2 Days Dang Village & Hukou Waterfall from Xi'an

In the morning, your guide and driver will pick you up from your own booked hotel in downtown Xi’an, and then drive for around 3 hours to Hangcheng. Hancheng City is about 230 kilometers (143 miles) northeast of Xi'an. With a history of over 3,000 years, it is one of the most famous ancient cities in China. Our trip today will take you to the most famous attractions in Hancheng.

Your first stop today is the Tomb and the Ancestral Temple of Sima Qian. He is a very famous historian, litterateur, and ideologist in the Western Han Dynasty of China (202BC - 9AD) and his greatest achievement is the historical biography Records of the Grand Historian, which plays a very important role in China’s cultural history. This temple tomb was built in 310AD in memory of Sima Qian, and till now has a history of over 1700 years.

Lunch is by your own arrangement. Your guide will offer advice and assistance for you to taste authentic local cuisine.Then we drive for around 40 minutes to the Dang Village. It was built in 1331 and is the largest, oldest, and best preserved ancient village in Shaanxi. Walking along the narrow alleys of the village, you will see traditional houses built with gray bricks and black tiles, and decorated with delicate carvings on the wood, stones, and bricks, revealing the village's glorious past. The village also has its own towers, private schools, temples, archways, and watchtowers. Wandering around the alley and imagining how the ancient people lived, it is an excellent place to escape the modern city and feel the tranquil atmosphere.

After that we come to the Hancheng Confucius Temple. This Confucian Temple is the third largest of its kind in China, and has 22 buildings and 78 rooms in total. Built in the Yuan Dynasty (1279 – 1368), the temple has retained the original style, even though it has been renovated many times. Nowadays, the exquisite sculptures, the flagstone courtyard and the ancient wooden architectures can still be appreciated.

The Confucius Temple is just located in the Old Town of Hancheng. Tonight you will stay here and wander around the old town to see the local people's traditional lifestyle and explore for some local snacks.

Accommodation: Wenyuange Merlinhod Hotel (4-star)

After breakfast at hotel, we will drive onward for around 2 hours to Hukou Waterfall Scenic Area in Yichuan County, Yan'an City.

The distance from the entrance to the waterfall is about 8 kilometers (5 miles). We will take a shuttle bus to get to the waterfall to explore the scenic area. Here, you can see the majestic waterfall, surging Yellow River and vast spray of water mist formed by the waterfall falling from the riverbed to the deep hole. The primitive beauty of Yellow River will leave a deep impression on you. If weather permits, we may also be able to see the rainbow over the waterfall.It is the second's largest waterfall in China and the largest yellow waterfall in the world. That's why we recommend this Hukou Waterfall tour from Xi'an. The turbulent Yellow River rushes to this narrowing estuary resembling a kettle spout with steep cliffs on the two sides, so it is called Hukou, meaning kettle spout. In the upper reach of the waterfall, the water surface is 300 meters (328 yards) wide. While in a distance less than 500 meters (547 yards), it narrows to 20 to 30 meters (22 to 33 yards). So when the Yellow River with a speed of 1000 m3/s rushes down the steep cliff of more than 20 meters (65.5 feet) high, it forms a majestic and amazing scenery.

A series of unique landscapes appearing along with the waterfall are the heavy spray in the air, the rainbow over the water, the rain in a sunny day, the loud sound like thunder, the icicles in winter, and the dragon-like river channel.

Hukou Waterfall has distinct sceneries in the four seasons. One of the best travel times is April to May, when the surrounding peach blossom and melting ice show a picturesque scenery of spring. The other period is from September to November. It is just after the rainy season. And there is always cool autumn breeze and the rainbow. In addition, it is possible to see the ice waterfall in winter. The Yellow River flows down among the various shapes of icicles and a wonderful ice bridge is formed under the waterfall. The ice columns formed by the overflow water hang like ice peaks on the cliff.

Then from Hukou, we drive back to Xi’an. Along the way, we will stop at the Huangdi Mausoleum, which is the most important ancient grave site in China. Huangdi, the initiator of Chinese civilization, was a great tribal leader in the final primitive society of ancient times. The Huangdi Mausoleum is the tomb of Huangdi. Since 422BC, the Mausoleum has been the place where emperors and celebrities worshipped Huangdi. Nowadays, it becomes a key point of interest for historical Chinese culture. Apart from the traditional culture, the natural scenery is also fascinating here. The dense evergreen cypresses in the Mausoleum is considered as the oldest, largest and best preserved ancient cypress group in China, with a total of more than 80,000 trees. There is a 5,000 year old cypress planted by Huangdi himself. It is supposed to be the oldest cypress in the world, known as the "father of the world cypress" and "crown of the world cypress".After the visit, we will continue to transfer for around 2.5 hours to get back. Your guide and driver will drop you off at your hotel in Xi’an. Thank you for traveling with us!

Friendly Tips:
1. Due to the strong wind and heavy mist around the waterfall, it is suggested to take one more overcoat to keep warm in cool seasons.
2. The river bank of the waterfall are almost flat rock covered with a layer of loess which makes it slippery, so you are supposed to pay more attention to safety.

Meal Included: Breakfast