Guilin, Yangshuo Help
Dec 5th, 2010, 01:00 AM
#1
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Guilin, Yangshuo Help
Hello! I will be arriving in Guilin on March 15th and have the following questions of what would be the best itinerary for 4 nights, leaving on the 19th evening. I will be arriving around 1pm on the 15th. Traveling alone.
First thoughts:
Day 1: Drive straight from airport to rice terraces for an overnight stay in Ping an or Dazahi.
Day 2: Walk the terraces down. Get to Guilin in the afternoon. Overnight in Guilin.
Day3: Li River cruise from Guilin to Yangshuo. Night in Yangshuo. Light show etc.
Day4: Yangshuo. Bike ride to Moon mountain, villages, etc. Night in Yangshuo.
Day 5: Bamboo float, or hiking around. Transfer to airport for evening flight out...6pm.
Questions: Does this itinerary work? Can I get up to Ping an or Dazahi from the airport leaving at 2pmish?
Is it worth going to the Rice Terraces given the limited time? Or should I head straight in to Guilin for one evening and take the River Cruise down to Yangshuo and optimize my time in Yangshuo?
Is March an okay time to visit the Terraces and/or Yangshuo?
Thank you for any and all help!!!
First thoughts:
Day 1: Drive straight from airport to rice terraces for an overnight stay in Ping an or Dazahi.
Day 2: Walk the terraces down. Get to Guilin in the afternoon. Overnight in Guilin.
Day3: Li River cruise from Guilin to Yangshuo. Night in Yangshuo. Light show etc.
Day4: Yangshuo. Bike ride to Moon mountain, villages, etc. Night in Yangshuo.
Day 5: Bamboo float, or hiking around. Transfer to airport for evening flight out...6pm.
Questions: Does this itinerary work? Can I get up to Ping an or Dazahi from the airport leaving at 2pmish?
Is it worth going to the Rice Terraces given the limited time? Or should I head straight in to Guilin for one evening and take the River Cruise down to Yangshuo and optimize my time in Yangshuo?
Is March an okay time to visit the Terraces and/or Yangshuo?
Thank you for any and all help!!!
Dec 5th, 2010, 10:58 PM
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Hi,
I've only been to the area once so my information is limited.
If you arrive at 2 then you should be able to leave the airport by 2.30 or 3.00. I recall that it's about a 2 hours drive to get to the base of the terraces and another hour hike up. Probably be dark by the time your reach Ping An. For this to work you will have to prearrange a car to pick you up at the airport and hope that there will be no delays.
I did the trip as a day outing and did not spend the night as I rather sleep in Guilin. There are a lot of inns and hotels in Ping An so if you're into staying in rustic places then go for it.
I've only been to the area once so my information is limited.
If you arrive at 2 then you should be able to leave the airport by 2.30 or 3.00. I recall that it's about a 2 hours drive to get to the base of the terraces and another hour hike up. Probably be dark by the time your reach Ping An. For this to work you will have to prearrange a car to pick you up at the airport and hope that there will be no delays.
I did the trip as a day outing and did not spend the night as I rather sleep in Guilin. There are a lot of inns and hotels in Ping An so if you're into staying in rustic places then go for it.
Dec 5th, 2010, 10:58 PM
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Hi,
I've only been to the area once so my information is limited.
If you arrive at 2 then you should be able to leave the airport by 2.30 or 3.00. I recall that it's about a 2 hours drive to get to the base of the terraces and another hour hike up. Probably be dark by the time your reach Ping An. For this to work you will have to prearrange a car to pick you up at the airport and hope that there will be no delays.
I did the trip as a day outing and did not spend the night as I rather sleep in Guilin. There are a lot of inns and hotels in Ping An so if you're into staying in rustic places then go for it.
I've only been to the area once so my information is limited.
If you arrive at 2 then you should be able to leave the airport by 2.30 or 3.00. I recall that it's about a 2 hours drive to get to the base of the terraces and another hour hike up. Probably be dark by the time your reach Ping An. For this to work you will have to prearrange a car to pick you up at the airport and hope that there will be no delays.
I did the trip as a day outing and did not spend the night as I rather sleep in Guilin. There are a lot of inns and hotels in Ping An so if you're into staying in rustic places then go for it.
Dec 5th, 2010, 11:11 PM
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Rather than spend a night in Guilin, you are better off heading straight to Yangshuo from the rice terraces.
You can do the Li River cruise from Yangshuo; in fact it is better from there. The river cruise from Guilin to Yangshuo is on a big boat with lots of people. The scenic part of the journey is between Yangdi and Xingpin, which the large boats will cross in less than 30 minutes. However, from Yangshuo you can take a taxi/bus to Yangdi, get on to a small boat (which carries a max of 4 people), and do a gentle cruise on the Li River all the way to Xingpin (which will take almost 3 hrs), from where you can take a bus back to Yangshuo. This will allow you to spend much more time on the scenic portion of the Li River, will be cheaper, and will involve one less hotel change.
You can do the Li River cruise from Yangshuo; in fact it is better from there. The river cruise from Guilin to Yangshuo is on a big boat with lots of people. The scenic part of the journey is between Yangdi and Xingpin, which the large boats will cross in less than 30 minutes. However, from Yangshuo you can take a taxi/bus to Yangdi, get on to a small boat (which carries a max of 4 people), and do a gentle cruise on the Li River all the way to Xingpin (which will take almost 3 hrs), from where you can take a bus back to Yangshuo. This will allow you to spend much more time on the scenic portion of the Li River, will be cheaper, and will involve one less hotel change.
Dec 6th, 2010, 12:44 AM
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Thank you for the great info! I will see if I can get an earlier flight! So, indaincouple, you are saying to miss Guilin completely and optimize the time in Yangshuo? Thanks for the river boat tip, I will definitely do that.
What about the Rice Terraces in general? Is it worth the effort and the one night or should I add another night on to Yangshuo?
Thank you!!!
What about the Rice Terraces in general? Is it worth the effort and the one night or should I add another night on to Yangshuo?
Thank you!!!
Dec 6th, 2010, 12:56 AM
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I quite like Guilin and it does contrast to Yangshuo greatly IMO and unless you are really pressed for time then it's worth a look.
This might help you - my photos from all the places you're enquiring about.
Guilin: http://khun-pook.smugmug.com/Other/C...86314456_vxgZt
Yangshuo: http://khun-pook.smugmug.com/Other/C...66404263_mic7k
Longsheng(Rice Terraces): http://khun-pook.smugmug.com/Other/C...88427352_85tRZ
This might help you - my photos from all the places you're enquiring about.
Guilin: http://khun-pook.smugmug.com/Other/C...86314456_vxgZt
Yangshuo: http://khun-pook.smugmug.com/Other/C...66404263_mic7k
Longsheng(Rice Terraces): http://khun-pook.smugmug.com/Other/C...88427352_85tRZ
Dec 6th, 2010, 05:06 AM
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Yes I do think the Dragonbone Rice Terraces are worth the trip. We found them quite spectacular.
We skipped Guilin completely, as it is basically just a city, albeit with a few parks etc. But one goes to that region to see the lovely countryside, which is found at Yangshuo. In fact if you have time in Yangshuo, you should also do bamboo rafting on the Yulong River, which is as pretty as the cruise on Li River. Lots of stuff to do in Yangshuo.
We skipped Guilin completely, as it is basically just a city, albeit with a few parks etc. But one goes to that region to see the lovely countryside, which is found at Yangshuo. In fact if you have time in Yangshuo, you should also do bamboo rafting on the Yulong River, which is as pretty as the cruise on Li River. Lots of stuff to do in Yangshuo.
Dec 7th, 2010, 10:01 PM
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This is what we did in 4 days:
Day 1: Go directly to Yangshuo from the airport the first day;
Day 2: Rafting on the Li - Yangdi to Xingping; Night show
Day 3: biking/rafting Yulong River and Moon Hill
Day 4: cooking school; massage; explore town
Day 5: Drive to Ping'an early; hike and have lunch there;
catch 6pm flight in Guilin
See our trip report Day 19-23
http://www.fodors.com/community/asia...led-report.cfm
We only had a half day in Guilin but we're glad we focussed on Yangshuo instead. You could exchange a day in Yangshuo for one day in Guilin, although I haven't any suggestions for that city. It just worked well to do see Ping'an on the last day as we needed to be at the airport so the transport worked well.
Day 1: Go directly to Yangshuo from the airport the first day;
Day 2: Rafting on the Li - Yangdi to Xingping; Night show
Day 3: biking/rafting Yulong River and Moon Hill
Day 4: cooking school; massage; explore town
Day 5: Drive to Ping'an early; hike and have lunch there;
catch 6pm flight in Guilin
See our trip report Day 19-23
http://www.fodors.com/community/asia...led-report.cfm
We only had a half day in Guilin but we're glad we focussed on Yangshuo instead. You could exchange a day in Yangshuo for one day in Guilin, although I haven't any suggestions for that city. It just worked well to do see Ping'an on the last day as we needed to be at the airport so the transport worked well.
