Yangshuo Tourist Traps

When leaving the boats, tourists are attracted by the presence of a man, with two cormorants, waiting to get photographed. If he gets it, he will ask you for some money.

It's a ridiculous amount, so you better assume that you will pay him, don't do it from distance and compose your picture as you like.

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The famed Cormorant guy, a staple of the area for years, still stands to await tour groups for a paid photo.

Kid gets face cleaned, Cormorant guy looks on.

Unique Suggestions: I don't want to take away his livelihood, but do you really need a head-on photo of a guy with birds? If so, he's happy to help. If not, or if you don't believe in paying for photos, there's always the hip shot.

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We went to see this because I thought it might be a town of that name. It turns out to be a fully fledged tourist site.

It looked too kitsch for me and there were busloads of tourists in the carpark. I believe that there is plenty of natural countryside to see without paying money. We did not go in - anyone who has you can tell me I am wrong!!

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What a piece of sh**!!!

Spent 128RMB ($16) per person and were completely disappointed.

It was a very dangerous place:
- slippery (especially in those flip floppers that were given to us instead of our hiking shoes - STUPID!!!),
- very narrow (I mean I`m a slim girl and I had troubles crawling through those tunnels),
- dark (not that there is anything to see really, but still),
- hot and humid (people with athma and other breathing problems can be in trouble),
- dirty (you`ll see what I mean after the tour is over).

If, for some unknown reason, you`ll still decide to go there, make sure you:
- do not put that slippery flip floppers on (you can slip and hurt yourself);
- dress appropriately (may be have a pair of shorts and a t-shirt - for cave and then change clothes);
- do not take your backpack (I did and regretted big time - it was extremely hard to carry it through, not to mention how dirty that thing was after we got out);
- are not scared of the close spaces (I was not and still felt uncomfortable).

Oh, yeah, there will be a guy with a camera ahead of you, who`ll be taking rather annoying and endless photos how you crawl through the narrow tunnels. 15RMB (~$2) for a picture if you decide to buy it later.

Fun Alternatives: The alternative to ALL their caves, Banyan Tree, etc would be just bicycling in the country side. I sure enjoyed it much more.

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There is nothing to describe really. It was just bad. Big idea, bad execution. The result - we left before it ended and so did many other people.
Basically this is what I remember - hundreds of people running with bands, fire torches. Little girls singing for ages on the stage.
There were many people performing on that show, but it was a mess, not thought through.

Payed 160RMB ($20) per peson and still sat pretty far from the stage.

You also pay 2RMB per person (one way) for a shuttle, which picks you up at the end of the West Street and brings to the show and then back.

Fun Alternatives: Just do not go, it`s a waste of money.

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May be centuries ago Chinese were fishing with the help of cormorants and may be till today they still do it somewhere, but now in Yangshuo it is all for show.
I do not mind a show if it looks good, but when I see an old man putting a rug above his work clothes and charging 5 RMB for few pictures with him and a bird and then bluntly asking for 100RMB to see a bird catching a fish.. Common!!!

Everything on West Street is a tourist trap. That's OK if you want banana pancakes, toga parties and souvenirs. However it's not China. All of the restaurants and bars are more expensive than where the Chinese people go. You must bargain very hard for everything here, these people are professionals. At the time of my visit (10/05) the Chinese government was trying to keep the restaurants and shops from being on the sidewalks. One day it was OK, the next day it wasn't. So streetside dining may be a thing of the past.

Unique Suggestions: Enjoy yourself and bargain hard. Remember you can find a hotel, restaurant, clothing, etc. much less expensively a couple of blocks away.

Avoid the Butterfly Grotto by all means! It is such a silly fake. I mean everything is made out of concrete! And how can it be that there is a huge waterfall coming out of one tiny little Karst Mountain?????
Just an ugly tourist trap!