4-Day Classic Guilin, Yangshuo, Longji Rice Terraces Tour

Attractions and activities: No

Meal: No

Hotel: Guilin Hotel

When your flight arrives in Guilin, a city known for its scenic beauty, our local guide and driver will take you to your hotel. Our guides will help you check in to your hotel. The rest of the day is free for you to move around and explore the beautiful surroundings. Or you can choose to rest well, regain your energy and prepare for the journey ahead!

Attractions and activities: Li River cruise; Yulong River

Meal: B&L

Hotel: Guilin Hotel

Voted one of the 15 best rivers in the world for travelers by CNN, the Li River has a different way of viewing it each season.

Today, you’ll explore some of Guilin’s most beautiful scenery, starting with a Li River cruise from Mopanshan Pier to Yangshuo Town. The dazzling scenery on the four-hour, 84-kilometer cruise will keep you enthralled. The winding rivers, majestic green mountains, and charming idyllic landscapes are like a boundless Chinese painting to behold. Scattered along the riverbank are strewn limestone landscapes, and near Yangshuo, the scenery changes from the bustle of the city to the tranquility of the countryside. (Please note: the cruise ship provides simple local Chinese food for lunch. And you can bring some snacks with you when you get on the boat).

After about 4 hours of sightseeing, disembark at Yangshuo town. After a short rest, head to the Yulong River to start your impressive exploration and experience the most fascinating scenery and peaceful idyllic scenery. Without any so-called modern buildings, any artificially carved traces, and any point of urban bustle, everything in the entire Yulong River scenic area is so primitive, natural, simple and pure. It is also the largest purely natural mountain and water garden in Guilin. The invigorating view gives you maximum pleasure for your eyes and soul. You can see the green hills stretching, the streams running, the mesmerizing reflection in the water, the flowers swaying. Walk to the crop fields and feel the breeze. There are a variety of ways to enjoy the fun and beauty of this place, including biking, hiking, sightseeing vehicles, bamboo rafts, scooters and more. You can easily choose the way you want. (Different modes of transportation are available at different prices, so please ask us about your preferred mode of transportation at the time of booking.) The drive back to Guilin and you will be dropped off at your Hotel door.

Attractions: Longji Rice Terrace; Huang Luo Yao village; Ping’an Village

Meal: B&L

Hotel: Guilin Hotel

After breakfast, you will drive about 90 kilometers (about 2 hours) to admire the stunning Longji Rice Terrace, one of the most beautiful rice terraces in China, which is a 1,000-meter high farmland project in Longsheng County. You can view the large orchards, rice paddies and villages along the way, most of which have now become more modern. On the way to the Long Ridge terraces, there are also several characteristic Zhuang and Yao minority villages, you will first go to the characteristic Huang Luo Yao village, which is inhabited by all kinds of Red Yao, the traditional habit of Red Yao women to grow long hair since ancient times. Their long hair, songs and dances, and Hong Yao costumes have all become a beautiful folkloric landscape here. The length of the villagers’ hair here also gets a Guinness record. Then head to Ping’an Village which is a gathering place for the Zhuang people, preserving the chic Zhuang costumes and quaint living customs. After arriving at Ping’an Village, you will walk to the Seven Stars and Moon. It is one of the two major viewing platforms of the Ping’an Village. “Seven stars” refers to the seven small hills that were left behind when the fields were first ploughed, and they look like seven twinkling stars accompanying the silvery rice fields at the top of the hills, and from a distance they look like seven stars accompanying a bright moon, making up a beautiful picture. From the Seven Stars and the Moon, follow the signposts and it will take about 40 minutes to reach the Nine Dragons Five Tigers Observation Deck, which is a great place to see the terraced fields.

The ridge of nine mountain ranges can be seen here, like nine long dragons leaning down from the sky to drink from the Jinjiang River, and next to it, five small mountain packs squatting like five tigers, guarding this side of the water and soil. That’s why it’s called the Nine Dragons and Five Tigers Observation Deck. The drive back to Guilin and you will be dropped off at your Hotel door.

Attractions: Elephant Trunk Hill; Ludi Cave (Reed Flute Cave)

Meal: B&L

Hotel: No

After breakfast, you will begin your journey in Guilin. First visit the Elephant Trunk Hill, a symbol of Guilin landscape. The whole Elephant Mountain looks like a giant elephant drinking from the Li River with its trunk. It is a masterpiece of karst geomorphology consisting of pure limestone deposited on the seafloor 360 million years ago. Between the “elephant’s trunk” and the “elephant’s body” there is a huge circular cave shaped like a round moon on the surface of water, hence the name “Water Moon Cave”. When the water ripples and the moonlight shimmers, the view is extraordinarily captivating. In addition, there are many historical sites such as stone carvings, Buddhist temples, and artifact exhibitions for you to visit.

After that, drive about 7 km to the next attraction, the Reed Flute Cave. The cave has a large number of exquisite stalagmites, stalactites, stone pillars, stone mantle and stone flowers, like a magnificent underground palace. After the reform and opening up, many domestic and foreign leaders and dignitaries came to visit it, and they all gave it high praise, which Guilin people are proud of. After entering the cave, you can stroll around in the middle of the stone pillar gap, with the illumination of colored lights, you are like being in a fairyland.

After the visiting, you will be transferred to catch your flight or train to next destination. (Note: Please arrange your flight or train in late afternoon or early evening in advance.)