Things to Do at Li River

The Li River cruise from Guilin to Yangshuo is probably what you picture when you think of classic Chinese landscapes - those impossibly tall karst limestone peaks rising straight up from emerald water, with bamboo rafts drifting by and cormorants perched on wooden boats. It's the scenery that's been painted on scrolls for centuries and actually appears on the back of the 20 yuan note, which gives you a sense of how iconic this stretch of river really is. The 83-kilometer journey takes you through what feels like a living Chinese painting, with each bend in the river revealing another cluster of dramatic peaks with names like Elephant Trunk Hill and Nine Horses Fresco Hill. You'll pass traditional fishing villages, water buffalo cooling off in the shallows, and farmers working terraced fields that climb up the hillsides. It's touristy, sure, but it's touristy for good reason - this landscape is genuinely spectacular and hasn't been significantly altered by development.

Most cruises leave from Zhujiang Pier, about 30 minutes south of Guilin's center by taxi. Hotels can arrange transport. You can also take bus No. 3 to Yangdi and transfer. The cruise ends in Yangshuo-not where you started. Plan your return trip carefully. Most travelers stay overnight in Yangshuo or catch the tourist bus back to Guilin. The bus takes 90 minutes.