Guilin, Yangshuo and the Longji terraces in four days

The karst peaks along the Li River are the China of scroll paintings, and the river cruise from Guilin to Yangshuo passes the best of them in four hours. Yangshuo itself is a small town among the peaks where the days go to cycling between villages and bamboo rafts on the Yulong River. The Longji terraces, two hours north of Guilin, climb entire hillsides in curves that fill with water in spring and gold in autumn. Four days fits all three without hurry.

Day by day

Laid out by the atlas's trip planner from the stops below, with the trains and flights in its tables; open it on the map to change the days, the order or the stops.

1. Day 1 · Guilin

   • Longji Rice Terraces

2. Day 2 · Guilin

   • Longji Rice Terraces continued
   • Li River & Yangshuo

3. Day 3 · Guilin

   • Li River & Yangshuo continued

4. Day 4 · Guilin

   • Li River & Yangshuo continued
   • Free

Why this order

Guilin is the gateway by air and train; the terraces are a day trip from it, and the river carries you to Yangshuo, so the trip ends there and returns to Guilin by road or by the half-hour train.

When to go

April to October; the terraces are flooded mirrors in May and June and golden in late September. The river runs low in winter.

Good to know

• Cruise boats leave from piers south of Guilin in the morning; the four-star boats are quieter than the cheaper ones.
• In Yangshuo stay outside the town on the Yulong River and hire bicycles; the countryside is the point.
• At Longji the Ping’an and Dazhai villages are different valleys; one is enough for a day, and both have guesthouses for a night.

Before you go

• Visas and visa-free entry Can I visit China without a visa?
• Paying for things How do I pay for things in China without a Chinese bank account?
• Internet and apps Will Google and my other apps work in China?
• Trains and 12306 How do I book train tickets in China with a foreign passport?
• Book popular sights early Which sights in China need booking in advance, and how?
• When to go When is the best time to visit China?

On the map

The map opens with these 3 stops in a trip; "Plan my days" lays out the same days and lets you move stops, change the days each gets, or choose where you arrive and leave.

Other trips

• Two weeks in China: Beijing, Xi’an, Chengdu, Guilin and Shanghai 14 days · Beijing, Xi'an, Chengdu, Leshan, Guilin and Shanghai
• Zhangjiajie and Fenghuang from Changsha: sandstone pillars and a river town 5 days · Changsha, Zhangjiajie and Fenghuang