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No.75 South Zhongshan Road, Xiufeng District, Guilin, Guangxi Zhuang, 541002, China
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Two Pagodas
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Our friendly Mandarin speaking tour guide
The twin pagodas - Moon & Sun on Water System
Looking for some advice in regards to the following questions for my trip to Guilin. I’m on a tight itinerary and trying to fit in as much as possible. Also, traveling independently as a female and while I got the Mandarin CDs for my Ipod, I’m not anticipating fluency by my March departure. Ha ha!
Anyway, a big thanks to everyone in advance for your suggestions. Will probably be back soon with the Hong Kong questions after doing some initial research…
1) Recommendation of any independent guides in Guilin?
2) Is a night cruise to see Guilin lit up worth it or should I get to the Lijiang hotel for the 15 minute water show?
3) I am staying 2 nights at Jing guan Minglou on Ronghu Nanlu, is this in walking distance to the Glass bridge?
4) a-What would an estimated private taxi cost me to do Reed Flute, Elephan Hill and Sol Beauty Peak? b- Can this all be accomplished from say 2:00 to 6:00 PM? c- Looking at a map Gullin appears tiny, perhaps I can walk to these sites with the exception of Reed Fl).
5) In need of a tour group for the 1 day Longsheng rice terraces trip. I know its better to stay a night up there but I do not have the time. I want to get there as early in the morning as possible (I know its few hrs ride). I have read some horror stories of people being dragged to some show before the terraces and if you choose not to pay, you have to sit and wait on bus. So I really need a dependable recommendation. Also do all tours provide time in a village perhaps Ping’an?
6) I will be headed to Yangshuo with a fairly large bag. I would like to take a small boat and make this as drama/hassle free as possible. I do not care about lunch and English info, yet I do not know how crowded taking the smaller Chinese boats would be? I am a bit unclear as I just keep reading the tourist boats are big and there are tons of them.
Thanks again everyone. First posted this just under China and not Guilin, so sorry if it was technically double posted.
6) Forget about the Li River cruise. Take a bus to Yangshuo and go for a bamboo raft ride on the Yulong River instead, it'll be more picturesque.
Second Ellyse..forget about the boat trip down Li River. You can hire plenty of rafts etc once you get to Yangshuo. In fact, I would suggest you spend more time in Yangshuo than Guilin. Elephant Hill, Solitary Peak etc pale in comparison to the scenery in Yangshuo. Can you adjust your itinerary?
For 1 day Tour to Longsheng, stay overnight at the hotel in Longsheng, and come back to Guilin City in the next day. If you're not sure about the itinerary and the transfer, an ideal is join 1 or 2 days SIC tour to Longsheng with other guys. The tour guide will pick you up at your hotel in the morning, and guide your way to Longsheng. The best way to enjoy the Li River is take the bus from Guilin to Yangshuo, and then change the bus from Yangshuo to Xingping. In Xingping, take a bamboo raft on Li River. The bus from Guilin to Yangshuo is very cheap and convenient. Go to the train station but not the bus station to take the bus. In Yangshuo, you could spend 2-3 days there. The beautiful landscape will impress you deeply. The best time of Guilin tour is in March to May in Spring. And both in Spring and Autumn, the terrace in Longsheng is beautiful. Have a good trip!
We come to a place with a series of expectations that sometimes are confirmed, some other… they don't.
Traffic was an example: I was expecting the crazy hustle and bustle of India, or Thailand.
Wrong. The traffic is intense, but normal. There is discipline, order, and… efficiency. A very positive surprise!
If you came to this Guilin page looking for Limestone Cliff pictures on the Lijiang (Li River), you came to the wrong place. These are close to Guilin, but are actually in and around Yangshuo, so you can find these on my Yangshuo page).
These views are famous in China and indeed internationally, and are supposed to represent some of the most Chinese areas in China. Whether this is actually true is impossible for me to say, but nevertheless, this area is the part of China I remember the most fondly and is the bit I would most like to return to! Yangshuo as a little town is well worth staying at for a few days whilst you explore the area (it's great by push bike!). The River Cruise is also well worth seeing.
The restaurant serves a large selection of herbal soups. Extremely well done & great during the winter months.
For some reasons, Americans whom I've come across are not very used to the distinctive Chinese herbs used in most of the Chinese soups & dishes.
Same as the fact that most Australians & some Americans hate Tofu.
So, when it comes to very authentic chinese food, just remember, they are not Chinatown food! You've to have an open mind about them! Chinese Herbal Soups, naturally.
Stir-fried Tian Lo (snails) with chilli. Quite spicy though I was told it's not v. hygienic. It's a favorite in this part of China.
This was basically the main reason we were in Guilin, and our cruise certainly did not disappoint. We booked it through our Hotel Reception, paying 450rmb each = about $79AUD. We thought this price was quite reasonable, as it was a full day tour, including lunch on the boat.
Pick-up at our Hotel was at 8.15am and the cruise itself lasted for 4 1/2 hours. The scenery on the cruise was magical, like out of a fairy tale. The weather that day was overcast with some sun and very very warm. This was our last full day in Guilin, so we had no option but to do the cruise on that day. When we woke up in the morning and looked outside, it was pouring rain which was disappointing. But, as the day wore on, the weather improved minute by minute, so we are glad we still went.
Every time the boat turned a new corner, or you turned your head left, right, up or down, there was something new and equally amazing to look at and take pictures of. I did take over 100 photos that day, and to most people, they probably all look very similar, but they are not. It was simply all that breathtakingly beautiful.
I cannot tell you who exactly we did the cruise with, but we were known as "The Panda Group" and our tour guide was called Young Young. He was (as we had come to expect!) a fantastic guide, very knowledgeable, funny and speaking fluent english.
The lunch that was served on the boat was adequate - I wont tell you it was simply delicious, because it wasnt! But there was ample food for all to share. Funnily enough, beer was included in your ticket price, but soft drink was not. So, to quench my craving for coca cola, I had to fork out 20rmb!!!
The boat docked in Yangshao at about 2pm and we then had about 3 hours to spend there. We pretty much just shopped for that time, finding the markets selling unique goods we had not seen anywhere else, and all very very cheap. Then we got a bus back to Guilin at about 6pm and were back in our Hotel room by about 7.30pm. It was a very long and tiring day, but one I will always remember.
This is a beautifully laid out garden donated by the citizens of Taiwan around another limestone peak which contains a cave with carvings dating back to the Ming Dynasty.
Inside the complex is a reconstructed palace where the first Ming Emperor resided before he became Emperor.
As well there is an extensive art gallery- be prepared to a demonstration by a renowned painter with an implied obligation to buy. (see tourist trap)
Again, nice to look at but only visit if starved of things to do!
Cost of entry 32 Yuan
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Q: How Long to Stay "I visited Yangshuo in 2007 for 3 days and will return to Guilin in October and stay in a hostel. I want to travel in this area but..."
A: "I've been to Guilin once and we went on an organised Dragon air package. We took the river cruise to Yangshuuo which was spectacular and the highlight of the trip. Took..."
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