6 Days to Explore Guilin: Bamboo Rafting, Terraces, Caves, and Ancient Streets All Checked Off
Spending 6 days wandering around Guilin completely shattered and rebuilt my "consumption concept"! I originally thought a landscape tour would be a money pit, but following the rhythm, you can daydream in the same scenery as the 20 RMB note for just a hundred yuan, slurp soul-stirring rice noodles for just a few dozen yuan, watch "Impression Liu Sanjie" on a landscape stage that gives you goosebumps for a small fee, stay in a terraced field homestay listening to frogs and counting stars... It turns out embracing top-notch scenery doesn’t have to empty your wallet. Guilin taught me in 6 days: good scenery is the romance of living life, spending money on landscapes is worth more than buying luxury goods!
Preparation
- Documents: ID card, student ID (for ticket discounts at scenic spots), a small amount of cash (some remote villages may require cash).
- Clothing: Light, quick-dry clothes and sun protection clothes for summer; thin jackets for spring and autumn; thick cotton clothes for winter, plus a pair of comfortable hiking shoes and slippers (for convenience in homestays).
- Supplies: High SPF sunscreen, sunglasses, sun hat, mosquito repellent (many insects around the landscape), portable toiletry bag, power bank.
Itinerary
Day 1 First Impressions of Guilin City
- Morning: Arrive in Guilin, check in at Lijiang Waterfall Hotel (right downstairs is Zhengyang Pedestrian Street, convenient for shopping and eating). After dropping off luggage, stroll along Zhengyang Pedestrian Street and try the time-honored "Chongshan Rice Noodles," rich in marinade flavor, especially great with braised pork.
- Afternoon: Check in at Jingjiang Princes’ City · Duxiu Peak, wear ancient costumes to walk the city wall, climb Duxiu Peak for a panoramic view of Guilin city, and explore the past and present of the "Guilin landscape is the best under heaven" cliff inscriptions.
- Evening: Night tour of Two Rivers and Four Lakes, take a boat through Rong Lake and Shan Lake, see the Sun and Moon Twin Towers’ lights reflecting on the water, encounter night herons on the lake’s small island, and feel the lively night scene of Guilin city.
Day 2 Classic Yangshuo Scenery Route (Guilin → Yangshuo)
- Morning: Bamboo raft tour on the Li River from Yangdi to Xingping, drifting through the same scenery as the 20 RMB note background, watching the peaks on both sides gradually clear from the mist like a slowly unfolding ink painting. The bamboo raft master will also tell local fishing fire legends.
- Afternoon: Visit Xingping Ancient Town, find a riverside coffee shop on the old street, order an osmanthus latte, watch fishermen rowing bamboo rafts and cormorants fishing, the slow pace of life is intoxicating; stop by the old post office in the ancient town to send a postcard to friends.
- Evening: Attend "Impression Liu Sanjie," with the Li River landscape as the backdrop, watch Zhuang ethnic singers duel, fishing fires flicker, immerse yourself in the charm of Guangxi ethnic culture. After the show, you can have a drink on West Street and listen to bar singers perform "I Want to Go to Guilin."
Day 3 Slow Countryside Time at Yulong River
- Morning: Early experience bamboo raft drifting from Jinlong Bridge to Old County on Yulong River, manually pushing the raft through 28 dams, feeling the leisurely vibe of "small bamboo raft floating on the river, majestic green mountains on both sides." Along the way, see egrets skimming the water, very healing.
- Afternoon: Rent a vintage electric bike to cycle along Yulong River, visit the Ten-Mile Gallery, stop at Gongnong Bridge for photos, watch the river reflect the peaks; check in at Big Banyan Tree Scenic Area, touch the thousand-year-old banyan tree, and hear the love legend of Liu Sanjie and Ah Niu.
- Evening: Stay one night at Huaxian Valley Homestay in Yangshuo, lie on the terrace chair watching the starry sky accompanied by frog croaks in the rice fields. The host will serve homemade osmanthus wine; fall asleep tipsy with the mountains and rivers.
Day 4 Longji Terraces Ethnic Style (Yangshuo → Longji)
- Morning: Drive to Longji Jinkeng Dazhai Terraces, choose cable car or hike up the mountain (about 1.5 hours hiking, seeing Yao village cooking smoke and terrace layers along the way). Recommended to stay at Tiantouzhai Homestay, with terraces visible right outside the window.
- Afternoon: Learn Yao embroidery from a Yao sister, experience terrace farming, catch rice flower fish in the fields (the homestay can cook it into sour soup fish, sour and spicy and appetizing); watch the terrace sunset, golden light spills over the layered ridges, breathtakingly beautiful.
- Evening: Join the Yao Village bonfire party, hold hands with Yao people to dance the bamboo pole dance, taste bamboo tube rice and cured meat, listen to elders sing ancient Yao songs, fully immerse in ethnic life.
Day 5 Longji → Guilin, Cave Wonders
- Morning: Early shoot of terrace sunrise, with clouds and mist swirling, sunlight dyes the terraces a glazed color, like a fairyland; then descend and return to Guilin, stop by Longji Ancient Zhuang Village to see century-old stone paths and old opera stage.
- Afternoon: Explore Reed Flute Cave, listen to the guide’s stories of "Lion Ridge Morning Glow" and "Crystal Palace," lights shining on stalactites make you feel like you’ve traveled to Pandora in "Avatar"; after visiting, go to Guilin Museum to learn about Guilin’s historical changes and landscape culture.
- Evening: Eat "Guilin stuffed snails" at Dongxi Alley, the fresh aroma of snail meat mixed with pork spreads on the tongue; stroll around Xiaoyao Building, climb up to see Guilin city lights coming on, the blend of ancient and modern night scenes is very atmospheric.
Day 6 Cultural Finale and Departure
- Morning: Stroll through Guangxi Normal University (Wangcheng Campus), walk along the century-old campus tree-lined paths, watch students reading under Duxiu Peak in the morning, visit the campus Yucai Bookstore to find Guilin humanities books and take away landscape memories.
- Noon: Eat "Sour Blood Duck" near the campus, the sour and spicy duck blood blends into the duck meat, a unique flavor not to be missed; after the meal, pick up luggage at the hotel and head to the airport or station according to your departure time, ending this landscape and cultural journey.
Food List
- Must-try classics: Guilin rice noodles (Chongshan rice noodles, Old Dongjiang rice noodles), Yangshuo beer fish (Xie Sanjie beer fish, Master Chef beer fish), Longji bamboo tube rice, stuffed snails, sour blood duck.
- Specialty snacks: Osmanthus cake (common in Guilin, choose freshly made for softer texture), sugar oil baba (small stalls in Dongxi Alley, crispy outside and sticky inside), taro sticks (freshly fried on Yangshuo West Street, salty and crispy).
Transportation Guide
- Within the city: Taxi starting fare in Guilin city is about 7 yuan, shared electric bikes are also available (parking spots along the Li River and near Dongxi Alley); in Yangshuo county and around Yulong River, renting electric bikes (30-50 yuan/day) is very convenient.
- Inter-regional: Guilin → Yangshuo by bus (Guilin South/North Bus Station, about 20 yuan/person, 1.5 hours) or carpool (about 50 yuan/person, 1 hour); Yangshuo → Longji Terraces, recommended to take a dedicated shuttle bus (about 80 yuan/person, 2.5 hours) or charter a car (about 300 yuan/car, more flexible).
Avoid Pitfalls Tips
- Book Li River bamboo raft 1-3 days in advance on the "Guilin Li River Scenic Area Official Platform," don’t trust street scalpers; bamboo rafts check height and weight, children must be at least 1.2 meters tall, adults over 100 kg may need to pay extra.
- Don’t follow low-priced "wild guides" for Longji Terraces hiking, easy to get lost; buy Yao silver jewelry and handicrafts at official village shops, don’t bargain too hard, respect ethnic craftsmanship.
- For beer fish on Yangshuo West Street, choose shops with clear prices and high ratings on Dianping to avoid "sky-high fish" scams; you can ask the shop to catch live fish and weigh it on the spot.
The 6 days in Guilin are a journey of eye-pleasing landscapes, heart-soothing folk customs, and flavor-enriching food. Follow this guide to avoid noise and traps, and deeply embrace this "best under heaven" romance!