Guilin is famous as the starting point for cruises down the Li River through some of the most beautiful karst topography in the world. Ever since I saw pictures of the amazing landscape near Guilin, I knew I had to go there someday.

I was surprised to find that Guilin is quite a big city, teeming with shops and tourists. There are a few karst formations in Guilin (most notably Elephant Hill), and a couple of points of interest in and around the city (such as the Sun & Moon Tower and the Reed Flute Cave) but it’s really just a place to organize a trip downstream, not to linger in.

The tourism industry is well established in Guilin. They’ve effectively blocked tourists from finding budget options for a boat tour as the dock is 30km outside of the city and no public buses run there. I ended up booking a tour through my hostel, which although expensive, turned out to be well worth it.

The cruise took about four hours and wound through the beautiful karst formations along the River. I was lucky to go in the low tourist season, so there were only a handful of other boats on the water and not too many people on my boat. I spent most of the journey on top deck, enjoying the scenery.

The most famous stretch of the river is between Yangdi and Xingping. This section contains the Nine Horses Hill (named for the horse-like images in the rock) and the 20 Yuan Scenery (the section that is featured as an image on the 20 Yuan RMB note).

The cruise ended in Yangshuo. From here, travelers can either return to Guilin or stay in Yangshuo. I opted to spend the night in Yangshuo. It is an interesting city – clearly built up entirely on tourism. West Street is the famous pedestrian street running up from the docks where you can find shops, restaurants, bars, and street vendors of every variety selling wares. It is loud, crowded, and touristy, but still a fun place to take a stroll and take in the sights.

The true draw of Yangshuo is the surrounding scenery. There are many places to walk through the karst formations, explore caves, and experience extreme sports like hang-gliding and rock climbing. I decided to rent a bicycle and head out of town towards Moon Hill, a famous hill with a massive arch in the peak. It was a fun ride out to the hill, cycling through beautiful scenery. After paying an entrance fee (everywhere in China has entrance fees!) I climbed the 800 steps to the top of the arch. It was a steep climb, but well worth it for the beautiful vantage point.

But of course, no beautifully sheer rock face would be complete without some German tourists climbing it!

I decided to spend the next day in Xingping, a town set amidst the 20 Yuan Scenery area. I took a bus there from Guilin, found a hostel to drop my bag at, and headed out on a hike to Yucun, a small fishing village on the Li River. In truth, there was not much to see in Yucun, but the hike there was very beautiful. It had been raining, so there was a dense mist was over the mountains which added to the mysterious and lovely nature of the place. I made the hike a loop by taking a raft ride up the river to Xingping (what fun too to be sitting practically in the river on just a strapped together PVC pipe raft!).

I very much enjoyed my time in the Guilin area. I was especially glad I decided to stay and experience Yangshuo and Xingping rather than just taking the cruise as it helped me to really appreciate the area and beautiful scenery.