Yangshuo, Guilin

Almost all tourists in China visit this place and see it as a highlight of their trip. So did we. The populair town called Yangshuo is surrounded by karst mountains, laid back rice fields and winding rivers; a stunning area to explore. The town itself has become way too touristic, with all sorts of shops, bars and restaurants. If you ask me, it’s better to flee this city right away and get lost in the nature and enjoy the mountains!

Views from Laozhai Mountain

Another town along the Li River is a smaller place called Xingping, just a bus ride away from Yangshuo. Although this town is also quite touristic, we thought it still has a more characteristic vibe than Yangshuo. Some of the little streets in the old city centre will give you a glance of how ancient China must have looked like. The most crowded spot is just outside of Xingping, the place where you can get the exact view of the picture printed on the back of China’s ¥20 banknote. If you’d like to see tons of cameras and people who hold the banknote in front of it, go there!

Check the boats for scaling!

There are many ways to get around the area. Lots of people hire bikes or scooters to cruise along the rice fields and beautiful karst peaks. It’s also possible to take a boat trip on the Li River with a bamboo boat. It has to be beautiful to see the scenery from the water, but in our opinion it is way better to enjoy the view on another level… Hiking up!

The Li River

Around Xingping there are several viewpoints that will give you an fantastic mountain view. The first one is just near the harbor of Xingping, on top of the hill called Laozhai. It’s best to climb up for sunset to enjoy the beautiful light and colors to spice up your view even more. Make sure you arrive early enough to get a good spot cause it’s popular to hike up this mountain!

Endless layers during sunset

We visited another viewpoint just across the Li River, on a mountain called Xiang Gong Shan. After a small hike up you will reach a platform from where you will be treated with yet again, a stunning view. If you want to get a nice view of Yangshuo, a lot of people advice to climb Moonhill. This iconic hill is located just outside of town. We didn’t visit this place because of the crowds though. Up to you!