Trekking in Yangshuo

For years, hiking in Yangshuo to explore the stunning karst scenery and beautiful countryside areas has been very popular with the hikers from all over the world. There are plenty of good walks around Yangshuo and often it is simply a matter of grabbing some water and heading off out of town in any direction!

Yangdi to Xingping

One of our recommended hikes is the Yangdi to XingPing hike. Around four to six hours in duration, this hike will let you experience the Li River from a different perspective and soak in the peacefulness and dramatic karst mountain scenery. The path takes you through small local villages, fields, orchards, bamboo forests and along the shores of the limpid Li River where usually there are very few tourists.

If you get tired, you can always rent a motorized bamboo raft that will take you 3 km from Xingping but there will be Tuk Tuks or electric buses for 2-3RMB that will take you to the bus stop in the town center. The local bus from Xingping back to Yangshuo costs 5.5 RMB. Booking this hike (reference to this tour package), you will be required to pay for a local bus to and from the hike, food and water for the day, ferry crossings and any incidentals. This hike can be started from Xingping or Yangdi Pier.

Getting Yangdi Pier:

1. Start from Guilin, take a minibus from Guilin Train Station to the Yangdi Lu Kou (10 RMB) then change another minibus (3 RMB) to Yangdi Pier. 2. Jump on a local bus from Yangshuo to Yangdi Pier (8 RMB).

Moon Hill Trek
Start off early from Yangshuo Town and walk straight to the main road then across paddy fields and through some small villages; cross the Jin Bao River and head for the main road. After a short walk on the main road take a left to the Moon Hill Scenic Area. Over 800 marble stairs are leading to the famous arch which is about 50 meters in height and width and shaped like a half moon. On your way down when you reach the road again either go back the way you came or take a right head 30 meters and take a right again which leads back to the Yu Long River through orchards and farmland. This trek route will take you 5-6 hours.

Hike to Moon Hill and Big Banyan Tree
Walk to the Yulong River (from Yangshuo) and cross it, then head for Fenglou Village watching out for some great photo opportunities. Cut across the Jin Bao River and head for the Moon Hill. Climb the hill and visit Big Banyan Tree on the way back. Allow 4 hours walking and extra time to spend visiting the sites.

Moon Hill: A popular scenic spot south of Yangshuo Town. The main attraction is a hill with a huge hole in the shape of a moon. The hills here can be climbed for spectacular vistas from the top. It's not an incredibly long trek to the top but the gradient and strange angle of the steps can do something strange to your legs on the way down. The Moon Hill Cafe at the base of the hill sells fairly mediocre food at ridiculously high prices, but there's no alternative and you may need something after the trek up and down.

Exploration of the Yulong Valley
From Yangshuo town, you can access the Yulong River valley by turning west into a small road from the main Yangshuo bypass road just south of the Sinopec petrol station at the junction of Pantao Lu (there are road signs in Chinese). You can also access it by using the road to Jinbao from Baisha town 9km north of Yangshuo on the main road to Guilin.

After reaching the Yulong Valley, you will hike along the Yu Long River to the historic Village Jiuxian then proceed to the over 4-hundred-year-old Yulong Bridge. At the Yulong Bridge you can catch a bamboo raft back or a bus ride back to Yangshuo. The walk to the Yulong Bridge will take approximately 3.5 hours and the bamboo raft back about 2.5 hours so allow for a full day to make this journey. Bear in mind taking your swimming suit, you might not resist the temptation from the limpid river.