River Cruise
The 83km stretch of the Li River between Guilin and Yangshuo offers beautiful views of the karst formations and landscape. Currently the 4 to 5 hour cruises depart Guilin from Zhu Jiang Pier at around 8:30 am. The first 2 hours of the stretch are relatively unexciting but the scenery starts to get magnificent from Yangdi onwards. Unfortunately this cruise has become relatively expensive (tickets are sold between 350 RMB – 600 RMB per person). It is a nice trip but be aware that daily hundreds of tour boats sail down the Li River, one after another and back the very same day. This tour can not be done up river from Yangshuo to Guilin as the boats cannot navigate up stream with people on board. If you are short of time then the cruise is an ideal option to see as much as possible of the Li River, but if you have a few days then we recommend visiting the karst peaks and river by foot, mountain bike or by bamboo raft.