Colette's Grand Detour

The 4-hour cruise from Guilin to Yangshuo along the Li River is considered one of China’s top scenic experiences and the highlight of visiting the Guilin region. The karst limestone landscape is iconic – it is frequently seen in Chinese art and even appears on the country’s 20 RMB banknote.

The starting point for most cruises is about 30 minutes drive outside Guilin City. Ten’s of cruise boats depart at 9am, 9.30am and 10am to make the 4-hour, 83km trip downstream trip to Yangshuo. After passing through security, you head out onto the wharf to find the pier and boat allocated on your ticket. You can take your luggage onboard if you are staying on in Yangshuo, but if you are on a multi-day tour like I am, it’s likely that your driver will make the 1hr journey to Yangshuo with your luggage. I was very relieved I didn’t have to carry my luggage on and off the boat! Everyone is allocated a seat at a 6-person table. Most of the boats seemed to have 2 floors of seating plus the the upper deck for enjoying the scenery outside. You will also be in a procession of boats with each a couple of hundred metres from the one in front and behind. My guide said during peak season there could be 100’s of boats headed down the river in an orderly queue, but today I think the 9.30 departure consisted of around 20 boats. The other boats aren’t super noticeable though and actually help create some great photo shots by giving scale to the enormous cliffs they are passing by. You’ll also be sharing the river with small motorized bamboo rafts taking groups of up to 4, up and down shorter sections of the river. Again, they add to the ambience.

As we pulled away from the pier and started our journey I realised 2 things. Firstly the water level of the river was exceptional low (and the water exceptionally clear). You could literally see the stones on the river bed from the top deck. This is the dry season and the boats must carefully thread their way down the river, finding the deepest points to travel along. Apparently it is not uncommon for the bottom of the boats to scrape the river bed! The second thing I noticed was the abundance of wildlife. Within minutes of departing I had seen multiple eagles, kites, egrets and herons. It was especially great to se the kites circling up above and then swooping down to the river in an attempt to catch a fish.

The scenery is absolutely stunning throughout the entire 4 hours and I think I was up on the top deck taking photos and enjoying the ride for about 80% of the journey, with just a short lunch break near the end of the cruise. Many guidebooks describe the scenery as the kind you see on Chinese scroll paintings, with misty karst peaks rising sharply from the water, and fisherman gliding past on bamboo rafts. These limestone peaks are a textbook example of this type of topography and were formed over 200 millions years ago when this region was a shallow tropical sea. Over millions of years, the layers of marine sediment that accumulated hardened into thick limestone beds. This rock was later uplifted out of the water from tectonic movement as the Indochina plate collided with the Eurasian plate.

Once exposed to the air, the limestone began to dissolve from chemical erosion via acidic rainwater. The rainwater seeps into cracks in the stone, dissolving calcium carbonate and widening fissures. Overtime these channels become sinkholes, underground rivers and caves. As these underground chambers enlarge they can collapse, forming steep valleys and isolated peaks. Even today, the Li River continues to experience erosion, isolating the limestone towers even further. Along the route you will see sheer cliffs hugging the riverside, clusters of rounded conical hills separated by valleys, and isolated peaks rising abruptly from flat land. All covered in deep lush vegetation.

The first 20 minutes or so start quietly, with rolling hills, bamboo groves and small riverside villages. You’ll see water buffalo grazing on the banks, ducks paddling and locals crossing the river with their bamboo rafts. Once you pass Daxu Ancient Town, the dramatic karst peaks begin to appear and continue for the next 3 hours.

Many places along the route have poetic names or are said to look like various animals. A few examples include Nine Horse Fresco Hill, where mineral streaks on a huge cliff face are said to resemble nine galloping horses. Locals say the more you can see the luckier you are. Or Yellow Cloth Shoal, which is famous view printed on the 20 RMB note. It was quite amusing to see the local tourists rush to take photos of each ‘famous’ peak but ignore the others in between and go back downstairs to drink more tea. In my eyes, all the scenery was stunning, whether it had a poetic name or not. So I just stayed on the top deck the whole time so as not to miss anything.

The cruise down the Li River is without doubt one of the highlights of my travels this year. The guidebooks all state how fantastic a day out it is, but I can attest it really is as wonderful and magical as the reviews say it is. Once we arrived in Yangshuo we headed to my hotel on foot (the beauty of not having to schlep my luggage around) through the center of this small town. I immediately liked the vibe even though it is a mega-tourist hot spot. Along the walk to the town’s most famous street – West Street, you can the famous bamboo rafts, with fishing cormorants parked up along the edge of the river. This method of fishing has been practiced in China for over 1000 years. Nowadays, the fisherman perform for tourists for income rather than actually fishing, which is a bit sad.

West Street is buzzing, full of coffee shops, handicraft stores and the ubiquitous Osmanthus flower cookie shops. My guide suggested this afternoon was the best time to visit the area, since tonight it would be exceptionally crowded. And I really appreciated her suggestion as I saw the street later that night from the car and it was way to busy to be enjoyable. The two highlights of the street for me were the lovely Miao handicrafts store which had the most gorgeous textiles and jewellery in it, and was practically a museum. And the delicious Osmanthus flavored ice cream cone I purchased.

I had a packed afternoon of activities planned and so after reaching my centrally located hotel I had just 15 minutes to drop my bag off and we were off again.