Tour Overview
| Duration | 5 Days / 4 Nights |
|---|---|
| Destination | Fujian Province — Xiamen, Nanjing Tulou & Wuyishan (China) |
| Price From | $849 per person (twin share) |
| Tour Style | UNESCO Heritage & Tea Culture |
| Data Source | China Odyssey Tours / China Discovery 2026 |
Itinerary Highlights
Day 1: Arrive Xiamen — Garden of the Sea
Arrive in Xiamen, one of China’s most livable cities. Transfer to your hotel near Zhongshan Road. Evening: ferry to Gulangyu Island (5 minutes), a car-free UNESCO World Heritage island of colonial mansions, piano museums, and narrow lanes. Wander past the 19th-century consulates — Britain, France, Japan, and the Netherlands all had a presence here after the Treaty of Nanjing opened Xiamen as a treaty port. Sunset at Sunlight Rock for views over the red-tiled roofs and the sea beyond. Overnight in Xiamen.
Day 2: Nanjing Tulou — The Earthen Fortresses
Full-day trip to the Fujian Tulou, the extraordinary earthen buildings of the Hakka people. Drive 3 hours to Nanjing County. The Tianluokeng Tulou Cluster is the iconic image — five tulou arranged as a “four dishes and one soup” (a square building surrounded by four circular ones), set amid terraced tea plantations. These massive rammed-earth fortresses, some housing up to 800 people, were built between the 15th and 20th centuries as communal family fortifications. Visit Yuchang Lou (1308), the “Leaning Tulou” — its wooden pillars tilt at 15-degree angles yet have stood for 700 years. Lunch with a Hakka family inside a tulou. Continue to the Taxia Water Village, a 600-year-old settlement along a mountain stream. Overnight in a tulou guesthouse (modernized interior).
Day 3: Wuyishan — The Nine-Bend River
Morning bullet train to Wuyishan (3 hours). Afternoon: bamboo raft down the Nine-Bend River (Jiuqu Xi) through the Wuyi Mountains, a UNESCO cultural and natural World Heritage site. The shallow, crystal-clear river winds between dramatic red sandstone cliffs and misty peaks. Each bend reveals new panoramas — 3,000-year-old boat coffins wedged into cliff crevices by the ancient Yue people, Taoist and Neo-Confucian temples carved into the rock, and the silhouette of Jade Maiden Peak. This landscape inspired the Song Dynasty philosopher Zhu Xi to establish his academy here, making Wuyishan the birthplace of Neo-Confucianism. Overnight in Wuyishan.
Day 4: Wuyishan Tea Heritage
Morning hike through the Wuyishan Scenic Area: the Thread of Sky (Yixiantian), a narrow fissure where sandstone walls tower on both sides; and the Water Curtain Cave, a massive rock overhang with a waterfall. Visit a tea plantation to learn about Da Hong Pao (Big Red Robe), one of the world’s most expensive teas — the four original mother bushes, over 350 years old, are still producing leaves on a cliff face in the scenic area. Participate in a traditional tea ceremony: the Gongfu Cha ritual, where tiny Yixing clay teapots and repeated short infusions reveal the tea’s evolving character. Overnight in Wuyishan.
Day 5: Xiamen Morning & Depart
Morning bullet train back to Xiamen. Visit Nanputuo Temple (Tang Dynasty, 618-907) at the foot of Wulao Mountain. Optional: walk the island ring road boardwalk for ocean views. Afternoon transfer to airport.
Inclusions
- 4 nights (2 nts Xiamen + 1 nt Tulou guesthouse + 1 nt Wuyishan)
- Daily breakfast + Hakka lunch at tulou
- Tianluokeng Tulou cluster + Yuchang Lou entries
- Wuyishan scenic area entry
- Nine-Bend River bamboo raft ride
- Tea plantation tour + Gongfu Cha ceremony
- Round-trip bullet train Xiamen ↔ Wuyishan
- Private vehicle + guide throughout
