There are no direct flights to Guilin. How do we actually get there?

Through one hub, and we plan it with you before anything is charged. From Europe, the UK, North America or Australasia you fly into Hong Kong, Shenzhen, Guangzhou, Beijing or Shanghai, then take a short flight or a high-speed train on to Guilin. From Shenzhen the train runs about three hours. That leg is not inside this plan's price, and your quote states in writing which hub you use, who books that leg and who pays for it. We also check your day-one arrival time and your day-five departure time against the plan before we take the order.

Four and a half hours on a boat. Is that too long?

It is the point of the day rather than the cost of it. That sailing is also how you get from Guilin to Yangshuo, so it replaces a road transfer instead of adding to one, and nothing else is scheduled around it. You are on deck with the peaks passing on both banks, there are seats inside when you want them, and the boat class booked for your order is written into your quote. If sitting still for an afternoon is not how you want to spend a fifth of your trip, this is the route to think twice about.

We're coming in November or December. Will the river be too low?

The Li River is a river, and its late-autumn and winter level is set by rainfall, not by us. We are confirming this selling window's conditions with our operator now, and no one can guarantee a river's depth months ahead. What we do instead: for any departure from November 1, 2026 your quote states in writing what happens to the day-three sailing where the operator shortens or reroutes it, and we will not take your order without that in writing. Whatever happens to the sailing, the two nights in Yangshuo, the Yulong River day and the Xianggong Hill sunrise are unaffected. They sit on a different river and on land.

Getting up before dawn on our last day, with a flight to catch. Does that work?

It works, and it is checked against your actual departure time before we take your order. The hill is about two and a half hours including the drive out and the climb, and you are back down for breakfast time. Xingping Ancient Town follows, then the drive from Yangshuo to Guilin airport or the railway station, timed with room to spare. That is also why day four carries no evening item: the evening before a pre-dawn start belongs to sleeping. Where your departure is early enough that the sequence does not fit, we say so before you book rather than after.

Can we book this now?

Not yet, and we would rather say so than take your money. the remaining items have to be settled first. the boat class on the day-three sailing; who books and pays for your connection into Guilin; and this route's remaining pre-listing review. Until those items are settled we take no orders and no deposits. What you can do now is send us your dates and your hub city; we will hold nothing, promise nothing, and write to you the day this route opens.

Downstream, Then Up

Overview

Two waters, two bases, one move between them. You sleep two nights in Guilin and two in Yangshuo, and the move on day three is the boat itself: four and a half hours downstream, which is also that day's sightseeing. Guilin gets a full day of its own instead of being the place you land in. The Yangshuo days then go small: a raft on a side river, a bicycle on a farm track, an afternoon by the water with nothing after it. The last morning goes up, before light, above the bend you floated through. You'll come home knowing what a day with one thing in it feels like.

— LyrikTrip travel designers

Every LyrikTrip journey begins with a conversation. Tell us your dates, who is coming and which hub you are flying through. First reply within four hours; a clear price for your dates within one business day. On this route we will also tell you plainly where the boat class, the connection leg and the opening date stand, before you are asked for anything.

Why you'll love this trip

One region, two bases. Reed Flute Cave, old town streets, a bamboo raft and riverside tea, with English-speaking guides throughout.
5 days from a lit pagoda on the water to a hilltop before sunrise. See one river whole.

Start on the water the evening you land: banyan branches over the banks, the twin pagodas lit out on the lake, and the trip has begun before you have unpacked anything.
Give a whole day to one river: you change base without losing a day to the road, because the four and a half hours downstream to Yangshuo are the day's sightseeing rather than the way to it.
Spend an afternoon that never asks where you go next: a raft on the Yulong, a bicycle through the paddies, then tea by the water with the hills standing in it.
Climb before light on the last morning and watch the peaks turn silver, then gold: from up there you can point out the bend you floated through two days earlier.

Things to do

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Itinerary

Arrivals

Guilin · Day 1 - Day 2

Day 1 · Arrive, then get on the water

Whatever time you land, the evening ends on a boat. Guilin introduces itself as a water system before it shows you a single street.

Pick-up at the airport or railway station Your driver and vehicle will be waiting for the arrival details on your confirmation, whether you arrive by air or by high-speed rail from a hub city. The journey into town is short enough to keep you awake.

Two Rivers and Four Lakes night cruise The boat takes the ring of water around the city centre, two rivers joined to four lakes. Stand at the rail as the twin pagodas come up on the lake, one gold and one silver in the water, with banyan branches closing over the channel behind you. Your guide sets the sailing time against your actual arrival, so a late flight moves the boat rather than the day.

Evening Nothing else is scheduled. Dinner near your hotel is recommended and can be booked by your guide if you wish, at your own expense.

Day 2 · The rock, above ground and below

A cave in the morning, an old street in the afternoon. By evening you can read the landscape you came for.

Reed Flute Cave You walk a made path down into a limestone cave, past columns and curtains of stone that took the water a very long time to build, with the formations lit as you go. Morning is set for it because the cave is cool and the street is better later in the day.

Guilin old town on foot Pedestrian streets, then the snack lanes along the river. Your guide names what is in the pans before you decide whether to eat it, and anything you try is at your own risk. The city is named for the osmanthus tree, and in autumn you smell it before you see it.

Pace This walk stretches or shortens to fit the afternoon, and there is nothing scheduled after it.

Li River cruise

Yangshuo · Day 3 - Day 4

Day 3 · One river, all day

The move to Yangshuo is by boat, so no day is spent travelling. Today is the day the trip stops being a list.

Board at the Guilin pier Your vehicle runs you to the pier and meets you again at the Yangshuo end. The boat class booked for your order is written into your quote.

Li River full cruise About four and a half hours with the current. The peaks come past in rows, the near ones sharp and the far ones going pale, and the river keeps folding around them so the view resets every few minutes. Take the deck rather than the window seat for the first hour. Somewhere in the second hour you'll notice you have stopped asking how much further it is.

Lunch on board The sailing runs across the middle of the day. The pricing basis of the on-board meal is being finalized with the operator, so your quote states in writing whether it sits inside your base price.

Arrival in Yangshuo The boat ties up and your vehicle takes you to the hotel you will not leave for two nights.

Day 4 · A small river after a big one

Yesterday was one long look at the water. Today you get down onto it and then sit beside it.

Yulong River countryside cycling You ride out through paddies and farmhouses on tracks a car cannot take, with the peaks standing up out of the flat fields on both sides. Bicycle, electric bike or riding in the vehicle alongside: decided on the morning by whoever in your party wants the least effort. The price is the same either way.

Yulong River bamboo raft An afternoon on a selected stretch of the small river, the deck sitting low enough that the water runs a hand's width beneath your feet, and low weirs stepping the raft down with a slap and a splash. Trail one hand over the side and film the front of the raft against the hills.

Riverside afternoon tea One serving each, mid-afternoon, at a table by the water with the hills on three sides and again in the water in front of you. Nothing is scheduled after it. By the second cup you'll notice that nobody in your party has looked at a phone since the raft.

No evening item Deliberate. Tomorrow starts in the dark.

Flight

Guilin · Day 5

Day 5 · Above the bend

Up before light, over the river you came down. The last morning gives the four days behind it their shape.

Xianggong Hill sunrise The drive out goes in the dark and the stone steps take about twenty minutes with the town still asleep behind you. At the platform the river lies below in a long bend, and as the light arrives the peaks turn silver, then gold, the far rows last.

Xingping Ancient Town Stone streets and shophouses after sunrise, with the town opening its shutters around you. The river beside it is the stretch printed on the back of China's 20-yuan banknote, so hold up a note and line it up if you are carrying one. Walking out of the last lane you'll feel the five days close into a single picture.

Drive back to Guilin Your vehicle takes you from Yangshuo back to Guilin airport or the railway station, timed to give you plenty of leeway for your onward departure rather than cutting it fine.

Departures

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Hotels

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Included / Excluded

What's Included

Private vehicleAir-conditioned private vehicle for all listed touring and all land transfers on days one to five: pickup at Guilin airport or railway station on day one, the pier transfers at both ends of the day-three sailing, and the drive from Yangshuo back to Guilin airport or railway station on day five
Inter-city transportOne leg only: the full Li River cruise from Guilin to Yangshuo on day three, lasting about four and a half hours with the current, which serves as both the transfer and that day's sightseeing. The boat class is being finalised, so your quote states in writing the class booked for your order.
Hotels4 nights at your chosen level, four-star, five-star or quality boutique, breakfast included: Guilin 2 · Yangshuo 2
GuideLicensed English-speaking guide on all five days, including the night cruise on day one and the pre-dawn start on day five
Tickets and entryTwo Rivers and Four Lakes night cruise · Reed Flute Cave · the Li River full cruise ticket · the Yulong River bamboo raft · Xianggong Hill. Nothing outside this list is a ticket item on this route
ExperiencesGuilin old town on foot, a street-level walk with no ticket item · Yulong River countryside cycling, with bicycle, electric bike or riding in the vehicle at the same price · riverside afternoon tea, one serving per guest · Xingping Ancient Town, a walk through the old streets
Meals4 hotel breakfasts, days two to five, plus one riverside afternoon tea on day four, one serving per guest. The pricing basis of the day-three on-board lunch is being finalised, so your quote states in writing whether that meal sits inside your base price.
InsuranceTravel accident insurance

Not Included

International flightsFlights into and out of China
Connection to GuilinThis hub-to-Guilin leg in both directions, flown or by high-speed rail, and any hub-city overnight stay the connection requires. Guilin has no non-stop service from the markets we sell to, so every order carries this leg; your quotation states in writing who books it and who pays for it.
VisasVisa fees and processing for guests who require a Chinese visa, including all US guests on this route
MealsBeyond the four breakfasts and the one afternoon tea: lunches and dinners are recommended and booked by your guide, on your own account. Street food tasted on the day-two old town walk is on your own account
In-park transportIn-park shuttles, electric carts, cableways and lifts, where a scenic area charges for them separately. None is needed for this route as it is written; where a site operates a compulsory in-park transfer, we state its charge in writing before payment
Optional add-onsNone on this route. The three cycling modes on day four are a choice within an included experience, not an upsell, and all three cost the same.
PersonalGratuities, single or extra-room difference, personal spending

Special Notes

A few things on this route follow the calendar, the season or a supplier's confirmation. Here they are, told straight.

Bookings are not open yet — the remaining items have to be settled first: Until those items are settled we take no orders and no deposits. Tell us your dates and we will write to you on the day it opens.
Getting to Guilin — Guilin has no nonstop service from any of the markets we sell to, so every trip here starts with a connection through Hong Kong, Shenzhen, Guangzhou, Beijing or Shanghai. Shenzhen is the shortest, about three hours by high-speed rail. That leg sits outside this plan. Each quote states in writing the inbound and outbound connection plan, the hub used, and who books and pays for that leg.
Group — Private, just your party. From 1 guest. No fixed maximum party size.
National holiday week — October 1 to 7 is a peak-crowd period on the Li River and around Yangshuo. Whether this route runs departures that week is under commercial review; until that is settled, every quote for those dates states the crowd situation in writing.
Late-season water level — the day-three sailing is a river sailing, and late autumn and winter river conditions are being confirmed with our operator for this selling window. For departures from November 1, 2026 onward, your quote states in writing what happens to that sailing where the operator shortens or reroutes it. We take no such order without that in writing.
Substitutions already agreed — where the Yulong River water level or a safety ruling stops the raft on day four, the raft is dropped and the cycling and the afternoon tea run as planned. Where the day-one night cruise is sold out for that evening, it moves to the following evening in the same city with no change to hotels. Both are stated to you before payment and neither changes the price.
The pre-dawn start — Day five leaves in the dark for the hill, which is why day four carries no evening item. Your day-five departure time is checked against the climb plus the drive back to Guilin before your order is taken.
Visa window — the 30-day visa-free policy currently runs through December 31, 2026. Because this is a 5-day plan, departures on or before December 27, 2026 finish inside that window; later departures are quoted only after the official renewal is announced.
US passports — The US is not on the 30-day visa-free list, so every US guest on this route holds a Chinese tourist or business visa, including a 10-year multiple-entry one. The 10-day visa-free transit policy is not used as a sales channel for this route: this plan enters and leaves through the same city and its eligibility under that policy has not been reviewed. We confirm visa status before any payment.
Confirmation and changes — the confirmation-time commitment and the change and refund terms are being finalised with our ground partners. Until they are settled, each quote states in writing its own confirmation deadline and its change and refund conditions.

Is Five Days Your Length?

More than five days?

This plan also runs as the Guilin and Yangshuo stretch inside a longer China trip. It joins cleanly onto a stay in the south, since the connection you have to make anyway is a short one from Shenzhen, Guangzhou or Hong Kong. Tell us your dates and the rest of your route, and we plan around the leg you are already flying.

Good to Know

Group: Private, just your party. From 1 guest. No fixed maximum party size.
Pace: Two bases in 5 days: Guilin 2 nights, Yangshuo 2 nights. One move between them, and that move is the day-three sailing
Effort: Mostly flat. The stone steps up Xianggong Hill on the last morning are the one real climb; on the cycling day a bicycle, an electric bike and riding in the vehicle all cost the same
Ports: Guilin in, Guilin out. There is no direct flight to Guilin from the markets we sell to. Every booking therefore includes a connection through one hub: Hong Kong, Shenzhen, Guangzhou, Beijing or Shanghai. That leg is booked and paid for as stated in your quote.
Visas: UK, most European and Canadian passports enter visa-free for days; so do Australian and New Zealand ones. Checked order by order against your dates. US passports need a Chinese visa for this route
Language: Licensed English-speaking local guide on all five days
Payment: When this route opens for booking: From 1 guest. A 10% deposit (minimum $399) locks your dates. The balance is due 14 days before departure
Season: Selling window October to December 2026. Departures during the October 1 to 7 holiday week are under commercial review; for departures from November 1 onward the day-three sailing is confirmed against your dates and written into your quote

Your Private Concierge

Jason Hu

Private China Route Concierge

“A bilingual planning desk for tailor-made China journeys.”

Our China team tailors the pacing, hotels and local hosts to suit each route style.

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Trips Designed

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On-Trip Care

Step 01

Tell us what excites you

Not your dates and budget — your curiosity. Where have you always wanted to go? What do you want to feel? We start there.

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First concept delivered

Step 02

We design it around you

Your specialist builds the itinerary from scratch — routes, hosts, hotels, and experiences you won't find anywhere else.

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Step 03

Lock it in with 10%

When the plan feels right, a 10% deposit holds your entire trip. Balance due 30 days before departure.

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Deposit to secure everything

Step 04

Travel. We handle the rest.

Your Trip Pack arrives before you fly. On the road, your concierge is one message away — for the expected and everything you didn't plan for.

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Downstream, Then Up

Overview

Why you'll love this trip