Guilin & Yangshuo 3-Day Karst Journey

The Landscape That Earned a Saying

“Guilin’s scenery is the finest under heaven” — the phrase has followed these limestone peaks for over a thousand years, and three days here explain why. This journey balances the elegant little riverside city of Guilin with the slow, green countryside of Yangshuo: a stone elephant on the water, pagodas that glow after dark, bamboo rafts drifting beneath towering karst, and the exact bend of the Li River printed on the nation’s banknote. A private guide carries the logistics so you carry nothing but a camera.

Day 1: Guilin by Day and by Night

The journey opens at Elephant Trunk Hill, the stone emblem of the city, seemingly bent to drink from the Li River. The afternoon drifts through the Zhengyang pedestrian street and the restored East-West Lanes, the most atmospheric corner of the old town, with a climb up the Xiaoyao Tower for a rooftop view. As darkness falls, the Two Rivers Four Lakes waterway lights up and the twin Sun and Moon Pagodas shimmer gold and silver above the water — the most romantic hour in Guilin.

Day 2: Into the Yangshuo Countryside

A short transfer brings you to Yangshuo, where the morning belongs to a Yulong River bamboo raft — we choose a quiet, open stretch so the peaks reflect undisturbed on the water. The afternoon follows the Ten-Mile Gallery, the lane of countryside views that gives this region its painterly reputation. The day ends on lantern-lit Yangshuo West Street, alive with music and the easy hum of a riverside evening.

Day 3: The Li River’s Masterpiece

The finest morning is saved for last: the old lanes of Xingping Ancient Town and the famous ¥20-note view, the exact bend of the Li River pictured on China’s banknote. From the water you pass Nine Horses Fresco Hill, a cliff whose weathered patterns are said to hide nine galloping horses, before climbing Xianggong Hill for the sweeping aerial panorama — a great loop of river wrapping the peaks — that closes the journey.

What’s Included

A private car with a dedicated English-speaking guide for all three days, every major entrance ticket, the advance reservations the rafting and cruise now require, two nights of hotel (one in Guilin city, one in Yangshuo), daily breakfast and two lunches, and all transfers between the two. The tickets, the timing, the distances — all handled, so you can simply take in the view.

Pricing

• USD $528 / RMB ¥3,640 per person (standard)
• USD $738 per person (premium hotel & private upgrades)
• Group rates available on request

Three days where the painting comes to life — peaks, rivers, and the quiet that brings them together.