Date of Travel: 14 March 2009
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| Yangshuo, surrounded by karst peaks and 2 rivers, makes it a popular destination |
Thanks to AirAsia, we can now fly directly to Guilin, China. A surprisingly high number of people are now turning to Guilin for its picturesque beauty and cool weather. Here's an itinerary that will show you the highlights and how much it costs.
3 Days / 2 Nights in Yangshuo
Day 1
Arrive Guilin Airport and met by driver
Transfer 2 hours by car to Yangshuo, check-in to a hotel near West St
Walk around town for some shopping, eating etc.
Pickup from hotel 6:45pm to go to Liu Sanjie Lights show. There is a 15-min walk from the main gate, and the show lasts 1 hour.
Meet your driver and transfer back to hotel
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| Outdoor seating area of the Liu Sanjie Lights show |
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| With the Karst mountains as a backdrop, it is my MUST-SEE activity in Yangshuo |
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| Even if you don't know the Liu Sanjie story, you can still appreciate the massive scale of this performance |
Day 2
Pickup from hotel at 9am
Drive 30mins to Shangri-la Park, RMB 70/pax. Here you will take
a 25-minute boat ride to visit the minority tribes of Yangshuo. Then
you can walk around to see how tribes people live
Next, head to Yulong River for a 2-hour bamboo rafting ride.
Each raft has only 2 bamboo chairs, and cost RMB 100/pax. A rower will
navigate you along the Yulong river for a very serene ride to see the
karst hills. Very relaxing 2 hours.
Your guide will be waiting for you at the other end with the car. Proceed to lunch.
After lunch, visit the Big Banyan Tree for RMB 20/pax. Try your hands on bamboo rafting on your own.
Next visit the Silver Cave. You should visit at least one cave
in Yangshuo, Silver Cave is worth the visit. Entrance fee is RMB 80/pax.
It involves going through a 2km path, which may take approximately 1
hour. For senior citizens who cannot walk the steps, you can get 2
persons to carry you on a bamboo chair for RMB 250.
After Silver cave, drive 45 mins back to hotel.
Enjoy dinner at West Street, and shopping at the night market.
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| Shangri-La Park. Left most is our guide Lilly Lu. |
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| Tribal Villages of Shangri-La Park |
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| You will get to see similar performances on your boat ride |
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| Added adventures on your boat ride along the Yulong River |
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| Drop-by a village along the Yulong River |
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| Becoming extremely popular since 2010, Yangshuo is now a dream wedding photography location |
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| Bamboo raft for 2 only |
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| Bend down low! |
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| Can't climb the rocks? No worries. Be warned though, these chaps will tell you their sad stories throughout the journey |
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| Scenes inside the Silver Cave |
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| Magnificent lights display inside Silver Cave |
Day 3
Pickup from hotel at 6:30am for Hot Air Balloon ride. It costs RMB700/person for a 1hour ride in the balloon.
Drive 30mins to the designated location. These locations change daily depending on the wind.
Enjoy the sunrise peeking from the mountains as you sail
through karst hills. They may dip the balloon at certain spots for you
to enjoy lower views and pluck oranges!
Transfer back to your hotel at approximately 9am.
Take a rest, checkout of your hotel at maybe 10:30am.
Drive 30mins to Fuli, a small town known for making scroll paintings and Chinese fans.
Proceed to Xingping farmer's market to see the local culture.
These markets aren't open daily, check with the guide for the schedule.
Have lunch at Xingping
Get on a motorised bamboo raft, which seats 1-4 persons
for RMB 250/boat. Take a 2.5 hour journey on Lijiang River from Xingping
to Yangdi for breathtaking views. You will pass by many mountains that
portray different animals. See if you can spot them! You'll even see the
scene that was used on a RMB 20 note.
Your guide will once again be waiting at the other end. Now transfer 1.5 hours back to Guilin
Recommended 2 hour massage next to Sheraton Hotel, Guilin for RMB148 per person.
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| Xingping Farmer's market |
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| A lot of clothes sold here, some cheap, some not. |
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| Watching them eat here, I got curious |
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| My noodle soup. The rest kept asking "You dare to eat ah??" When in Rome, do like the Romans do! Delicious! |
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| Scenes along the Lijiang River |
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| Can you spot 9 horses on this mountain? I can't even see 1! The boat navigator loves telling stories |
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| This is the motorised boat for Lijiang River |
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| Our hired car for RMB350/day including petrol |
The guide I used was good and spoke reasonably good English. I was so pleased with her that when I got home, I designed a website for her at
http://lillylu.webs.com
Happy Holidays!
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