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Operated by Aerial Media

Guilin

14 – 20 Sep 2026 · China
Group — 8 people Level — Ambitious beginner to professional Price — $7,900 Languages — EN · DE
Dates14 – 20 Sep 2026
Group8 people
LevelAmbitious beginner to professional
BaseYangshuo and Longsheng

Karst peaks standing in river mist, terraces cut into mountains eight hundred years ago, and a fisherman with a lantern who has been photographed a thousand times and still gives you something new if you work the light.

This one is drone-led. Guangxi from above is a different landscape to Guangxi from the ground, and the tour is built around both.

Seven days between Yangshuo and the Longji terraces, with the mornings on the Li River and the evenings in villages where the terraces glow from the paths between them.

Not my first season on the Li — I know which mornings the mist sits and which ones it doesn't

How a day runs

A typical day — the real order follows the weather
  1. Before lightOut before sunrise most days. The plan is made the evening before from the forecast and changed on the spot when the sky says otherwise.
  2. In the fieldReading the place first, then working it: exposure, filters, long exposure, drone where it is permitted — on your camera, over your shoulder. Everyone shoots from a different position.
  3. Middle of the dayThe hours the light is useless are the hours we work on files: culling, Lightroom and DaVinci Resolve, my grade taken apart step by step.
  4. One to oneTime alone with me on your own images, including the honest version of what isn't working yet.
  5. Out againSecond location for the evening, everything from the morning applied while it is still fresh.
  6. Blue hour and afterVillages and terraces once the light drops and the lamps come on.

What you take home

Craft, not souvenirs
  1. Aerial compositionReading a landscape from two hundred metres up — pattern, line and when height stops helping.
  2. Mist and atmosphereExposing for haze instead of fighting it, and using long lenses to stack layers.
  3. Working with peopleApproaching, directing and photographing a person in a landscape without turning them into a prop.
  4. Blue hour in villagesBalancing artificial light against a fading sky.
  5. Drone workflowFrom flight plan to graded clip, the repeatable version.
  6. EditingLightroom and Resolve on high-humidity light, where contrast decisions make or break the frame.

Frames from Guilin

Shot on location
The lamp on the Li
Longji at dusk
Terraces at dawn
Drone work in the field

What's included

Booked and provided by Aerial Media

Included

  • Six nights in hotels, single occupancy
  • Breakfast every day
  • Transfers and transport within the tour
  • Field sessions with Ronald, drone-led
  • Individual feedback on your work
  • Local guiding and permits where required

Not included

  • International flights
  • Visa for China
  • Most meals
  • Travel insurance — strongly recommended
  • Drone registration and any personal permits
  • Anything personal

Reserve a place

Booking runs through Aerial Media

Booking, payment terms and cancellation conditions are Aerial Media's — you'll find them on their page. They organise hotels, transport and local permits.

View on the operator's site →

Booking, contract and payment: Aerial Media

Prices, dates and availability shown here are taken from Aerial Media's own listing and are given for orientation only — they can change at any time. Whatever Aerial Media states on their page applies. No booking is concluded on this website.

From
per person, single occupancy
$7,900

Questions

Gear, fitness, weather, money
Do I need my own drone?
No, but the tour is built around aerial work, so you will get the most out of it with one. Anything to do with permits, registration and local requirements is worth clarifying with Aerial Media before you book.
What should I bring?
A camera you know how to use — full frame is ideal, but any DSLR or mirrorless body works.
  • A wide zoom and a telephoto (24–70 and 70–200 cover almost everything)
  • A tripod that holds in wind, not the lightest one you own
  • Spare batteries and a fast charger — cold eats batteries
  • Head torch with a red mode, so you don't blind the person next to you
  • Laptop or tablet, card reader, and DaVinci Resolve (the free version is enough)
  • Filters if you have them; a drone if you fly one — you are responsible for registration, insurance and licence
How fit do I need to be?
Easy to moderate. Some early starts, some steps up to viewpoints in the terraces.
What about the language?
Teaching is in English and German. Local guiding is arranged by the operator.
Can my partner come along?
Only if you already take them on long photo trips and it works — meaning they don't hold the group up on a single day. This is not a holiday with photography in it. We are out before sunrise, we wait, we stay when it gets uncomfortable, and the middle of the day goes on files rather than sightseeing. Anyone who is fine with that is welcome; anyone who isn't will have a miserable week and will make it harder for everyone else. Talk to the operator about the price for a non-shooting place.
Who do I actually book with?
Aerial Media. They take the payment, hold the contract and organise hotels, transport and permits.

This tour runs with me. Aerial Media pays me for that, organises and sells the trip, holds the contract with you, takes the booking and payment and is responsible for travel, accommodation and insurance. What exactly I contribute is arranged with the operator and differs from trip to trip. I am not a tour operator or a travel agent, I do not take bookings or payments, and no contract comes into being through this website. All statements about dates, prices, places and services are drawn from the operator's published information and are given without warranty — please check the operator's page before booking.

Operator: Aerial Media LLC, Franklin, Tennessee, USA · aerialmedia.com