Hiking along the Li River

As the most important scenic spot and highlight of Guilin tour, Li River cannot be missed if you travel to Guilin. There are many ways to enjoy the beauty of the Li River, such as cruise from Guilin to yangshuo or take a bamboo rafting from Yangdi to Xingping. Hiking is one of them. Most people choose to take a cruise from Guilin to Yangshuo as it is more leisure. However, if you like trekking, I am sure hiking along Li River will bring you more fun. Hiking is the most interesting way which combines sightseeing and physical exercise together. It offers the great opportunity to discover the most essence Yangdi-Xingping part on your own feet. 

The Scenic Spots along Li River

Daxu Ancient Town--- It was built in 200 A.D, in Beisong Dynasty. Daxu Ancient Town is located on the East bank of Li River, around 23 km from Guilin city. It is regarded as one of the Four Ancient Towns with country fairs in Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region. The old street is around 2 km along Li River paved with slate. There are many well-preserved old houses along the street. Tourists could find small shops and workshops along the street.

Daxu Ancient Town

Crown Cave--- It is located at Caoping, south part of Guilin, 29 km far from Guilin city. Crown is the only scenic spots developed for tourism on Li River between Guilin and Yangshuo. The cave is around 12 km long. Tourists could visit it on foot, by sideway, elevator, small train or boat. It will take around 90 minutes to finish the visit. The marvelous and colorful view attracts thousands of tourists to visit every year.

Crown Cave

Nine Horses Painted Hill---Getting upstream along Li River from Xingping for 4 km, you will find a hills with 5 peaks. The cliff on the west just face to Li River. The cliff looks colorful, yellow, red, black, and white. It looks like a painted screen. If you are careful enough, you find that there seems nine galloping horses. Nine Horses Painted Hill is one famous spot along Li River.

Nine Horses Painted Hill

Xingping Ancient Town--- It is located on Northeast of Yangshuo county, about 25 km from Yangshuo. The picture on the CNY20 bill is from Xingping. The old buildings in Xingping is well-preserved. The essence of Li River Cruise is from Yangdi to Xingping.

Xingping Ancient Town

When is the Best Season to Trek along Li River？

The best time to take Li River hiking is from April to October. 
•Li River Hiking Route
Full Route: Daxu –Caoping-Yangdi-Xingping-Yangshuo
Distance: 50km
Duration: 2 days
Note: It will need to camp at the bank of Li River for one night. The only hotel enroute is Foggy Resort at Caoping Town. 

•Essence Route: Yangdi-Xingping
Distance: 20km
Duration: 5-6 hours

Transportation Tips:

1. There are shuttle buses from Guilin Bus Station to Crown Plaza, which tourist could take it from Guilin to Daxu or Caoping
2. It is easy to take a bus (Lingchuan-Daxu) at Sanlidian Crossing from Guilin to Daxu.
3. It takes around 40 minutes to walk from Caoping to Yangdi
4. Tourists could take bus at Xingping Bus Station from Xingping to Yangshuo.

Li River Hiking Map