The Great Southwest
Trip Highlights
- ✓
Wander the cobblestone lanes and canals of Lijiang Ancient Town, a UNESCO World Heritage site
- ✓
Drive into the Tibetan plateau on one of southwest China’s most scenic mountain roads
- ✓
Meet the Mosuo people at Lugu Lake — one of the world’s last matrilineal cultures
- ✓
Explore the thousand-year-old Dukezong Old Town in Shangri-La, the heart of Tibetan Yunnan
- ✓
Stand above the Yangtze at Tiger Leaping Gorge, one of the world’s deepest river gorges
- ✓
Visit the golden-roofed Songzanlin Monastery, the “Little Potala Palace”
- ✓
Marvel at the surreal earth pillars of the Yuanmou Earth Forest, sculpted by rain and time
- ✓
Kayak the clear blue waters of Fuxian Lake, one of China’s deepest and clearest
- ✓
Roll through Luoping’s canola fields, where conical hills float above a sea of yellow blooms (Feb–Apr)
- ✓
Drive Guizhou’s engineering marvels — roads that tunnel through peaks and soar over deep valleys
- ✓
Ride a scooter through the Buyi villages of Wanfenglin, weaving past fields and karst spires
- ✓
Drift on a bamboo raft across the still waters of Daxiaojing into a hidden wonderland
- ✓
Wade through the Water Forest at Xiaoqikong, splashing across streams like a kid again
- ✓
Take in the sight of Xijiang — over a thousand wooden Miao houses tumbling down the hillsides
Trip Info
We think starting from this city is the best match for this road trip, but it can be changed to other cities depending on your preferences.
We were completely blown away by the waterfall at Maling River Canyon — and all it took was a short stop along the road. Over a hundred waterfalls tumble into this dramatic gorge, the tallest plunging more than 300 meters — over five times the height of Niagara Falls. They call it 'the most beautiful scar on Earth'.
You are about to modify a trip that belongs to another user.
Changes you make will affect the customer's trip. Are you sure you want to proceed?
This trip cannot be modified for now as it is part of a custom itinerary prepared for you.
This trip can no longer be modified because a payment has been received.
If you need to make changes, please contact us and we'll be happy to help.
This trip was shared with you to view. Only the person who created it — and has a Dragon Roads account — can book and pay.
Ask them to complete the booking, or contact us if you have any questions.
Made for international drivers - drive on the license you already have, no Chinese needed.
More self-drive itineraries across China
Explore other Trips
Loading amazing trips...
FAQs about self-drive trips in China
Dragon Roads is a licensed travel agency with offices in China and Canada, founded in 2026 by a Sino-Swiss team that knows the country inside and out. Every itinerary we offer has been driven, tested, and refined by us personally — not pulled from a brochure. Learn more on our Read more page.
Citizens of 40+ countries can currently enter China visa-free for up to 30 days — you may not need a visa at all. Policies change, so check your eligibility before booking. If you do need a visa, the process is straightforward — we recommend applying about a month before your trip. As a general rule, your passport should have at least six months of validity remaining beyond your travel dates. Need help? Get in touch and we'll guide you through it.
China covers 9.6 million square kilometres of extraordinarily varied landscapes and cultures — and most of it lies beyond the cities. Self-driving is the best way to take it all in at your own pace: you stop where you want, stay as long as you like, and shape the trip around your interests and budget rather than a tour schedule. It's also the fastest-growing way young Chinese travellers explore their own country, so you'll be joining a vibrant, modern road-trip culture.
Most of our travelers don’t speak a word of Chinese! We’ve designed this entire journey specifically for non-Chinese speakers. While the language barrier used to be a hurdle, China has made massive strides in welcoming international travelers, and today you’ll find that major infrastructure, road signs, and tourist hubs are clearly marked in both Chinese and English. We ensure you’re fully equipped before you even land with the right tools, including English-language navigation (Amap), WeChat for seamless payments, and translation apps. Once you’re on the road, you’ll have reliable online support from our team for any on-the-ground logistics or translation assistance whenever you need it.
Yes, but with one condition. China recognizes foreign driver's licenses only once you've obtained a temporary local permit after entry. The process is much simpler than it sounds. There's no driving test, no medical exam, and no complicated paperwork. In Beijing or Shanghai, it takes as little as 30 minutes at the traffic office right next to the airport, as long as you bring a few required documents. We make sure you arrive with everything ready.
Global brands like Avis and Hertz only cover a few major cities, and our routes are designed to take you well beyond those. To make sure you get a reliable car wherever your trip begins, we partner with eHi — the Chinese affiliate of Enterprise and the country's largest rental network. Because eHi requires the rental to be booked in the driver's own name, we can't make the reservation for you directly. Instead, we've made the process simple and we walk you through every step before your trip, so you arrive with the car ready and the paperwork sorted.
Renting a car in China is actually a lot simpler than you might think — the local car rental industry is large, mature, and well-organized. For international travelers planning a road trip in China, the top recommendation is eHi Car Services (Yi Hai), the Chinese partner of Enterprise — and the choice of most of our clients. eHi offers an English website, a full English app, and even an English-speaking hotline. If you book your road trip with Dragon Roads, we'll walk you through every step — from installing the app to handing back the keys.
Your main driving costs are car rental, insurance, highway tolls, and fuel. As a rough 2026 guide: a standard sedan runs USD 15–50/day, insurance adds USD 7–15/day, highway tolls are around USD 0.07/km, and gasoline costs about USD 1/liter. SUVs and peak season cost more; EVs cost less. Example — a 10-day, 1,000 km trip in a standard sedan outside of the main Chinese holidays: Rental: USD 200 Insurance: USD 100 Tolls: USD 70 Fuel: USD 70 → Total: around USD 440
Self-drive China for international travellers is all we do — and with us, it’s simple. We review every itinerary against your actual travel dates — season, climate, local conditions — and tailor the journey around what we find, steering you away from the routes that look great on a map but don’t work in practice. We book what needs booking, so you won’t be turned away. We walk you through everything before you fly, from network to payment setup, so nothing surprises you on arrival. And we know every hotel we recommend — down to the parking and the breakfast. Then, once you’re on the road, we provide step-by-step guides for the day-to-day logistics, and our team in China is always reachable — questions, help, local tips, anytime.
By law, as a licensed Canadian travel agency (license 703759) operating under the Consumer Protection Office (OPC), all client funds are strictly held in a designated trust account. This ensures your money is always safe and available exclusively for your travel bookings. Furthermore, by working with Dragon Roads, you are also automatically protected by the Compensation Fund for Customers of Travel Agents (FICAV), which provides full reimbursement should you not receive the services you paid for due to the financial failure of a service provider.
