China Travel FAQ

Method A: directly fly from Hong Kong to Guilin or fly via Shenzhen to Guilin, and then go to the Guilin Railway Station to catch bus to Yangshuo.
Method B: head to Shenzhen to take 11-tour bus to Yangshuo. But this is not recommended for the long bus ride.
Method C: head to Shenzhen to take 13-hour train to Guilin, then catch a bus at the front of railway station to Yangshuo.

How to go to Yangshuo from Guangzhou?

Method A: directly fly from Guangzhou to Guilin and then go to the Guilin Railway Station to catch a bus to Yangshuo or directly take a taxi at the airport to Yangshuo.
Method B: take a 8-hour Guangzhou bus to Yangshuo.
Method C: head to Guilin by train, then catch a bus to Yangshuo at the front of railway station.

How can I get to Yangshuo from Guilin Liangjiang International Airport?

There are two choices for you.

Option 1: take the airport shuttle bus (40 minutes and CNY20/person) to Guilin Railway Station and take a bus on the square to Yangshuo. The bus departs every 15 minutes and lasts for about 1.5 hour.
Option 2: take a taxi from airport to Yangshuo directly. It charges about CNY 200-250 and the driving time lasts 2 hours. Or you can take the airport shuttle bus to the railway station at first, and then take a taxi to Yangshuo. The station to Yangshuo transfer charges about CNY150 and takes 70-80 minutes.

Can I go to Yangshuo from Nanning by bus or train?

It is quite convenient for you to take bus or train from Nanning to Guilin at first, and then you can catch a bus to Yangshuo (1.5 hours and CNY15) which departs each 15 minutes at the front of the Guilin Railway Station. You can buy ticket at Nanning Langdong Bus Station for the bus to Guilin which takes you about CNY100 and 5 hours. The bus heads to Guilin each every 15 minutes. Or you can go to Guilin from Nanning by train which takes you about CNY65 and 5 hours.

Cuisine:

What is no-miss cuisine in Yangshuo?

Delicious Chinese cuisine and Western foods are easily accessible in this small town. Beer Fish, Grouper hot pot, Braised chicken with agaric, Beer Duck, rice noodle, brewed Tofu as well as Yangshuo glutinous rice cake, Yangshuo snails, Yangshuo oil tea are also warmly welcomed by tourists from home and abroad. The Yangshuo foods usually tend to be spicy and please inform when you ordering if you are not a spicy fan.

Besides the local tasty dishes, you can also have optional menu for the west foods. Various pizzas, beefsteaks and ice creams are also easily available here.

Festivals:

Is there any special local festival in Yangshuo?

Indeed there is a very interesting festival named Yu Huo Jie (Fishing Fire Day) in Yangshuo that has been welcomed by the locals and tourists since it was started in 1999. It annually takes place during October or November. It originates from a local traditional living style -- fishing. On every festival night, fishermen bring their fishing partner -- cormorants to Li River to fish. On their bamboo raft, a lightened lamp is hung to lure the fishes. Once fishes are attracted by the lamp light and approach the raft, cormorants will dive into water to catch the fish at his master's signal. As the throat of cormorants is half sealed by straw, it can only contribute the big fishes that they can't swallow to their master. The performances of singing or dancing, firework display, delicious food market are also revealed for tourists.

Is that terrible to tour during the great festival day in Yangshuo?

The Chinese love to seize the public holiday time to travel like the Spring Festival (late Jan or early Feb), National Day (first week of October). And it is no hard to figure out the 3-5 times higher price and the tourist sea in the restaurants, hotels, scenic spots in Yangshuo during the special days. And the short holiday like New Year days (first 3 days of January), May holiday (first 3 days of May) as well as each weekend faces about double price increase.

Activities:

Any cool activities we can do in the melting summer in Yangshuo?

Mud Bath: Indeed there are some caves for a mud bath: Pusa Shui Yan (Bodhisattva Water Cave) and Yue Liang Shui Yan (Moon Water Cave). They are cool oasis for the tourists to explore and have fun mud bath during the scorching summer.
Yulong Bamboo rafting: A tranquil bamboo rafting along the picturesque Yulong River is dotted with beautiful phoenix tail bamboo on the both sides of the river and the green rice paddy scattering around the river. The 3-hour bamboo rafting from Yangdi to Xingping is regarded as highlight of Li-river cruise. The famous Fishing Village that had even been a travel destination of former President Clinton of U.S. in 1998 can also be toured. If interested, you could explore the 1,700-year-old Xingping Ancient Town after the bamboo rafting tour. The town is fulfilled with many old traditional building of Ming and Qing dynasty.

Tips for the bamboo rafting:

Go to the ratified scenic spots to buy tickets and take the tour.
Wear life jacket and stay on the boat for the safety's sake.
Don't bring value goods (mobile phone, camera, etc.) along or just put them inside the water-proof bag to avoid their slipping into water when taking bamboo rafting.
For the reason of safety, it is not recommended to do the rafting for the people with serious illness or special groups like pregnant mom, kids under 6 years old and so on.

Is there rock climbing in Yangshuo?

Yes, there is. Yangshuo is considered as the biggest rock climbing base in China and it had issued the China Second Rock Climbing Festival in 2001. The unique karst formations have formed many hills of different shapes. The hard and clear crack, hole and rock walls make it an ideal rock climbing destination. Lots of hills in height from few dozen meters to hundreds of meters can satisfy your challenging need of different levels. Among them, Big Banyan Tree rock climbing, Gold Cat Hole rock climbing, Thumb Peak rock climbing, Wine Bottle Crag rock climbing and Butterfly Spring rock climbing are recommended for their comparative complete facilities.

Tips for the rock climbing:

Remember to bring the essential equipment like safety belt, descender, ascender, clips (30 at least), helmet, ropes, etc.
It would be better to contact the local rock climbing clubs for detail information and suggestions before the climbing activity like http://www.xclimber.com/ http://www.blackrockchina.com/.

Please introduce about the hiking along the Li River?

Hiking along Li River from Yangdi to Xingping (22km) is quite popular with tourists in the recent years. Usually people set off form Yangdi which is 40 minutes driving distance from Yangshuo and the hiking takes 5 to 6 hours. You can buy a ticket (CNY16) for the hiking tour at Yangdi and just go along the river, take the ferry boat to the opposite side for continue your tour when needed. If you feel exhausted, a bamboo rafting along the Li-river is recommended.

Below is an essential hiking route along Li-river.

Yangdi – Wangfu Hill – Nine Horses Painted Hill – Lengshui Ferry – Xingping Old Town

Tourists usually have lunch in the halfway of the hiking tour in local canteens and arrive at Xingping in the afternoon. At last, catch a bus (CNY5) at Xingping bus station which departs each every 15 minutes from 7:00 to 17:30 and back to Yangshuo to have dinner.

Tips for the hiking tour:

Do detailed homework about the hiking tour area, weather situation.
Avoid the hottest time from 11:00am to 15:00pm during your summer hiking and do bring hat and enough water to lessen the risk of heat shock.
A foot massages or foot bath with warm water can relieve fatigue caused by the long hiking. Some handy medicines for the foot bleb can also be prepared.

Can we take a Chinese food cooking lesson in Yangshuo?

Yes. There are some Chinese food cooking schools in Yangshuo. You can choose a suitable one based on your time schedule. There are usually half-day, one day, and two days lessons you can just take part. Please visit the http://yangshuocookingschool.com/index.html for more detailed information.

Nightlife:

How to color my night life in Yangshuo?

The bustling West Street in Yangshuo is nice to color your night life with its hot bars, soothing cafés, souvenir shops, etc.

Bars: Tin Tin Bar, the Stone Roses, Marco Polo bar
Café: Café Too & Hostel