2023 Beijing Self-Driving Tour of Yunnan, Guizhou and Guangxi: Flower Viewing Tour 01: Full Review

Number of days：23 days
Time: February
Average cost: 9,000 yuan
With whom: husband and wife
Updated: 2023.05.02

2023 Beijing Self-Driving Tour of Yunnan, Guizhou and Guangxi: Flower Viewing Trip 01: Full Review

During the three years of the epidemic, although I still insisted on self-driving tours, there were many regrets, especially in 2021 and 2022. Due to travel time constraints, I missed the rapeseed flowers in Luoping in 2021, and in 2022, Feilai Temple, the surrounding areas of Kunming, Dali, Guilin, etc. were all closed due to the epidemic. Therefore, the first travel goal after the epidemic in 2023 is to make up for the missed opportunities!

In addition to making up for the missed opportunities, the other core of my first self-driving trip in 2023 was to enjoy the flowers! The rapeseed flowers in Luoping, in particular, became the key to this self-driving tour. Another goal: the cherry blossoms in Pingba, Guiyang. If time permits, I'll visit Baili Rhododendron in Bijie. I'm also considering the rapeseed blossoms in Tongnan, Chongqing, Wuyuan, Wuhan University, and Qianduo, Xinghua. The key is the flowering period!

We chose to take the G4 Beijing-Hong Kong-Macao Expressway south to Guilin, Guangxi, with our departure date and control point both based on arriving in Luoping on March 5th.

This trip, I encountered something I'd never encountered before: heavy haze the entire way. Previously, it was only localized, but this time, from the moment I left Beijing all the way to Guangxi, the haze persisted and was quite heavy.

To summarize the road conditions of G4 we passed:

North of Xinyang, G4 has a speed limit of 120 km/h and four lanes in one direction;

South of Xinyang, G4 has a speed limit of 100 km/h and four lanes in one direction, with two lanes for passengers and freight respectively;

Entering Hubei, G4 has a speed limit of 100 km/h and two lanes in one direction; the road is being widened to the south (in the early stages).

Then, from Guilin, Guangxi, it goes west to Luoping, Guangxi, Kunming, Yunnan, and Dali.

Then we'll head east, arriving in Guizhou around March 15th, in time for the Pingba cherry blossoms.

After viewing the cherry blossoms, I hope to visit Bijie to see the azaleas (currently known to bloom in mid-to-late March).

There are two return options: one is Chongqing-Xi'an-Yan'an-Beijing. This route has fewer influencing factors, except that I've been there too many times.

The other is Chongqing-Wuhan (Wuhan University cherry blossoms)-Jiangxi Wuyuan (rapeseed flowers)-Jiangsu Xinghua (rapeseed flowers)-Beijing. This route is mainly affected by the flowering period and reservation situation and is difficult to determine.

The plan was basically finalized, and the departure date was also set.

We set out on February 28, 2023, and after three days of trekking, covering over 2,000 kilometers, we arrived in Guilin, Guangxi on March 2. We made two stops along the way: the first in Xinyang, Henan (about a 10-hour journey, 9 hours of driving), and the second in Yueyang, Hunan (about a 6-hour journey, 4 hours of driving), primarily to visit the Yueyang Tower. We arrived in Guilin, Guangxi on the third day (about a 9-hour journey, 7 hours of driving).

Passed through Henan and Hunan.

Arrived in Guilin on March 2. We also visited Xingping Ancient Town and Yangshuo West Street.

A reminder: This is the season for tangerines and kumquats, and this is where they’re grown! On the way from Guilin to Yangshuo, the hills on both sides were lined with tangerines (I don’t think they’re called that locally) and kumquat trees, and you could often see trucks loading goods along the roadside. We even bought some along the way; they were cheap and delicious! We thought we could still go here after leaving Yangshuo, but we were wrong! We regretted not buying enough!

Depart from Guilin on March 4, stop in Baise, and arrive at the core target Luoping on March 5.

Finally arrived in Luoping where the rape flowers are in full bloom!

First, let’s take a look at a photo from 2021.

This is what it should look like!

From March 6th to 10th, we traveled around Kunming, including the Yuanyang Rice Terraces, Jianshui Ancient Town, Fuxian Lake, and Kunming.

Below is Jianshui Ancient City

Below is Fuxian Lake

Guandu Ancient Town in Kunming

Kunming Old Street

Haigeng Dam

From March 11th to 15th, visit Dali.

Erhai Lake

Dali Ancient Town

Jianchuan Ancient Town

Ideal Country

Three Pagodas of Chongsheng Temple

Shaxi Ancient Town

Shuanglang Ancient Town

Internet celebrity S Road

Xizhou Ancient Town

Little Putuo

I came to Guiyang from March 16th to 17th to see the cherry blossoms in Pingba. I wanted to go to Bijie again to see the azaleas, but after consulting the scenic spot, I learned that the flowering period will not start until April.

We couldn't wait any longer and gave up.

Finally, most of the vacancies in the southwest region have been filled!

On March 18, we set off on our return journey, with Chongqing as our first stop.

When I was in Chongqing, I was struggling with which route to take home. I often take Xi'an and might go there again soon; while in Wuhan, I had been trying to get tickets online for the Wuhan University cherry blossoms, but I just couldn't get any.

In the end, I didn't choose either of the two options I had planned, and instead chose to return to Beijing via Ankang, Shaanxi, and Zhengzhou, Henan.

We made a small mistake when we chose to come to Zhengzhou! We forgot that Zhengzhou still has traffic restrictions!

We only realized this when AutoNavi pointed out the traffic restrictions while navigating on the morning of the 21st. This was a problem, because my car in Beijing was restricted on the 22nd, and we had planned to miss that day. I wanted to circumvent the restrictions in Zhengzhou, but when I asked the Zhengzhou Traffic Police, they said: All cars are treated the same, and there's no limit on the number of times you can take photos (there's no such thing as a limit every few hours), and you'll also get points deducted from the fine! I couldn't afford to do that, so I had to stay in Zhengzhou for another day!

I made it home after navigating Beijing's traffic restrictions on the 22nd!

To summarize: Yunnan and Guangxi both have great attractions. Guizhou's Cherry Blossom Festival was quite poor. First, the cherry blossoms were of a limited variety, all early bloomers. Second, the organization was terrible. The entrances and exits to the scenic area, as well as the U-turn lanes, were completely closed, leaving self-driving tourists completely bewildered. Third, the scenic area was overcrowded with stalls and a chaotic atmosphere. The only advantage was its sheer size!

The following is the expenditure:

Total number of days: 23 days, total mileage: 7821km, total consumption: 18263 yuan (accommodation fee: 4793 yuan, gasoline fee: 5952 yuan, highway fee: 3830 yuan, scenic area fee: 643 yuan, dining and shopping: 3044 yuan)