Ancient and Scenic Guilin
Visit the main attractions of Guilin city with our 5 Days Guilin, Xingping and Yangshuo tour. Discover the old town of Daxu and watch local people do traditional handcrafts such as lantern-making or painting lion head-used for ceremonial dancing. Explore an ancient waterway, the Ling Canal in Xing'an, and learn about how it connected the Yangtze and Pearl rivers as early as 214 BC.
Take a Li River cruise from Guilin to Yangshuo, view the spectacular beauty of karst mountain peaks. Enjoy sunset over the Li River, and take photos of a local fisherman.
Tour 'Wow' Points
Discover the old town of Daxu
Visit a local family and the clinic of traditional Chinese medicine. Then discover a rural market nearby (depending on when the market day falls).
Explore the Ling Canal and enjoy a leisurely boat ride
The canal was instrumental in the development of southern China and played a crucial role in the transportation of goods.
Bike around the Picturesque Countryside
Enjoy a bike ride to see the rice paddies and the peaceful village. How great these activities are to interact with the mountains and water.
Discover real reviews of Highlights Travel Family's best-rated service across trusted platforms.
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I highly recommend Lele to anyone visiting Guilin !
Our trip to Guilin would not have been the same without Lele as our guide! He was absolutely amazing in every way. His English was excellent, making communication smooth and easy. Lele was always punctual, professional, and went above and beyond to ensure we had the best experience. His explanations were insightful and engaging, bringing the history and culture of Guilin to life. Lele even helped us take photos, making sure we captured every special moment. Thanks to Lele , our visit to Guilin was a perfect 10/10—from the incredible tourist sites and friendly people to the delicious food. I highly recommend him to anyone visiting Guilin ! more
Apr 2025, Pong J
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Recommended to anybody
We had a great experince staying in the mountain hotel when viewing the incredible rice terrasses. A visit to the hotsprings was invigurating and very relaxing. We would highly recommend this for a change of normal tourist routines. Guilin was vibrant and even more so as it was a local festival. Food galore, people got dressed up in traditional dresses to take photoes with spectecular colourful backgrounds of the lake with the two pagodas. The highlight was a visit to the caves. Huge chambers expertly lit to bring out the many different features. Travelling by boat from Guilin to Yangshuo for four hours showed us the beautiful scenery, part of which is even depicted on the rmb 20 bill issued in China. Yangshuo is surrounded by the fascinating Peaks which mark the country in thousands. Punters on the rivers provide a romantic foreground for pictures to be treasured long after our visit. A cable car ride transported us over great heights towards a wooden suspension bridge followed by challenging steps to the top. The view was worth the effort but we quit going down to the famous glass bridge as the subsequent walk up the hill to the cable car station was too daunting for me being slightly aged. A great lunch of beer fish in a boutique hotel in one of the old villages was followed by a visit to a famous old stone bridge which inspired a number of local artist to play their craft. A perfect finish to our six night holiday Our tour guide was Chais who displayed a remarkable patience to our wims and showed us how to appreciate his home country. All the places we visited by car driven by Shi whom I would recommend to anybody as a very safe driver taken care of us. Thank you to all who made this trip worthwhile Rosita and Folker Krueger from Perth West Australia more
Apr 2025, Folker
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We had an excellent time in Guilin. Our guide Sarah was very helpful and packed our days full of amazing sites. When our boat cruise was cancelled due to weather she quickly rearranged our itinerary and we were still able to do everything we had hoped to. The extra driving that it took to make this happen was at no cost to us.
I spent two short days in Guilin my travel guide Sarah was a wonderful host, making sure we got to see and taste the best of Guilin. Our driver Zeng was also excellent, she made sure we arrived at each destination safely. I would definitely recommend travelling to Guilin however two days is not enough to see all the beautiful sites it has to offer. I will be sure to come back again and book a tour with Sarah as she is very welcoming and funny so we had many laughs during our stay together. more
Apr 2025, Stay32724810674
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Suggested Itinerary
Here is a suggested itinerary. We are happy to customize a tour according to your interests and schedule.
Upon arrival at the arrivals hall of the airport or the exit of the train station, your private guide will meet you with a name plate. He/she will then escort you by private vehicle to your hotel.
Daxu Ancient Town
- Daxu is about 18 kilometers southeast of Guilin, near the bank of the Li River.It was the richest and busiest town of Guilin in old times.
- Lots of craftsmen and businessmen lived there, having started their businesses on shoestring budgets. With the development of road-networks, Daxu's glory-days faded away. But we still can see well preserved ancient buildings and the older generation living there.
- There is a rural market near Daxu. Local people from nearby villages trade there. If your travel dates happen to coincide with a rural market day, your guide will accompany you to visit the market.
Activities
This morning, let's knock on the door of the older generation, to discover something more about the history of Daxu. You will then have a chance to visit a local crafts workshop and see how local people make Chinese lanterns, paint the monkey mask or lion head. And also you will hear from local family about their life and work. Exploration of the old town lasts about 2 or 3 hours.
After lunch, visit Guilin's iconic Elephant Trunk Hill, so named because its shape resembles an elephant drinking from the Li River. Also explore Reed Flute Cave, one of the largest and most impressive caves in Guilin, named after the reeds growing around the cave entrance. Inside, you will see some magnificent rock formations.
Ling Canal
- As one of the oldest canals in the world, the Ling Canal is located about 70 kilometers north of Guilin.
- The canal-building project was completed 8 years before the Terracotta Amy, and it was constructed by the same emperor Qin Shihuang who built the Terracotta Amy .
- The canal played a very important role when emperor Qin Shihuang unified China, as it links Central China with the Lingnan region (of southern China). You could find out more details from our local guide in Guilin.
Activities
Driving from Guilin to Xing'an County takes about 1.5 hours. Then enjoy a boat ride, passing under ancient bridges, and discovering the ancient canal transport system. Relax to music from the guzheng (Chinese harp), played while you float through this beautiful town. After lunch, your guide and driver will transfer you back to Guilin in the afternoon.
After you return to Guilin, you could enjoy the free time to walk around the lakeside and riverside in the city center. Or your guide will go with you to visit the 'East-West Lane' if you would like to discover more historical sights of Guilin.
'East-West Lane' (Dongxi Xiang) is a restored historical and cultural street in Guilin. It was the main street in Guilin during the Ming (1368–1644 AD) and Qing (1644–1911 AD) dynasties.
Nowadays, East-West Lane is a good place for local people and tourists to relax, shop, and sightsee. Explore a well–preserved ancient city wall, restored historic buildings, and all kinds of traditional local stores and snacks.
Accommodation in Xingping: Yangshuo Xingping Island Resort (a boutique hotel, with standards equivalent to a domestic 4-star hotel)
Xingping
- 25 km (15.5 miles) from Yangshuo, on the east bank of the Li River, Xingping is one of the best photographic locations in Guilin.
- Photographers go there to take photos of the Yellow Cloth Shoal, one of the best-known attractions on the Li River, depicted on the 20 RMB bank note; the karst hills reflected in the waters of the Li River; the sunrise and sunset over the river; and cormorant fishing.
- An iconic image of Guilin – an old fisherman in his coir raincoat, on a bamboo raft with his cormorants – can be seen here.
Activities
After breakfast, your private guide and driver will transfer you to the pier (about 1 hour's drive) to take the Li River cruise. A Li River cruise from Guilin to Yangshuo (about 4hours) is an unforgettable experience. As you take in the stunning scenery, there's something interesting to see at almost every bend in the river.
Among the spectacular limestone peaks you'll see graceful bamboo groves, farmers tending rice paddies, and lumbering water buffaloes pulling carts or cooling off in the river.
A Chinese buffet lunch is served on board. The boat arrives in Yangshuo sometime between 1.30 and 2.30 pm (depending on water-flow), and then you can walk around West Street, the main street in the downtown Yangshuo area.
Explore the beautiful countryside of Yangshuo. You can choose to take a bike or electrica bike to get around the rice paddies. Enjoy the fantasitc secenery along the tributary of Li River, the Yulong River.
In the late afternoon, your guide and driver will transfer you to Xingping (about 30 minutes' drive), an ancient town of Yangshuo. Take a ferry for 5 minutes to the island where your hotel is located. If you perfer to stay in Yangshuo, it is also possible to arrange an nice accommodation.
Activities
Before say goodbye to Guilin, climb to the top of Xianggong Hill to enjoy the incredible view of the river and the countless limestone peaks.
Your private vehicle and tour guide will transfer you (in about 1.5 hours' drive) to Guilin Airport for your departure flight.
Hotel Selection
—the Icing on the Cake
Boutique hotels are recommended to enrich your travel experience.
Tour Price
Price includes: