At a glance
- Best time
- April–June (high water) and September–October (clear and cool)
- How long
- 3 days
- Getting there
- Liangjiang International (KWL); Guilin / Yangshuo stations (high-speed rail to Guangzhou and Shenzhen)
- Getting around
- A scooter in Yangshuo at about CNY 50/day is the easiest option; rafts leave from Yangdi or Xingping piers
What to see and do
Li River raft, Yangdi to Xingping
The scene printed on the CNY 20 note is at Xingping, where the peaks rise one after another straight out of the water.
Tip Do the Yangdi–Xingping stretch; mornings are backlit, afternoons front-lit. Rafts stop when the river runs high in the rainy season, so confirm before you go.
Cost About CNY 200 per raft
Yulong River rafting
A much quieter tributary where rafts run a dozen small weirs, with paddies and cattle on both banks.
Tip The half-route from Jinlong Bridge to Jiuxian takes about 1.5 hours; bring a dry bag — you will get wet at the weirs.
Cost About CNY 180 per raft
Longji rice terraces
Zhuang and Yao villages have farmed these slopes for six centuries: mirrors in May when flooded, gold in September when ripe.
Tip Dazhai and Ping'an have separate viewpoints; stay on the mountain if you want sunrise, and allow 2 hours from Guilin.
Cost CNY 80
West Street & Ten-Mile Gallery
West Street is the lane backpackers found forty years ago; the Ten-Mile Gallery is a country road threading through the peaks.
Tip West Street is loud at night and calm by day; an afternoon on a scooter covers the gallery comfortably.
Cost Free
What to eat
- Guilin rice noodles Mixed with braised sauce and crisp pork — local breakfast for under CNY 10
- Beer fish Yangshuo's signature: Li River fish fried with the scales on, then braised
- Stuffed river snails / Lipu taro pork Pork forcemeat packed into snails, and pork belly layered with floury taro
Common questions
Can a foreign passport holder buy the Yulong River bamboo raft ticket online?
No — this is the one booking trap in Guilin. The online channels accept Chinese ID numbers only, so foreign and Hong Kong/Macao/Taiwan passport holders cannot book online; buy at the dock ticket window with your original passport and be checked there.
How many days for Guilin, and which stretch of the Li River should I book?
Three days. The reach that most people picture — peaks rising straight out of the water — is the Yangdi to Xingping section, where the scene printed on the CNY 20 note is. April to June is high water; September to October is clear and cool.
Booking & tickets
🛶 Yulong River bamboo rafts
Real-name ticketing with a twist: the online channels only accept Chinese ID numbers, so foreign passport holders CANNOT book online — buy at the dock ticket windows with your original passport and go through manual ticket check.
What you need to know
- Online booking (official 「遇龙河」 WeChat account / mini program) pre-sells the next day's rafts at 20:00 nightly and takes 3–7-day advance slots — Chinese ID numbers only
- Foreign passport holders (and HK/Macao/Taiwan permit holders) buy at the dock ticket windows with the original document and use the manual ticket-check lane
- Double rafts are priced per raft (180–320 yuan by route, 2 people each); children under 1 m and seniors 70+ may only ride the big leisure rafts
- Docks run 8:00–17:30/18:00 depending on the pier; arrive 30 minutes early for your queue number; no luggage storage and no phones/cameras on the rafts
How to book
-
Dock ticket windows (all piers)
Passport accepted
Buy with your original passport, manual ticket check, pick up a queue number on site
-
WeChat 「遇龙河」 official account (Chinese ID only)
Next-day tickets pre-sale at 20:00 nightly; show the original ID at the gate
Sources
⛰️ Li River rafts at Xingping
The scenery on the 20-yuan banknote is at Xingping — the Li River rafts use the same real-name ticketing; buy at the official Xingping raft ticket hall or the Chaobanshan dock window with your passport.
What you need to know
- Tickets are sold at the Xingping raft ticket hall (opposite the Xingping Rural Commercial Bank) and the Chaobanshan dock window; the shuttle-bus upgrade ticket is redeemed at the hall
- Same real-name mechanism as the Yulong River: check whether your purchase channel accepts passports — if not, buy at the window
- Rafts stop when the river rises; weather cancellations are fully refunded; Yulong River online tickets can be cancelled until 16:00 the day before your slot
- Queues at the docks are longest on Golden Week and summer weekends — morning slots give the best experience
How to book
-
Xingping raft ticket hall / Chaobanshan dock window
Passport accepted
Buy with your passport at the window; keep the ticket for the shuttle and boarding check
Sources
ℹ️ Guilin & Yangshuo: General Booking Rules
Rafts are the only scarce ticket; most Guilin city sights are standard admission — but buy through official windows only.
What you need to know
- Buy raft tickets only at official windows or the official mini programs — the scenic area explicitly warns against third-party touts; keep receipts for refunds (full refund for weather/force majeure)
- Refund rules: Yulong River online tickets are refundable until 16:00 the day before; no-shows after your slot are not refunded
- City sights (Elephant Trunk Hill, Reed Flute Cave) sell standard tickets; passport accepted at ticket windows
- Getting there: high-speed rail to Yangshuo station, then bus or taxi to the docks; leave buffer time on holiday weekends