Karst is limestone that has been dissolving in rain for 300 million years, leaving behind isolated towers, sinkholes and caves. Guangxi has the most complete karst landscape on earth, and the stretch of the Li River between Guilin and Yangshuo is its showpiece — the scene painted by Chinese landscape artists for a thousand years and printed on the ¥20 note.
Guilin or Yangshuo?#
Base yourself in Yangshuo. This is the single most useful piece of advice about the region.
Guilin is a pleasant enough mid-sized city with a few karst peaks inside it, and it is where the airport and the railway station are. But the landscape you came for is in the countryside downstream, and Yangshuo sits in the middle of it.
Yangshuo itself has a touristy centre (West Street is a loud bar and souvenir strip), but ride ten minutes out in any direction and you are among rice paddies, water buffalo and limestone towers. Stay in a guesthouse along the Yulong River or in the villages around Gaotian rather than in town.
Give the region three nights, ideally four: one for the Li River, one for cycling, one for the rice terraces, and one spare.
The Li River#
The classic 83 km cruise from Guilin's Zhujiang pier to Yangshuo takes about four hours and passes the most famous stretch of karst scenery in China.
| Option | Price | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Standard cruise (Chinese boat) | ¥215 | Buffet lunch, four hours, crowded upper deck |
| Deluxe cruise (foreigner boat) | ¥380–450 | Better food, less crowded, same view |
| Xingping to Yangdi bamboo raft | ¥100–200 | The best-value option — covers the most photogenic 20 km |
| Half-day Yulong River raft | ¥150–250 | A small tributary, gentler, bamboo poles, very pretty |
The insider version: skip the full cruise. Take a bus from Yangshuo to Xingping (1 hour), walk to the pier, and take a short raft or the local ferry on the Yangdi–Xingping section — which is precisely the stretch on the ¥20 note. Then walk up to the Laozhai Hill viewpoint above Xingping for the panorama, which is free and better than anything from the boat.
Cycling and the countryside#
The reason to stay. Rent a bike or an e-bike in Yangshuo (¥30–70 a day) and ride out.
- Yulong River route — the classic: follow the river past the Dragon Bridge (Yulong Bridge, a 600-year-old stone arch) through villages and paddies. Roughly 25 km round trip, entirely flat.
- Moon Hill (¥15) — a natural arch in a hill, 800 steps up, 20 minutes, and a superb view.
- Xianggong Hill — the sunrise viewpoint over a bend in the Li River. Arrive before dawn; it is the best photograph in the region.
- Rock climbing — Yangshuo is the best sport-climbing destination in Asia, with hundreds of bolted routes on the limestone. Several English-speaking outfitters run beginner days.
- Bamboo rafting on the Yulong — gentler and prettier than the main river, and you can do it in an afternoon.
Longji rice terraces#
The Dragon's Backbone terraces at Longsheng, 2 hours north of Guilin, are 800 years old, cut into slopes up to 1,100 m, and farmed by Zhuang and Yao communities.
- Entry ¥80 plus shuttle buses within the area
- Two main villages: Ping'an (easier access, more developed, good viewpoints) and Dazhai / Jinkeng (larger, more dramatic, with a cable car and better walking between viewpoints). Dazhai is the better choice if you only visit one.
- Timing is everything. Mid-May to mid-June the terraces are flooded and mirror the sky — the most photogenic state. Late September to early October they are golden before harvest. From November to April they are bare brown earth and, honestly, not worth a special trip.
- Stay overnight in a village guesthouse if you can. The day-trip crowd leaves at 16:00 and the terraces at dawn are extraordinary.
Also worth knowing#
- Reed Flute Cave (¥110) in Guilin — a large limestone cave with aggressive coloured lighting. Fine, not essential.
- Impression Liu Sanjie — Zhang Yimou's outdoor light-and-music show on the Li River using the karst peaks as a set and 600 local performers. Kitsch, spectacular, ¥200–800. Most visitors enjoy it.
- Xingping ancient town — the old street is genuinely old and pleasantly under-restored.
- Fuli — a village known for hand-painted fans, reachable by bike or raft.
Weather#
The wet season runs April to September; the region gets over 1,900 mm of rain a year. This is not straightforwardly bad news: the mist between the peaks in a rainy spring is exactly what the classical paintings depict, and the river is at its fullest. October and November are the driest and clearest months, but the landscape is less atmospheric.
Summer is hot and humid. Winter is mild, grey and quiet — cheap, and with bare terraces.
Getting there#
- Guilin North railway station: 2h20 from Guangzhou, 3h from Shenzhen, 5h from Kunming, 10h from Shanghai
- Yangshuo has its own high-speed station (Yangshuo Station, on the Guiyang–Guangzhou line), about 30 minutes from town by bus — check which station your ticket uses
- Guilin Liangjiang airport (KWL) connects to most Chinese cities
- Guilin to Yangshuo by bus: 1h20, ¥50
Frequently asked questions#
Should I stay in Guilin or Yangshuo?#
Yangshuo. Guilin is a functional transport city; the karst landscape you came for surrounds Yangshuo, 65 km downstream. Stay in a guesthouse along the Yulong River rather than in Yangshuo town itself, which is dominated by a loud bar street.
Is the Li River cruise worth it?#
The scenery is, but the four-hour boat is crowded and expensive. A cheaper and better alternative is to take a bus to Xingping and do the Yangdi–Xingping stretch by bamboo raft or local ferry — the exact section shown on the ¥20 note — then walk up Laozhai Hill for the view.
When are the Longji rice terraces at their best?#
Mid-May to mid-June, when they are flooded and reflect the sky, and late September to early October, when they are golden before harvest. From November to April they are bare earth and much less impressive.
How many days do you need in Yangshuo?#
Three nights, ideally four: one day for the Li River, one for cycling the Yulong valley and Moon Hill, one for the Longji rice terraces, and a spare for weather or rock climbing.
What is the best time to visit Guilin?#
October and November for clear, dry weather, or April to June for the misty, classically painterly conditions with fuller rivers and flooded terraces — at the cost of frequent rain. Summer is hot, humid and wet.