Mixmag Asia, 15 June 2026, and shifumiz.com. Checked 4 Oct 2026.Chongqing 🎶 days 1–5
Big clubs around Jiefangbei and Guanyinqiao, lots of EDM; smaller techno rooms around Jiaochangkou. On Halloween Saturday the city is in a state of emergency – the biggest night out of the Chinese autumn.
Getu He, Dali & Lijiang 🎶 days 6–13
Nothing in Getu He except rice wine. In Dali small courtyards with live music and craft beer – the place where Chinese drop-outs end up staying. In Lijiang the loud bar street on the canal, only briefly on the Friday before the trek.
Shenzhen 🎶 days 15–16
OIL in Chegongmiao, one of the few clubs in Asia with real reference status. Wednesday is not a classic club night – check the programme beforehand.
Hong Kong 🎶 days 17–19
宀 Club, Studio Duplex and the warehouse series in Kwun Tong, whose address arrives the day before. Friday Kwun Tong, Saturday the festival.
🔎 Last-minute check – two weeks before departure
- Resident Advisor – event calendar, filter by Chongqing, Shenzhen and Hong Kong
- Mixmag Asia for announcements in Greater China
- For Halloween: the Instagram and WeChat accounts of Chongqing's clubs
Logistics
🚄 Transport analysis
No domestic flight, no multi-day driver. The route hangs on the Chongqing–Guiyang–Kunming rail axis and the Kunming–Shenzhen line.
✈️ Only two flights on the whole trip
Out to Chongqing, home from Hong Kong. Inside China everything runs on rails, plus three short car transfers: to Getu He and back, to the gorge and back.
⚠️ Two long rail days
Day 8, Getu He → Dali: 2 h by car to Anshun West, then about 4–5 h by train with a change at Kunming South if no through train fits. Day 15, Kunming → Shenzhen: about 7.5 h on a direct train. Both are pure travel days – take morning trains so the evening is yours.
| Section | Mode | Duration | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chongqing ↔ Wulong South | 🚄 HSR | approx. 40–60 min | From Chongqing East or North. Do not pick the old "Wulong" station. |
| Chongqing → Dazu | 🚄 + bus | approx. 1.5 h | To Dazu station, then bus to Baoding Hill. |
| Chongqing West → Anshun West | 🚄 HSR | approx. 2.5–3 h | Via Guiyang North, direct or with a change. |
| Anshun West ↔ Getu He | 🚗 transfer | approx. 2 h | Pre-book a driver. Cheaper: bus to Ziyun, then shuttle into the valley. |
| Anshun West → Kunming South | 🚄 HSR | approx. 1.5–2 h | Shanghai–Kunming line, frequent service. |
| Kunming South → Dali | 🚄 HSR | approx. 2 h | Several an hour. |
| Dali → Lijiang | 🚄 train | approx. 1–1.5 h | Frequent service. |
| Lijiang ↔ Qiaotou / Tina's | 🚗 transfer | approx. 2 h each | Minibus or driver, via the guesthouse. |
| Lijiang → Kunming | 🚄 D train | approx. 3.5 h | Several a day. |
| Kunming South → Shenzhen North | 🚄 HSR | approx. 7.3–7.5 h | Direct, several trains a day, e.g. G410 in the morning. |
| Shenzhen → Hong Kong | 🛂 border + MTR | approx. 1–1.5 h | Via Futian/Lok Ma Chau or West Kowloon. |
Times from Anshun West are estimated from the sections – check in 12306 before booking. The new direct Chongqing–Kunming line is still under construction and does not matter for this route, which goes via Guizhou anyway.
Mandatory check
🛂 Border and permit check
🛂 Entry into China
No visa needed. Germans enter visa-free for up to 30 days per entry; the unilateral exemption applies until 24:00 on 31 Dec 2026. This route spends 17 days on the mainland. Carry: a valid passport, hotel bookings and the onward flight ticket from Hong Kong.
Sources: Consulate General of the PRC in Hamburg (4 Nov 2025); FAQs on Visa-free Entry into China, as of 21 May 2026. Re-check before departure.🎟️ Getu He: online booking with real names
No permit, but a booking with names and a time slot via the WeChat mini program "预约黔行"; open 07:30–18:00, last entry 16:30. Climbing also needs a climbing permit and liability waiver. Best via the guesthouse or guide.
🛂 Mainland → Hong Kong on day 17
Hong Kong is a separate immigration area: Germans enter visa-free for up to 90 days. Exit from the mainland plus a separate entry into Hong Kong – two checks, both usually quick.
Execution
Practicalities, kit and cost
✈️ The flight is now the most urgent item
As of 8 Oct 2026 no flight is booked yet, departure is in 19 days. Chongqing has direct flights from Europe; according to flight trackers these include:
- Brussels → Chongqing, Hainan HU470, Mon/Thu/Sat, departs 12:10, arrives 04:30 the next day. Mon 26 Oct from Brussels = Tue 27 Oct in Chongqing – exactly day 1.
- Paris → Chongqing, Hainan HU718, Tue/Sat – leaving Tue 27 Oct means one day later.
- Air China from Budapest; from Frankfurt, Munich or Zurich only with a connection.
Home: direct flights from Hong Kong to Frankfurt and Zurich. Confirm days and times with the airline.
💶 Cost estimate per person
- Accommodation, 19 nights
- approx. €680 (Hong Kong 3 nights approx. €330)
- Rail total
- approx. €200
- Transfers Getu He, gorge, Dazu
- approx. €150
- Entries, cable car, glass lifts
- approx. €130
- Optional climbing guide Getu He
- approx. €60
- Food and drink
- approx. €400
- Nightlife, Halloween, festival ticket
- approx. €220
- Buffer
- approx. €180
- Total
- €2,000–2,400
📅 Booking order for Route 12
- Open-jaw flight: in via Chongqing, onward from Hong Kong
- Shi Fu Miz ticket for 14 Nov
- Guesthouse in Getu He for nights 6–7, with pick-up in Anshun and the scenic-area booking; Halfway Guesthouse for night 12
- From 12 Oct inside the 15-day window the trains, first Wulong (29 Oct) and Chongqing → Anshun (1 Nov)
- Kunming → Shenzhen from 26 Oct for 10 Nov – still from home
🎒 Kit
- Trail shoes with good grip – wet limestone in Getu He, scree on the High Trail
- Rain jacket for Wulong and the caves
- Head torch for Zhongdong and the Swallow Cave
- A warm layer: Lijiang around 5 °C at night
- Climbing shoes only if you want to climb in Getu He
🌡️ Weather during the trip
- Chongqing / Wulong
- 14–21 °C, often overcast and hazy
- Getu He
- 10–18 °C, cool nights, fog possible
- Dali
- 8–20 °C, dry, clear views
- Lijiang / gorge
- 12–20 °C by day, around 5 °C at night
- Shenzhen / Hong Kong
- 20–26 °C, best time of year
Further reading
Sources
- Xinhua/China Services – HSR Chongqing–Qianjiang opens, stop at Wulong South (June 2025)
- Wander in China – Wulong karst: access, natural bridges, Longshuixia
- China Highlights – Chongqing ↔ Guiyang, about 2 h
- China Highlights – Guiyang ↔ Kunming, about 2 h
- Kupi – getting to Anshun West, about 30 min from Guiyang
- theCrag – Getu climbing area: sectors, access, permit
- Imperial College – Getu expedition 2019, climbing ban in the Great Arch
- Wander in China – Kunming → Dali, about 1 h 48
- Wander in China – Kunming ↔ Lijiang, about 3.5 h
- China Highlights – Kunming ↔ Shenzhen, direct trains about 7.3 h
- China Odyssey – Tiger Leaping Gorge High Trail, Halfway Guesthouse
- Planemapper – flight HU470 Brussels → Chongqing
- Consulate General of the PRC in Hamburg – visa exemption for Germany until 31 Dec 2026
- Shi Fu Miz Festival – official site, 14 Nov 2026
- Resident Advisor – event calendar for the last-minute check
- German Federal Foreign Office – travel and safety advice for China