Guilin. You all know it. Spectacular mountains on streams of water. For those of you who still use cash in the Taiwan world of cryto-currency, then you know it from the back of a 20Y note.
How to get there
From Nanning, you can buy a ticket for the high-speed train (departs Nanning East Railway Station, approx. 2 1/2 hours, around 150Y pp/way) straight to Guilin. The train was comfortable, spacious seats, large windows, with places to buy food/drink. Guilin
You will arrive at Guilin East Station, which is about 30 minutes from the city centre. If you can, order a Didi taxi (there are plenty of touts if you want to chance your arm), otherwise, ask your hotel/hostel how to get there (buses also run outside).
How long to spend? – 2-3 nights.
What to do
The Sun-Moon (日月双塔公园) towers and nearby scenery. Guilin has plenty of beautiful scenery so an evening walk can be pretty beautiful.
Mountains/Rice fields (e.g. 龙脊梯田) - most hotels/hostels will offer a trip to rice fields, but be sure to ask details. Some trips simply drop you off at a field and let you walk for hours, so decide what you want, otherwise,
you will go to the tourist areas.
Dongxi (东西巷) shopping street – This street scattered with food stalls and sellers on the weekend (though less busy during the week) making it a nice walk in the evenings.
River rafting Guilin to Yangshuo
‘Rafting’ can be misleading if you have never been to Guilin. There is a huge selection of possible boat rides from GL>YS, ranging from 150Ypp to 1000Ypp, so it really depends on your travels needs (and who’s paying). If you want the cheapest (and coolest), then you want a small bamboo boat (竹筏). This is less convenient and slower than alternatives Before you leave GL – If you plan to return to GL from YS, and don’t want to take your bags, then take your essentials and ask your hotel/hostel to leave the baggage in their storage rooms. This will save a lot of hassle in the long run (and is usually free if you book a room in the future).
Bamboo boats
Where to go – Take a bus (1hr, 20Y pp) to a small place called Yangdi [杨堤码头]. You will need to travel to the Guilin bus station [ask your hotel/hostel for instructions]. At Yangdi, go to the boat ticket office station and say you want a boat toward Xingping (兴坪古镇) ancient village. The bamboo boats only leave at certain points in the morning, so you need to wait around for the next batch to leave (1hrs, 100Y pp, max 4 people per boat).
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