Guilin Travel: Highly Recommended Guides, Quality Guides, Well-Reviewed Guides, Trustworthy Guides - Guide Chapter

Guilin and Yangshuo have many wonderful attractions: Guilin is rich in tourist resources, with attractions in the city itself such as Elephant Trunk Hill, Fubo Hill, Caidie Mountain, Two Rivers and Four Lakes, Jingjiang Prince City, East-West Alley, and more; in the outskirts there are Longji Rice Terraces, Gudong Waterfall, Guanyan Scenic Area, Daxu Ancient Town, etc.; of course, the landscapes of Yangshuo surpass those of Guilin, relying on the Li River (Yangdi, Nine Horses Fresco Hill, Yulong River), Xingping Ancient Town, Yangshuo West Street, Shangri-La, Ten-Mile Gallery, Moon Hill, Yulong River, and the Eternal Love of Guilin performance, among others.

I took my girlfriend to Guilin for a few days. We chose a 4-day quality tour with the local Guilin guide Da'age. We visited all the essential spots and they were breathtakingly beautiful! Our feeling was that the attractions in Guilin are too scattered; going on your own you might end up backtracking, which is a waste of time. Personally, I think for mature tourist destinations like Guilin, it's better to travel with companions and hire a guide. After all, the most important thing when traveling is relaxation and fun!

Step 1: Understand the distribution of attractions: Guilin's attractions are mainly distributed in three areas: Guilin, Yangshuo, and Longsheng, which are far apart. Route planning is very important!!! The essential attractions in Guilin include: Xingping Li River, Yulong River, Silver Cave, Yangshuo West Street, Elephant Trunk Hill, Xingping Ancient Town, Longji Rice Terraces, etc.

Step 2: Confirm travel time: Based on the planned travel time, confirm the attractions and routes. Generally, it is recommended to spend 4-5 days in Guilin to cover a comprehensive and relaxed itinerary. 2-3 days is mainly for Yangshuo, as its attractions are more concentrated. If you have limited holidays but convenient transportation, you can even come for a weekend: arrive on Friday night, play on Saturday and Sunday, and return on Sunday night. That is also very enjoyable.

Step 3: Choose travel mode: Group tour: joining a large tour group is not advisable because it's too restrictive with fixed times and checkpoints, so that is not considered. Self-driving: you need to book hotels and tickets yourself and avoid being scammed. Also, you have to be careful about traffic violations in Guilin. For those unfamiliar with Guilin, self-driving is not recommended due to safety concerns. Pure independent travel: you have to plan everything yourself, risk being overcharged, suffer frustrations, and may waste time backtracking. The best option is to find a local friend to guide you.

Step 4: Select the tour route: Choose the route based on your planned travel time and desired attractions. I originally wanted to plan it myself, but after researching for a week and still not figuring it out, I found the Guilin quality tour guide Da'age. Da'age designed an itinerary for me. After the trip, I felt that the route was very well arranged, and it was the most time-saving, relaxing, and free. To find a guide, search online: Guilin guide Da'age.

Main tourist attractions in Guilin:

Elephant Trunk Hill: Elephant Hill is famous for its remarkable resemblance. Its wonder lies first in its perfect likeness to an elephant, and second in the bright moon that appears between the trunk and legs, creating the 'Elephant Trunk and Moon' spectacle. Therefore, Elephant Trunk Hill is the emblem of Guilin. It is located at the confluence of the Li River and Taohua River in the city center, shaped like a giant elephant. Between the trunk and legs is a round cave of about 150 square meters, through which the river flows like a bright moon floating on water. The 'Elephant Trunk and Moon' on the west bank faces the Chuanyue Rock on the east bank of the Li River, one hanging in the sky and one floating on water, forming the unique 'Li River Twin Moon' spectacle.

The main attractions at Elephant Trunk Hill include Water Moon Cave, Elephant Eye Rock, Puxian Pagoda, Hongfeng Temple, etc. Nearby is the only remaining Stupa from the Sui and Tang Dynasties' Kaiyuan Temple. Water Moon Cave is close to the riverbank, with the Li River flowing through it, like a moon floating in water. The mountain rocks dip into the water like an elephant drinking from the Li River. The scenery is excellent and has been a tourist resort since the Tang and Song Dynasties.

Yangshuo West Street: West Street is composed of many elements such as food hunting, shopping, and bars. Because of its diversity, it has become a unique and beautiful scenery in Yangshuo. The street, less than 1 km long, is paved with stone slabs in a winding S-shape. The houses on both sides are simple and elegant, in the style of the Ming and Qing Dynasties in northern Guangxi, with small black tiles, sloping roofs, and hanging balconies.

Xingping Li River: The Li River is a typical area of karst landform, known as the Hundred-Li Gallery. The pattern on the back of the new 20-yuan note is a section of the Li River landscape. The Li River presents different charms under different weather conditions: on sunny days, green peaks are reflected in the water; on overcast days, mist covers the mountains; on rainy days, the scene is like a dream. The main ways to tour the Li River are by boat, bamboo raft, and hiking. Boat tours include the essence tour, Yangshuo water tour, and city water tour.

Longji Rice Terraces: Longji Rice Terraces are a very large group of terraces in the Guilin area, divided into three parts: Jinkeng Rice Terraces, Ping'an Zhuang Rice Terraces, and Longji Ancient Zhuang Village Rice Terraces. Coming to Longji, most people hike to view the scenery and take photos, and many photography enthusiasts come specifically for the sunrise. You can also taste local farm dishes and experience the ethnic minority customs.

Ten-Mile Gallery: It consists of Lotus Pond, Swallow Lake, Primitive Tribe, etc., a man-made scenic area built in combination with the local rural landscapes. Boating on the lake, you can see waterwheels, wind and rain bridges, and bronze drum towers, and enjoy ethnic dance performances. Hiking allows you to see the residential clusters of various ethnic minorities in northern Guangxi and review the ancient wine-making, paper-making, printing, and other cultures of Guangxi's ethnic minorities.

Silver Cave: Silver Cave Scenic and Holiday Resort is located in Maling Town, Lipu County, Guilin, with convenient transportation, 85 km from Guilin city and only 18 km from the famous tourist destination Yangshuo. The cave runs through 12 peaks, with a developed tour route of 2000 meters, divided into three parts: lower cave, hall, and upper cave. Inside, there are 28 magnificent and beautiful scenic spots, with unique natural landscapes that can be described as a masterpiece of nature. The colorful and varied stalactites, stone pillars, stone pagodas, stone curtains, and stone waterfalls form a myriad of wonders of world karst art, praised as 'World Karst Cave Wonder'.

It integrates natural and human landscapes, rich in tourist resources and diverse types. The natural landscapes mainly include cave landscapes, peak forest and peak cluster landscapes, spring landscapes, countryside scenery, etc. The scenic area has a total of 58 spots, including 30 outside the cave and 28 inside the cave.

Yulong River: The Yulong River is a tributary of the Li River within Yangshuo, 43.5 km long, with a drainage area of 158.47 square kilometers, flowing through 5 townships and more than 20 villages in Yangshuo County, including Jinbao, Putao, Baisha, Yangshuo, and Gaotian. It is called 'Little Li River', which is not the Li River but surpasses it. Especially the 15.36 km waterway from Yulong Bridge to Gongnong Bridge, 38-61 meters wide, 0.5-2 meters deep, with clear water, gentle flow, 28 weirs, and over a hundred scenic spots. The entire Yulong River area has no modern buildings, no artificial traces, no urban noise. Everything is primitive, natural, simple, and pure. It is truly a pure natural landscape in the Guilin area. If the Li River is compared to a 'lady of noble birth', then the Yulong River is a 'fair maiden of humble origin' that makes one's heart flutter.

Guilin + Xingping Li River + Xingping Ancient Town + Silver Cave + Yangshuo West Street 4-Day 3-Night Essence Tour Route:

Day 1: Arrive in Guilin city, stay overnight in Guilin. On the day of arrival, stay in Guilin city center. You can stroll around the pedestrian street and try local specialties.

Day 2: Xingping Li River scenery + Xingping Ancient Town + Ten-Mile Gallery + Yulong River Bamboo Rafting, stay overnight in Yangshuo. The green bamboos, reflections, and clear waters and green mountains form the climax of the Li River's beauty. After a rain, white bands of mist kiss the peaks of Xingping; when the moon rises, the rafts of cormorant fishermen come and go silently. Throughout history, the beautiful mountains and waters have inspired countless poets and writers. Boating with the flow, you feel 'walking on the top of green mountains' as the boat moves. On sunny days, the reflection of strange peaks on both sides, blue water and sky, make you feel 'clearly seeing the mountain top, walking on top of it'. On cloudy days, the river is vast with mist, mountains appear and disappear, clouds float among the peaks, and the rain curtain covers the river like light gauze, like a myriad of lively ink-wash paintings.

The essence of Guilin's landscape is summed up in the local saying: 'Yangshuo's landscapes surpass Guilin's, and the most beautiful part of Yangshuo is in Xingping.' Xingping Ancient Town has a long history. It is situated by mountains and rivers, with rich scenery and long history. During the Three Kingdoms period, the Eastern Wu set up the Xiping County seat here, later renamed Xingping due to the homophonic sound of Xiping. Xingping Ancient Street is a stone street more than 1 km long, extending from the southeast of Xingping Ancient Town to the Li River Rongshutan and the ancient ferry terminal, convenient for residents and merchants. Guild halls from various provinces are built on both sides of the ancient street, and most of the brick-and-tile ancient buildings are well preserved.

Take a multi-person bamboo raft on the Yulong River for [Yulong River Bamboo Raft Multi-Person Rafting (Wanjing)]. Here, 'not the Li River, but surpasses the Li River'. You can truly experience the wonderful scene of 'a small bamboo raft floating on the river, with lofty green mountains passing by on both sides'. The sound of the breeze, the chirping of birds, the gurgling of waterwheels, the antiphonal singing of folk songs, and the chorus of frogs in the fields, along with the distant crowing of roosters from the mountain village, all are full of poetic charm. You will feel refreshed and see pictures everywhere.

Yangshuo · West Street is the place where foreigners gather the most. In the dazzling bars, drink heartily with new friends, with exciting rhythms ringing in your ears. At this moment, we don't need to hide; just dance, get excited, and shout out our emotions!

Day 3: Ethnic Minority Village + Silver Cave + Amidst the Mountains and Rivers, stay overnight in Guilin. In the [Ethnic Minority Village], truly understand the culture of the Dong ethnic group and experience their ancient, quiet, and leisurely life. The scenic area has three themes: folk ecology, leisure sightseeing, and ethnic experience, scientifically divided into different functional zones, generating various new types of leisure formats such as cultural experience, sightseeing experience, and interactive experience. It includes Welcome Square, Welcome Avenue, Dong Ethnic Houses, Golden Drum Square, Drum Tower, Banquet Hall, Wind and Rain Corridor, Rain-Calling Platform, etc.

Silver Cave is a bright pearl among Guilin's tourist attractions, integrating natural and human landscapes. It is a bright pearl among Guilin's tourist attractions, integrating natural and human landscapes. Inside the cave, crystal clear stalactites sparkle like treasures under the lights. Scenes such as the Musical Stone Screen, Moon Palace, Snow Mountain Waterfall, Buddha Preaching, Single Pillar Supporting the Sky, and Hunyuan Pearl Umbrella all tell of the craftsmanship of nature.

Day 4: Visit Zizhou · Elephant Mountain Scenic Area, leave beautiful Guilin, end the happy trip. The emblem of Guilin, Elephant Trunk Hill, is located on Zizhou Island, on the east bank of the Li River in the city center, facing Elephant Hill across the river. It is the youngest and the oldest park in Guilin. Here, mountains and rivers converge, and humanities gather, condensing the essence of Guilin's scenery and historical culture. It is a comprehensive park integrating ecology, culture, tourism, and leisure.