China Guide
Guangxi and Guizhou
Cruising the Li River
The Li River meanders south for 85km from Guilin to Yangshuo through the finest scenery that this part of the country can provide, the shallow green water flanked by a procession of jutting karst peaks that have been carved by the elements into a host of bizarre shapes, every one of them with a name and associated legend. In between are pretty rural scenes of grazing water buffalo, farmers working their fields in conical hats, locals poling themselves along on half-submerged bamboo rafts and fishing with cormorants, and a couple of small villages with a scattering of old architecture.
A cruise through all this is, for some, the highlight of their trip to China. The densest concentration of peaks is grouped around the middle reaches between the villages of Caoping, near Yangdi, (about 40km from Guilin) and Xingping (70km from Guilin). At the far end, Yangshuo sits surrounded by more exquisite countryside and is a great place to kick back for a few days.
The most popular Li River cruise covers the whole way between Guilin and Yangshuo, takes about six hours, costs ¥250–450 and can be organized through the CITS or hotels in Guilin; boat are huge and carry at least 100 people. In summer, boats depart from the docks on Binjiang Lu; when water levels are lower, alternative starting points downstream are used. In really dry years, you start way down at Yangdi.
Alternatively, you can do the stretch between Caoping (aka Guanyan) and Xingping (25km) in local boats for less money and in less comfort, though the ninety-minute trip covers the most spectacular scenery and, in winter, may be the only way of seeing this part anyway. Buses to Caoping (1hr; every 30min) leave from Guilin's bus station, and terminate at the west bank resort village of Guanyan. Boats from here charge about ¥100 per person and seat just ten people on wooden stools. From Xingping, there's heaps of transport through the day to Yangshuo. Operators in Yangshuo also offer a slightly shorter version of this trip, starting in Xingping and running upstream to Yangdi (¥60).