A cruise from Guilin on the Li River is a great retreat from city life and a relaxing way to see Yangshuo China. Starting from the Li River in Guilin, cruise 3 hours down to Yangshuo and arrange for our Yangshuo hotel to pick you up. It's 15 minutes from Yangshuo town center to Yangshuo Mountain Retreat. You can also enjoy bamboo rafting on the Yulong River, which flows past our retreat.
Guilin to Yangshuo Cruise
Duration: 5-6 hours
Stretching all the way from Guilin, Li River cruises on large tour boats are often the most awe inspiring highlight on many a visitor's itinerary. The downside is that the scenery is that dozens of tour boats operate on the river causing a large amount of traffic and noise. Nevertheless, it is still a great alternative to travel to Yangshuo from Guilin. The price for the cruise is relatively high but includes lunch and you can take your luggage onboard.
Xingping to Yangdi and back
Duration: 3 hours
This particular stretch of river is known as the Golden Waterways. Take a local bus from Yangshuo to Xingping and walk to the docks of the town. Here there are many locals offering boat trips upstream. You can ask to be taken to Yangdi and back but prices vary so remember to bargain hard. The trip takes over an hour one way and arguably is the best stretch of the Li River in terms of scenery with huge karst peaks soaring from the shores of the Li River, sub tropical jungle shading the banks and long stretched pebble beaches.
Xingping to Yucun (Fishing Village)
Duration: 6 hours
Catch the local bus from Yangshuo to Xingping. From here take a small farmers boat on the docks of Xingping to the Fishing Village. The boat tour takes about 40 min each way, but allow for about 4 hours for the whole trip to have enough time to explore the Fishing Village. Apart from the well preserved Ming Dynasty architecture and wood carvings dating back more than five hundred years, Yucun is worth seeing for its natural Feng Shui alone. Surrounded by seven karst peaks and two stone guardians at the village entrance the modern world is kept at bay in this highly spiritual place.
For more great Yu Long and Li River pictures go here