Longji Terraces, Li River or Guilin City Shared Day Tour

Li River Cruise from Guilin to Yangshuo

The Li River cruise from Guilin to Yangshuo is the classic journey of southern China, about 83 kilometres of river winding between hundreds of tower-shaped limestone peaks. After pickup our vehicle drives you about an hour to the cruise pier south of Guilin, where you board a 4-star boat with indoor seating and an open observation deck. Water buffalo graze on the banks, fishermen pole their bamboo rafts, and mist often hangs between the peaks in the morning.

Is the Li River cruise worth it? It is the single best way to see the karst landscape that has inspired Chinese painters for over a thousand years, and from the deck the views change with every bend. The cruise lasts about four hours depending on water levels, and a buffet lunch is served on board with dishes such as steamed chicken, fish, beef with mushrooms, vegetables, dim sum, fruit and soft drinks.

Nine Horse Fresco Hill and Xingping

Mid-way, the boat passes Nine Horse Fresco Hill, a sheer cliff streaked with mineral colours in which local legend sees the shapes of galloping horses; boatmen joke that whoever counts all of them will have great fortune. A little further, the stretch around Yellow Cloth Shoal and Xingping offers some of the most photographed views on the river, with peaks reflected in a calm, clear pool.

The scene near Xingping is so famous that it is printed on the back of a Chinese banknote, and many travellers hold up the note to match it. Our guide does not board the boat but explains the highlights before departure, and the multilingual audio guide on board describes each landmark as you pass. The best time to cruise is from April to October, when the river is full and the countryside green; in very high water after floods the cruise can be shortened or cancelled.

Yangshuo West Street and the Yulong River

The boat lands at Yangshuo, a small town ringed by karst peaks, where our guide meets you again. First comes free time on West Street, the town's old stone-paved lane of shops, crafts, cafés and tea houses, lively all day and especially in the evening. Then you head into the countryside to walk along the Yulong River, a quieter tributary of the Li lined with rice paddies, bamboo, old stone bridges and small villages.

This rural landscape is many visitors' favourite part of a Yangshuo day trip from Guilin, and it gives a calmer, more intimate view of the peaks than the main river. Bamboo rafting on the Yulong River is available at an extra cost, paid locally; in July and August please mention it when booking. Plan about an hour on West Street and an hour and a half in the countryside before the drive back to Guilin.

Longji Rice Terraces and Huangluo Yao Village (option)

The Longji rice terraces, also called the Dragon's Backbone terraces, climb mountain slopes in Longsheng County about two hours north of Guilin. Carved by Zhuang and Yao farmers from the Yuan dynasty onwards, they rise in hundreds of thin curving steps from the valley to the ridges. On this option you first visit Huangluo, a village of the Red Yao people, whose women are known for hair that is grown to extraordinary length and wound around the head.

You then continue to Ping'an, a Zhuang village of wooden stilt houses, and walk about 50 minutes up stone paths to the main viewpoints over the terraces. The best time to visit the Longji terraces is May, when the fields are flooded like mirrors, and late September to October, when the rice turns gold. Wear good shoes; electric buggies are available locally at extra cost as an alternative to part of the walk.

Guilin City Highlights (option)

The Guilin city option gathers the town's best-known sights in one day. Reed Flute Cave, on the north-west edge of the city, is a limestone cave of stalactites and stalagmites lit in vivid colours, with a loop of about an hour inside and old inscriptions on its walls dating back more than a thousand years. Elephant Trunk Hill, the symbol of Guilin, stands where the Peach Blossom River meets the Li and really does look like an elephant drinking from the river.

The day also includes a local morning market and the Two Rivers and Four Lakes boat ride, about 70 minutes on the waterways that circle central Guilin, passing the Sun and Moon Pagodas on Shan Lake and a series of bridges and gardens. It is a good choice for your first day in Guilin or for travellers who prefer shorter walks.

How to Get Around and When to Go

How to get to the Li River and Yangshuo from Guilin on your own means buying cruise tickets, finding the pier, then arranging transport back from Yangshuo, about 65 kilometres by road. This tour bundles all of it with hotel pickup in central Guilin and from Guilin Railway Station, a guide and an air-conditioned vehicle. Guilin Liangjiang International Airport (KWL) is about 40 minutes from the city.

The best time to visit Guilin is April to October for green landscapes, with the heaviest rain from May to August, when the Li River can close briefly in floods. Autumn brings clear skies and golden terraces. The tour does not run during Chinese New Year week, the May Day holiday and National Day week, when the region is extremely crowded.