The Water Sets the Clock

Special Notes

Water levels, weather, flights, and hotels have all been confirmed for your travel dates. The following details will be itemized in your written quote.

• Three Items Not Included in the Base Rate — This route is bookable. Riverside suites with four consecutive nights in Yangshuo, professional photographers, and ceremony setups are not included in the base price and do not guarantee that rooms or dates are reserved. If needed, these can be arranged separately per order, with costs and feasibility detailed in the written quote.
• Sunrise, bamboo rafts & fishing boats — The sunrise at Xianggong Mountain, the bamboo raft on the Yulong River, and the fishing boats at sunset are the specific locations and time slots you visit together with your guide and vehicle. The page does not list them as inclusive of photography or pre-arranged setups. If photography or setup is required as an add-on, a written quote will apply.
• Low-water season boats — During November and December, the Li River often enters its dry season. The boat on Day 5, the bamboo raft on Day 6, and the fishing boat on Day 8 depend on water levels on the day of departure. If water levels are insufficient, the journey from Guilin to Yangshuo may be switched to a road transfer of approximately 90 minutes. Any remaining arrangements for that day will be included in the written quote. You can still book during these months; we do not announce cancellations in advance on this page.
• The one early start — day seven leaves before dawn for the Xianggong Hill sunrise, and you are told this in writing before you place an order. You can decline that start on the order: day seven then runs as Xingping Ancient Town on a late-morning start, at no change in price. Nothing else on this route starts before 8:00.
• Sunrise weather — a sunrise is weather, and no one sells weather. Rain or heavy mist means no color from the viewpoint, and we do not pretend otherwise. Four nights in one place is the cushion: on a lost morning the guide and vehicle are yours to try again on the following day, with the cave and the sunset moved back half a day. What holds either way: the climb, the view of the bend, and a morning nobody else in the town is having.
• Departure calendar — departures in the national holiday week, October 1 to 7, are confirmed order by order against boat and hotel capacity before a date is held.
• The cave is not named before you book — which cave runs on your dates is settled with the operator against operating conditions, then named in your written confirmation.
• Two flights and a boat — Rescheduling will affect both domestic flight segments, the boat on Day 5, and four consecutive nights in Yangshuo. Flight numbers, times, cabin classes, boat grades, and deck details are listed in the written quote; they do not indicate that inventory has been locked or that schedules are fixed.
• The Bund on your first evening — your guide is with you end to end. People approach visitors on that waterfront with an invitation to practice English or see a tea ceremony, and it is a known scam that ends in a bill. It is a standing rule on this route, not an option you choose.
• Visa window — Please verify visa-exempt status or visa requirements based on your passport and departure date. The policy dates on the page do not substitute for written confirmation for your specific travel; we can also provide quotes for other months.
• US passports — Travelers holding U.S. passports or entering under transit visa-free policies may find that a 10-day itinerary entering and exiting via Shanghai does not meet the policy’s requirements for onward travel to a third country or the permitted duration of stay. Eligibility cannot be guaranteed; please verify in writing based on your travel documents before payment. This page does not automatically refuse the sale.
• Confirmation and changes — Confirm that cancellation deadlines, rescheduling, and refund terms are stated in each written quote, rather than in a separate set of standard terms on the page.