A Spontaneous Trip: Guilin and Yangshuo, 3 Nights 2 Days Independent Tour

Day 1: Shanghai Pudong International Airport - Guilin Liangjiang Airport, Check-in Hotel

Day 2: Elephant Trunk Hill - Guilin Bus Station - Yangshuo West Street - Yulong River Rafting - Ten-Li Gallery - Big Banyan Tree

Day 3: Ten-Li Gallery - Moon Hill - Yangshuo Ruyi Peak

Day 4: Yangshuo Bus Station - Guilin Liangjiang Airport

Guilin's landscapes are the best under heaven, and Yangshuo's are the best within Guilin. My husband was finishing a business trip there, so we planned to take our child and spend the weekend together. My biggest worry was the weather; every day I checked, it showed continuous rain. We prepared for the worst: if the weather didn't cooperate, we'd just soak in the hotel bathtub and not go out. We packed umbrellas and raincoats and got ready to go.

Tip 1: Check the weather in advance and make corresponding preparations.

From Shanghai to Guilin Liangjiang Airport, I'm not sure if it's because of the pandemic, but the only flights were from Pudong Airport. If I took the subway from Minhang, it would take two hours. I hesitated, and the 1:00 PM tickets were already sold out, so I had to book a flight around 3:00 PM. Prompted by a friend, I found out there was an airport bus, but there was no exact departure time. After some trouble, I found the phone number and confirmed the schedule.

Tip 2: The easiest way to check airport bus info is to follow the "Airport Bus" WeChat official account. It has details and contact numbers for each route and also allows ticket booking.

Pudong Airport is quite large, so I suggest allowing plenty of travel time.

We arrived on time. The hotel my husband booked had an airport pickup service. It took another hour from Liangjiang Airport to downtown Guilin. I felt like we spent most of Friday on the road o(╥﹏╥)o

The driver recommended Liu Boniang Rice Noodles, a local long-established brand. There happened to be a branch right at the hotel entrance, so we excitedly went to eat. We ordered a small serving of stir-fried rice noodles (spicy), sour-spicy rice noodles (spicy), and signature rice noodles (not spicy). All were super delicious and cost only 24 yuan total—a true bargain. I still savor the memory.

Downtown Guilin is filled with greenery and various karst caves. We stayed at the Guilin Zizhou Four Seasons Resort Hotel, located inside Zizhou Park, with attractions within a 2-kilometer radius.

A three-minute walk from the hotel lobby took us to Elephant Trunk Hill. We took a few photos, but considering the limited time, we decided to head to Yangshuo.

The hotel itself is within the Zizhou scenic area and is also very beautiful. After the rain, it was misty and had a unique charm.

To get from downtown Guilin to Yangshuo, you can take a train from Guilin North Station, Guilin Station, or Guilin West Station (about 30 minutes), or a long-distance bus (about 90 minutes). Both options can be checked on Ctrip.

In fact, there is a direct express bus from Guilin Liangjiang Airport to Yangshuo along the highway. If time is limited and you don't want to explore Guilin city, you can take the bus directly to Yangshuo. But make sure to plan your time well!

We arrived at Yangshuo Bus Station (small), took a taxi to the hotel, and dropped off our luggage. Yangshuo is full of guesthouses—some near Yulong River Scenic Area, some in Yangshuo County town, and some in Xingping Ancient Town. Since we planned to go bamboo rafting on Yulong River and visit Ten-Li Gallery, we chose to stay on West Street. There we could rent e-bikes and the area had better amenities.

There are three ways to experience the Yulong River: walking, cycling, or rafting (about 15 km total). Floating on a bamboo raft on the Yulong River with picturesque landscapes on both sides is extremely enjoyable. The full rafting trip takes 4–5 hours and is usually divided into an upper and lower section. Docks include Jinlong Bridge, Yulong Bridge, Jiuxian, Jima, Shui'edi, Gongnong Bridge, and Wanjing. If you choose the upper section (Jinlong Bridge to Jiuxian), it takes about 1.5 hours, passing Yulong Bridge and Rhinoceros Pool. The lower section (Chaoyang/Jima to Gongnong Bridge) is mostly taken by tour groups.

Since we arrived at the hotel around noon, the driver aunt suggested the best plan: take the upper-section bamboo raft (the Jinlong Bridge to Jiuxian route mentioned in many online guides), get off at Jiuxian, rent a bike to ride along Ten-Li Gallery, and then return to the Yangshuo Park bike return point near West Street.

We took a taxi to Jinlong Bridge Dock and bought two adult tickets on Ctrip. Attention: When buying tickets, be sure to select the correct rafting section. We were three people—two adults and one child. The child was over 1.2 meters tall and needed an adult ticket, which was a bit of a rip-off. So my husband gave up rafting and walked along the bank while our child and I took the raft. The rafter kept directing my husband on where to stand on the bank to take photos for us. Sitting on the raft, it felt slow, but my husband was running from spot to spot downhill to capture pictures. We ended up with some rare videos, because usually there's no one following along the entire route on the bank, haha.

Floating on the Yulong River, it's perfectly described as "Riding a boat on the blue waves, roaming in a painting." Thank goodness it didn't rain. There was a slight mist. The rafter said that during peak season, people have to wait hours to get on a raft. Now it's the pandemic season plus the rainy season, so there were very few people. It was peaceful, with only the calls of birds echoing.

At one dividing line, there is a downhill drop that splashes a lot of water. At that moment, I composed a poem: "Beautiful mountains and clear waters, but my bottom gets soaked." Your pants really do get wet, but in summer, water fights would be fun.

The rafter said they only earn a few dozen yuan for this trip. It's the off-season, so business is slow. Indeed, there were many more rafts parked on the shore than tourists. Halfway, the rafter suggested my husband get on and sit for a while since he had walked so far. How nice! So we said we would send him a red envelope when we got off. Everyone was happy throughout.

Thank you to this photographer who ran along the bank to catch good shots. After getting off, we sent the rafter a 50 yuan WeChat red envelope. Everyone was delighted.

At the Jiuxian dock, there were e-bikes for rent: 50 yuan rental, 200 yuan deposit, refunded upon return. The batteries were strong—no worries about running out.

Tip 3: Local vendors along the street sell tickets for various attractions at much cheaper prices than online, and prices are negotiable.

We hopped on an e-bike and headed to Ten-Li Gallery!

Tip 4: Even in March, midday can be quite hot even without strong sun. You can totally wear a pretty dress and take photos!

Ten-Li Gallery is a scenic section along National Highway 321 south of Yangshuo. Mountains line both sides of the road, forming a picturesque path. It's actually only 5 kilometers total, so an e-bike can easily go back and forth.

The first attraction is Totem Ancient Path, which displays the ruggedness of primitive tribes. It was closed, so we didn't see it.

The second is Tiansui Butterfly Spring. The gate has a distinctive large butterfly shape—good for a photo. Inside there's a cave and a folk performance.

The third is Gongnong Bridge, where you can watch Yulong River bamboo rafts and take pictures of the rafts.

The fourth is the Big Banyan Tree, a highlight of this area. Many scenes from the movie "Liu Sanjie" were filmed here.

Further along, you can see Moon Hill, located at the end of Ten-Li Gallery. It has a natural rock arch that, from a distance, looks like a high moon hanging in the sky. You can ride all the way to the end and return, or turn back midway.

We got off at Jiuxian around 2:00 PM and weren't quite sure of the cycling route, so we headed toward the Big Banyan Tree. Along the way, vendors on e-bikes followed us, selling tickets for various attractions. Choose according to your preferences.

Along the road, there were large fields of rapeseed flowers, not yet fully bloomed, but still beautiful.

After cycling for over an hour, we reached the Big Banyan Tree, guided by a ticket-selling aunt. It cost 20 yuan per person. She went into the scenic spot with us and even took our photos.

The Big Banyan Tree is 1,500 years old, said to have been planted in the Sui Dynasty—a millennium-old tree as old as Yangshuo County itself. Locals call it a "sacred tree" and often burn incense and pray under it. The crown is round, looking like a giant green umbrella from afar; up close, its roots are tangled and leaves are lush. The scene in "Liu Sanjie" where Liu Sanjie and A Niu throw an embroidered ball and tie the knot under the big banyan tree was filmed here.

Inside the Big Banyan Tree scenic area, there are also bamboo rafts, but they just cross to the foot of a mountain on the opposite bank. After getting off, an old lady rents out ethnic costumes for 10 yuan per set, any style. Among all the attractions, this was the most reasonably priced.

We came out of the Big Banyan Tree and cycled back to the bike return point at Yangshuo Park, near West Street. Expecting high prices on the pedestrian street, we ate at a restaurant opposite the park—a decision we deeply regretted. The owner was very cold, the bamboo tube rice was just plain white rice served in a cold bamboo tube (authentic bamboo tube rice is roasted over fire), the tofu tasted slightly sour, and the beggar's chicken was so tough it was hard to chew. We spent over 140 yuan and felt very unsatisfied.

Later, we learned that the Master Chef Beer Fish, available everywhere on Yangshuo streets, is not expensive (more on that later), and things on the pedestrian street are not as overpriced as imagined.

After dinner, we strolled along West Street. Again, Master Chef Beer Fish restaurants were everywhere. Based on experience, we thought scenic-area-promoted food would be both pricey and bad, but we were totally wrong.

Besides beer fish, there were bars—quiet bars, lively bars—all sorts. Since we had a child, we didn't stop.

There were also many shops selling Hanfu (traditional Chinese clothing), even cheaper than what I saw online, and of good quality.

On the streets, we saw many people selling mangoes. Locals said the mangoes are from other regions. We bought one golden mango, very tasty, at 8 yuan per jin (0.5 kg).

Kumquats are a local specialty: 5 yuan for a large bowl (about 3 jin). I bought four bowls to bring back to Shanghai, where they cost over 10 yuan per jin. Ha ha.

We stayed at Yangshuo Yi'ou Tea House Hotel. The owner was very nice, with good service, and the bedding was comfortable. Initially, we stayed on the top floor, but at 6 AM we were woken up by the sound of an engine that lasted until after 7 AM. We guessed it was the air conditioner compressor from the neighboring guesthouse.

We switched to a room on the third floor, but the bathtub leaked badly and couldn't hold water. Finally, we changed to another room next door. It was quite a hassle.

We took a bath and went to bed at 10 PM to recharge for the next day.

The next day, we had a free breakfast at the hotel: three bowls of rice noodles, plus fried eggs and sweet potatoes.

In the off-season, West Street was especially quiet in the morning, a stark contrast to the lively nightlife.

We walked from the hotel through West Street to the Li River. The water was clear but swift.

We walked to Yangshuo Park and rented an e-bike to explore the remaining part of Ten-Li Gallery.

First, we arrived at Gongnong Bridge, the downstream end of Yulong River rafting. Bamboo rafts were being brought to shore and neatly stacked onto large trucks by a special conveyor, then shipped upstream. That was interesting to see.

Then we saw Moon Hill, a natural wonder: a round hole in the mountain resembling a moon. You don't need to buy a ticket; you can view it from across the road.

Along the way, we encountered ladies on e-bikes selling tickets for various attractions. They were indeed much cheaper than online.

Along Ten-Li Gallery, we also passed Julong Tan (a cave). Since we had been to caves elsewhere and didn't like the stuffy feeling, we skipped it. We planned to go to Ruyi Peak, where we could both enjoy the scenery and hike.

While cycling toward Ruyi Peak, we randomly met an old lady who invited us to her restaurant for a meal and offered cheap tickets. So we stopped there.

Bamboo tube chicken: chicken soup served in a bamboo tube, cooked over fire, with goji berries—extremely delicious. Three people couldn't finish it. Bamboo tube rice: sticky and fragrant. Wild mountain bamboo shoots: very tender and flavorful. In short, we had a great meal and also bought discounted tickets.

Guilin Yangshuo Ruyi Peak Scenic Area aims to create Guilin's first mountaintop aerial park. It features a cable car, suspension bridge, glass walkway, forest stroll, and Ruyi Cloud Top, allowing visitors to overlook the peak forest, traverse the forest, and enjoy the "Sky City" and "New Guilin Peak Views."

Children over 1.2 meters need a half-price ticket—130 yuan.

First, we took the cable car up the mountain. The cable car line is 1,728 meters long with a relative height difference of 242 meters.

Then we walked across the suspension bridge. As seen in photos, there are still many mountain paths to walk. I suggest judging according to your physical condition whether to visit this attraction.

Next was Ruyi Cloud Top and other creative landscapes. By 2 PM, it was extremely hot. I thought it would be cooler higher up, but everyone was sweating profusely at the summit.

To go on the glass walkway, we had to rent cloth shoe covers for 5 yuan per pair. It wasn't very high, so not too scary.

There were many steps going up and down the mountain; our legs were trembling.

There were two sections of glass walkway, a pleasant surprise. The first section wasn't very high. After returning the shoe covers and walking some mountain paths, we encountered another glass walkway along the mountain, which looked a bit steep.

The entire tour of Ruyi Peak took about two hours. We descended by cable car.

We cycled back to West Street and returned the e-bike at Yangshuo Park. This was our last night in Yangshuo. We couldn't resist the temptation of Master Chef Beer Fish. We bought a 99 yuan group meal on an app. No wonder other restaurants were empty—they can't compete with Master Chef Beer Fish's value for money. They not only have large premises, beautiful environment, and warm service, but the food is also delicious with generous portions. While eating, there was a live singer; you could request songs or sing yourself for 30 yuan each.

The kitchen was large with many workers, so food was served quickly.

Pretty photos taken against the decorative wall in the hotel.

The big tree at the hotel entrance.

And with that, the Guilin and Yangshuo trip came to a perfect end.

We took a taxi from the hotel to Yangshuo Bus Station and then a bus to Guilin Liangjiang Airport.

Tip 5: Check the bus departure times in advance and bring food, because Guilin Airport is small with few dining options. Our flight happened to be delayed, so we bought instant noodles—15 yuan per cup.

Happy times are always short. Farewell, Yangshuo. Looking forward to the next meeting!