South of Guilin lies Yangshuo with its unique karst rocks. The rural area with thousands of hills is ideal for hiking, boating on the Li River or simply walking along the river and photographing the many cows.
How to get to Yangshuo: If you arrive at the train station in Guilin, you will be approached by cab drivers who take tourists directly to Yangshuo. However, you can also take the train to Yangshuo station. This is located north of the city near Xingping. Some tourists take the ferry from there to the city (mass tourism). Others take the Didi Taxi for 53 RMB (approx. EUR 5.50) in 45 minutes to the hotel in Yangshuo. You can order the Didi Taxi with the Alipay app and it works like Uber.
From Quanjiazhou to Xingping
A very beautiful hike with few tourists starts in the village of Quanjiazhou. You can get there by Didi Taxi (45 min ride for EUR 9 from Lijiang). The cab drives over passes and you have many great views of the valley, for example from the viewpoint below Xianggong Hill. The footpath starts at the southern edge of the village of Quanjiazhou and curves to the left. At the beginning, it is very easy to recognize. But as time goes on, it becomes narrower and narrower and is partly overgrown with plants. We were mostly alone and sometimes felt like we were in the jungle. Fortunately, we only had to walk along the river, so we couldn’t get lost.
Luckily we had sun cream and mosquito spray with us! It was hot and mosquitoes love the riverbank. After hours of solitude, we came to a beach where we again saw locals and tourists enjoying the view of the river and mountains. There we bought a pomelo (Chinese grapefruit) and were glad to cool off. Half an hour later we arrived at a ferry that took us to the other side of the river near Lengshui (ticket 10 RMB). The ferry departs every few minutes and you hardly have to wait. From this point on, the path became wider again and we saw many farmers walking along the riverbank with their cows.
Laozhai Hill
After five hours of hiking (including breaks), we arrived in Xingping. From there, we actually wanted to climb Damian Hill on the other side of the river. But it was already too late and the sun was about to set. So we walked up Laozhai Hill. The start of the hike is somewhat hidden. It is located south of the ferry in Xingping (ticket office) in a wooded area. Then you walk up many steps to a small platform. But most tourists climb a few meters further over the rocks to an unofficial viewpoint, which can be quite dangerous if you get pushed. It’s especially crowded at sunset.
Moon Hill and Banyan Tree
Excursions in Yangshuo: If you have enough time, you can walk to Moon Hill in the south of Yangshuo. Take a Didi cab to the entrance, buy a ticket (45 RMB) and then walk up the stairs to the viewing platform. From there you are closest to the rock with the big hole. It was rather quiet and we were almost the only ones there. After about an hour, you are back down again and can then also see the Banyan Tree with the same ticket. The tree is around 17 meters high, very old and wide.
Li River
There are various ways to explore the Li River. Some rent a bike and ride along the banks. Others take a boat tour on a bamboo boat. We opted for a walk. We took a didi cab to Yulong Bridge (Dragon Bridge) in the northwest of the city and then walked to Chaoyang. It was a nice walk for the first afternoon in the Yangshuo area.
Made for tourists
West Street is the starting point of Yangshuo. Nowhere else on our trip to China have we seen so many tourists! There are restaurants, western fast food chains, hotels and much more. People stroll through the many lighted streets. There is a large public park in Yangshuo and on the banks of the Li River, Chinese people in traditional costumes can be photographed. In the south of the city are the underground caves, for example the Gold Water Cave and Assembled Dragon Cave. The entrance to the caves is on the road between Moon Hill and the Banyan Tree. The stalactites and stalagmites in the caves are colorfully illuminated, which some find kitschy. You can even bathe in the mud and should bring your bathing suit.
