China
Yangshuo
The small town on the banks of the Li River that has become the favourite rural paradise for travellers seeking the most authentic China.
The small town on the banks of the Li River that has become the favourite rural paradise for travellers seeking the most authentic China.
Yangshuo has no grand monuments, and that is precisely its magic: what impresses here is the scenery, the slow rhythm of its streets, and the feeling of having finally found the rural China that so many travellers have been searching for since they landed.
A short distance south of Guilin, this small town on the banks of the Li River has spent decades captivating travellers from around the world with its blend of spectacular nature and simple living: rice paddies threaded between karst peaks, bamboo rafts drifting across calm waters, and a laid-back atmosphere that tempts visitors to stay longer than planned.
It is the perfect place to slow down during a trip through China: cycling between rice paddies, boating along the Yulong River, or simply sitting back to watch the sun set behind the mountains. A perfect counterpoint to the bustle of China's big cities, and one of the most memorable experiences of any itinerary through the country.
Yangshuo was founded as a county in the year 590, during the Sui dynasty. For centuries it remained a small agricultural town devoted to growing rice and citrus fruit, far from the major trade routes and largely overlooked by the great currents of Chinese history, living at the unhurried pace set by its fields and its river.
Everything began to change in the 1980s and 90s, when international travellers started discovering the place, drawn by its karst scenery and relaxed atmosphere, so different from China's big cities. Little by little, that agricultural town transformed into a world-renowned destination for nature and soft-adventure tourism, without ever losing its rural character or the warmth of its people.
Today, Yangshuo combines the best of both worlds: the infrastructure needed to welcome travellers from all over the planet, while still holding on to that landscape of rice paddies and karst mountains that seems untouched by the passing centuries.
A selection of experiences no Viavora itinerary ever skips.
A peaceful ride on a traditional bamboo raft, steered by a local boatman with a long pole, through karst mountains and rice fields reflected in calm waters. Far more unhurried and intimate than the big Li River cruise, this ride is the most authentic way to experience the scenery that made the region famous, even stopping at small sandy beaches to rest by the water.
China's oldest pedestrian shopping street catering to foreigners, with over 1,400 years of history as a trade route, which in the 1980s became the first place in the country where Western backpackers settled for the long term. Today, lined with shops, cafés, live-music bars and restaurants of every kind, it remains an essential meeting point come evening, with an atmosphere that blends rural Chinese life with a cosmopolitan flair unique to the region.
A karst formation topped with a huge natural arch, over 50 metres high, that resembles a crescent moon when viewed from the right angle — hence its name. Climbing the hundreds of steps through bamboo forest to reach the base of the arch is one of the area's most popular activities, and from here the view over the sea of karst peaks surrounding Yangshuo is simply spectacular.
An underground network of limestone caves formed over millions of years, with spacious chambers decorated with stalactites and stalagmites, that can be explored on foot or, in some caves, by bathing in pools of natural mud said to have therapeutic properties for the skin. For those seeking a bit more adventure, some caves also offer zip-lining or rappelling inside the cave itself, combining caving with a dose of adrenaline in a single day.
Cycling along dirt tracks that wind between rice fields and traditional villages, with water buffalo grazing by the roadside and farmers working the land just as generations before them have done, is one of the best ways to discover the true rhythm of rural Chinese life. The routes along the Yulong River, with stops at centuries-old stone bridges, let you combine gentle exercise with some of the most photogenic scenery in the entire region.
A night-time show directed by Zhang Yimou, the same filmmaker behind the opening ceremony of the Beijing 2008 Olympics, performed directly on the waters of the Li River using twelve of its karst peaks as a natural backdrop. With more than 600 local performers, most of them fishermen and farmers from the area, and a lighting design that turns the night landscape into an almost dreamlike spectacle, it is one of the most singular cultural experiences in all of China.
The "Impression Liu Sanjie" show is performed directly on the waters of the Li River, with more than 600 local performers and the karst mountains as a natural stage.
West Street has been welcoming foreign traders and travellers for over a century, making it a unique case in all of China.
The landscape of Yangshuo, together with that of Guilin, is one of the most painted and photographed in the whole of Chinese history.
Yangshuo's citrus fruit, especially its pomelos, is famed throughout the Guangxi region for its quality and sweetness.
The mild climate and affordable prices have made Yangshuo one of the favourite destinations for backpacking and long stays in China.
Thanks to the limestone cliffs surrounding the valley, Yangshuo is also one of Asia's key rock-climbing hubs.
A private guide, a reserved bamboo raft ride and the best rural routes in the region.
Yangshuo is an essential stop on our China Grand Tour.
