Where to go in Guizhou

All 67 Guizhou destinations, by region

Guizhou rewards a loop, not a single stop. Most overseas visitors fly into Guiyang, then train or drive to waterfalls, Miao villages, sacred peaks and terraced fields. Below are the places we plan most — with the honest best season for each.

Huangguoshu Falls

The 77.8 m Huangguoshu Waterfall is the largest in Asia and the centerpiece of a cluster of 18 waterfalls recognised by Guinness as the world's largest waterfall group. Visit June–August for full flow; the Water-Curtain Cave behind the falls is open when water levels allow. Reachable by high-speed train to Anshun then a short bus.

Libo Xiaoqikong

Libo Xiaoqikong, inside the UNESCO Wuling Mountains karst World Heritage area, is called the "emerald on the belt of the earth" for its jade-green rivers, an ancient seven-arch bridge from the Qing dynasty, and forest waterfalls. Best May–October. Pair it with Huangguoshu on a Guiyang–Libo–Anshun loop by train and bus.

Xijiang Miao Village

Xijiang Thousand Household Miao Village is the largest Miao settlement on earth — over 1,000 stilted wooden houses cascading down a valley, lit up at night like a scene from a Studio Ghibli film. Experience the lusheng dance, long-table banquets and Miao embroidery. Reachable by high-speed train to Kaili then a shuttle. Best April–October; avoid the wettest weeks.

Fanjingshan (Mount Fanjing)

Fanjingshan became a UNESCO World Heritage site in 2018 and is the only home of the endangered Guizhou snub-nosed monkey. Its red-gold "Mushroom Rock" above a sea of clouds is one of China's most photogenic peaks. High-speed train to Tongren, then shuttle. Best April–November; sunrise cloud seas are most likely on clear autumn mornings.

Wanfenglin

Wanfenglin ("Forest of Ten Thousand Peaks") near Xingyi is a sea of cone-shaped karst peaks rising from green rice paddies, nicknamed a "geology museum." Cycle the field paths, visit the Buyi villages, and see the famous "Bagua" funnel fields. Best March–May (rape flowers) and July–September (green rice). Fly or train to Xingyi.

Village Super (Cunchao)

Village Super began in Rongjiang county in 2023 and exploded into a national phenomenon — amateur football played by villagers from Miao, Dong and other ethnic communities, packed stands, and live folk performances between matches. It put Guizhou's grassroots culture on the global map. Matches run mainly on weekends, roughly May–August; we time your route to a match day.

FAST (China's Sky Eye)

FAST in Pingtang is the world's largest single-dish radio telescope at 500 m aperture, set inside a karst crater. The visitor center explains how it listens for pulsars and signals from deep space; the dish itself is viewed from an elevated platform (no phones in the silent zone). Best March–November. A fascinating half-day for science-curious travelers.

Jiabang Terraces

The Jiabang terraced fields in Congjiang are vast sculpted rice terraces climbing the mountains, filled with reflecting water in spring and gold at harvest. Home to the Miao and Dong communities, it is a quieter, more rugged counterpart to the better-known terraces elsewhere in China. Best April–May (water-filled) and September–October (golden harvest). Combine with Xijiang on a eastern-Guizhou loop.