China Guilin to Yangshuo Cycle

Guangxi, China · China

Easy7 daysAsia~£400 est.

Save ✓ I did this

Overview

The karst country between Guilin and Yangshuo is the landscape on the back of the 20-yuan note, and a bicycle is the right speed for it. Ride out of Yangshuo along the Yulong River, where limestone towers repeat to the horizon over rice paddies and bamboo rafts drift the shallows; climb to Moon Hill's natural arch viewpoint; and take the ferry crossing at Xingping to stand on the exact 20-yuan view as cormorant fishermen pose in the dusk. Quiet concrete farm lanes make the riding easy and endlessly rearrangeable. The Longji 'Dragon's Backbone' rice terraces are worth adding, but know they are a separate excursion two-plus hours north of Guilin, not on the riverside route — plan them as a day trip rather than expecting one continuous ride. Summer is hot, hazy and wet; April-May and September-November give the clear light everyone comes for. Bike hire in Yangshuo costs a few pounds a day and guesthouses are excellent value: £400 covers a comfortable week including the Li River boat or raft trip.