Private Li River Cruise & Yangshuo Light Show Day Tour

Li River cruise from Zhujiang Pier

Your day starts with the most famous journey in southern China: the Li River cruise from Guilin to Yangshuo. Our driver takes you from your hotel to Zhujiang Pier, south of Guilin, where the 4-star boats depart. These boats carry fewer passengers than the standard ones, with larger seats, wide windows and an open deck, and a Chinese buffet lunch is served on board. Your guide handles the tickets and boarding, which require your passport.

The cruise lasts about four to five hours on the water. In the first part the river is wide and calm, lined with bamboo groves, fishing villages and the first karst peaks. As the morning goes on, the peaks close in and the scenery becomes ever more dramatic. A private Li River cruise day with your own guide means you have someone to point out the hills by name and explain life along the river.

Nine Horses Fresco Hill, Xingping and Yellow Cloth Shoal

The most beautiful stretch of the cruise runs from Yangdi to Xingping. Here you pass Nine Horses Fresco Hill, a great cliff whose colours and mineral streaks are said to form the shapes of horses, and many peaks named after animals and figures. Water buffalo cool off in the shallows and local bamboo rafts glide along the banks.

Near the old town of Xingping the boat passes Yellow Cloth Shoal, the view of the Li River printed on the back of a Chinese banknote, named after a flat yellow rock under the clear water. On calm days the peaks reflect perfectly in the river. Is the Li River cruise worth it? For most visitors it is the highlight of their whole trip to China, and this stretch shows why.

Yangshuo and West Street

The boat docks in Yangshuo in the early afternoon. Yangshuo is a small riverside town surrounded by karst peaks, and its West Street is the oldest street in town, with a history of more than a thousand years. Stone-paved and lined with old houses with carved eaves, it is full of craft shops, tea and silk stores, cafés and snack stalls.

You have free time to explore at your own pace, rest in your hotel if you are staying in Yangshuo, or sit by the river until the evening. Our guide can suggest places to eat dinner, which is not included; Yangshuo has halal (qingzhen) noodle shops run by Hui Muslim families as well as many vegetarian-friendly restaurants. At about 18:30 your guide meets you on West Street to go to the show.

The Yangshuo open-air light show on the Li River

The evening light show is one of the most famous performances in China. It is staged in the open air on a wide bend of the Li River near Yangshuo town, using the water as the stage and a row of karst hills, lit one by one, as the backdrop. Local people from the riverside villages, many of them fishermen and farmers, perform on bamboo rafts and on the water in traditional costumes, with music, song and bold lighting effects.

The show lasts about 70 minutes and starts at around 20:00. Its scenes celebrate the folk songs of the region and the everyday life of the Zhuang and other local peoples: fishing with lanterns, rice farming, weddings and festivals. Because it is outdoors, every night looks a little different with the weather and the moon. Your ticket gives you a good seat in the open-air stands.

Best time for a Li River and light show day

The best time to visit Yangshuo for this day is from April to October, when the scenery is green and the evenings are warm for the outdoor show. September to November brings clear skies and pleasant temperatures. Heavy rain between April and August can suspend the Li River cruise for a few days, and very bad weather may cancel the show; if that happens we will contact you about alternatives.

After the show our driver brings you back to your hotel: about 21:20 if you are staying in Yangshuo, or about 22:30 if you return to Guilin. It is a long and full day, so many guests choose to spend the night in Yangshuo. Bring a light jacket for the evening, especially in spring and autumn.