Kaili Travel Guide

Chinese Name: 凯里 (kǎi lǐ)
Population: 600,000
Area: 1,571 square kilometers (607 square miles)
Location: in the northwest Qiandongnan Miao and Dong Autonomous Prefecture, southeast of Guizhou Province
Area Code: 0855
Zip Code: 556000
GDP (2018): CNY 23.76 billion (USD 3.59 billion)
Nationalities: Bai, Dai, Miao, Yi, Zhuang, Naxi, Hani

Located in eastern Guizhou Province, Kaili is the capital of Qiandongnan Miao and Dong Autonomous Prefecture. The city is also one of China's major tourism destinations for exploring the customs of ethnic minorities as Kaili is an area where 33 minority nationalities live. Among them, the Miao is the largest group, accounting for 67% of the whole population, followed by the Dong.

Miao People

Miao Men Playing Lusheng

These ethnic minorities enjoy unique customs in clothing, style of residence, food, daily activities, and festivals (as many as 135). Some of the most famous festivals and activities include the International Lusheng Festival, Sister’s Meal Festival, Climbing Festival, Miao New Year Festival, Sparkler - grabbing Competition, bullfight, cockfight, birds fight, and the Guizhou Tour of Leigong Mountain International 100km Ultra Trail Challenge. Kaili also highlights the Chinese longest and widest Wind and Rain Bridge across the Qingshui River and Xijiang Qianhu Miao Village, the largest Miao village in China. All these make it a great place to experience the unique customs of Chinese ethnic minorities. In addition, the area boasts rich cultural relics and charming natural scenery.

Xijiang Qianhu Miao Village

Local Market

Guizhou & Guangxi Minorities Tour: 8 days, Guiyang, Rongjiang, Sanjiang, Longsheng
Sister's Meal Festival of Miao People: 5 days, Guiyang - Kaili - Shidong - Kaili
Kaili Miao Ethnic Minority Villages: 4 days to explore Miao Ethnic Minority Villages
Hiking Tours: Information about hiking in Kaili for your reference

The transportation of Kaili has become more and more convenient. Kaili Huangping Airport is 12 kilometers (7.5 miles) away from Huangping County, and 54 kilometers (34 miles) away from Kaili city. It opens the directs flights to / from Hangzhou and Chengdu, Shenzhen and Xishuangbanna. And visitors can take city bus line 10 or taxi travel between airport and downtown.

The area is also easily reachable by train from Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, Hangzhou, Chengdu, Wuhan, and Chongqing. Visitors can also get here via Guiyang, the capital city of the province. Upon arriving in Guiyang, one can get to Kaili either by train or bus. There are over 50 trains a day available for the journey, which takes about 40 minutes and 2.5-3 hours by bullet train or normal train respectively. The buses, departing from Guiyang Longdongbao Coach Station (East Coach Station), operate from 07:30 to18:30. The ticket fare is CNY 60 and the trip takes about 2.5 hours.

See detailed Kaili Train Schedule and Stations, Kaili - Guiyang Train

Kaili Railway Station

General Bus Station

Kaili enjoys a mild climate as it is part of the subtropical humid monsoon climate zone. July is the hottest month with an average temperature of 25°C (77°F); January is the coldest with an average temperature of 5°C (41°F). The average annual temperature is 14°C (57.2°F) - 18.5°C (65.3°F). Hence it is suitable to travel here all year round except winter. There is a saying: "There never were three sunny days in a row in Guizhou". This is especially true in Kaili, where it rains about half the year. Generally, it rains the least in December, January, and February, and the most in May and June. Remember to bring rain gear with you if you travel in the rainy season. Situated on the eastern edge of the Yunnan-Guizhou Plateau, the altitude of the region is comparatively high. Sunglasses and sunscreen are also necessities of travel. If you plan to go to mountain areas, hiking shoes or mountaineering shoes are good choices. Also, the mountain areas are cold at night; bring a warm coat with you.

 Food and Drink
Sour foods are very popular in the region for every day dining as well as on special occasions. The eating of these foods is strongly related to the humid and malaria-friendly climate, which easily leads to the spreading of diarrhea and dysentery. Eating sour foods can not only improve appetite, but also help to digest food and stop diarrhea. Historically, the area lacked salt and people usually made the food sour or hot instead. Among the sour foods in Kaili, sour soup fish is the most popular and a famous dish in Guizhou food. Other famous dishes here are chicken and rice porridge, Guo’s dried beef, Huangping dried fermented bean curd, and rice wine.

 Special Local Products
Brocade of Dong Minority, embroidery, silver ornaments, Sizhou Inkstone, watermelon, Leishan Yinqiu Tea (tea ball).