Guilin

Guilin is one of the most picturesque destinations in China. The landscape and iconic Karst mountains paired with dense, verdant foliage provide a sense of exploration which is few and far between. The views on the Li river are stunning and have inspired generations. So much so that a scene is printed on the 20RMB note.

Guilin is a city located in Guangxi province. When people visit “Guilin” they typically mean a large area stretching more than 88 kilometers between Guilin and Yangshuo. This area becomes even larger when you add the LongJi Rice Terraces which lie 97 kilometers north of Guilin and 160 kilometers north of Yangshuo.

The attractions which draw visitors from all over China to this area of Guangxi are spread out between Longji Rice Terraces, Guilin City and Yangshuo. Most tourists will arrive by airplane or train close to Guilin City. For my visit, I arrived by plane and then took a long distance taxi directly to Yangshuo.

Yangshuo is a bustling small town with plenty of shops, restaurants and hotels of all price ranges. There is a great downtown walking area which has everything you need for a nice evening after visiting the main natural attractions.

I stayed at a hotel which was about a fifteen minute walk from the downtown area on 神山路. There are tons of restaurants and convenience shops along the way. I would recommend searching for hotels or guesthouses which also offer ebike or motorcycle rental, a message to the hotel can verify this. You won’t be able to visit all of the attractions on ebikes but they are great for venturing in the surrounding areas which are ripe for exploration. You are able to ride on paths paved through fields and progressively smaller towns. It is highly recommended to spend at least one day exploring like this.

 

There are a few popular attractions easily accessible from Yangshuo. The first is the Li River Cruise. After floating for some time down the river, enjoying dense bamboo forests and the mountains which appear on the 20rmb note. You get off at an area where there are some small vendors. From here you are able to head back to where you started the cruise via bus or you can buy tickets for the ferry which will shuttle you over to the other side of the river. You are then able to hire transportation to take you up to Xianggong Mountain which is an epic and iconic view of the river and mountains. We hired a driver, who happened to be waiting on the other side, to take us up the mountain to the ticket office where you can purchase a ticket for the lookout point.

This is the view from the top.

The Yulong river is another popular destination for calm rafting. Floating on the rivers, biking and hiking are the best way to see the rural landscape in this area of Guangxi. We explored this area on an ebike which we rented from our guesthouse. There are many hotels, hostels and guesthouses which have them available to rent or you could search for one of the many shops which also rent ebikes (组电瓶车). This was a pleasant way to explore as we visited the river and explored the area around XingLongZhai (兴隆寨).

 

There is another popular lookout point in Yangshuo which is lesser known but worth mentioning as it offers a spectacular view. It is called  Laozhai Mountain (老寨山) and can be found near Xingping Village (兴坪古镇). It should be noted that this is a steep hike with a 300m ascent and over 1,100 steps. There are some portions which can be tricky without proper footwear, narrow passages and a vertical stair climb. The best views are also found by climbing rocks from the friendship pavilion but the views are worth it. I located two additional articles if you would like more information here and here as the start of the hike can be difficult to find. In my opinion, it is one of the best lookout points in Yangshuo and perfect for the sunset. However, don’t stay too long after the sunset as the hike down WILL be tricky in the dark.

Longji Rice Terraces

Now, I want to pivot over to the Longji Rice Terraces. The area is actually quite large and I can only speak on one town in particular. Longji Rice Terraces are actually fairly rural and remote. You are able to take a bus from Guilin or Yangshuo bus station or hire a car to take you there. The journey took about two hours from Yangshuo.

The bus we took was to Jinkeng (Dazhai) village. This area is a development project by the local government. I am sure it will suffice for your stay and be full of amenities but I would like to recommend another village: Ping’an (平安镇). We got off the bus at the base of the mountain road leading up to Ping’an where we arranged a driver from the guesthouse to pick us up.

This is what the village looks like…

Here is a shot of the rice terraces which are easily accessed by several paths from the village…

Ping’an is a very small village located high up in the rice terraces. It was about a twenty minute drive from the main road up the mountain to the parking lot below the village. We were lucky that the owner of the guesthouse was more than willing to give us a ride to and from the main road (for a small fee of course). From the parking lot you will still need to walk for about five minutes before you even reach the village. Then, it all depends where you are staying.I can recommend InYue Holiday Hotel.

The village is quite unique as it is built into the side of the mountain and is navigated entirely by walking paths. Due to the change in elevation, there are many staircases and paths winding up the side of the mountain. The houses are made of rich colored lumber and provide a wonderful aesthetic paired with the green rice terraces. 

I can’t recommend this village enough and it is one of my most favorite places in China. The atmosphere is extremely calm and serene. The mountain air is unbelievably fresh and on a cloudless night the sky is filled with stars like I have never seen in China. There is not much to do in the town and fortunately it was quite empty during my visit in July 2021. That being said, we were able to find a bar with a pool table (who knows how they got it up there!) and the karaoke was all to ourselves. Otherwise, you are able to wander the town, hike through the rice terraces which are completely open to explore at your leisure and there is a look out point located above the town which has an awesome view of the terraces and mountains.