1 Day Private Tour: Li River Cruise From Guilin & Yangshuo Biking

What a great day! Advance communication was informative and helpful. Transportation was roomy, comfortable and air conditioned. Our guide William offered lots of insights into the area, culture, history and was extremely accommodating. The cruise was beautiful. The boat did not offer many translations so it was helpful that William was able to provide guidance, teach us about the geography and translate anything that needed to be conveyed. We elected to ride bikes rather than use scooters and we’re not disappointed at all! The bikes were pretty comfortable and in good condition. We biked approximately 8 miles, William leading us around a path following the river until turning back into the countryside and venturing back through a few villages. We had some hot and rainy weather but even with that, we truly enjoyed the day! Highly recommend!

Lilly was excellent. We really enjoyed having her as our guide. She was extremely attentive. We recommend her highly.

It is nice tour.We really enjoyed ourselves. Cycling was a particularly great experience. We also saw a couple of villages.

We had an amazing trip! It started very smoothly, Louis was with us from the very start! The trip started with a boat ride with amazing scenery something that you only see in movies!! Then we rode bicycles at a very remote place "Hidden gem" it was an amazing experiences! Louis was extremely friendly, knowledgable and he let us ride the bicycles longer than what was planned! I highly recommend this.

It’s a must book!! Started on a deluxe boat after driver and our fabulous guide Jerry picked us up from hotel. Cruise was so good. Lunch was also great on the boat. Arrived in Yangshuo, had time to shop then had electric Scooters to tour the area and riverside. Jerry the guide made the day unforgettable. Appreciate your company for its accurate description. Note to other travellers maybe stop the night in Yangshuo it’s looks amazing for the evening

I will include this day as one of the most beautiful day of my life and this place on earth as the most beautiful! Frank my tour guide contributed a lot to make the most of the experience!

I cannot recommend this tour enough! Our guide was Lily and she was amazing. She had amazing English and was so knowledgable about the locations we traveled to. She was very easy to work with and helped us make accommodations to fit the needs of our group (mopeds instead of biking) and helped us customize our itinerary to our liking. Do not hesitate, just book!

Great guide (Sarah), very welcome a friendly. Great boat trip. The lunch on the boat wasn't great. The bycicle/scotter route after is definitely a must-do while in Guillin, one of our best trips in China and a great insight into the rural china.

Well organised, good English speaking guide (frank) with lots of knowledge to share, helpful and funny. The private guide allowed us to tweak the itenary (skip cycling, visit some old villages by car and extend the tour so we could join the show)

Stephen was a great guide, professional and nice. He explained a lot of interesting things and we had such a good time!

The tour was amazing. The scenery was breathtaking. Guilin definitely lives up to its reputation as one of the most beautiful places on Earth. We took many memorable photos of mountains, rivers, villages, etc. Gary (or Wei Li) from China Highlights was a fantastic tour guide. He was fluent in both English and Chinese. He put in a lot of effort to share with us his cultural knowledge of the different places as our cruise boat travelled along Li River. He brought us to many wonderful places in Yang Shuo. In particular, he showed us many traditional buildings as he led us through the small streets of well-preserved old villages.

We really loved the whole tour. But to scooter around the countryside was truely memorable! Our guide was very fun too

Very interesting tour and one you cannot miss when in Guillin. Our tour guide Yang and the driver picked us up from the hotel and after a one hour ride we arrived to the river where you'll find the boats ready for departure. weather was not ideal so we had to stay inside the boat a lot of the time. nonetheless our guide was very keen to converse with us and keep us entertained all the way through. She advised us every time to get on the upper deck of the boat when an interesting area was coming up. Food on the boat was good (not great). Yangshuo is also worth visiting although I would have loved to spend at least 3 hours there. We only had about an hour or so. Thumbs up for boat Yang and the driver. We booked tour from here. I suggest checking other sites cause I believe we could have gotten a better deal.

If you are visiting Guilin part of your trip will no doubt include a visit to Yangshuo with a Li river cruise the best way to get one way ( with a coach back; I wouldn’t recommend both ways by boat). I believe this goes daily with plenty of boats undertaking the journey. It takes about 4 hours and is a pleasant leisurely way to take the trip, see the views and enjoy the Chinese countryside. The boat provides commentary at the key points ( in Chinese and English) to make sure you don’t miss the main views. I would suggest you take a packed lunch to enjoy as your boat winds it’s way down the Li. Seating is very comfortable which allows good views from your seat although you can also enjoy the river from the top deck which gives you a 360 degree vista. Enjoy

One of the highlights of our 5 sites visit in China was definitely Guilin/Yangshuo. The Li river cruise is unique and relaxing, and the bike visit through Yangshuo farmland and a >400 year old farm home is such a peaceful, tranquil and educational experience. And we couldn't have asked for a more knowledgeable, thoughtful and helpful guide than Frank. And his English was excellent! Our tour advisor Robert Hui of China Highlights has made our 11 day, 5 sites China tour completely worry free and totally enjoyable. Only if China Highlights could have lowered the 100 plus daily temperature in Beijing, ours would have been a perfect tour!

We had the most AMAZING time in Guilin.The Li River cruise was unforgettable and a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. But what really made our trip exceptional was our guide, Frank. He was knowledgeable about everything and gave a great tour. At the same time, he knew when we wanted to just wander around and spend times on our own and didn't hover. Frank also was proactive about taking pictures of us and sending them to us later, which we are very grateful for! When we wanted authentic souvenirs - beautiful landscape paintings and embroidered art - he took us to local shops where we were able to purchase unique pieces. Lastly, Frank saved us in Guilin when we accidentally boarded our flight without our bag. Frank went above and beyond to contact security, lost and found, and the airport police to track down our bag. He then was able to ship it to us at our next hotel in Beijing. We could not have gotten our bag back without him and are SO GRATEFUL for everything he did for us. He is truly an exceptional guide.

I recently spent 3 1/2 days (June 25-June 28, 2018) exploring Guilin and Yangshuo with my son (21), daughter (25), daughter's boyfriend (25). Our trip was planned with Lily from China Highlights and our guide for our stay in Guilin was Lele. Lele started as our guide but quickly became our friend; he is professional, attentive, patient and funny. He went above and beyond to make sure our adventures were enjoyable; he helped us order food, gave us tips on how to bargain and when not to bargain, shared his vast knowledge of history, and was truly a joy to be around. On our first day in Guilin we visited Reed Flute Cave and Elephant Trunk Hill, we found both enjoyable. We visited Daxu town and it was like a walk back in time. Lele has friends everywhere and he introduced us to a lovely man who welcomed us into his home, showed us how to grind soy, and told us a story about how the Americans were kind and dropped food during the War. It was an experience that I will always treasure and be grateful for. On our second day we were escorted by Lele to Longsheng Rice Terraced Field and hiked up to the top of the terraces through the villages and had a delicious lunch at Longji Ping'an Restaurant. This experience was surely one of the highlights of our entire China trip and should not be missed. Day three found us on the Li River Cruise to Yangshuo with Lele as our guide. The boat was lovely, lunch was good, and the scenery is breathtaking. This was a relaxing, enjoyable cruise. West Street is Yangshuo is fun and after a quick walk through we headed to rent bikes to take a tour through the country. My children absolutely loved this bike ride and Lele made sure I was able to enjoy it with them - many thanks. On day four we spent the morning shopping on West Street and enjoyed our final lunch with Lele. While we were in Guilin we stayed at the Shangri La Hotel and in Yangshuo we stayed at the Banyan Tree. Both were lovely, but the Banyon Tree was possibly our favorite hotel in China due to its location, pool, amenities. Our only regret is that is we did not have one more day to enjoy all the BT had to offer. We are grateful to Lele for his impeccable service, his attention to detail, his patience, and most of all for making us feel at home in his beautiful country.

I spent three days with guides from Chinahighlights: Sunny met me at the airport and returned me on my last day (when she picked me up 30 minutes early so we could visit the Flying Tigers musuem on way to Airport - as a history buff, totally great end to my stay.) The first full day was led by another guide - Hill - who brought me on the +2 hour drive to the Long-ji rice terraces. This is the best time to see them, during monsoon season (summer) when the rice is growing and an amazing green - later in the year the terraces are brown, with nothing in them by perhaps sweet potatoes. The best part was that you are brought to the top - and you can spend two hours wandering the paths down through a local village and on the pick-up spot. It's maybe a 40 minute walk, but I took as much time as I could just standing, looking and listening: the sound of water flowing over the terraces is everywhere (rainy season!) and magical. I recorded 5 minutes of the sound on my cell phone to use to fall asleep. Highlight of the trip, by a mile. The day also included a stop to see a performance by women of the Yao minority, which even in Chinese was very funny. Young men are selected from the audience to take part in one humorous bit about marriage - so if your son is a teenager, and you want to see him squirming on stage, sit near the front if you can.... The next two days was led by another guide - Ocean - (they have all chosen very user-friendly names), who was an amazing guide - full of great information, great sense of humor and a very chill attitude. Can't say enough about him. The highlights included a boat ride down the Yi River on a very swank river boat - comfortable, with A/C and comfy seating in the plush cabin, and a great viewing deck on the top (with NO annoying diesel fumes pouring from a funnel right behind you, as I've had on ferry services sometimes.) This river is China's Shangrila - amazing scenery at every turn - and we were on the river right after 4 days of rain, so it was overflowing - the trip took 3 hours instead of the usual 3.5, but after 2 hours of scenery I was like most others: done. At the end point town (Yangshuo), instead of bikes we hopped on electric Vespa-like scooters. Also, I had been on scooters before, and Ocean checked me out to see I was competent. (NOTE: Foreigners aren't permitted to rent them in the city of Guilin - but I was told that outside the city, on a tour, it's ok. Whatever.) They top out at 30 km/hour, but with the congested traffic, no one goes over 20 and I had to prod Ocean to go over 18 km/hr when we got on quiet country lanes. He took me to a local national forest, then down lanes in rice paddies, stopped at the river side to wade in and cool the feet, then a visit to an older couple who live in a 300 year old home. In the heat of July, it is the only way to go. The few tourists I saw sentenced to the bikes looked miserable. Stayed at the Lijiang Waterfall Hotel - an over the top almost Vegas-like new-ish hotel - very grand - I had trouble adjusting the heat so the room remained on the cool side, and the bathroom had a gamy smell in it. NB: I didn't complain to the hotel - I wasn't in the room long enough to really care, (and my wife was no along on this trip.) So all in all, a great experience - very good service from ChinaHighlights from the first time I contacted them - worked with Coco - and throughout.

The best parts of our experience in Guilin and Yangshuo were the Reed Flute Cave, which is pretty spectacular, the Li river cruise, which is stunning in person and can't be captured by photographs (but bring your camera!), and riding scooters in the Yangshuo countryside, where you can get iconic views of China. Our tour guide, Frank, was friendly, energetic, personable and knowledgeable. We were sad to say goodbye to Frank when we moved on to the next city! China Highlights makes a trip to China about as easy as it gets with the tour guides and drivers making it a seamless experience.

Jason our guide for China Highlights was terrific. He waited for 4 hours in the Guilin airport while our plane was diverted, then gently encouraged us to continue on the next morning for the Li River Cruise. Despite pouring rain, the boat trip was amazing, the clouds/mtn combo stunning. We stayed at an amazing renovated Tea House in Yangshou, one of the highlights of our trip-beautiful rooms, amazing service, excellent food. We lucked out and stumbled onto a Chinese opera in Yangshou and shopped at the store specializing in locally made goods, A MUST for authentic, beautiful artisan pieces. The tour of the rice paddies and local home were eye opening. LOVED every minute of this trip. HIGHLY recommended by skeptical NY'rs...! Smart, knowledgeable guide, great food, beautiful views....

Guilin is a lovely city and the surrounds are even more beautiful. We had a very happy two days with Jason as our guide. Unfortunately, I had a bad cold and Jason went out of his way to look after me and make sure that I had the best experience possible. The cruise and the cruise ship were first class and we thoroughly enjoyed it. Would recommend Guilin to anyone, but note that it can be very hot and humid and make sure you have appropriate clothing. We were taken by surprise!

As a part of our month long China Highlights private tour we met Lele, our amazing guide and he showed us Yangshou and the took us on the magnificent Li River Cruise then biking the countryside. We travel all over the world and this was one of our most memorable days ever. Lele and China Highlights were exceptional and the scenery was breathtaking. Yangshou is one of my new favorite Asian cities. We loved biking and exploring. So many things to do and see and this can't be beat. Loved it all !!!

The Li River Cruise was amazing, one caveat, do not expect to be alone, there is an endless line of river cruise boats going down the river. The setting at Yangshuo is fantastic once you get there as well. Henry, our guide from China Highlights was great, amicable, knowledgeable and helped us with last minute modifications. He is a true asset to the company.

My classmate and I had a great time thanks to our tour guide Yang. She met us at the train station and took us to the hotel and made sure everything was set. She was extremely knowledgeable about the area and showed us some wonderful tucked away sights on the bike tour and helped us take some great photos. She also gave us a few pointers for our own explorations and helped with souvenir shopping. We had a small issue with our flights, but Yang took care of it for us and made sure to keep us informed, even late into the evening. All in all, we had an unforgettable time thanks to our great guide.

We have been privileged to travel all over China from Urumqi to Harbin to Sanya and Guilin was a top highlight. It was absolutely beautiful. Our guide, Lele, took care of us from beginning to end working out details we wouldn't even have thought about. He was very good at pointing out places of interest and telling us intriguing information about the places we visited. Excellent English skills! I would highly recommend this tour and tour guide for your visit to Guilin.

This company and the tour guide Lele has looked after a group of 7 people mostly 60+ age group so well that i would rate them a 10/10! Their attention to detail and caring is second to none. The BEST you can find in CHINA. Thanks again Lele for taking care of us for our 5 day tour of Guilin. HL

We loved the Li River Cruise from Guilin to Yangshuo, the walk in the Yangshuo countryside, and the scenery by the river near our hotel. Our guide Frank was excellent and took great care of us. We definitely would like to return to Guilin & Yangshuo, and have Frank take us around again, and spend more than 2 days to enjoy the natural scenery!

My family and I were in Guilin and Yangshuo for 4 days and had a great time! Our private guide, Chasen, was friendly, knew a lot about the area and spoke english very well. He was also super patient and shared a lot of history of each of places we visited. The scenery in Guilin and Yangshuo was breathing taking. Would also highly recommend the cruise from Guilin to yangshuo.

I had no idea of the amazing view I was going to experience in Guilin since I did not know anything about this place. But the River Cruise to Yangshou is so nice. I'm thankful for having this experience in my life and see with my own eyes this place. The mountains, river and also my guide Jason Han made the trip to be nice. The river cruise is very confortable and the food is good.

We had a wonderful guide in Lele of China Highlights. The cruise was surely a highlight. The landscape around was a joy.

We had a great day with our guide Li Ping. We started with the Li River Cruise. The scenery along the river is simply beautiful. The rain in between did not detract from the experience. On the contrary. We made the best of it. After the tour through Yangzhou, we were rewarded with the best weather again. So we switched to scooters instead of taking bicycles. It was nice to feel the breeze 😊 Overall, it was a successful day with Li Ping. She provided us with good insights into Chinese culture from time to time. We highly recommend this private tour with Wärmsteins.

The service was super personalized, and Li Ping (our guide) was very friendly and explained a lot of details about the visit, and Chinese culture in general. We were picked up at 7:30 at the hotel in Guilin (which was just outside the city), then boarded the boat at 9am where we could see the typical landscapes of the region from the deck. The inflight meal was a simple but correct free buffet, served at 12h. After disembarking in Yangshuo at about 2 pm we followed a road section to a more rural area where we took some bikes, we made a pleasant walk exploring the area, always accompanied by our guide. At about 4pm, we returned to bikes and returned by road to the starting point, arriving at about 5.30pm.

La croisière sur la rivière Li était très sympa. Nous avons surtout apprécié la promenade à vélo, dans les rizières. Notre guide Tony était top!

O passeio de barco pelo rio Li tem paisagens fantásticas.O barco é ótimo e o serviço muito bom. Nosso guia , Merrill Li foi excelente explicando muito das diferenças entre as minorias. O tour de bicicleta é muito agradável. Super recomendo.

If you visit Guilin, we did the Li River cruise and visit Yangshuo about two weeks ago. Thanks to Nelida, our guide, who explained every detail of the tour and the landscapes, attentive, friendly and fun. A comfortable boat tour, lined with beautiful mountains and amazing views. Highly recommended if you are planning to travel to China.

Thanks to Nelly the cruise was great! The views are spectacular as you can see the landscapes in a relaxed and comfortable way!

I toured the Li River, by boat.I was not helped by the weather because it rained a lot, because to enjoy its landscape had to be on deck under an umbrella.Despite the very interesting weather. Yangshuo I was able to ride it without rain.Motorcycle tour through the countryside, lovely. In addition to this area I traveled another day, the rice paddies. These tours were accompanied by Nélida.Excellent guide!!!Passionate about her work...she was an excellent companion.