5 Days Best Guilin In-depth Vacation (Li River, Yangshuo & Longji Terraces)
Guilin - Longji - Guilin - Yangshuo
Guilin - Longji - Guilin - Yangshuo
Encounter with your own Guilin landscape in this 5-day vacation!
This is the in-depth way to travel Guilin. Guilin City, Yangshuo Town and Longji Terraces, the three most popular tourist destinations boasting the best highlights of Guilin are covered and arranged to the point. During this tour, you will start your vacation from Guilin to the charming Longji Rice Terraces in Longsheng County to enjoy the nature created lines and colors. After the close-up with mountains and fresh wheat, continue your natural discovery by the relaxing cruise experience along Li River directly to Yangshuo, then feast your eyes and heart with the verdant countryside landscape of Yulong River, Ten-mile Gallery, and jubilant West Street.
Day 1 Guilin Arrival
Pick up at Guilin - Elephant Trunk Hill - Reed Flute Cave
Welcome to Guilin, the most scenic city in China! Upon your arrival, be met by your local guide and escorted to your hotel in Guilin downtown.
You will start your Guilin tour after a break. Firstly make a visit to the symbol of Guilin landscape - Elephant Trunk Hill. A giant rock hill vividly shapes like an elephant which is drinking water. Besides, there are many historical sites here for you to explore, such as stone carving, Buddhist temple, relic exhibition, etc. Then, drive about 7 kilometers (about 20 minutes' drive) to the next attraction - Reed Flute Cave, a majestic underground palace with sparkling different colors. The magical Mother Nature condenses millions years of natural efforts to form the incredible stalactite, stalagmite, stone shield and stone waterfall of different sizes and shapes.
After the tour, be transferred to your hotel.
Evening Ideas: In the evening, if you want, you can to take a leisure walk around the famous city water system - Two Rivers and Four Lakes for the amazing night views.
Arrival Ideals: At present, there are many international and domestic flights to Guilin. Besides, you can take a high speed train to Guilin from Guiyang (about 2.5 hours), Guangzhou (about 3 hours), Changsha (about 3.5 hours), etc.
Marina's Family Visited Elephant Trunk Hill in September, 2019
Day 2 Guilin to Longsheng (B, L)
Huangluo Yao Village - Ping'an Village (Seven Stars with Moon, Nine Dragons & Five Tigers)
In this morning, you will be driven about 80km (about 1.5 hours) to witness one of the most beautiful rice terraces in China - Longji Rice Terrace, an amazing feat of farm engineering rising up to 1000m high in Longsheng County. There are several featured Zhuang and Yao minority villages along the road and you will take a visit to the special Huangluo Yao Village, the "First Village of Long Hair in the World", where you can see women in red ethnic clothes with very long hairs (the longest can reach up to 1.7 meters).
Later, continue your drive to a beautiful 600-year-old Zhuang Village - Pingan and check in your hotel located near the rice terraces. After some rest, start to explore the breathtaking views. The rice terrace is layer upon layer, like the changing ladder created by nature leading to the blue sky, forming a majestic painting between heaven and earth. From Pingan, you can hike on the cobbled paths built among terraces to catch the best landscape. Climb up to the great lookouts at Seven Stars with Moon and Nine Dragons and Five Tigers from which you can get superlative views of terraces and villages. Hike half day around, then back to Pingan for dinner and accommodation.
Different seasons will show you the different views. From mid-April to Mid-June, local people will release water into the terraced fields. Patches of patches watery terraced fields will reflect its beauty in the sun shine. While during mid-June to mid-September, the glossy and green rice terraces wave with summer breeze, and you can also see the curves of the terraced fields. The months from late September to early October are the mature time of the rice when the whole terraced fields will become golden and local farmers will start to harvest.
Good to Know:
1. Weather: The temperatures of Longsheng are normally lower 2℃ to 3℃ than Guilin City (28.3℃ in July and 7.9℃ in January), while the mountain tops temperature is lower than the mountain foot, so please take some warm clothes with you.
2. Walking: When arriving at Pingan Village, you can only be dropped at Pingan Village Tourist Center parking lot that you need to walk about 900 steps to your hotel. Comfortable shoes are highly recommended!
3. Luggage carrying: For the aged or travelers who are lack of physical strength, you'd better hire a local porter to help carry your heavy luggage to the hotel (pay extra expense on your own).
Day 3 Longsheng to Guilin (B, L)
Hiking from Ping'an via Zhongliu to Dazhai - Jinkeng Village
When walking up in the fresh air of peaceful morning, you may forget where you are. You can go to watch the magnificent sunrise over the beautiful rice terraces at a great location. Then get back to hotel for breakfast.
After breakfast, you will enjoy an in-depth hiking tour led by your guide from Pingan to Zhongliu and Dazhai (located in Jinkeng Yao Rice Terraces). The walk from Pingan to Zhongliu takes about 2 hours, as well as another 2 hours from Zhongliu to Dazhai. You will indulge in the most invigorating walk offering the most spine-tingling views - sparkling layers of waterlogged terraced fields tenaciously climbing the hillsides, bubbling stream, local farmers working in the fields and primitive minority villages. It is surely worth your time and effort!
Jinkeng Rice Terraces, is composed of five small villages of Red Yao People, with Dazhai Village on the mountain foot, Zhuangjie Village on the mountain side and Tiantou Village on the mountain top. The shape of Jinkeng Terraces is like a natural formed pit. With less commercial element but majestic scenery is the reason why Jinkeng Terraces is the most popular sites for hikers and photographers. Most of the gorgeous photos of Longsheng Rice Terraces published are shot here. The spot has three viewpoints which form a triangle.
After the tour, transfer back to Guilin for accommodation.
Useful Tips:
1. Most of the roads in the scenic spot are stone trails, so high-heeled shoes are not advisable. Following the stone trails to prevent getting lost the way.
2. Jinkeng Rice Terrace has three main sites - West Hill Music, Thousand-layer Terraces and Golden Buddha Peak and if you want to explore deeply, you can use cableway up to Golden Buddha Peak for the magnificent and panoramic view of the terrace. Please discuss with your guide based on the real situation.
Day 4 Guilin, Li River Cruise to Yangshuo (B, L)
Li River Cruise - Yangshuo Countryside View - West Street
As the declaration in Chinese textbook "Guilin’s landscape is the best under heaven", today you will explore this best landscape starting with a relaxing sightseeing cruise along the Li River from Mopanshan Pier to Yangshuo Town. Along the 84-kilometer cruise, dazzling scenery overwhelms your eyes like a vast endless Chinese painting of winding river, green limestone karst mountains, fascinating countryside views, amazing scene of A Painting of Nine Horses, and notable view printed on the back of the 20 RMB note. (Please note: Lunch is served by the cruise with simple local Chinese cuisine. And you can take some snacks when getting on board.)
After about 4 hours’ cruise, disembark in Yangshuo Town, and check in your hotel. Take a short break, and then throw yourself into the stunning countryside views and relaxed atmosphere. Be enthralled by the patches of paddy fields nestling under green hills and near the mirror-like river, with farmers cultivating the soil with their water buffalos.
After that, walk leisurely on the ancient West Street to witness how the western culture and Chinese culture perfectly and peacefully coexist here. Whether you want to enjoy a cup of drink in bar, taste some local food, or just experience the relaxing atmosphere, you get it here.
Optional afternoon activities:
1. Join the interesting Chinese Cooking Class (15:00-18:00) to learn about Chinese dishes and cook your special dinner with the help of English-speaking chef. 2. Discover more about Chinese culture by joining our calligraphy class / Taichi class.
Optional evening activity:
Watch the splendid evening performance of Impression Liu Sanjie with the Li River itself as the stage, which was directed by famous director - Zhang Yimou (usually performs for an hour between around 19:45 and 22:20).
Day 5 Yangshuo & Guilin Departure (B, L)
Yulong River Sightseeing & Outdoor Activities - Flight / Train off Guilin
This morning, after breakfast, start your impressive exploration of the best charming sightseeing and ideal countryside ease at Yulong River. Let all the refreshing scenes please your eyes and souls to the utmost. Just enjoy every moment to close up to the Karst hills dotted around, chatting stream, rippling mountain reflection, swaying floras, patches of vivid crops, old dwellings on the riverside, comfortable breeze, clear azure sky... There are diverse kinds of ways for your enjoyment of the fun and beauty, including biking, hiking, bamboo rafting and scooter. You can easily choose and combine your ideal way(s) and part of Yulong River. (Please tell your likes to your travel consultants before booking the tour, as the final prices will differ by activities you choose.).
Biking (some physically demanding & sightseeing by the river) - Ride to enjoy the river view, the real fields, the antique houses and hundreds-year-old stone bridge (route: Yangshuo - Jima - Jiuxian Village - Shuiedi Dock - Gongnong Bridge - West Street; for 3 hours). During the tour, pay a visit of a local family near Chaoyang to have a short break and see their living environment and farming tools of local peasants.
Bamboo Rafting (relaxing and interesting & sightseeing on the river) - have fun with the classic bamboo rafting (Route A: Shuiedi Dock - Gongnong Bridge for 40-50 minutes; Route B: Jima Dock - Gongnong Bridge for 1.5 hours) to see the more serene view like pieces of traditional Chinese landscape ink paintings.
Driving (most leisurable and comfortable & sightseeing on the road) - sit leisurely in the car from Jima to Gongnong Bridge to appreciate the lovely countryside view (about 0.5 hour). You can get off and on anywhere on the middle way to explore more about your interested place.
After the visiting, be transferred to Guilin to catch your flight / train to next destination. (Note: arrange your flight or train in late afternoon or early evening.)
Note: according to the regulations of Yulong River Tourism, children less than 1 meter high and elders over 70 years old are not allowed to take the bamboo rafting.
1. This price is for one person, based on a group of 2 adults sharing one standard double-bed room in a 4-star hotel and traveling with our private tour in low seasons.
2. This price is subject to change according your traveling season, group size, hotel class, change of activities in your itinerary and possible fluctuation of currency exchange rate. If you want a lower price, you can get more people to join you, or use economy class hotels.
3. This price is only valid to March 31, 2025.
4. Reference exchange rate of USD 1=RMB 6.85. The final quote is based on current exchange rate. It may change according to the currency fluctuation, while the RMB quotation will be remained the same.
Hi Mr Wang,
Thanks! I had a weekend away to Xi’an, China to celebrate my birthday. It was an exciting weekend and it was certainly something off the beaten trail for most of my friends. The itinerary you have suggested provided good coverage of the city’s rich history. From the fascinating Terracotta Army to the City Walls to the sacred Mount Hua, to the Muslim Quarter to the Drum & Bell Towers, there’s an interesting story from every historical era in Xi’an. I managed to hike up Mount Hua from North Peak to West Peak, but I didn’t get to do the dangerous plank walk as it was closed.
The hotel Eastern House was very accessible too with food places within steps and its proximity to the Drum Tower is a plus. The room was very clean and comfortable.
At this point, I have to quickly mention our amazing tour guide Betty Jiao Yan who was assigned to us as part of our private tour package. She made our time feel so very special and I wonder if Xi'an would have been as awesome without her. She had such a positive and caring nature and when we had to say goodbye, we felt very sad. It was strange to miss a guide after only knowing her for 5 days! Luckily we still keep in touch on WeChat. Our driver Mr Ma was very polite, punctual and accommodating, making our travel a pleasant experience
Anne
Hi Jack,
Thanks. The Harbin and Snow Town trip was excellent and very enjoyable. We are now in Japan skiing, and will send our feedback upon our return on 31st Jan.
Best wishes
Leong
Hi Rita,
From my end, everything is remarkable! Jane is amazing! She really make us feel welcome.
All the hotels were amazing too! My parents also very impressed.
I will definitely reaching out again, next time when I visit China. There’s many more places I want to visit.
Best regards,
Jefry
Dear Rita,
We are home. Thanks for arranging this nice trip. Everything worked out nicely except the smoking room problem in Chengde.
Thanks again.
John
Hi Rita,
In response to your enquiries, we had a wonderful experience with the tour arrangements in both Guilin and Yangshuo. Both the tour guide and driver were very professional and handled the arrangements well.
I am surely recommending any friends or relatives who are interested in travelling to China in future to use China Discovery. Also, will be looking at other destinations for ourselves too.
Thanks once again for the wonderful experience.
Kwan
We are one of the few China travel agencies who have kept active and received lots of feedbacks and reviews during pandemic years
"Highest Standards of Quality and Honesty" is the core value of each specialized team at China Discovery.
Eveyone in our company is working hard for only one goal, which is to ensure the highest level of service, luxury, and attention to detail from the minute you begin planning your trip, to the day you return home.
Our travel consultants are professional, experienced and responsible, helping you from the very beginning to the end of your China trip!
After sending us an inquiry, one of our travel consultants will get back to you within 0.5~23.5 hrs. In the next few days, he/she will be working closely with you to formulate a customized tour plan, as well as providing professional suggestions based on your travel interests, time, and budget.
Beside, he/she will keep in contact with you during your entire tour in China, continually checking if everything is going well as planned.
We're working at Chengdu Bamboo International Tours, local based in Chengdu.
Our local guide in every destination is not only very friendly, enthusiastic but also very informative and knowledgeable.
Once you arrive in the destination, the patient and punctual guides will pick you up and take you to get under skin of the city at your own pace. By in-depth discovery and explanation, they’ll show you more about the history, culture, customs and authentic local life. Throughout the journey, they're not only expert guides who take care of all the details but also fellow travelers who are dedicated to help you explore in comfort and style.
Our guides are passionate about what they do, and it shows all the way!
Using our private transfer service makes you comfortable, relaxed and worry free all the way!
Our private service includes licensed drivers with many years’ driving experience and air-conditioned, non-smoking, clean and well-maintained cars/vans. Drivers are local, polite, friendly and helpful, taking you to your tourist sites, hotels, airport/train stations in safety. All kinds of vehicle are offered, and yours depends on the size of your group. Usually, we offer sedan cars, SUVs, business vans (MPV) and different types of buses, all with extra space for your luggage.
Our private transfer service guarantees you the highest comfort!
In each destination, you’ll enjoy a comfortable stay in a great location!
The hotels we choose are based on star rating, great locations, well-equipped facilities, cozy bed, high quality service and guests’ feedbacks. Choices are a lot ranging from luxury 5 star, comfortable 4 star to budget 3 star. You could decide where to stay to best suit for your budget and likes. Generally, the hotels have both Western and Chinese breakfast with a wide choices.
If you have already got an ideal hotel, please feel free to tell our travel consultants and they'll book the hotel for you.
Have good sleep in our well-selected hotels in all the destinations of China.
We can satisfy all the dietary requirements no matter you want Chinese local food, western food, vegetarian food or muslin food.
The restaurants we will take you for lunch or dinner are all designated tourist restaurants approved by local tourist administration bureau. They have very good sanitary conditions and the food is prepared fresh and clean.
There will be some meals excluded in your itinerary as you like, and your private guide will be delighted to give you some suggestions and take you to the local restaurants to taste like Beijing Roast Duck, Xian Dumpling Dinner, Sichuan Hotpot, etc., if you are interested in local food tasting.
All the dining options will satisfy your stomach!
Marina's Family - Elephant Trunk Hill, Guilin
Two Rivers and Four Lakes, Guilin
Delma from Ireland - Reed Flute Cave, Guilin
Claire from UK - Longji Rice Terraces (Pingan, Seven Stars with Moon), Guilin
Santos from Canada - Longji Rice Terraces (Pingan, Nine Dragons and Five Tigers), Guilin
Wim's Group- Huangluo Yao Village, Longsheng, Guilin
Wim's Group - Longji Rice Terraces (Pingan, Nine Dragons and Five Tigers), Longsheng, Guilin
Steven - Longji Rice Terraces (Pingan, Nice Dragons and Five Tigers, Spring), Guilin
Dazhai Village (Jinkeng, Longji Rice Terraces), Longsheng, Guilin
Thousand-layer Terraces Golden View (Jinkeng, Longji Rice Terraces), Longsheng, Guilin
West Hill Music View (Jinkeng, Longji Rice Terraces), Longsheng, Guilin
Chona's Group from Philippines - Longji Rice Terraces (Jinkeng), Guilin
Delma from Ireland - Longji Rice Terraces, Guilin
Jenn's Family from USA - Longji Rice Terraces (Jinkeng, Golden Buddha Peak), Guilin
Claire from UK - 20 RMB Note View, Li River, Guilin
Wilfred's Group from Netherlandse - Impression Sanjie Liu, Yangshuo, Guilin
Claire from UK - Yangshuo, Guilin
Our Customer from USA - Cooking Class, West Street, Yangshuo, Guilin
Santos from Canada - Li River Cruise, Guilin
Gerhard's Group from Germany - West Street, Yangshuo, Guilin
Alexia and Bruno - Bamboo Rafting at Yulong River, Yangshuo, Guilin
Josh's Group from USA - Yulong River Cycling, Yangshuo, Guilin
Delma from Ireland - Yulong River, Yangshuo, Guilin
Gerhard from Germany - Yangshuo, Guilin
Jenn's Family from USA - Yulong River Scooting, Yangshuo, Guilin
Guilin as one of the top tourist destinations in China is well linked with other gateway cities and tourist places with flights, bullet trains, distance buses, etc. So far, you can get to Guilin Liangjiang International Airport by flight from Hong Kong (1.5 hours), Beijing (3 hours), Shanghai (3 hours), Xian (2 hours), Chengdu (1 hour & 40 minutes), Chongqing (1.5 hours), etc. Besides, there are fast high speed trains from Hong Kong (3 hours & 20 minutes), Guangzhou (2.5 hours), Chongqing (5 hours), Chengdu (7-7.5 hours), Guiyang (2-3 hours), Kunming (4.5 hours), Shenzhen (3.5 hours), Changsha (3.5 hours), Wuhan (5 hours), etc.
Yangshuo offers various hotels and hostels of different standards and levels. As an international tourist hot spot, almost accommodations provide great facilities and equipment for your comfortable stay in Yangshuo. You can find the international brand including Banyan Tree Yangshuo, and a series of top classed hotels like New West Street International Hotel, Grand Lotus Hotel, Elite Garden Hotel, etc. Also, there are some 4-star hotels like Yangshuo Jasper International Hotel, nice 3-star like New Century Hotel for your free choose. If you want to get closer to the peaceful natural countryside of Yangshuo, there are also some recommended boutique hotels and guesthouses such as Yangshuo Secret Garden Hotel, Yangshuo Tea Cozy, and so forth.
Guilin situated in southern China is a hot destination to explore its special Karst landscape view. It is suitable to visit all year round due its ever green plants and its warm temperature. April to October is the best time to appreciate the sightseeing of Guilin and Yangshuo. Spring (April-June) is best to enjoy the cozy weather and the vigorous scene of multiple flowers and the crops cultivated by local farmers. Autumn is also very good to enjoy the clear river view and clear sky. However, as it often rains, particularly during April to July, when you can see the misty beauty of the hills and water, you are advised to prepare your rain gears.
For biking: we suggest you wear comfortable and quick-drying clothes and trainers to enjoy a better biking experience and protect yourself from catching a cold after sweating. During summer time, it may be a little hot for biking for a long time, so you can tell how much time you want to bike along the Yulong River to your guide. Also, you are highly suggested to prepare your hat, sunglasses and sun cream for UV protection.
For bamboo rafting: bamboo rafting is a classic activity to enjoy the fun and beauty of Yulong River. However, one raft can only hold 2 people, and children more than 1 meter high are required to take the raft together with adults. Besides, as the raft is slippery, it is better to sit on your chair for the sightseeing and avoid standing or walking in case of falling into the river. Furthermore, it would arouse some waves when passing weirs, so remember to lift your feet and protect your belongings especially mobiles and cameras.
To explore the natural scenery and fun of Yangshuo, you will have many kinds of activities and ways to choose. We can take you to enjoy bamboo rafting at Yulong River, biking at any region in Yangshuo, hiking along Yulong River or other places, cultural experience of Chinese cooking, Taichi, and calligraphy classes, photographing, and so forth. Please feel free to tell us about your ideal activities, route, time, period, etc., to tailor make your special activity experience in Yangshuo.
We China Discovery have rich experience for providing Guilin tour arrangement and customization service for global visitors, and our professional travel expert will help sincerely to design your Guilin tour if you are interested to extend your Yangshuo tour with an exploration of Guilin City, or Longji Rice Terraces, Daxu Old Town, Huashan Rock Art, etc. We will show you the terrific sightseeing, culture, history and more highlights of Guilin and Guangxi.
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