Travel around China with Beijing Hikers

Level 3+ — Take a quick visit to Huangshan—hikes on two days with an overnight on the mountain, plus visits to nearby ancient villages.
See info and itinerary for Huangshan ‘Yellow Mountain’ and Hongcun, Anhui Province (3 days)

Level 2+ — Head deep into the mountains of Fujian to see the tulou buildings of the Hakka, visiting those both well-known and obscure, and staying overnight in a tulou building in one of the smaller, less-visited clusters. Trip includes sights around Xiamen, including Gulangyu Island.
See info and itinerary for Hakka Tulou Clusters and Xiamen, Fujian Province

Level 2 — See the highlights in and around Dunhuang—the Mogao Grottoes, Crescent Lake, Yulin Grottoes, Suoyang Ruined City—plus a hike at No. 29 Glacier, and more!
See info and itinerary for Dunhuang, Mogao Grottoes, and No. 29 Glacier (5 days)

Level 2+ — Visit Xiahe during the annual festival to witness a giant Buddha tapestry being unveiled on the hillside above Labrang Monastery and to join the crowds watching the lively performances in the town square. Trip includes hikes and walks in nearby grassland and mountain areas.
See info and itinerary for Labrang Monastery’s ‘Unveiling the Buddha’ Ceremony, Xiahe, Gansu Province (4 days)

Level 3 — Head out to Gansu Province for a four-day trip that features hikes and walks around the Lanzhou Danxia Landform, the Yellow River Stone Forest, and Bingling Temple.
See info and itinerary for Lanzhou Danxia Landform, Yellow River Stone Forest, and Bingling Temple, Gansu Province (4 days)

Level 2+ — See the sights along a key stretch of the northern Silk Road—Turpan's Jiaohe Ancient City Ruins and Ayding Lake, Dunhuang's Mogao Grottoes and Crescent Lake, Yumenguan Pass and the fortress at Jiayuguan, plus hikes and walks in scenery that goes from grassland to desert.
See info and itinerary for Silk Road: Urumqi to Jiayuguan (7 days)

Level 3 — See Labrang Monastery, Tibetan Buddhist temples, and super high-mountain scenery on this trip to the largely Tibetan remote area of Gansu Province. A similar feel to Tibet, without the hassle of getting the official permit.
See info and itinerary for Xiahe, Labrang Monastery, Zhagana Tibetan area, Gansu Province (5 days)

Level 3 — Hike at high altitude at the Yugu Snow Mountain, visit the Zhangye Danxia Landform scenic area, check out some of the Great Wall around Jiayuguan.
See info and itinerary for Yugu Snow Mountain, Zhangye, and Jiayuguan (5 days)

Level 3 — See the fantastically-coloured mountains and cliffs in an all-but unexplored area of Gansu; visit Horse Hoofprint Temple, Jiayuguan Fortress, and more.
See info and itinerary for Zhangye Danxia Landform, Gansu Province (5 days)

Level 3 — Hike between villages and enclaves in the mountains of Guizhou Province to get a up-close look at the well-preserved rituals, traditions, terraced hillside rice paddies, and architecture of the Miao and Dong (and more) ethnic groups.
See info and itinerary for Guizhou: Miao and Dong culture in the mountains (5 days)

Level 3 — Clean and cool grasslands near the border of Hebei and Inner Mongolia: hikes, BBQ lamb, and more.
See info and itinerary for Bashang Grasslands, Hebei Province

Level 2 — Travel by foot, camel, and jeep through the Alashan Desert to reach a beautiful Buddhist temple deep in the dunes. Includes a night camping in the desert, plus a visit to the Western Xia Imperial Tombs.
See info and itinerary for Alashan Desert Lakes and Temple, Inner Mongolia

Level 2+ — Fresh air and the endless green grasslands of the best preserved prairie in China, with hiking and visits to border towns that contain a curious mix of Chinese and Russian culture.
See info and itinerary for Hulunbuir Grasslands, Inner Mongolia

Level 2+ — Travel by foot and jeep through the desert, visit desert lakes, ride camels, camp in the desert, and more.
See info and itinerary for Tengger Desert Lakes, Inner Mongolia (4 days)

Level 3 — Visit rural Wuyuan to hike trails through fields of flowers and explore ancient villages and ancestral halls; stop by Jingdezhen to experience a porcelain workshop and visit the Jingdezhen China Ceramics Museum.
See info and itinerary for Wuyuan and Jingdezhen, Jiangxi Province (4 days)

Level 2 — Hike by both archeological and geological history with a trip that touches Ningxia, Shaanxi, and a little bit of Inner Mongolia. Highlights include a visit to the ‘Wave Canyon’ landform, an 8km hike that follows Ming-era Great Wall between forts on the plains by Yanchi, a hike in the Sarawusu Gorge, plus visits to Tongwan Ancient City, the One Hundred and Eight Pagodas, and more.
See info and itinerary for Ningxia & Shaanxi: Wave Canyon, Tongwan Ancient City, Yanchi Great Wall, and Sarawusu Gorge (5 days)

Level 4 — Two high-altitude hikes at the grasslands and glacier of the Amne Machin Snow Mountain, and visits to Tibetan temples and markets, including Xining’s Kumbum Monastery.
See info and itinerary for Amne Machin Snow Mountain and Kumbum Monastery, Qinghai Province (5 days)

Level 3 — Take a hike near the shores of Qinghai Lake; join the pilgrims visiting Kumbum Monastery; hike up to a high altitude glacier on Gangshika Mountain.
See info and itinerary for Qinghai Lake, Kumbum Monastery, and the Gangshika Snow Mountain (4 days)

Level 2+ — Visit Tongren to mingle with performers and pilgrims during the festival, seeing ceremonial rituals and dances, crowds of pilgrims and onlookers, and (maybe) skin-piercing with skewers and hooks. We’ll escape the crowds to refresh with hikes in the nearby grasslands before getting back in the middle of things as the festival finishes.
See info and itinerary for Tongren’s Festival of the Sixth Month, Qinghai Province (5 days)

Level 2 — Hike by both archeological and geological history with a trip that touches Ningxia, Shaanxi, and a little bit of Inner Mongolia. Highlights include a visit to the ‘Wave Canyon’ landform, an 8km hike that follows Ming-era Great Wall between forts on the plains by Yanchi, a hike in the Sarawusu Gorge, plus visits to Tongwan Ancient City, the One Hundred and Eight Pagodas, and more.
See info and itinerary for Ningxia & Shaanxi: Wave Canyon, Tongwan Ancient City, Yanchi Great Wall, and Sarawusu Gorge (5 days)

Level 2 — Guided tours of the alleys, thoroughfares, and the key historical sites; an easy hike around temples outside the city walls.
See info and itinerary for Ancient Walled City of Pingyao, Shanxi Province

Level 3 — Visit the deservedly famous Jiuzhaigou National Park and then head on to nearby Huanglong, an equally scenic but less well-known area of still ponds and coloured rocks.
See info and itinerary for Jiuzhaigou and Huanglong National Parks, Sichuan Province (5 days)

Level 3+ — Hike the valleys and foothills below Gongga Mountain and the Four Sisters Peaks, with village visits and views of snowy peaks, glaciers, high-altitude lakes, forests, and rivers.
See info and itinerary for Sichuan: Below the ‘Four Sisters’ peaks (6 days)

Level 3 — Have an adventure in the Dali area, with walking tours of ancient walled towns and villages, bicycle and boat rides at Erhai Lake, and a big hike that follows paved paths and tracks through the Cang Mountains.
See info and itinerary for Dali’s Ancient Towns, Cang Mountain, and Erhai Lake, Yunnan (5 days)

Level 2+ — See the highlights of Lijiang and Shangri-La: cobbled streets and watercourses of ancient towns, Naxi and Tibetan culture, plus views of snow-capped mountains. Cultural focus, nothing too strenuous.
See info and itinerary for Lijiang and Shangri-La, Yunnan Province

Level 3 — Camp out overnight in the beautiful high-altitude scenery of the Bayinbuluke Grasslands in northwestern Xinjiang; see Silk Road sights, big mountains, and desert while on the road to and from the grasslands.
See info and itinerary for Bayinbuluke Grasslands, Xinjiang Province (6 days)

Level 4 — Explore Kashgar city, visit Lake Karakul and do a three-day trek in the foothills of Mt. Muztagh-Ata.
See info and itinerary for Kashgar and Lake Karakul, Xinjiang

Level 2 — Spend seven days on the Silk Road, heading west to Kashgar and travelling through the vast empty areas of Xinjiang Province.
See info and itinerary for Silk Road: Korla to Kashgar (7 days)

Level 2+ — See the sights along a key stretch of the northern Silk Road—Turpan's Jiaohe Ancient City Ruins and Ayding Lake, Dunhuang's Mogao Grottoes and Crescent Lake, Yumenguan Pass and the fortress at Jiayuguan, plus hikes and walks in scenery that goes from grassland to desert.
See info and itinerary for Silk Road: Urumqi to Jiayuguan (7 days)