Li River

Known as the ‘best landscape under heaven,’ taking a Li River cruise allows you to sail past rice paddies, the fishermen on rafts, explore local villages, and admire the peaks of the Mao’er and Cat Mountains. Sailing through the natural beauty of Guilin and Yangshuo is a once in a lifetime experience and the views have been described in ancient Chinese poetry as ‘green silk ribbon, where the hills are like jade hairpins.’ This is truly like stepping into Chinese art from days gone by. The cruise is the best way to see the river while looking up at the mountains and normally starts from Guilin downtown area. By no means a quick journey, the trip is 83 kilometres and usually takes 4-5 hours. As you sail by, far removed from the busy life in China, you’ll be delighted with folklore and fairy tales about the mountains.