Stay in the Karst Flower Sea and Experience a Romantic Summer at 25℃
🌸 Foreword
In June, if you want to see wildflowers blooming all over the hills, escape the scorching heat, and experience the most authentic ethnic customs, you must come here.
Here you’ll find China’s most beautiful karst peak forest, the earth’s most stunning scar, endless wildflowers, and rich Buyi ethnic culture. The best part is, the average summer temperature is only 25℃, and you’ll even need a blanket at night—truly the ultimate summer getaway for flower viewing and cooling off!
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🌼 Fangmaping: The Flower Sea Grassland on the Plateau
Fangmaping Grassland is truly a hidden gem! When I visited, I was completely amazed.
Covering 216,000 square meters, the grassland flower sea starts blooming in May, with peak bloom from June to August. Over 200 acres of dense vervain flowers sway in the wind, their purple blossoms stretching across the fields, perfectly contrasting with the blue sky and white clouds, reminiscent of the romance of Provence.
Besides vervain, there are also white dayflowers, fire flowers, yellow locust flowers, and many other colorful blooms, like God’s palette spilled across the land.
✨ Must-try experiences:
· Take photos in the flower sea wearing white or light-colored dresses for stunning shots
· Ride horses and stroll the grassland to enjoy the plateau scenery
· Fly kites—the strong grassland winds are perfect for it
· Watch the sunset; the flower sea looks even more beautiful under the evening glow
There are very few people here, so you can have the entire flower sea to yourself and take photos however you like.
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🏔️ Wanfenglin: China’s Most Beautiful Karst Peak Forest
Wanfenglin is truly spectacular! Thousands of peaks rise abruptly, forming a continuous forest of mountains, praised as "Among all the mountains in the world, only here do peaks form a forest."
In summer, the rice fields are lush green, wildflowers bloom, and layers of peak forests surround pastoral villages, resembling a traditional Chinese ink painting.
✨ How to enjoy it right:
· Rent an electric bike (30 RMB/day) and slowly ride along rural roads, weaving through the peak forest and fields
· Take a sightseeing bus to the viewing platform for a panoramic view of Wanfenglin, especially beautiful at sunset
· Hike to Nahui Village to experience the slow life of the Buyi ethnic village and enjoy farmhouse cuisine
· Take a hot air balloon ride for a breathtaking aerial view of Wanfenglin
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🌊 Maling River Canyon: The Earth’s Most Beautiful Scar
Maling River Canyon is known as "the earth’s most beautiful scar," and summer is the best season to visit!
The water flow is abundant, and the waterfalls are magnificent, with hundreds cascading down both sides of the canyon in a grand spectacle. The canyon is especially cool, 5-8℃ lower than outside, making it a natural summer retreat.
✨ Travel tips:
· Hike along the plank road, about 3 kilometers, enjoying the waterfalls along the way—very healing
· Experience rafting; Maling River rafting is known as "Southwest’s number one rafting," thrilling and fun
· Take photos at the "Galloping Horses" waterfall cluster, the best photo spot
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🌺 Anlong Zhaoti: The Romance of Lotus Pond and Moonlight
Anlong Zhaoti is a must-visit in summer!
From June to August, lotus flowers bloom across a ten-mile lotus pond, lush and green. The ancient dike, lotus pond, and gentle breeze create the coolest summer scene in Southwest Guizhou.
Here you can:
· Stroll along the lotus pond, smelling the fresh lotus fragrance
· Take a small boat ride on the pond for a close-up view of the lotus flowers
· Rest in the pavilion and watch children playing by the lake
· Watch the sunset; the golden light over the lotus pond is breathtaking
The pace here is very slow and comfortable, making you forget the city’s hustle and bustle.
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🏘️ Yubulu Tiankeng: The Earth’s Pupil
Yubulu Tiankeng is an ancient village hidden inside a sinkhole and was a filming location for the show "Where Are We Going, Dad?"
Standing at the bottom of the sinkhole, you can feel the stone houses, ancient trees, and farmland ridges. A 20-30 minute climb to the top offers a panoramic view of the "Earth’s Pupil," even more stunning from aerial shots.
✨ Best photo times:
Early morning between 7-8 AM or backlit at dusk, when the soft light highlights the radiating patterns of the sinkhole and terraced fields. After rain, the mist adds an even better effect.
The village is full of Buyi stone houses, very distinctive, and the villagers are very simple and friendly, offering an authentic ethnic lifestyle experience.
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🍜 Food Guide: Flavors of Southwest Guizhou
The local cuisine is very distinctive, sour and spicy, perfect for summer.
✨ Must-try dishes:
1. Buyi Eight Bowls: Signature Buyi dishes including pig’s trotters, crispy meat, tofu, vermicelli, very hearty
2. Sour Soup Fish: Tomato-fermented sour soup cooked with fresh fish, sour and spicy, so good you’ll want three bowls of soup
3. Shuabatou: Local specialty snack similar to shumai, thin skin with large filling, delicious dipped in chili sauce
4. Chicken Meat Tangyuan: Savory glutinous rice balls filled with chicken, very fresh and a must-try
5. Glutinous Rice: Local breakfast with glutinous rice and various toppings, fragrant and tasty
6. Jianfen: Similar to cold rice noodles, paper-thin, served with sauce, very refreshing in summer
Recommended restaurants:
· Huangguoshu Fried Rice: Near Wanfenglin, a very popular trendy spot, the fried rice is especially fragrant
· Buyi Renjia: Farmhouse restaurant in Nahui Village, very authentic Buyi Eight Bowls
· Zheng Ji Shuabatou: Old brand in Xingyi city, the shuabatou is delicious
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💡 Practical Tips
✅ Best time to visit: June to August, when wildflowers bloom, waterfalls have abundant water, and the weather is cool
✅ What to wear: Light-colored dresses, straw hats, comfortable sneakers, bring a light jacket (cool mornings and evenings)
✅ Transportation: Self-driving is recommended as attractions are far apart and it offers more freedom
✅ Sun protection: Strong UV rays on the plateau, bring sunscreen, sun umbrella, and sunglasses
✅ Mosquito protection: Many mosquitoes in the mountains, bring insect repellent
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Accommodation
🏨 Xingyi Yuntun Starry Wild Luxury Hotel
Located within the Yuntun National Forest Health Base, forest villas hidden among the trees, combining "scenic area + tent camping" with outdoor hot springs and archery courses
🏨 Huajiang Canyon Bridge Qianshan Yijing Hotel
Guizhou’s top luxury wild bridge resort, located beside Huajiang Canyon Bridge, overlooking the magnificent canyon scenery, family-friendly wild-themed rooms
🏨 Xingyi Wuxun Wanfeng Zhiye Inn
Located in Nahui Village under Wanfenglin, with an outdoor pool, offering leather crafting and hiking experiences, with peak forest and pastoral views right outside the window
🏨 Yinyue Fengyu Scenic Resort
In the core scenic area of Wanfenglin, 11 rooms with windows opening to green peaks and fields on all sides, quiet environment, perfect for a peaceful vacation