The Li River cruise and other boat trips
Introduction
The Li River sankes its way down from north of Guilin through Yangshuo and on to join the Pearl River far to the south.
The section between Guilin and Yangshuo has been famous throughout the dynastic period in China. The best bit (according to contemporary wisdom) is, even today, featured on the reverse of a 20 yuan note.
The only town of any size between Yangshuo and Guilin is Xingping. There are other villages though and it was to one of these that Bill Clinton went during his vist to the area. Many other dignitaries (foreign and local) have also passed by.
The options
The full, official Li River Cruise
The drive from town takes more than half an hour, and sometimes longer as the road is small and gets congested. Allow plenty of time as I'm sure your Li River cruise will be a highlight of your trip.
This cruise departs most days (water-levels permitting) at 09:30 from docks south of Guilin. The standard boats have two decks and hold about 80 passengers.
Once you have found your boat you will be given a seat and free water. Lunch is included later. Most choose to go to the upper deck for better views
The River Guide will name the various features en-route and give some interesting stories. Unfortunately these are usually restricted to Chinese.
The journey takes from 3 to 5 hours. Most boats carrying foreign groups will dock in town. Domestic boats stop further upstream and the passengers have to walk a considerable distance along souvenir stalls.
Small boat trips from other towns
Other smaller boats offer trips on various sections of the river. These are often more restricted in their timings. Please enquire if you are interested in a private trip.
Powered Bamboo Rafts from Yangshuo
Towards the end of last year some enterprising locals introduced an exciting new option to Yangshuo boating. Bamboo rafts (sometimes plastic tubes!) with outboard motors strapped on the back make short runs from Yangshuo. This allows various interesting options such as a return from Liugong (with bikes) or picnics at an otherwise unreachable spot (with pick-up later in the day). You ask - we can talk with the operators and arrange accordingly.
Posted on Mar 25, 2008 by Admin
Sitemap Path: just so you can get back to where you were again more easily
Homepage : Activities : Boat trips on the Li River