Tour Overview
| Duration | 5 Days / 4 Nights |
|---|---|
| Destination | Luoyang / Shaolin / Guoliangcun / Zhengzhou — Off-the-Beaten-Path Henan |
| Price From | $1,099 per person (twin share) |
| Tour Style | Hidden Cultural & Scenic Discovery |
| Data Source | ChinaDiscovery.com 2026 |
Itinerary Highlights
Day 1: Arrive Luoyang — Water Banquet & Longmen Grottoes
Transfer from Luoyang Airport. Hotel check-in, then a walk through Lijingmen Gate (300 AD original Ming-Qing gate towers). Sample Henan snacks at the Old Town: hu la tang, da wanzi (large meatballs), ma shen (fried pepper on tofu), and the classical “Luoyang Water Banquet” (shui xian) — a multi-course feast using soup as the base for each dish, originated in imperial kitchens. Evening entertainment watching the iconic “Longmen” night show, with lights illuminating the grottoes along the Yi River. Overnight in Luoyang.
Day 2: Shaolin Kung Fu & Mount Song
Drive 80km to Dengfeng. Visit the Shaolin Temple and witness monks performing kung fu at the Pagoda Forest. Watch the kung fu live performance — astonishing displays of speed, balance, and split-second precision. Hike the scenic Mount Song pilgrimage trail, passing the Central Mountain Temple with its ancient stone inscriptions and atmospheric pine forests. Visit the historic Songyang Academy (484 AD), one of China’s great Neo-Confucian schools with its 3,000+ years of continuous academic record. Overnight in Dengfeng.
Day 3: Into the Taihang Mountains — Guoliangcun Cliff Village
Drive 200km to Guoliangcun, the legendary “cliff village” hanging off the Taihang Mountains. The village was cut off from the world until 1972, when 13 villagers led by Shen Mingxin hand-tunneled a 1,250-meter cliff road using hammers and chisels — without state funding. The road features 35 windows cut into sheer rock (the “Guiltless Windows”) for removing debris during construction. Walk the Guoliang Tunnel (15m high, 4m wide, with 30+ ancient stone dwellings along its length). Stay overnight in a converted cliffside villager house with the Heavenly Waterfall roaring outside your window. Overnight in Guoliangcun.
Day 4: Xiyao Mountain Adventure & Xixia Cliffs
Morning hike to Cuixi Peak (1,772m) — Tianpumen Mountain — for panoramic views over the Taihang canyon system. Visit the “graveyard” cliffs of Shizixu where Shaanxi-Shanxi-Hebei-Henan meets. Descend to enjoy a hot stone foot bath in the natural hot springs of Xiaoming Temple. Lunch with a local villager family in their original stone dwelling. Return to Zhengzhou via the Yellow River scenic drive. Evening transfer to Luoyang. Overnight in Luoyang.
Day 5: Luoyang Museum & Depart
Visit the Tianzi Jialiu Museum — 21 royal tombs of the Western Han Dynasty (2,000+ year-old burial mounds), then visit the Yanshi Museum (with bronze artifacts from the Han Dynasty). Optional stop at the Luoyang Museum’s stunning collection of Tang Dynasty tri-color glazed pottery — suki-style ceramic art that influenced the Japanese Seto pottery tradition. Afternoon transfer to airport.
Inclusions
- 4 nights (2 Luoyang + 1 Dengfeng + 1 Guoliangcun cliff house) with breakfast
- Longmen Grottoes evening illumination show
- Shaolin kung fu class + Mount Song hike
- Guiliang Tunnel walk + cliff dwellings stay
- Cuixi Peak hike + Tianzi Jialiu Museum
- All private transfers + English guide
