Exploring the Li and Yulong River
We arrived late the last night, as we took a flight from Dali to Chengdu and then further to Guilin (there is no direct flight, this was the fastest connection) From the airport to Yangshuo, it takes another 1.5 hours by car. (300RMB, you could possibly get it for around 200 RMB using DiDi, but we did not want to take any chances of not getting a car in the middle of the night)
First thing to mention is our Hotel, „Yangshuo Zen Garden“a very nice small (34 rooms) hotel in a rural area. The staff was very welcoming even at midnight. They were very supportive to organize basically everything (Day trips, special food requirements etc). You can also join a WeChat group, which makes the communication easier (in case you do not speak Chinese). Some of the staff at the reception speak English, and with some basic Chinese and English you can get around.
The hotel offers a wide range of activities, just have a look at the pictures left and right.
Additionally, you can find a local map of the guiding area here.
After a good local breakfast, we explored the surrounding area. There is a very nice path along the Yulong river of about 2km length. We met a couple there (coincidently also from Dalian) which recommended us to go to the Xianggongshan (相公山) scenic area.
We booked a car from the hotel (200RMB round trip). The trip takes about 1 hour one way. The roads are really small and you go through some small villages up to a parking area. From there, it is 20 minute hike up the mountain (60RMB/person entrance fee).
Unfortunately, there were a lot of clouds and rain. We were lucky however and could get a better view on The Valley eventually after waiting 20 minutes. It had a quite mystic touch.
We went back and after a short rest went for another walk where we decided to take a helicopter flight.
There were 3 different options, the shortest flight is 380RMB/person (4 minutes), the second longest 680RMB/person (about 7 minutes) and the longest 1380RMB/person (about 15 minutes). We took the 7 minute one and did not regret it. You will get a very nice view of the area and in reality, it feels much shorter than 7 minutes.
There are all kind of other activities you can do around Yangshuo/Zen Garden. There are quads for rent, electric bikes for rent, river raft tours and of course hiking options. There are also some climbing paths on the mountains which we will try out later this week.
2GIC 