Five days, one direction. Start in Guilin city for the urban karst and the Ming princely palace, ride two hours into the mountains for a night and a sunrise on the Longji terraces, hand off to the high-speed train for the Li River, sleep in Xingping to catch the bend on the ¥20 note at sunset, then drift down to Yangshuo for the Yulong River rafts and West Street. Nothing is doubled back on.
At a glance
- Day 1Elephant Trunk Hill → Jingjiang Princes City → East-West Alley → night cruise
- Day 2Guilin → Longsheng → Jinkeng Dazhai
- Day 3Jinkeng Dazhai → Guilin → HSR → Xingping
- Day 4Xianggong Hill → Xingping town → ¥20 viewpoint → Yangshuo → West Street
- Day 5Yulong River pier → Ten-Mile Gallery → out
Day 1
Guilin city: karst in the middle of a working city
Elephant Trunk Hill → Jingjiang Princes City → East-West Alley → night cruise
Breakfast on Guilin rice noodles (order '二两米粉', a 2-liang portion). Elephant Trunk Hill is free but needs an advance online reservation for a timed slot — book the night before with your passport number. Climb Solitary Beauty Peak inside the Ming-era Jingjiang Princes City for the best city panorama, then walk the restored East-West Alley and Xiaoyao Tower at blue hour. End on the Two Rivers and Four Lakes night cruise past the Sun and Moon Twin Pagodas.
Day 2
Up to the Longji Rice Terraces
Guilin → Longsheng → Jinkeng Dazhai
Two and a half hours of mountain road to Longsheng, then a minibus up to Jinkeng Dazhai in the Longji terraces — 650-year-old paddies carved by Zhuang and Yao ancestors, climbing from 300 m to 1,100 m. Drop your bag at a stilt-house guesthouse, walk the ridge path between viewpoints, and take the cable car up Jinfo Ding or climb Xishan Shaoyue for sunset. Confirm your guesthouse accepts foreign guests before you pay — many village lodges are not licensed for it.
Day 3
Terrace sunrise, then down to the Li River and Xingping
Jinkeng Dazhai → Guilin → HSR → Xingping
Sunrise from the guesthouse balcony or ridge, then hike the Thousand-Layer Ladder down through the paddies. Minibus and coach back to Guilin, and the high-speed train to 'Yangshuo' station — which is actually in Xingping town, 20–25 km from Yangshuo county town. Climb Laozhai Hill beside Xingping Pier for sunset over the big Li River bend and the tiled roofs of the 1,700-year-old town.
Day 4
The Li River bend: sunrise, the ¥20 view, rafting, then West Street
Xianggong Hill → Xingping town → ¥20 viewpoint → Yangshuo → West Street
Catch sunrise from Xianggong Hill (road → ferry → shuttle → stairs; not drivable) or Laozhai Hill, then walk Xingping Ancient Town before the tour buses. Photograph the ¥20-note bend from the riverside near 旺旺美食鱼庄, and raft from Xingping to the Nine Horses Fresco and back. Transfer to Yangshuo county town, watch the Gongnong Bridge sunset over the Yulong, and eat beer fish on West Street or the local streets behind it. Book the Impression Liu Sanjie night show in advance.
Day 5
Yulong River raft at dawn, cycling the Ten-Mile Gallery, departure
Yulong River pier → Ten-Mile Gallery → out
Board a Yulong River bamboo raft as the mist lifts — the glassy water and clean karst reflections are why people come. Shuttle back, then ride an e-scooter loop through the Ten-Mile Gallery past Moon Hill; skip the paid roadside attractions. Lunch at a farmhouse, return the scooter, and depart by coach or train (allow an hour to reach Yangshuo station in Xingping). One last bowl of rice noodles in Guilin before the airport or train.
Eat like you mean it
- Guilin rice noodlesFermented-sour broth with pickled long beans; ¥5–8 a bowl, the cheapest real local meal.
- Yangshuo beer fishRiver fish braised in beer with tomato and pepper; West Street prices it high, the back streets don't.
- Stuffed Li River snailsSnail shells packed with pork-and-herb forcemeat — order it once.
- Yao oil teaBitter, gingery tea with puffed rice at a Longji guesthouse; a 2021 national intangible heritage.
- Bamboo-tube riceRice steamed in green bamboo over the guesthouse fire — order it for the smoke.
- Lipu taro with braised porkA national geographical-indication crop stacked in a dome with pork belly.
Where to stay
- Guilin city centreNight one, near the station — Elephant Trunk Hill and the noodle shops are walkable.
- Longji (Jinkeng Dazhai)Night two, in a stilt-house guesthouse on the terraces for sunrise at the door.
- XingpingNight three — you're already at the ¥20-note bend; don't board the county shuttle by mistake.
- Yangshuo townNights four and five, for the Yulong rafts, e-scooter loops and West Street.
Before you go
- Book the Li River boat and the Yulong raft the night before — both sell out, and the raft's online system often blocks passport holders; buy at the pier with your passport.
- Carry your passport original at all times; Chinese law requires it, and hotels, piers and checkpoints will ask.
- Use DiDi inside Alipay — street taxis in Guilin frequently refuse the meter, especially at the airport and stations.
- 'Yangshuo station' is in Xingping town, 20–25 km from West Street. The station shuttle is ~¥15; DiDi ~¥70–100.
- Longji terrace paths are polished wet granite — real-tread boots, not sneakers, and never descend in the dark.
- May–June flood season can suspend Yulong rafting with no notice; keep the Ten-Mile Gallery ride as your fallback.
One honest thing — The only long transfer is the Guilin–Longji leg, and you do it once each way. Book the Li River boat and the Yulong raft the night before — both sell out, and the raft's online system often blocks passport holders.
