Yang Shuo 阳朔
Yang Shuo is the place to really experience all of the beauty of Gui Lin and Guangxi Province. There are (relatively) thin and steep mountains surrounding the area. Yang Shuo is a relatively small town but the sights are a bit spaced out. Such as the case in many places in China, there are a lot of people (mostly tourists) in Yang Shuo. In the town of Yang Shuo it is also pretty commercialized, you’ll need to venture outside and away from the town if you want a more natural experience. It is too far to walk from one sight to another (in a timely manner). Buses and cabs are available, however, in my opinion the best way to get around would be by bike.
The geography of Yang Shuo is similar to a strip. There is one street that forks into two (both very close to one another) and the majority of hotels, hostels and restaurants are on this strip.
Renting a Bike:
There are several places that you can rent a bike throughout the town. One of which could be the from the hostel the Wada (if you find yourself staying there). The average price for renting a bike for the day in Yang Shuo is between 10-15 RMB. When renting a bike in Yang Shuo be sure to get a five-speed bike (one with gears) because there are quite a bit of hills in and around Yang Shuo. Wherever you rent a bike from make sure to also get a map of the area. That way you will know where to go and how to get there.
Things to do within the vicinity of the “downtown” Yang Shuo
Within biking distance of the downtown Yang Shuo there are several activities and sights that can be visited. While riding alongside there will be opportunities to participate in rock climbing (with a harness). The rock climbing is a bit expensive (about 100RMB) but if you like rock climbing you may want to give it a try.
There are also some caves within the area that you can explore. The caves are for tourists and not abandoned caves. I have heard mixed reviews about the caves around Yang Shuo from locals. Some say that they were incredible, and others say that it wasn’t anything special. Nonetheless if you have the time it may be worth it to check out for yourself.
Yu Long River (遇龙河）
Yu Long River is not far from “downtown” Yang Shuo. It may only take you 20-30 minutes to get there by bike. The popular activity to do at Yu Long River is to take a bamboo raft down the river and enjoy the sights, sounds and sense of solidarity that the river and surrounding area provides. You may not find too much solidarity on Yu Long River because of the number of other tourists and bamboo rafts that frequent the river. That being said the ride is still very relaxing. If you wanted to, there are also sections of the river that you could swim in. The sights that you’ll see from the bamboo raft ride are incredible. I would highly recommend doing the bamboo raft ride while staying in Yang Shuo.
Things that you should know before taking the bamboo raft:
The first being that the more people you have with you the less you have to pay. I think that you shouldn’t have more than 3 people on the bamboo raft (not including the operator of the raft). Next, is that 200 RMB should be the most that you pay for a bamboo raft ride and you can haggle down the price. Third, you can take the bike you ride (if you rode a bike there) on the raft and have it tied down (they may try to charge you extra for that). At the end of the ride the operator/driver of the raft will do something completely uncharacteristic in China… he will ask for a tip. There is no obligation to tip the raft operator, the tipping etiquette is completely different in China than it is in the west.
Side note: If you have a few people that want to join you on the bamboo raft ride don’t ride bikes there. Or better yet ride bikes to the bridge along Yu Long River and find a place to lock them up. Then, take a cab to the location where you board the bamboo rafts.
How long will it take to do the bamboo raft ride?
The raft ride won’t take that much time out of your day. It may only take a few hours. So, it will give you time to fit in other activities in your day.
The Moon Mountain （月亮山）
The Moon Mountain is very close to the main area (where the majority of the hotels and hostels are). By bike the Moon Mountain is only about a 15-minute ride away. The Moon Mountain is another iconic sight in the area.
I would recommend going there if you have the time, however it is not a must do. It is nice to hike a mountain in Yang Shuo but the hike up the mountain is through a foresty area, which renders few views of the surrounding area and even less picture opportunities. Not to mention once you summit the mountain the peak area is very small (and the Moon Mountain is relatively popular, meaning there will be other people up there with you.
The average person may only need about an hour to summit the Moon Mountain. It is not a very difficult mountain to hike. The ticket price of the Moon Mountain is between 10-15 RMB (if the prices haven’t changed). It is a relatively cheap and easy mountain to get to. It may only take you a few hours to start and finish a hike of the Moon Mountain and that includes the time spent in transit.
What to do in the evenings in Yang Shuo?
There is a performance called the Three Liu Sister’s Impression Performance. I have heard mixed reviews about this performance. There have been local people that told me that it is a must-see performance and others that said it wasn’t anything special. I personally didn’t have the opportunity to see it. Nonetheless, if you find yourself with an evening without any plans, it may be worth your time to check out this performance and decide for yourself whether or not it is worth seeing.
Yang Shuo is also a bit commercialized so there are a good amount of bars, restaurants and even a few clubs that you can go to as well.
Xìng Píng （兴坪）
Xing Ping is the one of the many picturesque locations you’ll find in Yang Shuo. In fact, the back of the 20 Yuan bill is a depiction of Xing Ping, down to the exact mountain formation. There is an area that will notify tourist about the location that is at a certain angle and depicts the backside of the 20 Yuan bill exactly. the scenery in Xing Ping is breathtaking, however, the town is a bit commercialized and has many western restaurants that make the town of Xing Ping lose a bit of its allure in my opinion. All the same, the surrounding environment and scenery more than makes up for the commercialization of the town. A visit to Xing Ping is highly recommended.
How to get from Yang Shuo to Xing Ping?
Head to the bus station in Yang Shuo and buy a ticket for Xing Ping (the bus station will be all in Chinese, so request assistance from the hostel workers if necessary). Once you arrive in Xing Ping (approximately 20 minutes), you will need to go to the area with all of the Tuk Tuks (just follow the crowds if you don’t know how to get there). Rent a Tuk Tuk driver to take you around. You can attempt to haggle the price down, but the prices are not that expensive to begin with. My advice is to find some other tourists and split the cost with them. This will not only make the ride cheaper but also lessen the possibility of you getting lost. Be advised that you must rent a Tuk Tuk, the sights are too far to walk (in any reasonable amount of time). Also, while in the Tuk Tuk you can tell the driver to stop at any time to take pictures by saying “Tíng” (停).
The Tuk Tuk driver will take you all the way to the end of the trail. Once there, there will be a ferry that can take you to an island across the Li River for something like 20 or 30 RMB. It is undoubtably a rip off for the distance being traveled. I’m pretty sure you could throw a rock to the other side of the river but rest assured that this is the only way to reach the other side of the bank. My advice is to just bite the bullet and pay the money. The sights over there do not disappoint. See picture below.
How long will it take to visit Xing Ping?
It will take 1 whole day from morning to evening to go to Xing Ping. With this one entire day the trip will not be rushed and you can take your time enjoying the surroundings.
Fù Lì (副利）
Fu Li is not that far from Yang Shuo, it’s about 10 Kilometers. On a bike the distance is not too far, nevertheless the road is hilly and it will be a tiring trip. The ride will take anywhere from 1-2 hours (depending on how much you stop to admire/take pictures of the scenery. You could also take a cab or bus instead of the bike. The route to Fu Li is loaded with amazing sights that you may not get the chance to appreciate from the seat of a car.
Fu Li is a very small and quiet town. When I went there were very few tourists in the town. If you would like to buy portraits or other paintings of the landscape of Gui Lin or Yang Shuo look no further than Fu Li. I was fortunate enough to be able to sit on the edge of the Li River and admire the landscape almost completely alone. There was one older lady who was native to the area walking her steer in the lake. Fu Li was my favorite place in Yang Shuo and I highly recommend tourist to go and check it out. Fu Li was hands down the least commercialized area that I visited in all of Yang Shuo.
Side note: If you do choose to ride a bike to Fu Li be sure not to stay too late as you will need to ride back about 10km and the streets are not very well lit at night. So, it may become a bit dangerous for someone riding a bike that’s not familiar with the area to ride 10km back in the dark.
How long will it take to go to Fu Li?
I would say that a half day is enough to go to Fu Li enjoy the area and return to Yang Shuo. If, you take a bus it may only take a few hours to go and return from Fu Li.
International Kev 