Southwest China
Yangshuo holds the single most photographed karst peak in China, and the landscape around it is the most dramatic in the country. The bamboo raft on the Li River is the single image most visitors carry home.
The case for going
From a quiet upstream mooring to the Xingping bend, with no engine.
At 8am, before the coaches. Two hours on foot through the grove.
Stone lanes and a night market, best after the day groups leave.
The crescent-moon viewpoint over the Yulong River valley.
The limestone cave system with lit stalactites — the one indoor attraction that earns its entry fee.
Terraced tea country on the road back to Guilin.
Practical
Subtropical monsoon. Mild in spring and autumn, hot and rainy in summer, cool and misty in winter.
Guilin Liangjiang (KWL) is 45 to 60 minutes from Yangshuo by car. High-speed rail from Guangzhou takes about 2 hours 30 minutes, from Shanghai about 5 hours.
Airport. Guilin Liangjiang International Airport (KWL)
Rail. Guilin North is the main station, about 1 hour 20 minutes from Yangshuo by car.
In pictures
Questions travellers ask
Two to three: the Li River raft to Xingping, the Yulong river country by bike, and one lazy town day. Most routes give it two nights after the Guilin transfer.
Riverside east of town for the karst views and the quiet, or in the old town for the restaurants and the night market. Both are minutes from the Xingping road.
Fly into Guilin (KWL) and transfer 90 minutes by car, or arrive on the Guilin–Yangshuo rail link. The bamboo raft from Xingping is the classic arrival of all.
It is the reason the grand route bends south. The karst country around the Li River is one of the most recognisable landscapes on earth and the slow-water version of it is unique.
Routes through here
Southwest China
4days
The most photogenic short route in China, and the one that works hardest for it. Four days is enough if you are willing to start early every morning — the karst landscape is at its best in the first two hours of daylight and in the mist after rain.
From US$1,050per person
Combine it with
Where to eat
Where to stay
The Peak · Luxury
A disused sugar mill on the Li River bank, turned into a design hotel with a clifftop infinity pool. The most photographed address in Yangshuo.
From US$220 per night
Valid to 2026-10-31
Independent · Luxury
Villas scattered across the karst hills above Yima village, with twenty-four-hour butler service and the best night sky in Guangxi.
From US$620 per night
Valid to 2026-10-31
