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- Yangshuo general
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Yangshuo is popular for its incredible karst scenery, beautiful mountains, rivers, caves, and countryside as well as its laid back cafes and bars. However, as a result, there is no shortage of tourists, ex-pats, and other foreigners.
Yangshuo isn't your typical Chinese town and does not have the big-city feel as in most other Chinese cities. It is more like a vacation town, with wonderful restaurants and shops. Yangshuo has a reputation as a foreigners' village in Southern and is a major stop on the trail of many independent travelers.
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- Things to Do
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- Bamboo Raft
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In Yangshuo, Bamboo Rafting has become very popular with visitors, both foreign and Chinese. The most popular bamboo rafting is on the Dragon river, the biggest branch of Lijiang (Li) River.
Obviously, this tourist trip was once the only way to traverse or travel the river networks, but now is a novel and scenic way to drift down the river.
When you arrive at the river bank, the experience is about haggling the price. Once onboard, your Chinese guide will paddle and push you down the river with amazing dexterity.
Along the journey (every 200m) you will encounter a 1 meter dams. Hundreds of years ago the local farmers built these to store and to divert the water into the rice paddies.
Now they break the river a journey with a bit of fun. You will get hassled by local photographers, but remember, these people no longer earn a living from farming (their rice paddies are now used for tourist accommodation etc), so smile and be gracious. Whenever we travel, we are guests of the local people and should be respectful and courteous.
The trip takes about 1 hour and is a great extension of a bike ride. Yes you can take your bikes on the rafts with you.
Departs: daily (all day)
Cost around 150RMB
Duration: about 2 hours
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- Moon Hill
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Moon Hill is usually part of day's sightseeing. One of the most popular ways is to ride a bicycle through smaller villages to get to Moon Hill. Be aware, there are several routes that you can take so make sure you take a map.
The original tourist route to get there is called, "To Moon Hill the local way", so when asking directions, you will probably be told this way to go. However, this ride is nice but it is now crowded with locals selling postcards and tacky souvenirs or you may get a local dressed up to look like a farmer. They are just posing to try to get you to take a photo for which they will want money. Some locals put coloured ribbons on water buffalos horns to also try to get you to take photos for money.
If you are going to take this route, it is better late in the afternoon as many have gone home and you can avoid the hawkers.
The better route that will take you to Moon Hill is the "new local way". This ride is a bit longer but there are not so many people trying to selling you anything. This ride will also give you a glimpse of the rural lifestyle. You can also take in the old village of Long Tang or have lunch at a restaurant situated on the Yulong river.
If you do not have the energy for a bike ride, you can hire a motorised trike to take you there. You need to negotiate the price with the driver but it should be around 25 RMB.
Entrance to Moon Hill will cost you 15RMB.
You can lock your bike up at the base of the walk but please take any valuables with you. You will be escorted to the arch by a local lady who will continuously try to sell you something (a cold drink usually).
When you get to the top (800 steps) it is will be needed. Also these locals have no other form of income, so I recommend you buy a drink (pay no more than 10RMB) then you get what you need (a refreshing drink) and the locals get supported through their labour.
If you are more adventurous you can hike to the top of the arch by taking a small track on the left as you pass through it.
Once you descend, there is a small local restaurant at the entrance of the park that does great local food. This is a beautiful and iconic landmark so don’t forget your camera.
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- Travel Tips
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Climate
Yangshuo has a sub-tropical monsoon climate with four distinctive seasons. The general climate is mild with plentiful rain. The average temperature is 18.9C (66 F). The coldest month is January with an average temperature of 15.6C (60.1 F) and the hottest is July, when the average temperature is 28.3C (82.9 F). Yangshuo’s annual rainfall is about 1,926 mm (76 inches). Around 60 per cent of this total falls in the rainy months of April, May, June and July.
What clothes to bring.
Warm clothes are recommended for winter wear, while in spring and autumn something lighter with a woolen sweater will be comfortable. T-shirts with skirts, shorts or slacks are the best choice for summer. Summer is the rainy season, especially in May and June. Comfortable footwear suitable for walking is a must all year round. If you are doing an active holiday, bring a couple of pairs of shoes as they will get wet and muddy.
Don’t forget your swimming clothes as it is the best way to get clean after a day of caving or to cool off after a strenuous hike.
It would be wise to bring sun block and insect repellent, and remember to bring a broad hat in summer to avoid heatstroke. Local herbal tea also helps travelers to become accustomed to the local weather and water.
Traveling times
The optimum time to travel in Yangshuo is from March to November. However, try to avoid peak holiday periods, such as the National Day break (October 1 to October 7) and Spring Festival (the Chinese lunar New Year), which falls on a date in January or February. At these times you can expect difficulties with hotel reservations, ticket booking and traffic, and prices are frequently much higher. If you can only travel in those, get in quick not to be disappointed.
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- Eating
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Yangshuo is a great place to eat. There are dishes from all over the world and just about any region in China. You can eat cheaply in the markets with the locals or you can try comfort food in one of the many cafes in town.
Local specialties:
Grapefruit or Pomelos (sha tian you) - locally produced, they are very sweet and juicy and can be bought everywhere for ¥1-2. Ask the vendor to choose one with a small top and cut it up for you.
Beer fish - A local specialty, something most Chinese tourists try.
Beware: If you buy fish, the price displayed on the menu may be the price per 500g. A largish fish may cost you well over ¥100.
Also, the local cuisine can be spicy but you can request keeping the chillies out if you don't like your food hot.
Western food
It seems almost every restaurant in Yangshuo offers burgers, shepherd's pie, and a Western breakfast. Most of the staff in these places speak reasonable English, a few excellent.
In general, the standard of the food is quite high. However, there is much menu copying and some places serve rather bizarre impressions of Western dishes as prepared by Chinese chefs without the original recipe. In particular, be prepared for odd looking and tasting bread and copies of western cakes and deserts. Also, in these places the standard of the Chinese food is generally hit or miss, since Western food is their specialty.
Prices are considerably higher than eating in China usually is. However, they are generally better than prices for Western food in major Chinese cities.
Recommended by us:
The Buffalo Bar - Aussie owned and operated. Good standard western food. Alf, the owner has been here since year dot and can help you with anything.
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- How to get here
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Riverside Hikes
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Swimming
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Local Villages
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Local Farming
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By Plane
The closest airport is Guilin. From there you can take a taxi direct to Yangshuo, or go to Guilin (Taxi) then catch a local or Express bus (see by bus). Or we can organise a private car or taxi to meet your flight. Prices vary but we use the same service so we have a set rate with them of 280RMB. Send us your flight details and we will arrange the connection.
By Boat
There are boats that travel down the Li River from Guilin, slower and more expensive (¥400+) than buses, but a very scenic journey. You may be able to travel for about ¥100 by joining a tour group. You will pass by what is considered some of China's most famous scenic views, including a mountain view that can be seen on all ¥20 bills.
In the winter time, which is the dry season, the boats often only travel starting halfway down the Li River from Guilin. A tour company will inform you of this. It is still worth taking the journey. You will then travel part of the way by bus or private taxi, then join the boat where the water is deep enough (this may vary).
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By Train
The nearest railway station is in Guilin. An direct overnight train from Shenzhen (on the Hong Kong border) operates to Guilin (12 hours). We will arrange pick up from the train station. Minibuses to Yangshuo conveniently depart from the square in front of Guilin railway station (¥14, 60-90 minutes).
By Bus (I do not recommend this method of travel in China)
From Guilin, there are frequent minibuses and express buses to Yangshuo. All buses terminate at the bus terminal in Yangshuo. Minibuses depart from the square in front of the Guilin railway station (60-90 minutes, ¥14 - buy tickets on the bus once it is underway. Invariably touts will try to sell you a more expensive ticket before the bus departs, even coming onto the bus. The best approach is simply to ignore them).
Express buses (¥15, buy tickets from counter inside terminal) depart every half hour from the Guilin bus terminal off Zhongshan Zhong Lu and take just an hour.
Scam Alert - On the bus from Guilin, unscrupulous hawkers frequently stop the bus before the center of town (near the service station) urging you to get off while claiming this is Yangshuo and the bus will continue to another place. The bus conductor will often be complicit in the scam and even tell you that you've arrived at the bus station.
The tout's goal is to get you to pay them to take you to the centre of town and to their hotel.
Note: Buses from Guangdong really don't go to the bus station; they just let you off in town, a ten-minute walk from the main tourist area following the signs to West Street.
From Guangdong, overnight sleeper buses run direct to Yangshuo from Shenzhen (near Hong Kong), from Zhuhai (near Macau), and from Guangzhou. These cost around ¥100-250 depending on which station in Shenzhen you want to depart from and how new of a bus you want to travel on. Some sleeping buses from Shenzhen are quite uncomfortable. The buses from the border in Shenzhen are the most expensive.
From Nanning, there are 3 buses per day. The journey costs ¥120.
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