Guilin Travel Reviews

This was my first trip abroad and I was not sure what to expect. Our tour guide Lele in Guilin was beyond amazing. Lele provided us with extensive knowledge about the culture and its history. Lele was very accommodating and managed our family with ease and grace. Lele took the time to engage with us each personally throughout the trip which made the tour even more meaningful. Lele was always punctual and highly organized during our trip. Simply put, Lele makes it feel as if you are touring abroad with your best friend. You almost forget that you are away from home. Thank you China Highlights for your amazing tour and thank you Lele for your highly extensive level of professionalism and grace. If you have the opportunity to take a trip with this company do not hesitate. It is worth it.

Hemos hecho un viaje fantástico en compa?ía de nuestro guía ALONSO, Nos ha hecho descubrir la esencia de la zona en un crucero sobre el río LI que nos ha llevado de Guilin a Yangsuo, nos ha mostrado todo el encanto de la zona en unos días inolvidables. ALONSO ha sido un guía excepcional en un paraje excepcional. GRACIAS

Guilin et Yangshuo ont été, sans aucun doute, nos coups de c?ur en Chine. Ce voyage a été d’autant plus mémorable grace à notre guide, Eric Li. Sa culture générale impressionnante, sa passion pour l’histoire et sa parfaite ma?trise du fran?ais ont grandement enrichi notre expérience. Toujours disponible, à l’écoute et capable de répondre à toutes nos questions avec précision, Eric a su rendre chaque visite captivante. Grace à lui, nous avons découvert bien plus que de simples paysages : une véritable immersion culturelle. Nous le recommandons chaleureusement à tous ceux qui souhaitent découvrir la Chine autrement, en profondeur et avec authenticité.

Ein super Programm mit der Fahrt auf dem Li-Fluss, dem Besuch der Reisfelder, der romantischen Flo?fahrt und dem Besuch des Marktes mit einem echten Tucktuck. Unser Guide Norman Wei Wei hat uns in ausgezeichnetem Deutsch die Besonderheiten dieser Landschaft und der Menschen, die hier wohnen sehr gut erkl?rt.

La partie de notre voyage à Guilin a été superbe grace à notre guide Eric. Il a été très professionnel et nous a donné beaucoup d’informations sur comment vivent les locaux. Les paysages aussi sont époustouflants. Nous avons adoré l’authenticité, le calme et le charme de Guilin et Yangshuo. Un grand merci, nous recommandons vivement Eric pour découvrir la région.

Liping was an amazing tour guide. She was always available, friendly and professional. She catered to our needs perfectly, making sure we saw the real Guilin and showing us things far from tourist traps. We are a group of friends travelling to China for the first time and she completely adapted the itinerary to the things we wanted to do. Her English is also very good! She made sure we tried all the local specialties and showed us how the different ethnic groups live. I would highly recommend if you’re looking for an easy going, insightful experience in Guilin!!

Amazing experience on the rural china. We could choose between different experiences that they offer and also add some more extra that we whised. During the trip, the sympathy and the knowledge of Liping was comfortable and keep us carefree. She was funny and very kind, she speaks English very well and tell us curiosities about the country, Longshen and Guilin. Our travel has been better thanks to her <3

Guilin is indeed as beautiful as you see it in the pics, and an absolute must-see if you come to China. China Highlights was perfect in organizibg our trip and our activities and we absolutely recommend it. Our guide, William, spent these 2 days with us has been the perfecr guide. Knowledgeable, friendly, always available to adjust the plan according to our needs. He took us to eat very good food and he even taught me how to ride a scooter in the countryside of Yangshuo! Make sure to ask for him if you visit!

Lele, I just want to say a heartfelt thank you for making my time in Guilin absolutely unforgettable. China was full of amazing experiences, but you were the highlight of my entire trip. Your kindness, your deep knowledge, your patience, and the way you made every moment feel special — it all meant so much to me. You didn’t just guide me through beautiful places, you helped me connect with the heart of Guilin. Because of you, I didn’t just see Guilin — I felt it. I’ll never forget the stories you shared, the views we enjoyed, and the way you made everything so effortless and enjoyable. You truly went above and beyond, and I’m so grateful for that. Thank you, Lele, for being not just a guide, but a big part of why my trip to China will always hold such a special place in my heart.?

William was our guide for the second time - we specifically asked China Highlights to guarantee him for our group. Very friendly, very helpful, very responsible - he became for us not just a guide, but a very good friend. My kids send him their best regards!

Die Fahrt auf dem Bambusfloss war wundersch?n und der Besuch bei den alten Leuten auf dem Land hat uns sehr beeindruckt. In Ling hatten wir eine tolle, kompetente und einfühlsame Begleiterin.

Posti bellissimi intorno a Guilin, sia le risaie a Longji, sia Huanglong, sia la crociera sul fiume Li. La guida Louis mi ha aiutato sin dal primo momento con la connessione internet e il ritiro della valuta locale, essendo appena arrivati. Organizzazione perfetta e puntuale.

We’re very happy about our experience with the China highlights , it exceeded all of our expectations, the drivers and guides were great and we really enjoyed the culture and city views. We really want to thank the excellent tour around Guilin with an excellent tour guide -Lele with China Highlights (excellent English) Lele looked after us really well, was friendly, caring and had excellent knowledge( without boring us with too much) Lele assisted us getting to the Light show in the evening even buying us beverages and popcorn-highly recommend him and China Highlights We are especially thankful for all the food recommendations, for their punctuality and for the cleanliness of the cars. We would 100% recommend this tour if you’re planning a visit to China.

We wanted to see China but didn't know where to start. We found China Highlights and they took care of all arrangements flawlessly. Special thanks to Carrie for her planning and to our guides Candy, Mark, Louis, and Sean. We visited Beijing, Xian, Guilin, Yangshuo, and Shanghai. We saw the Forbidden City, Summer Palace, Gubei Water town, the Great Wall, Terracotta Army, Li river cruise, Oriental Pearl Tower and much more! We ate at wonderful local restaurants. We rode the bullet train, had 2 internal flights and 4 airport transfers. Lots of moving parts that all came together seamlessly. Thanks, China Highlights for a fabulous visit to your beautiful country!

We had an incredible tour of Guilin and Yangshuo with William (韦吉熠 ) as our guide and Mr. Lu as our driver.China Highlights and especially William and Mr. Lu made our trip very special and we can’t wait to come back or visit another area with this group! Would definitely book again in a heartbeat. -Tish ‘xiao ba’ and Mandy

This review of Lily, our China Highlights guide, would require me to write a book. My husband and I just clicked with Lily, one minute she’s like a younger sister, then my mom, then my husband’s art partner. She went above and beyond. This part of our China Highlights tour provided us with nature, home cooking with Amy, time with an 80 year old couple in their country home, making bamboo tube food near the rice paddies, Lily's watercolor painting lesson, bamboo boat ride, river cruise, plus the Impression Liu Sanjie show (which was incredible, definitely a must see). One of the best meals we had in China was in Guilin. The scenery in the Guilin and Yangshou area is breathtaking. An added bonus, Lily sang folk songs as we walked through the rice paddies. She has an amazing voice.

We just completed our 3 days in Guilin and Yangshuo, part of our 2 week vacation in China and Taiwan through China Highlights. We loved the area and had a great tour guide for the area, Chase, who helped us navigate and visit the area during the very busy and extremely warm, Labor Day holiday in China. His guidance and recommendations on alternatives to our schedule, to make the most of our visit to the area, were invaluable. We loved the hotels chosen for us and both were our favorites of our entire visit. The Lijiang Pushang Hotel in Guilin and the Yangshou Jora Hotel (we could stay a week here!!), had not only beautiful rooms, but the service and welcome were beyond compare. Chase arranged for us to attend a wedding at the hotel, as guests the first evening, as we were celebrating our 25th Anniversary, it was a fun evening and a great experience. The second night, we attended an impressionist show that was simply amazing, as it was at night, outside with the mountains lit up as the back drop. I also had a beautiful flower arrangement waiting for us back in our hotel room, the flowers right from the gardens of the Jora hotel. On our last day, in the area, our flight was cancelled and we were moved to a later flight, Chase offered different options to keep us busy during the extra time, and I was so happy to be able to sneak in a Chinese massage with a herbal foot bath to end our day before our drop off at the airport. I also have to mention, we also had an excellent driver who had to navigate narrow streets, filled with crowds of people, great job Tao! (?sp).

Siamo appena rientrati dal nostro primo viaggio in Cina organizzato da Giulia Zhang di China Highlights e confermiamo quanto già condiviso da altri viaggiatori: tutto perfetto. Le guide locali in lingua italiana sono state fondamentali per calarsi nella realtà e comprendere la la cultura millenaria cinese. Vogliamo ringranziarle tutte per la disponibilità, professionalità e simpatia. Un grazie anche tutti i driver che si sono dimostrati abili guidatori nel destreggiarsi nel caotico traffico di Shanghai e Pechino. In ordine di incontro: Giorgia a Shanghai, Emma a Guilin, Chi a Xi'an ed infine Franco a Pechino. Non vediamo l'ora di ritornare nuovamente in Cina

We had a wonderful time with Frank from China Highlights during our two-day itinerary in Guilin, visiting the Longji Rice Terraces and taking a Li River cruise from Guilin to Yangshuo. Frank is a very pleasant, open, and warm person, and we truly enjoyed our time together. Mirjana & Vladimir

I would like to thank Lily for this truly amazing experience. She managed to perfectly combine punctuality and flexibility, always providing valuable advice on extra activities and places to explore. She was consistently kind, attentive, and ready to help with any need we had. Thanks to her, our trip turned into a dream experience — she truly made all the difference. Thanks, Michele

My tour guided in each city: Serena, Linda, Qin, went above and beyond in making sure we felt taken care of while sharing their knowledge and local hacks while touring these popular destinations. My only thought after a 5* two week tour is, how can I go back through China Highlights. Where next? Thank you thank you!!

We truly enjoyed our first visit to Guilin - perfectly planned by Jason our coordinator and Frank our cheerful guide. Though weather was not always on our side and not the best season for Longsheng rice terraces, the home cooked meal of in season bamboo shoots and smoked ham made up for it! Yangshuo was beautiful, and a perfect surprise with cake and wine for hubby’s birthday waiting at the hotel. Amazing views from Ruyi peak cable car, and no crowds just before closing time. And another memorable meal of stuffed snails after visiting Fuli Oldtown.

This was the last part of our roundtrip organised by China Highlights and another great success. Guilin and surroundings are beautiful! We only had a few days but our wonderful guide William made sure we got the maximum out of it. We saw all the highlights in Guilin, took a boat to Yangshuo where William took us on a fantastic bike ride along the river and through some of the countryside. In the evening he recommended the water theatre show which was beautiful and so worth it. A perfect ending to our China trip.

I highly recommend William as a travel guide as he is a friendly expert in Guilin. Right off the train, he took us to a delicious noodle joint to fill us up with delicious local style rice noodles. The trip to the rice paddies was fantastic and he shared interesting details on our hike about local customs and flora and fauna, e.g. tadpoles, bamboo, and wild kiwi. William introduced me to homemade rice wine which was delicious! Also, he arranged for special experiences for us including making bamboo rice, seeing a minority woman make natural shampoo, and getting “cupping” from a traditional Chinese medicine doctor. We both appreciated William’s honesty in conversation and detailed knowledge of the region. He always was pointing out interesting things on our river cruise and answered all of our incessant questions :)

Quick visit to Guilin with Lily. We were on a 2 week whirlwind trip around China. So much to see and not enough time. Really glad Guilin was on our itinerary, and that Lily was our guide. Smooth logistics, great energy, wonderful knowledgeable guide. The Li river cruise and a visit to Yangshuo were the main event for us. The boat selected for us was comfortable with a great lunch. But of course the star of the show was the scenery. She was a great photographer and guide as we cruised the river. It was a pretty hot day in April, and she let us know when we should be on the top deck and when we could take a break to cool off in the cabin. She knew where to stop in Yangshuo for us to do some shopping. Saw some amazing craftsmen in town, and grateful for Lily and the experience. Thank you Lily!

Although our father had limited mobility, Chase and our driver were very kind and ensured that he still had opportunities to enjoy the beautiful scenery with us, organised transport to and from venues, and was also considerate in ensuring that he was comfortable whilst waiting for some of us to finish hiking. Chase also kindly gave recommendations for activities to complement our trip, including learning Chinese painting, and joining the local Guilin Toastmasters meeting, which was a great way to share ideas and learn from local people as well as an opportunity to practice my Mandarin. Special thanks again to the China Highlights team, including Leeky, our Guilin tour guide Chase, and our driver, for carefully tailoring our trip schedule according to our interests. As always, they were very considerate of all our needs and flexible depending on the situation to ensure that we all enjoyed a good time together. The small group nature of China Highlights tours led by an expert local guide meant that we could enjoy a more in-depth and personalised experience. We would highly recommend China Highlights to anyone considering a future trip to China!

April 2025 is my third visit to mainland China and just like my first two visits in 2019 and 2024, it was China Highlights who help me organize everything. We arrived in Guilin at around 2AM on April 21 and Chase was already there at the airport waiting for my mother and I. Chase grew up in Guangxi so he pretty much knows a lot about Guilin and Yangshuo’s history. His English is okay, and he was warm and hospitable towards us. My mother is 82-years old so Chase pulled out all stops to assist her in walking and ensuring her comfort all throughout the tour.

We had a rather short stay in Guilin, but we enjoyed it a lot, thanks to our guide Henry. We visited the Longji rice terraces and then the next day we had the Li river cruise to Yangshuo. Henry provided us with lots of info and also fun facts, according to our interests, so the whole family enjoyed both experiences. He also taught us to play Mahjong, which was so much fun! The kids enjoyed it a lot! We also appreciated Henry's advice and recommendations for our free time activities, and his determination to help us enjoy our time in Guilin at the fullest. I highly recommend him and this tour!