5D4N
Best Mar–May / Oct–Dec
Xiamen Entry/Exit
Fujian · Gulangyu to Nanjing Tulou
Minnan culture + islands + UNESCO World Heritage Tulou. Gulangyu World Architecture, Nanputuo Temple, Nanjing Tulou, Yunshuiyao Ancient Town, sailing and clamming. Xiamen entry/exit, 5 days 4 nights.
All-Inclusive · No Add-Ons
Contract Body = Appendix Identical
Hotel Name Confirmed = Locked In
USD Pricing
Pricing
4+ people · per person
USD 280from
RMB ¥2,000 · MYR 1,290 · USD 279
Under 4 people · per person
USD 420from
RMB ¥3,000 · MYR 1,936 · USD 418
More people = lower per-person cost — groups of 6/8/12 have more room for negotiation. Private group, one vehicle per booking, no joining with strangers.
Actual pricing varies with vehicle type and hotel tier. Contact a travel consultant online for an exact quote.
Actual pricing varies with vehicle type and hotel tier. Contact a travel consultant online for an exact quote.
✓ ¥500K Travel Insurance
✓ All-Inclusive
✓ No Shopping Stops
✓ No Tipping
Itinerary
Day-by-Day Plan
Xiamen entry/exit. 7-seater business van, reasonable driving, no rushing. From land to sea — Minnan culture, UNESCO Tulou, island scenery — a progressive rhythm.
DAY 1
Arrive in Xiamen
24-hour Xiamen airport/train station pickup → check into hotel. Your travel consultant walks you through the entire itinerary — every day, every accommodation, every optional activity, confirmed one by one.
DAY 2
Nanputuo Temple · Xiamen University · Gulangyu
Nanputuo Temple (Minnan Buddhist sanctuary) → exterior view of Xiamen University (China's most beautiful campus) → Gulangyu Island (World Consulate Architecture gallery + iconic "Most Beautiful Corner") → free roam, soak in the Garden on the Sea. Stay: Xiamen.
DAY 3
Island Ring Road · Zengcuo'an
Xiamen Island Ring Road — China's most beautiful coastal road for cycling/strolling → Zengcuo'an (China's most artistic fishing village) — browse indie shops, snack on seafood. Stay: Xiamen.
DAY 4
Yunshuiyao Ancient Town · Nanjing Tulou
Yunshuiyao Ancient Town + Nanjing Tulou + Hegui Building day trip (Zhangzhou). UNESCO World Heritage — unique Hakka Tulou architectural forms, filming location of the movie "Yunshuiyao." Stay: Xiamen.
DAY 5
Clamming · Sailing
Veteran fisherman guides you digging clams and catching crabs → Sailing trip (sailing + clamming day trip). Itinerary ends at 17:00 — clamming depends on tides, returning to Xiamen around 5 PM. Book flights departing after 18:00.
Inclusions
What's Included & Excluded
✓ Included
Full-time 7-seater business van (fuel/tolls/parking included)
Highly-rated 4-diamond hotels (breakfast included)
All listed attraction tickets
Gulangyu round-trip ferry tickets (pre-booked)
Sailing + clamming experience fees
¥500K travel accident insurance
Bottled water throughout + airport transfers
✗ Not Included
Flights to/from Xiamen
Lunch and dinner (driver-guide recommends local eateries)
Personal expenses, souvenirs
Visa fees (visa-free for many passport holders)
Hardware Standards
Vehicle & Hotel
No "comparable substitute" excuses — what's confirmed is what you get.
Fully Licensed 7-Seater Business Van
Brand-owned, brand-dispatched, brand-inspected. Not a last-minute market rental. Overseas guests carry more luggage — 4 people in a 7-seater means room for at least one large suitcase + one carry-on per person.
Minimum vehicle matching: 4 pax→7-seater / 6 pax→9-seater / 10 pax→≥17-seater minibus. Matched to group size + luggage, never cramped.
Minimum vehicle matching: 4 pax→7-seater / 6 pax→9-seater / 10 pax→≥17-seater minibus. Matched to group size + luggage, never cramped.
Highly-Rated 4-Diamond Minimum
Selection standard: a good 4-diamond beats a mediocre 5-diamond; a poor 4-diamond is worse than a 3-diamond. Hotel name shared before departure — that is your final hotel. If special circumstances arise, upgrades are always to a higher standard, with the price difference covered by LiMao.
Competitors promise a "¥2,000-a-night cabin" → you arrive to find an ¥800, 15m² shoebox. We don't play that game.
Competitors promise a "¥2,000-a-night cabin" → you arrive to find an ¥800, 15m² shoebox. We don't play that game.
Why This Route
Itinerary Design Logic
Not a random collection of sights — every segment has a reason behind its pacing.
Why are the Tulou on Day 4?
First three days explore Xiamen city + Gulangyu, Day 4 is the Zhangzhou Tulou day trip, Day 5 is a sea day trip. The rhythm progresses from land to sea — first urban culture, then rural World Heritage, finally a maritime experience, each stage with a different way of discovery. If the Tulou came first, returning to Xiamen city afterwards would feel like a backward step in pace.
Why does the itinerary end at 17:00?
Clamming depends on the tides — you can only dig clams and catch crabs at low tide, and low tide times vary by date. After the afternoon clamming session, you return to Xiamen around 5 PM. So book return flights after 18:00 — leaving enough time to freshen up and get to the airport. Your travel consultant will tell you the day's tide times before departure.
Fujian Pitfalls
What You'll Face with Competitors
Every item below comes from real Xiaohongshu feedback. More likes = more people burned.
"Gulangyu cheap ferry ticket group tour — arrived at the pier to find it was a group tour, not free roaming" 1,120 likes
→ How we handle it
Gulangyu is free roaming — no group tours, no following a big troop. Ferry tickets pre-booked as real-name round-trip tickets. Once on the island you explore on your own — go wherever you want, spend as long as you like at the Most Beautiful Corner.
"Fake Tulou near the real ones — newly built imitation Tulou charging admission, guide takes you to the fake one" 2,560 likes
→ How we handle it
We go to the genuine Nanjing Tulou World Heritage Site — Hegui Building, Yunshuiyao Ancient Town. Not roadside newly built imitations. Tickets included in the itinerary — we never take you into any fake attraction charging extra fees.
"Contract body says 2-person private group, appendix fine print says 2–6 person shared group" 1,360 likes
→ How we handle it
Contract body = appendix, word for word identical. PDF sent for your review before departure, signed online before you come to China — both copies match line by line. Private group, one vehicle per booking, no joining with strangers.
FAQ
About This Route
Do I need to book Gulangyu ferry tickets in advance?
Yes. Gulangyu ferry tickets require real-name reservation and often sell out in peak season. We pre-book your round-trip tickets — no arriving at the pier only to find them sold out. The ferry ride is about 8 minutes from the ferry terminal. Once on the island you explore freely — no group tours, no following a big troop.
How far are the Tulou? How long is the drive?
Nanjing Tulou is about 2.5–3 hours by car from Xiamen. We schedule it as a Day 4 day trip — depart in the morning, return in the afternoon. The drive is long but the Tulou are worth it — a UNESCO World Heritage Site, unique Hakka architectural forms, Hegui Building has stood on marshland for over 200 years. Yunshuiyao Ancient Town is the filming location of the movie "Yunshuiyao" — worth a leisurely walk.
Can I go during typhoon season?
July–September is Fujian's typhoon season — not recommended for travel. We suggest March–May and October–December — pleasant climate, low typhoon probability. If a typhoon hits during your trip, your travel consultant notifies you in advance and adjusts the itinerary — the Tulou and clamming activities may swap days, but the total number of days remains unchanged and the experience is undiminished. We'll confirm with you day by day before departure.
Are meals included? How does food work?
Breakfast included. Lunch and dinner are not — because everyone's tastes and budget differ. The driver-guide recommends local-favorite eateries, not kickback restaurants. Fujian's satay noodles, oyster omelette, ginger duck, sea worm jelly, Buddha Jumps Over the Wall — you'll eat authentic versions, not tourist-group meals. Budget around USD 5–10 per day to eat very well.
Start Planning Your Fujian Trip
Tell us your group size and travel dates, and a travel consultant will customize your Fujian itinerary.
Key Takeaways
- This is a 5-day, 4-night private Fujian itinerary with Xiamen entry and exit, covering Gulangyu, Nanputuo Temple, Yunshuiyao Ancient Town, Nanjing Tulou, and a sailing and clamming experience. The route is designed to move from city and island sights to Tulou heritage and then a sea day trip.
- The day-by-day plan includes Xiamen airport or train station pickup on arrival, two days in and around Xiamen and Gulangyu, a Day 4 trip to Zhangzhou for Yunshuiyao and Nanjing Tulou, and Day 5 clamming and sailing. The clamming schedule depends on the tides, and the trip returns to Xiamen around 5 PM, so flights are advised after 18:00.
- Included items listed in the article are a full-time vehicle with fuel, tolls, and parking, 4-diamond hotels with breakfast, attraction tickets, Gulangyu round-trip ferry tickets, sailing and clamming fees, travel accident insurance, bottled water, and airport transfers. Flights, lunch and dinner, personal expenses, souvenirs, and visa fees are not included.
- The article states that bookings are private groups only, with one vehicle per booking and no joining with strangers. It also says the confirmed hotel name is shared before departure and, if changes are necessary, they are upgrades to a higher standard.
- The article highlights several common issues seen in competing tours, including forced group touring on Gulangyu, imitation Tulou sites, and shared-group fine print. It says this itinerary uses pre-booked ferry tickets, visits the genuine Nanjing Tulou World Heritage Site including Hegui Building and Yunshuiyao Ancient Town, and keeps the contract body and appendix identical.
Official resources
- Ministry of Culture and Tourism of the People's Republic of China (mct.gov.cn) — the national regulator for licensed travel agencies
- National Immigration Administration (nia.gov.cn) — official entry, exit, and immigration information for mainland China
- Consular Services, Ministry of Foreign Affairs (cs.mfa.gov.cn) — official consular information and travel notices