Hiking along Li River

Li River is known as the Mother River of Guilin. Tourists can enjoy various sceneries along the river banks, such as pinnacles covered in deep foliage (shrouded in mist on rainy days), clear water, deep ponds, dangerous shoals, and vistas of idyllic countryside. Each scenery looks like a typical Chinese ink painting. And due to different weather, the scenery may vary. The Li River may seem like a bright landscape painting on sunny days while it is shrouded in mist and appears mysterious and magical on foggy and rainy days.

Hiking is now one of the most fashionable exercises of entertainments, leisure and health-building. It is a great way to get away from the everyday stress in your life, as well as a way of relaxing. While hiking along Li River, you can not only experience the hiking interests and benefits, but also can appreciate a great many of enthralling landscapes. There are mainly three typical routes for hiking along Li River as follows.

Guilin ---Yangshuo

The journey from Guilin to Yangshuo, about 100km (62.14 miles) long, is the golden waterway of Li River with beautiful scenery. It starts from Yushan Bridge in the suburb of Guilin and ends with West Street, Yangshuo. 60% of this journey is walking along the Li River.

Most tourists may take boat or cruises, but it seems that time is too short to enjoy the views better. Hiking is a better choice for many reasons. On one hand, the road is comparably flat and wide to hike and you can enjoy the fun of camping. On the other hand, you can take a small bamboo raft whenever you feel tired.

During this route, there are many types of scenery to enjoy such as the “Nine Horse Nine Fresco Hill”, “Charming Reflection at Yellow-cloth Shoal” and “Xingping Landscape”.

Yangdi -- Xingping

This route is considered one of the best choices. It includes most beautiful landscapes of Li River. The journey is about 20km (12.43miles) long and takes five to six hours. The road is comparably flat for hiking because most are paths along the banks or ridges of paddy fields and you need not to climb up and down hills. Moreover, you will find villages every one-hour-journey and you can ask them for help if necessary.

This journey also includes the “Nine Horse Nine Fresco Hill”, “Charming Reflection at Yellow-cloth Shoal”, “Xingping Landscape” and other scenery.

Yangdi ---Yangshuo

The journey of this route is a bit long and the roads are rugged, as a result, tourists have to make a good arrangement and prepare some necessary field camping things such as tents, sleeping bags, drinking water, food, and lighting appliances. It is ideal to organize a small group with number of members ranging from three to ten. After getting to Yangdi village by boat or by bus, you can start your hiking towards the Lower Li River from Yangdi pier.

Tips:
1. Wear comfortable walking shoes.
2. Bring hats, sun glasses and apply sunscreen on sunny days; prepare raincoats on rainy days.
3. Pack light with snacks and bottled water.