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One-Day Yangshuo and Li River Highlights Tour

Written by Katie ZhouUpdated Sep. 29, 2021

“East or west, Guilin’s scenery is best”, while Yangshuo’s scenery is the best of the best! The key, however, is finding the best way to see all the beautiful landscapes, and that’s what we will show you on this day trip. You’ll have a bird’s-eye view of the amazing landscape of hills and river from the top of a mountain and you’ll drift along the beautiful and clear Li River, enjoying the natural scenery. What’s more, you’ll have a bicycle ride into a local village where rivers are flowing, birds are singing, and flowers are blooming. Just forget the hustle and bustle of the city, lose the burdens of everyday life, and pretend you are staying in paradise.

Tour Highlights

  • A view of the beautiful scenery of Yangshuo and the Li River from every angle.
  • Stand on a mountaintop and have a bird’s-eye view of the breathtaking landscape.
  • Take in the sights along a picturesque country road when you enjoy a bicycle ride.
  • Take a raft and drift along the Yulong River to admire the beautiful scenery.

The Design of the Day Trip

  • This itinerary is designed to make good use of your time so you can fully enjoy the beauty of the landscape.
  • There is no shopping, there are no tricks, and no queueing to endure. Ten participants take part in this mini group tour.
  • You can depart from Guilin or Yangshuo so there are no issues relating to hotel collection and drop-off points.
  • Our local English-speaking guide will guide you with professionalism and passion to make sure you have a wonderful day.

Trip Video Preview

Detailed Itinerary

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The Day Before Your Day Trip

You’ll receive a telephone call from your tour guide before 9:30 pm to let you know the exact collection time for your trip the next day.

If, for any reason, you don’t receive our email or get a telephone call from your guide, which has never happened before, please call our 24-hour hotline in Guilin at +86-18807734970 or add WeChat ID: trippest666, and we will rectify this.

Please Note:

  • The listed itinerary might be adjusted by your guide due to the weather, transportation or other reasonable situations based on your agreement.
8:00 AM –10:00 AM Hotel Collection and Drive to Xianggong Hill

Your guide will be waiting for you in your hotel’s lobby or other appointed location at the agreed time, which is usually between 8 am and 8:30 am. The tour guide will hold a Trippest banner so that you recognize him/her immediately. You’ll join a group with a maximum 10 members, which is a great size to ensure you enjoy a better travel experience.

Professional Guide Professional tour guide and our vehicle / Photo by David Deng

After collecting all the members, your tour group will head to the first destination - Xianggong Hill. It takes about 1½ hours (60 kilometers) driving from Guilin while it only takes about 50 minutes to get there from Yangshuo County.

Tour Map A simple map of Guilin area

Details about Your Transport:

  • If you stay in a hotel in Yangshuo County, pick up time from your hotel is about between 8:30 am and 9 am. The exact time will be given to you by the tour guide the day before your departure. Your driver will collect you from your hotel and drive to Xianggong Hill where you will meet your guide and other tour members.
  • The free hotel pickup and drop-off areas will be within the urban areas of Guilin and Yangshuo. For further distances, you can hire a taxi to the appointed hotel, please provide your hotel information in the booking form. For detailed pick-up and drop-off area, please read our FAQ.
  • Our drivers are licensed and have at least 5 years’ driving experience. This ensures you have a safe trip. Our vehicles are comfortable and spacious, is equipped with a safety belt on every seat, air conditioners, and an unlimited supply of bottled water.

 

10:00 AM – 11:30 AM Have a Bird’s-Eye View from the Peak of Xianggong Hill

You may take more than a hundred steps to climb up, normally it takes 10-15 minutes, you will climb up to the peak of the hill where you’ll be taken aback by the amazing view of the beautiful karst landscape set as countless hills around the Li River. If you are a shutterbug, you can‘t miss this place. Tens of thousands of award-winning pictures were taken there. If you are lucky, you‘ll see the sea of clouds around the hills and rivers - it’s a wonderful view. After Xianggong Hill, you will take a 8-minute ferry across the river with local villagers to the other side.

Amazing scenery from Xianggong Hill Amazing scenery from Xianggong Hill

Trippest (China Highlights) customers Trippest (China Highlights) customers

Details about the Hill Climb:

  • It is quite easy to climb this hill all the way to the peak, even for young kids. However, if you have trouble with climbing or if you have to use a wheelchair, it might be a bit challenging for you.

Steps to the hill top Steps to the hilltop

Important Note:

  • Xianggong Hill could be temporarily closed due to government activities, which we can NOT be informed in advance. We may visit Cuiping Five Fingers Mountain instead, which is located nearby the Putao Town, 22km north of Yangshuo. Cuiping Wuzhishan (Wuzhi Hill) is a nice place to take sunset photos. It takes around 20 minutes to climb up and you will photograph numerous karst mountain peaks and some villages with many paddies surrounded by a river. A wonderful place not to be missed in Yangshuo. the tour guide may adjust the itinerary according to the current situation.

Cuiping Five Fingers Mountai Sunset at Cuiping Five Fingers Mountain

11:30 AM – 1:00 PM Stroll Down the Xingping Old Street

In the vicinity of Yangshuo, Xingping village is more than 1000 years old and houses a number of historic residences. If you visit here on market day occasionally, the village comes alive. By the way, Xingping is also the location of the photo to on the back of 20 yuan banknotes.

Secret Garden Restaurant Secret Garden Restaurant

Lunch is not including in this tour. I highly recommend you to try local specialities, like Beer Fish and Stuffed Guilin Snails. Our guide will assist you with options - whether it be snacks, rice noodle stalls or restaurants in and around Xingping. Cafe also can be founded here.

Enjoy delicious lunch Enjoy a delicious lunch

1:00 PM – 2:00 PM Transport to Yulong River Scenic Area

You may take a nap in the car. You will go by an ancient town named Fuli, which has a history of over 1,000 years. If you are lucky to meet the market-day, you can see some people come from nearby villages to sell their homegrown fresh fruits and vegetables, meanwhile, some people buy daily articles in the market. This tradition has been continued for many years. You’ll also have a chance to taste some local street food which is only provided on this special day. Feel free to ask the tour guide to stop by, and take you to market if you want to visit.

Fuli market Fuli market

Fuli Painted Fans Fuli is famous for its traditional painted fans

2:00 PM – 4:30 PM Bicycle or an Electric Scooter Ride in Yangshuo’s Countryside

After driving for about 1 hour, you’ll arrive at the rural paths near the Yulong River. Take a bicycle or an electric scooter ride along the beautiful countryside paths next to the Yulong River where the water flows silently, the birds are singing, and flowers are blooming. Watch the local farmers ride their ox carts as they plow the fields. Everything is so peaceful, harmonious, and perfect. Forget all your troubles while you feel like staying in paradise.

Biking in the countryside of Yangshuo Biking in the countryside of Yangshuo

Countryside of Yangshuo Countryside of Yangshuo

Countryside of Yangshuo Countryside of Yangshuo

Details about the Bike Ride

  • There are two ways to visit the beautiful rural scenery, either on a bicycle or an electric scooter.
  • We recommend taking an electric scooter, which is the locals’ favorite transportation. It saves your energy so you can just relax and enjoy the scenery.
  • Don’t know how to ride an electric scooter? Don’t worry. Your guide will show you how to use one and it is easy to learn.
  • Of course, if you don’t want to use the electric scooter, you can take a normal bicycle, which is also a very interesting way to take in the surrounding scenery.

 

Optional Take a Bamboo Raft Ride on the Yulong River

Another highlight of a trip to Yulong River is taking a bamboo raft. But this is an optional activity, you can ask your tour guide to book for you on site. No motorized raft, and row by a real bamboo-raft man. Rafting quietly and casually on the beautiful Yulong River. You can see the hills on both banks in different shapes. There are thick bamboos along the river and the banana trees are green in four seasons.

Essential rafting part: Shui E Di 水厄底 - Gongnong Bridge 工农桥 (Duration: 40 mins), Price: RMB 180 per raft. Maximum 2 Pax.

Fuli market Beautiful Li River

Fuli Painted Fans Wonderful experience with a raft boat on Li River

4:30 PM – 6:00 PM Transfer Back to Your Hotel in Guilin or Yangshuo

After enjoying the beautiful Li River scenery in Yangshuo, your trip comes to an end. You will be transferred back to your hotel in Guilin or Yangshuo.

If you are staying in a hotel in Yangshuo, we can drop you off at the West Street which is a shopping street that’s famous for its unique combination of both Chinese and Western cultures. you can always browse this street by yourself. There is a huge choice of restaurants around West Street (both Western and local).

If you are staying in Guilin, your driver will take you back to Guilin (after dinner) and drop you off at your hotel. The journey will take about 1½ hours.

West Street West Street

A Recommended Evening Show

  • We highly recommend you stay in Yangshuo during the evening and watch the famous performance called “Impression Liu Sanjie”. It is directed by the famous Chinese director, Zhang Yimou, who also directed the opening ceremony of the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games.
  • The show starts at about 8 pm and lasts for 70 minutes. The ticket price for normal seats is 228 yuan (the tickets for normal seats usually not available due to the very limited seats) while the prices for VIP seats vary from 268 to 358 yuan.
  • If you want to watch this show, please feel free to ask your guide to help you book the tickets. He/she will escort you throughout the whole show before sending you back to your hotel in Yangshuo or Guilin. Your guide can also take you to West Street and find a restaurant for dinner (this isn’t included in the price).
  • Please note that if you stay in Guilin and decide to watch this show that means you agree to give up take our vehicle back to Guilin, there will be an extra coach fee of 30 Yuan for the public transportation from Yangshuo to Guilin.

 

Raft boat V.S. Cruise ship Impression Liu Sanjie

Share Your Experiences

We welcome you to share your happy experiences of this day with your friends on your Facebook page or via TripAdvisor. This encourages more people to have the chance to see the beautiful scenery of Guilin and Yangshuo. Follow us on our Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/trippest/ for updates and our trip photos. We hope to see you again soon.

Internet Access

Due to the state-controlled Internet security in China, many popular websites and apps are blocked, such as Google, Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, and WhatsApp. This means you might not be able to visit your favorite sites and might not receive your emails and other important information. For this reason, we highly recommend you use a VPN service before your trip to make sure you can get connected to the global Internet.

Know Before You Book

Price Includes:

  • Transport between attractions, including pickup and return to your hotel.
  • English-speaking local guide service.
  • Admission to Xianggong Hill.
  • Ferry fee across the Li River.
  • Electric scooter or bike rental fee in Yulong River.

Price Excludes:

  • Lunch fee (60-80 RMB per capita, depending on appetite).
  • Bamboo rafting along the Yulong River (180 RMB per raft, maximum 2 pax).
  • The tickets for the Impression Liu Sanjie night show and the transfer fee.
  • Personal expenses.
  • Tipping of guide & driver recommended on good service on a 2:1 ratio separately (usually 50-100 RMB per person).

Important Notes:

  1. Minimum number of participants required for the tour to run is 2. Tour may be canceled in case of minimum number of participants not met. You will get a full refund.
  2. This trip is NOT opened during the China National Day golden week from Oct. 1st to Oct. 7th.
  3. The listed itinerary might be adjusted due to the weather, transportation or other reasonable situations based on your agreement.

FAQs About This Tour

What is the hotel pick-up and drop-off area?

The hotel collection and drop-off areas will be within the urban areas of Guilin and Yangshuo.

In Guilin city, the hotel collection and drop-off area should be within the following area: the north side is Beijiguangchang/北极广场, the west side is West Hill Park/西山公园, the east side is Sanlidian Square/三里店广场 and the south side is Wonderful Plaza/万福广场. Most of the major hotels are located in these areas such as The Sheraton Hotel, The Shangri-la Hotel, The Li River Waterfall Hotel, and Guilin Bravo Hotel, etc.

For further distances, you need to hire a taxi to the appointed hotel which your tour guide will tell you the day before the trip.

Hotel Pick-up and Drop-off Area Map of Guilin City Hotel Pick-up and Drop-off Area Map of Guilin City

What is your cancellation policy?
  • If we are not able to implement the contract due to war, flood, typhoon, fire, strikes, storm, earthquake, or any other condition we are not able to foresee and avoid, we will inform customers at the first possible opportunity and offer the best possible solutions, and the final bill shall be settled based on the service we actually provide.
  • Up to 7 days before departure: 100% refund of all money paid, excluding penalties charged by hotels, railways, airlines, and PayPal, if applicable. All penalties will be itemized.
  • From 3 to 7 days before departure: 90% refund, excluding penalties charged by hotels, railways, airlines, and PayPal, if applicable. All penalties will be itemized.
  • Within 3 days before departure: no refund.
  • After the trip has commenced, we are unable to refund any amount for canceled services due to non-participation, early departure, late arrival, or missed days on tours.
  • For groups of more than 10 people: The terms of cancellation may vary from case to case. Please ask your travel advisor regarding the cancellation policy for your group.
What if I want to make a last-minute booking?

In order to make sure we have enough time to arrange your trip and ensure availability, we usually require the customer to book at least 24 hours in advance. You can not book online less than 24 hours before the beginning of a trip.

But that does not mean you have no chance to book last-minute or within 24 hours! For urgent booking, please call us at +86-188-0773-4970 to check availability (usually trips are still available last minutes) or send an email (not recommended as the response may not be immediate) to: inquiry@trippest.com

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For any questions please contact us via
Mobile: +86 18807734970
WeChat: trippest666
Email: niko@trippest.com
Price from USD 99  p/p

 
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