This is a sample five-day route from Guilin to Yangshuo in Guangxi, southern China. You spend a day in Guilin, a day on the Li River, then two days in the countryside around Yangshuo. Fly or take a high-speed train into Guilin, travel down the river to Yangshuo, and drive back to Guilin on day 5. Allow four to five days, or more if you add Yangshuo nights. LocalKey arranges it as an Independent or a Private Guided trip.
LocalKey Travel is a licensed China travel agency since 2009. Every trip under Private China Tours is a private journey planned around your party and your dates.
Sample five-day route
This is an example, not a fixed itinerary. We adjust every route in a 1:1 consultation to your arrival details and the river conditions in your season.
- Day 1: Arrive in Guilin (Reed Flute Cave, city orientation)
- Day 2: Guilin to Yangshuo by the Li River, luggage sent ahead
- Day 3: Yangshuo countryside (Yulong River valley, cycling, bamboo raft)
- Day 4: Moon Hill, riverside walks, village visit, free time
- Day 5: Return by road to Guilin for your onward trip
Day 1: Arrive in Guilin
Arrive in Guilin by high-speed train from Guangzhou, Shenzhen or Hong Kong, or fly into Guilin Liangjiang International Airport. Your private driver and local guide meet you at the arrival exit, help with your luggage and take you to your Guilin hotel. For the city, see our Guilin guide.
In the afternoon, visit Reed Flute Cave, a lit limestone cave with stalactites, stalagmites and ink inscriptions more than a thousand years old. Your guide explains how rainwater dissolved the carbonate rock over hundreds of millions of years and left the region's cone-shaped peaks and caves. The evening is free: walk by the Two Rivers and Four Lakes waterway in the city centre, or eat at a neighbourhood restaurant your specialist recommends.
Day 2: Guilin to Yangshuo on the Li River
After breakfast, your main luggage goes by private vehicle straight to your Yangshuo hotel. You and your guide go to the river pier with a day pack.
The Li River trip toward Yangshuo is the best-known stretch of Guangxi travel. Limestone peaks rise straight from the water, water buffalo graze in the shallows and bamboo lines the banks. All river boats run under the municipal maritime administration, and private operators do not own the waterways. We book you on a regulated river boat, with reserved upper-deck seats. Your guide points out landmarks such as Nine Horse Mural Hill and Yellow Cloth Shoal, the scenery shown on the Chinese 20-yuan banknote. The boat docks near Yangshuo in the early afternoon.
Your driver meets you at an agreed pick-up point and takes you to your countryside hotel, where your luggage is waiting. Spend the late afternoon looking at the limestone towers from your hotel.
Day 3: Yangshuo countryside and the Yulong River
The calmest scenery is away from Yangshuo town, along the Yulong River, a tributary of the Li that passes farming hamlets, pomelo orchards and quiet waterways.
In the morning, take an easy ride on the countryside greenways. Choose a pedal bicycle, a light electric scooter or an open electric cart with your guide. You pass rice paddies, old stone irrigation weirs and stone bridges such as the centuries-old Fuli Bridge.
In the afternoon, drift down a stretch of the Yulong River on a bamboo raft. Boatmen push two-seat rafts with long poles over low stone dikes. For dinner, your roadbook lists farm-to-table places with local river fish cooked in beer and tomatoes, or seasonal stir-fried greens in an open courtyard.
Day 4: Moon Hill and a river village
Spend the day south of Yangshuo. A relaxed morning drive takes you to Moon Hill, known for the natural half-circle arch in its peak. You can climb the paved forest path to the viewing platform under the arch. The view covers a sea of green karst peaks.
Later, visit a nearby riverside village where your guide helps you talk with residents about farming, seasonal crops and how the stone houses are built. Spend the late afternoon at your hotel. If you like live shows, we can arrange evening tickets to the outdoor river performance on a natural water stage on the Li River.
Day 5: Return to Guilin and depart
If you leave in the afternoon or evening, spend the morning at a village market or on a river walk. Your driver then takes you by expressway back to Guilin. The drive from Yangshuo to Guilin Liangjiang International Airport or Guilin Railway Station takes about 70 to 90 minutes. From the station you can take a high-speed train on to Chengdu, Shanghai or Hong Kong, or we can link this route to your next stop with private transfers.
Independent or Private Guided: which suits you?
Guilin and Yangshuo are about seventy kilometres apart along the Li River, with pier transfers, boat times, luggage forwarding and country roads to manage. The two formats handle that differently.
- Independent suits couples and travellers who like to explore alone. We arrange transfers on the heavy travel days, a private guide on arrival and the main river day, and boutique hotels. In Yangshuo you have free time to cycle or sit in village cafes, with a digital roadbook (your day-by-day trip guide) and 24/7 support.
- Private Guided suits families, several generations together and anyone who wants a slower pace. A private driver and guide stay with you for the whole trip, luggage goes door to door, and hotels are higher-category countryside resorts, for example in the quiet Yulong valley.
With young children or older relatives, see China Family Tours. For more on the two formats, see Independent vs Private Guided private China tour.
What is included, and what does it cost?
Every proposal lists accommodation, private transfers, guiding and entrance tickets separately, so you can see what each part costs.
| Usually in the proposal | You arrange |
|---|---|
| Custom 1:1 route design | International flights: optional. We can book them with your trip (quoted separately), or you can book your own. |
| Hotel shortlist and booking help | Travel insurance and personal documents |
| Private vehicles or arranged transfers as agreed | Personal shopping and extras |
| Licensed guides as agreed | Anything from a third party before we confirm it in writing |
| Luggage forwarding when you use it | Meals and activities outside the confirmed plan |
| Digital roadbook and 24/7 WeChat or WhatsApp support |
LocalKey does not publish brochure prices for Guilin and Yangshuo routes. Water levels, boat classes, seasonal hotel rates and vehicle plans change through the year, so we quote each trip from your confirmed dates, party size and format. For how private travel costs work in China, see private China tour cost 2026.
How to enquire
Send us your dates, party size, preferred pace and whether you lean to Independent or Private Guided. A specialist talks it through with you, then sends a day-by-day proposal with hotels, river plans and itemised prices, and adjusts it until it fits. Once you approve, we book everything and issue your digital roadbook, with 24/7 support on WeChat or WhatsApp during the trip. Start on our contact page.
Frequently Asked Questions
Should we choose Independent or Private Guided for Guilin and Yangshuo?
Choose Independent if you want boutique hotels, arranged transfers on the main travel days and a private guide for the main sightseeing, with free time in Yangshuo. Choose Private Guided if you want higher-category countryside resorts, a slower pace, and a private car and guide throughout your stay.
What is the price of a private tour in Guilin and Yangshuo?
LocalKey does not publish brochure prices for Guilin and Yangshuo routes, because river conditions, hotel categories, vehicle needs and seasonal rates vary. We price each proposal line by line from your chosen hotels and confirmed plans.
Can this route be combined with other destinations in China?
Yes. Guilin has direct high-speed trains to Hong Kong, Guangzhou, Shenzhen and Chengdu, and frequent flights to Shanghai and Beijing. Most of our guests fit this four-to-five-day Guilin and Yangshuo trip into a longer private China itinerary of ten to fourteen days. Your specialist plans the rail or flight transfers between stops.
