Bike riding. Wandering through the countryside on a bike and getting lost is one of the best things about Yangshuo. The villages often have dramatic mountain backdrops, and the people are generally friendly. Another popular trip is to take a boat ride with a bike, then bicycle back to town. Bike hire starts at around ¥15-20 per day, and tandems are a bit more. The bikes tend to be poorly maintained, so be sure to check brakes and gears before you set out. For travelers craving reliability, Bike Asia (on Guihua Rd, above Bar 98) has well-maintained specialized mountain bikes for ¥70. Bike Asia also has free bike maps of the area, and can advise on where to cycle. Find an farmer woman for ¥100 per day to give you a guided tour of the local paths. This may include lunch at her place if you're lucky.From ¥10 per day. �
Yangdi - Xingping. This walk is a far more peaceful way to enjoy the Li river and mountain scenery than a loud noisy boat down the river. It takes you along the pebbly shores of the river, through many small villages, fields and bamboo forests. To do the walk, you must purchase a ticket (�16) from the ticket office (look for the sign in English) right near the wharf in Yangdi; this covers the first two (of three) river crossings, and access beyond a checkpoint about halfway along the walk. If you go early in the morning, the ticket office is not available, and you will have to take a bamboo raft the first part of the journey. Just tell someone you want to go "walking" and they will take you, but be sure to bargain. The first ferry crossing departs near the end of the wharf (i.e. downstream), and is a blue boat with a yellow "<--->" sign on the roof. If you get tired during the walk, you can always rent a bamboo raft to float down the river; don't worry about availability - you will be turning down offers of 'Bamboo? Bamboo?' the whole way. Typically this walk is done Yangdi -> Xingping, however vice-versa is possible. There are plenty of people selling food and drinks along the way, ranging from single sellers to sit-down cafes. �
Exploring caves. There are an abundance of caves riddling the limestone hills. Guided tours are available. More serious cavers should talk to the staff at the various climbing shops (listed above) for information about possible cave climbs. �
Swimming in the Li River. During the summer, the water and temperature is good for swimming. Locals swim from the docks on the Li Jiang (Li River) a short way upstream of the town centre. The water is generally clean and crystal clear but you may want to avoid a main waste drain near to the dock. Keep walking up to the north from the dock for around 20 minutes to find out a popular swimming spot, nicknamed "the secret beach". Pay extra attention on strong currents which can be experienced in many parts of the river, especially if you are not good enough at swimming. Also tour boats that travel the Li Jiang coming from Guilin are a hazard. The Yulong River is also good for swimming, offering some quality swimming spots, e.g. near dragon bridge, although some parts of the river are crowded with bamboo rafts. �
Bamboo Rafting. Rafting along the Yulong river is particularly popular in summer, but travelers should take care not to go rafting if the water is brown and turbulent. In 2005 there was a fatality during high floods. �
Hot Air Ballooning. Unfortunately after a fatal accident with a Dutch family aboard, hot air ballooning trips are no longer available. �
Water caves. Make sure which water cave you are visiting since there are at least two of them about 15km south of Yangshuo. The Moon Water Cave is 2km west of GaoTian town, but the ticket office is 2km north-east of GaoTian town, on the road to an other cave called Water Cave. Both above mentioned caves state on fliers that they have hot spring baths but the one in Moon Water Cave appears to be artificially heated (ticket price �90). �
The Most Frequently Asked Travel Questions about Yangshuo
Where To Stay & Best Hotels in Yangshuo - updated May 2024
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Yangshuo Travel Guide from Wikitravel. Many thanks to all Wikitravel contributors. Text is available under Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0, images are available under various licenses, see each image for details.
