Green Wilderness × Wellness | Secret Guide to Jinhu's Three Gardens

🚗【Trip Overview: A Two-Day Symphony of Countryside and Forest】 Day 1: Three Gardens Farm → Baimahu Village → Private Whispers of Lake Delicacies and Starlight Day 2: Jinhu Water Forest → Treetop Kingdom → Bamboo Raft Journey Through an Oxygen Bar 🌸 Day 1: Three Gardens Farm → Baimahu Village · From Pastoral Idyll to Fishermen's Hearth ⏰ 9:00-12:00 Three Gardens Farm · Pastoral Rhapsody 📍Navigate to Three Gardens Farm in Lüliang Town, Jinhu County The moment you push open the wooden fence of the farm, it feels like falling into a Hayao Miyazaki summer—white tents scattered across emerald lawns, and ripe dragon fruits hanging like red lanterns in the fields. Follow the straw-hatted farm woman to learn how to pick red-hearted dragon fruits. She smiles mysteriously: "Don't worry if your nails turn purple, that's just natural pigment!" Lunch is at the farm's lakeside restaurant, where freshly caught Hongze Lake white fish is steamed and topped with chopped chili, the fish meat so tender you can eat it with just a sip. ✨ Hardcore Experiences • Tea brewing around the stove: Old white tea with dried tangerine peel simmering on a charcoal stove under the locust tree, served with homemade lotus root starch and osmanthus cake • Fruit and vegetable mystery box: Pay 50 yuan to pick 3 jin (about 3.3 lbs) of seasonal produce (May recommendation: Hami melon + cherry tomatoes) • Hidden play: Ask the staff for "Miss Mei's special meal" to unlock lotus leaf-wrapped chicken + stuffed lotus flowers 🌅 14:00-18:00 Baimahu Village · Fishermen's Renaissance 📍Navigate to Baimahu Village, Qianfeng Town, Jinhu County This national-level key rural tourism village hides the wildest river culture in northern Jiangsu. At 3 PM, catch the intangible cultural heritage performance of "Fishermen's Wedding Customs," where the bride arrives on a cormorant boat and the matchmaker sings Jianghuai folk tunes while waving red silk. In the evening, head to the "Fishing Joy Bay" guesthouse area, spend 200 yuan to rent a wooden boat for night crayfish catching—when your headlamp shines on the lake surface, thousands of crayfish eyes reflect red light, and one scoop of the net yields half a bucket. 🌌 Overnight Bonus • Stay in the "Fishing Boat Evening Song" boat house, where you can see flickering fishing lights from your window, with mosquito-repellent sachets (containing wormwood + mint) by the bedside • Must-try complete fish feast: Chopped chili fish head with handmade noodles, fish soup simmered to a milky white—you can drink three bowls with the lake breeze 🌳 Day 2: Jinhu Water Forest · Venture into a Green Wonderland ⏰ 8:30-12:00 Forest Adventure Triple Combo 📍Navigate to Tanggang, Yintu Town, Jinhu County Take the first sightseeing car into East China's largest pond cypress forest, where tens of thousands of water cypresses stand like giants draped in green veils amid the morning mist. Must-try activities: 1️⃣ Bamboo raft drifting: The boatman pushes with a long pole, and the raft glides into an emerald waterway. Remember to touch the water surface—in May, the new cypress shoots secrete natural sticky liquid that feels like silk 2️⃣ Treetop Kingdom glass walkway: The 288-meter walkway spans 33 meters above ground; when you reach the middle, deliberately stomp your feet to watch your companions turn pale 3️⃣ Forest mini train: Choose seats on the right side—when turning, you can touch the cypress branches; wear a straw hat to prevent insects from hitting your face 📸 Photography Tips • Wear a white long dress and stand at the corner of the walkway, use a telephoto lens to compress spatial depth • Scatter dragon fruit peels on the bamboo raft—the red-green color contrast rivals a Monet painting 🍱 13:00-15:00 Forest Food Station · Wild Lunch Unlock special dishes at the "Cypress Lotus" restaurant: • Lotus flower shrimp scrambled eggs (shrimp so bouncy they can jump) • Cold lotus leaf sprouts (taste similar to tribute vegetables, slightly bitter with a sweet aftertaste) • Hidden eating method: Ask the chef for "forest secret sauce" (wild berries + honey) to dip fried mulberry leaves—crispy enough to set off fireworks in your head ♨️ 15:30-18:00 Narada Hot Spring · Healing Moment Check into the Narada Hot Spring Hotel in the Water Forest, where private forest bath houses include sulfur springs + herbal packets. The butler will bring a floating afternoon tea: lotus root glutinous rice cakes floating in a wooden basin, served with iced lotus leaf tea. As dusk falls, climb up to the treehouse observatory and use the star map app provided by the hotel to find Cygnus—legend has it that making a wish to it brings summer adventures. 📍【2025 Exclusive Tips】 🚗 Transportation Hacks • 1.5-hour drive from Nanjing, stop at Hongze Lake service area to buy freshly cooked crayfish (30% cheaper than in the city) • Rent electric vehicles at the Water Forest scenic area (50 yuan/hour), counterclockwise route saves 50% time 📷 Photography Power Moves • Photograph dragon fruit fields at Three Gardens Farm before 9:00 AM, when dewdrops refract sunlight like shattered diamonds • Use GoPro + red light filter for night crayfish catching at Baimahu Village—crayfish eyes will turn into starbursts 🍜 Taste Revolution • Must-eat: "Shrimp God" oil-braised crayfish at Baimahu Village (add instant noodles to soak up the juice) • Order with caution: Bamboo tube rice at Water Forest (glutinous rice is on the hard side, better for photos) ⚠️ Pitfall Warnings • Wear long sleeves when picking fruits at Three Gardens Farm to prevent scratches from vines • Bamboo rafts at Water Forest stop operating at 4 PM, go early rather than late When I counted the 47th star while soaking in the Narada hot spring, I suddenly heard a fluttering sound from the treetops—it was night herons returning to their nests. Perhaps this is the magic of Jinhu, using 48 hours to complete three soul SPAs across countryside, fishing village, and forest, leaving even the spaces between your toes infused with lotus fragrance and freedom. Useful Coordinates 📍Three Gardens Farm: Lüliang Town, Jinhu County (navigate to "Three Gardens Ecological Farm") 📍Baimahu Village: Baimahu Village, Qianfeng Town, Jinhu County 📍Jinhu Water Forest: Tanggang, Yintu Town, Jinhu County Note: • Tea brewing around the stove at Three Gardens Farm requires reservation 1 day in advance • The Water Forest Hot Spring Hotel includes scenic area tickets, no reservation needed for check-in