Private Hiking Around Guilin

Today’s sightseeing begins with a 2-hour drive to the Dragon’s Backbone Rice Terraces (Longji Rice Terraces) in Longsheng after the hotel pick-up. Once there, your guide will accompany you to explore the Golden Bamboo Zhuang Village first. Here, stone-paved paths connect tiered stilt houses and terraced fields, which are adorned with fish, coin, and flower carvings symbolizing prosperity and good fortune. Over the years, these stones have been polished smooth by rain and countless footsteps, and you may even see villagers walking barefoot to the terraces for cultivation. 

Our next stop is the Huangluo Yao Village, where the women wear striking red tops and black or dark blue pleated skirts and trousers. These outfits are handmade during the farming off-season, with intricate patterns embroidered in colorful silks, often taking 3 years or longer to complete. Their floor-length hair, often exceeding their own height, is also eye-catching! Traditionally, they cut their hair only once in their lives, on their 18th birthday. After that, they wrap the preserved locks together with the rest of their hair under headscarves, styling it into a distinctive bun above the forehead once they become mothers.Lunch will be served at a farmhouse, where you’ll savor authentic Zhuang Bamboo Rice, a fragrant delicacy roasted in fresh bamboo tubes that represents both a sustainable local tradition and a profound symbol of family unity and peace. Then, let’s dive into the essence of the Dragon’s Backbone Rice Terraces. Over 2,300 years ago, the Zhuang and Yao people ingeniously transformed steep mountainsides into fertile fields and built stone troughs to channel mountain spring water for irrigation. Instead of creating uniform geometric patterns, they followed the mountain’s contours to reclaim, making the terraces appear as if they were naturally growing from the earth. Your guide will show you around the Nine Dragons and Five Tigers Viewing Platform, where the terraces cascade down nine mountain ridges, highlighted by five slightly protruding hills. It’s easy to focus on the terraced fields’ veins. Hiking west to the Seven Stars Chase the Moon Viewing Platform, you’ll marvel at seven small hills embracing a paddy that resembles a full moon at its center, perfect for panoramic shots. 

Finally, your guide and the driver will convoy you back to your hotel in Guilin. After a day of exploration, have a good rest and sweet dreams!

Meals: Western buffet breakfast, Lunch

★ Bamboo Rafting on the Li River: Dive into a Living Painting!

In the morning, your guide and the driver will meet you in your hotel lobby for the journey to Yangdi Scenic Area, where you’ll enjoy a revitalizing 50-minute bamboo raft ride through Li River’s most breathtaking sections. The raft, made from 5 to 15 sturdy bamboo stalks bound together with fire-bent bamboo strips or rattan, glide smoothly across the water, offering a front-row seat to the fantastic karst landscape. Keep your eyes peeled for iconic rock formations such as the Carp Hanging on the Wall, the Turtle Climbing the Mountain, and the legendary Nine Horses Mural Hill. Just when you think it can’t get any more stunning, the riverbank fishermen in straw hats and traditional front-opening jackets will transport you into a cinematic scene! Armed with bamboo poles and their trusty cormorants, they’ll recreate an authentic fishing life slice for you.

Get ashore from the Nine Horses Mural Hill, and it’s time to hike to the Xingping Ancient Town. In this tranquil 1,730-year-old fishing town, you will be greeted by its traditional buildings, moss-covered stone paths, and the simple folkways of the villagers. Enjoy lunch in Xingping to sample local delicacies like Oil Tea, which is prepared with crushed tea leaves and served alongside fried rice and peanuts. Take a small sip first to ease into its slightly bitter flavor.

Today will conclude with a private escort to your hotel in Yangshuo. After check-in, you are free to explore West Street at your leisure. On this inclusive ancient street, you’ll find many Western faces, relevant to the early backpackers who first mapped the hiking trails in Yangshuo. Why not grab a cold beer and exchange travel stories?

Meals: Western buffet breakfast, Lunch

It’s well known in China, or even in the world, that views in rural Yangshuo represent the idyllic charm of Guilin. Today, let’s get to the bottom of it with a cycling and hiking tour! For your comfort, remember to wear hiking shoes, and bring sun protection and enough drinking water before departing.

After the morning meet-up, your guide will assist you with bike rental, and let’s cycle from West Street. After passing by some fruit vendors, prepare to be dazzled by the scenery along the main road: seas of rapeseed flowers between March and April, or waves of rice paddies rolling from June to October. When reaching the iconic Gongnong Bridge, pause to appreciate the karst peaks on the east side, which look like camels taking a stroll across the river. Venturing ahead to the country lanes, you’ll get a front-row seat to watch villagers plow, plant, or harvest their crops by hand. What rare scenes in today’s fast-paced world! Keep your eyes out for the famous Moon Hill to your right - watch as the crescent-shaped cave high on the hill changes into a full circle as we go ahead. It has so much to see along the way that we’ll leave the rest as a mystery for you to discover! Don’t worry if you prefer not to cycle, as a private car is available so you can enjoy the scenery in comfort.

After lunch, let’s hike along the Yulong River for about three to four hours. There are no climbs in this trail, and a moderate fitness level is enough. As you hike, watch fellow adventurers rafting through bridge arches, take in the crops lining the ridges, and say hello to those cyclists. Wherever we go, Yangshuo’s poetic beauty will surround you, a masterpiece of nature that doesn’t need a map!

As it’s getting late, your guide and driver will escort you back to your hotel. Have a good rest!

Meals: Western buffet breakfast, Lunch

As your 5 days Guilin hiking tour with Longsheng and Yangshuo has reached its end, your guide and the driver will escort you to Guilin airport or train station and see you off. Safe travel!

If your flight or train departs later in the day, feel free to contact our travel consultants to add some must-sees in Guilin, like Elephant Trunk Hill and Reed Flute Cave!

Meals: Western buffet breakfast