Guilin & Yangshuo Tours & Travel Guide
The Li River's karst peaks have been China's defining landscape for a thousand years of painting — and the ¥20 banknote agrees.
Why visit Guilin & Yangshuo
Some landscapes you recognise before you've been. The Li River corridor — green water threading between limestone towers — is the China of scroll paintings, and the cruise from Guilin to Yangshuo is its greatest-hits reel. Yangshuo then slows everything down to bicycle speed.
Top sights
Li River cruise
Four hours, Guilin → Yangshuo, past the ¥20-note bend at Xingping. The one cruise we'd call unmissable.
Yulong River rafting
The Li's sister: bamboo rafts, water buffalo, no engines.
Countryside cycling
Village lanes between peaks and paddies — flat, photogenic, unhurried.
Longji rice terraces (add-on)
Centuries-old terraced hillsides north of Guilin; golden in autumn, mirrored in spring.
Sample itinerary — 3 days in Guilin & Yangshuo
This is a sample itinerary, so you can see what each day actually looks like — the scenery, the meals and where you sleep. On a private trip the order and pace are adjusted to your dates; your confirmed day-by-day plan, with named hotels, comes with your quote.
- Day 1
Arrive in Guilin
Settle in and get your first look at the karst — the peaks start before you've even reached the hotel. Reed Flute Cave's lit caverns in the afternoon, then an evening stroll around the Two Rivers and Four Lakes, when the pagodas light up and reflect in the water.
- Day 2
Li River cruise to Yangshuo
The four-hour cruise down the Li River — cliff after cliff of limestone towers, water buffalo on the banks, and the exact bend printed on China's 20-yuan note (your guide will hand you the note for the photo). Check in at Yangshuo and an evening on lively West Street.
- Day 3
Yulong River & countryside cycling — then departure
The Li's sister at raft pace: a bamboo drift down the Yulong River, then cycling between peaks and paddies on village lanes. Or swap the day for the Longji rice terraces — mirrored in spring, golden in autumn. Transfer back to Guilin for your departure.
How many days?
Two nights minimum (one Guilin or straight to Yangshuo, one Yangshuo); three with the terraces. Guilin stars in Classic China, Pandas & Peaks and the Grand Tour.
Getting there & around
Flights from Xi'an, Shanghai and Chengdu; high-speed trains connect Guilin to most southern hubs. Sleep in Yangshuo, not Guilin city, if scenery is the point — we plan it that way on tour days.
Best time to visit
April–May (green, misty) and September–November (clear, golden). Summer is lush but hot with afternoon rain.
Guilin FAQ
Cruise or raft — which river day is best?
Both, on different days: the Li for the grand scenery, the Yulong for peace. Our tours include each.
Is Yangshuo touristy?
West Street is; the countryside five minutes out isn't. We sleep near the river and cycle out of town.