5-Day Essential Guilin Tour and Li River Hiking Adventure

• Guilin Waterfall Hotel or a hotel of comparable caliber
• Lunch

Upon arrival in Guilin, our guide will greet you at the train station or airport and escort you to your hotel.

After a brief rest, you will visit the Elephant Trunk Hill, Guilin's iconic landmark—a massive rock formation resembling an elephant drinking from the river.

Lunch today will be enjoyed at a local specialty restaurant, with the guide selecting an appropriate venue and recommending dishes based on your preferences. 

After lunch, you will visit Reed Flute Cave, famous for its unique karst formations, including stone pillars, stalactites, and stalagmites, enhanced by colorful lighting.

After the tour concludes, the guide and driver will escort you back to your hotel for some well-deserved rest. Today's itinerary comes to an end.

• Guilin Waterfall Hotel or a hotel of comparable caliber
• Breakfast, lunch

Today, we will visit the Longji Ping’an Rice Terraces, home to over 50 families and more than 200 residents. Viewed from above, the terraces resemble the ribcage of a dragon extending from the steep slopes, hence the name "Dragon's Backbone".

Located approximately two hours by car from Guilin, the area is surrounded by several villages. The terraces span an area of 66 square kilometers (25 square miles) and were constructed by local ethnic minorities around 600 years ago. The terraces in the village range from 300 to 1,100 meters in elevation.

This excursion promises to quicken your pulse and requires a moderate amount of walking, necessitating a certain level of fitness. Typically, vehicles must stop outside the village, and you will take an electric cart up the mountain to the first viewpoint to admire the terraces' spectacular beauty.

Today, you will visit a local ethnic minority family to learn the art of making bamboo rice and savor its unique flavors. Bamboo rice is a specialty of Longji, known for its delicious taste and rich bamboo aroma. During this experience, you can engage in conversations with the family, explore their traditional wooden home, and gain insight into the life of the mountain minorities. 

We will arrange for you to enjoy lunch at a restaurant in the Longji scenic area, with your local guide recommending specific venues based on your interests and schedule.

After lunch, your guide will escort you down the mountain to meet the driver. You'll then return by car to your hotel in Guilin for some rest, concluding today's itinerary. 

• Yangshuo Mountain Retreat or a hotel of comparable caliber
• Breakfast, lunch

Start the tour by hiking along the Li River. Enjoy the beautiful scenery along the way, and of course, you won’t miss the most famous part of the Li River scene on the 20 yuan banknote.

Today's lunch will be arranged along the hiking route. The guide will select a restaurant based on the hiking progress and choose local delicacies according to your tastes. 

After lunch, continue your hike to a mini farm situated by the Li River, nestled in a tranquil village with Xingping Town just across the river. There, you can enjoy a cup of coffee and some snacks. 

The driver will meet you and your guide, transporting you to a scenic hotel in Yangshuo situated by the Yulong River. Once the guide assists with the check-in process, you can retire to your room to rest, marking the end of today’s itinerary.

• Yangshuo Mountain Retreat or a hotel of comparable caliber
• Breakfast, lunch

After enjoying breakfast today, you will bid farewell to Yangshuo with your luggage and head to Xianggong Hill, which offers a magnificent vantage point to admire the breathtaking scenery of the Li River.

Located near Pingtou Town, 28 kilometers north of Yangshuo, Xianggong Mountain is one of the premier spots for capturing the majestic curves of the Li River. A 20-minute ascent leads you to views of the river's meandering flow and the breathtaking karst landscape.

One kilometer from Xianggong Mountain, there is a café with a spacious viewing terrace that offers sweeping views of the karst landscape. After descending from the mountain, we can pause there for a while to savor a cup of coffee before having lunch. Your local guide will recommend a specific restaurant based on your tastes and schedule.

After lunch, we will drive to the countryside of Yangshuo, where you will have the opportunity to take a bicycle along the rice fields of Yangshuo countryside. Yangshuo's countryside is known for its idyllic scenery and leisurely farming life. Along the way, you will enjoy your time with nature, the karst peaks, rice fields, and clear waters.

After the countryside cycling, the guide and driver will escort you back to your Yangshuo hotel, concluding the day's itinerary. 

• Breakfast

Today, you will say goodbye to Karst City. Your guide will escort you to the train station or airport.