In order to reach Yangshuo's karst mountains, you’ll fly to the city of Guilin first. Many travel organisations book hotel accommodation in the large city of millions, Guilin, and arrange a boat ride on the Li River on to Yangshuo. This may sound like fun; however more than 50 double- deck boats filled with Chinese tour groups go up and down this River each day. Instead of being able to enjoy the splendour of nature all around you, you would most likely be distracted by the cacophony of ship horns honking and very loud tour groups shouting over the river.

Instead of arranging accommodation in Guilin, we’ll arrange accommodation for you in a charming retreat located between the karst mountains in Yangshuo. Only 20 minutes away from Yangshuo, you'll be surrounded by farmland and rice paddies. The room you'll stay in is basic, yet well maintained and the staff is very friendly. There are mountain bikes, kayaks, bamboo rafts and tubes for rent and naturally this area is great for walking. You could hike to the river and catch a glimpse of the bamboo boats you'll be sailing in tomorrow. We found Yangshuo to be quite busy during the evenings and therefore we would usually have a quiet dinner at the hotel under a brilliantly starry sky. If you would prefer to stay in a hotel in Yangshuo, please contact us and we will give you more information on accommodation options.

Today a bike tour and bamboo boat ride are on the agenda. We'll arrange a bike, a boat and an English-speaking guide for you. He will tell you more about life in the area and will bike and sail along with you. You'll travel in a small group today along with other Western travellers.

You'll start off the day with a bike ride along the Yulong River. The scenery here is every bit as beautiful as it is at the Li River and it features a dramatic array of Yangshuo's karst mountains on the banks of the river. During your bike ride you'll leave the main roads and peddle over paths along the river, through farmland and rice paddies and you'll have the karst mountains as constant companions during your ride. You'll be able to stop for drinks or snacks in the small villages that you'll pass during your ride. After biking for a while, the bamboo raft will be waiting to take you down the river. You, your guide and other boats will sail through the peaks of the karst mountains. After a few kilometres you'll get back on your bike and peddle towards the 'highlight' of this trek, Moon Hill. You can choose to climb the hill if you wish. In warm temperatures, this could be quite a strenuous climb. However the view from the top will make up for any inconvenience of getting there. Eventually when you return to your hotel you can unwind with a beer or glass of wine on the terrace.

Today you’ll have the entire day to spend as you please; there is plenty to do in this area. You can rent a kayak from the hotel, spend another day on a bicycle to explore the area on your own or you can even take Kung Fu lesson for an hour. We'll gladly give you more options.

There's quite a show to see on and along the Li and Yulong Rivers in the evenings. The name Zhang Yimao may not ring a bell, however he is the most well known movie director in China and was also responsible for directing the opening ceremony for the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing for instance. He’s created a show here in the outdoors with a backdrop of mountains and the river that attracts about 1000 visitors each and every night. As with most things in China, this show is a large production. No less than 500 actors and actresses in full dress and make-up perform the Chinese love story by San Jie Lu on the banks of the river and on the river itself. The surrounding mountains are part of a magnificent light show every night during the performance. The show can be viewed daily from 20:00 - 21:00. Tickets are on sale on location from € 15. After the show you may want to venture out for some souvenir shopping or have a bite to eat in one of Yangshuo's busy streets.

Best time to visit Yangshuo

The best time to visit Yangshuo's karst mountains is from April until November. January and February are the coldest months and June, July and August are the wettest months. During this time of the year Yanshuo is green and lush and farmland and rice paddies are full of crops that will be harvested in the month of August. The harvesting of the crops is a wonderful sight to see.

The average temperature is 19.3 degrees celsius. In July the average temperature is 28.3 degrees Celsius. During the spring and the fall the maximum temperatures lie between 20 and 28 °C. The summer can be warm and humid, partially by the rain, with temperatures up to 32 °C.