5 Days Guilin Hiking & Cycling Tour

Day-by-day Itinerary

1. Day 1: Arrival, Guilin City Exploration
   Explore the Amazing Stalactites and Guilin Landmark

   When you arrive at Guilin (before noon), our English-speaking guide and local driver will meet you at the exit, holding a welcome sign with your name on it.

   Then you start your visit with a drive to the beautiful Reed Flute Cave. The amazing stalactites, stalagmites, and other stone shapes that look like flowers and curtains, illuminated by colorful lights, will impress you. From your guide, you can learn the facts that all of them were formed slowly over time by water and minerals.

   Next, transfer you to admire one of Guilin’s most famous sights — Elephant Trunk Hill. This hill is made of limestone that formed on the ocean floor about 360 million years ago. Your guide will take you to see key spots like Water Moon Cave, Elephant Eye Rock, Facing Sun Pavilion, and Puxian Pagoda.

   

   After that, take a walk through the "green lung" of Guilin. Seven Star Park, combining natural beauty with history, features hills, rivers, caves, rocks, gardens, old buildings, and cultural relics.

   Finally, drive you to your hotel to check in. Have a nice rest and get ready for the next day!

   Meal: Lunch

2. Day 2: Longji Rice Terraces from Guilin
   Hike Beautiful Rice Fields and Watch the Long Hair Show

   After breakfast today, you’ll take a 1.5-2 hour drive to the Longji Rice Terraces. These amazing rice fields, created by ancient farmers more than 2,300 years ago, are a great example of early farming skills.

   When you arrive, follow your guide on a hike through the terraces to reach Huangluo Village, where you’ll watch the Long Hair Show by the Yao women. They are known for their long, shiny hair that even reaches the floor. You’ll also get to see parts of their daily life and learn about their unique customs.

   

   Next, continue walking to Ping’an Village, home of the Zhuang ethnic group. Here, enjoy a local lunch - Bamboo Tube Rice, a dish made by stuffing rice and spices into bamboo tubes and roasting them.

   After lunch, hike up to two famous viewpoints—Seven Stars with the Moon and Nine Dragons—to take in wide, beautiful views of the layered rice fields.

   At the end of the tour, you’ll return to your hotel in Guilin.

   Tips: You can visit anytime, but each season offers something different:

   • April to June: terraces are full of water and shine like mirrors.
   • July to September: fields are lush and green.
   • Late September to early November: the rice turns golden—harvest time.
   • Late December to early February: terraces may be covered in white snow.

   Meal: Lunch

3. Day 3: Guilin to Yangshuo
   Enjoy a Relaxing Cruise down the Li River Featuring Karst Peaks

   Today marks the highlight of your Guilin trip: a relaxing cruise down the Li River to Yangshuo Town. At the dock, your guide will board the ship with you and explain the scenery along the way. It looks like a living Chinese painting, composed of limestone karst peaks and rice paddies. If you're lucky, you may see the local fishermen guiding cormorants to catch fishes.

   Tip: The ship will be 3-star, which is comfortable. You will have a simple lunch aboard ship.

   

   After your Li River cruise, disembark in Yangshuo and be transferred to explore the famous West Street. Both centuries-old architecture and a vibrant, modern vibe can be seen on this lively pedestrian street. You’ll discover local handicrafts, relax in cozy cafés, and sample authentic snacks like rice noodles and beer fish. In the evening, you’ll check in to your hotel.

   Optional evening activity (at your own expense): Don’t miss Impression Liu Sanjie, a wonderful outdoor show performed on the Li River. Featuring over 600 performers, most of whom are local villagers, the show uses mountains, water, light, and music to tell the story of the legendary Liu Sanjie and the Zhuang ethnic culture.

   Meal: Lunch

   

4. Day 4: Yangshuo Countryside Cycling
   Cycle along the Limestone Mountains, Experience Bamboo Rafting

   Yangshuo is truly a backpacker's paradise. The scenery here is just out of this world! Today, you will jump on a bike and cycle around the lovely countryside of Yangshuo. Follow your guide to breathe in the fresh air, ride through the limestone mountains on either side, take in the charming scenery that comes into view, get very close contact with nature, and encounter local people laboring in their fields.

   Biking Route: Ride from Yangshuo - Gongnong Bridge - Big Banyan Tree - Moon Hill - Yueliang Village – Jianshan Temple - Yan Village – Tianjia River - Aishan Village and then ride back to Yangshuo.

   Duration: around 4 hours by bike, 2.5 hours by electric bicycle

   Besides the fun biking trip, you’ll also enjoy another exciting activity - bamboo rafting on the Yulong River. As you float down the peaceful, clear river on a bamboo raft, you can relax and enjoy the beautiful views of hills, fields, and countryside that slowly pass by. It feels like drifting through a dream.

   Tip:
   Each bamboo raft can carry only 2 adults of average weight to keep things safe. You will also be given a life jacket to wear during the ride.

   Meal: Lunch

   

5. Day 5: Yangshuo Back to Guilin, Departure

   Enjoy a relaxing morning in Yangshuo at your own pace. At the scheduled time, our driver will meet you in the hotel lobby and take you to the Guilin airport or train station for your departure. This is the end of your Guilin and Yangshuo Cycling tour!

   Meal: N/A