"For those with active and adventurous tastes this tour gives you access to the best of the stunning scenery between Guilin and Yangshuo. Over three days of cycling, we'll explore epic mountain views, waterfalls and smaller off-the-beaten track towns and villages."
Your transfer from Guilin airport or train station will be waiting for your arrival to take you to our hotel in the centre of Guilin - keep an eye out for a Bike Asia sign with your name on it. The drive takes approximately 50 minutes. We'll meet you at the hotel to go over all the details of the upcoming tour and answer any questions you may have. In the evening we'll head out for a feast of local specialities to kick off our adventure!
Guilin is also one of the oldest tourist regions in China, stretching back into ancient times when it attracted poets and painters that immortalised the incredible scenery in famous poems, paintings, textiles and porcelain. More recently, it was one of the first parts of China to open to foreign tourists in the late 80s. If you are arriving early, there's a some nice walks to be had around the many lakes and canals that intersect Guilin or along the picturesque Li River. There are also two pedestrian areas close by; Zhengyang walking street (which dates back to 1000 years, although looks modern now) and the newly established "East West Street" which surround the old walls of the Jinjiang Princes Palace. One of the main tourist sites in Guilin, the Jinjiang Princes Palace was built for Zhu Shouqian, a great-nephew of the first Ming emporer, Zhu Yuanjiang, as the seat of a principality in 1372 (making it older than the Forbidden City). At night the city comes alive with bright lights and a bustle of people seeking street food, restaurants and shopping.
After breakfast we'll take a short drive out of the busy city to the outskirts. After setting up the bikes and a safety brief, we'll head off to cross the Li River and along wetlands that are used for fish farming. We'll leave the Li River valley behind and climb up toward Changchongkou, following an ancient trading route that linked remote farming communities to the Li River (which was the major transport route in the past). We'll stop in a tiny village for lunch, after which, there's a great walk to a nearby waterfall (and a refreshing dip if it's hot enough). The afternoon is a speedy (mostly) downhill to Xiong Cun village, one of Gunangxi's (and China's) more untouched ancient towns, where we'll stop for a stroll through the old streets. Then it's a riverside ride on small paths through rural landscapes in to Daxu Old Town, one of the regions more famous ancient villages. We'll head to our hotel nearby the Old Town overlooking the Li River. Dinner is riverside with views over the river and mountains beyond. 
Xiong Cun is a relatively unheard of village that was once a prosperous trading town linking smaller remote villages and farming communities to the major ports on the Li River, such as Daxu in the south and Xingan in the north. Although it has a history of over a thousand years, the village, as it stands today, was built during the Ming and Qing dynastic periods. Many residents still live in the old houses and amble the narrow cobble lanes. Surrounded by mountains, rice and vegetable fields and interwoven with small streams and waterways, it's unrestored state and lack of the modern developers neon touch makes this one of the more authentic rural towns in China. Daxu Old Town has an even longer history with the earliest Zhuang inhabitants occupying the area as early as 200BC. It's heyday, like Xiong Cun, was during the Ming and Qing dynasties, when it was one of the richest ports along the North/ South trade artery that linked southern China with the North. Old flagstone streets, temples, courtyard houses and bridges are fine examples of what an ancient merchant port town would have looked like.
After breakfast, we'll jump on the bikes and head through Daxu Old Town. We'll pass the old streets and see the (mostly) old folk who still live in the old Qing brick and wooden buildings. Blue flagstone and river-rock cobble pave the streets and, as Daxu is quite well known, souvenir sellers vie for attention along with snack stalls, antique shops, art dealers, traditional medicine purveyors and juice bars. Our route takes us through town to follow a bike path along the famous Li River to quite near where the Li River cruses begin. On the bikes we'll have the serenity of watching the peaceful river life from the banks, away from the crowds, wending our way through bamboo groves and plantations of citrus, grapes and a myriad of vegetable fields. Our first big climb of the day takes us up high over the river and into the Southern China limestone karst mountain area designated by UNESCO for it's sublime beauty. At the top we'll stop for a coffee break: each day of cycling is punctuated by a coffee break featuring fruit and snacks, tea, and Chinese coffee to keep the legs pumping. A stunning series of long downhills and shorter climbs brings us to lunch in a rural farmers restaurant in the lowlands.
After lunch, we head for the hills again with a steep, but short climb taking us into mountain country once again. We'll be making our way to a mountain stream where we'll leave the bikes behind and hike upstream to a narrow gorge and waterfall for a refreshing swim. The last section of riding takes us downhill all the way into Xingping. After freshening up, we'll head into the old town for a banquet of local specialities.
Xingping, another river town located on the banks of the Li, has an old town that is archecturally Ming and Qing dynasty in style. The surroundings are some of the more beautiful in the whole region; the bamboo-lined emerald-green Li River curls around impossibly shaped and immensely imposing karst formations whilst the sun seems to find itself setting perfectly in the landscape for the photographers that make their pilgrimage there. Xingping sees quite a lot of tourists these days, many to take pictures with the view on the 20 yuan note behind them, but the area is easy to get lost in and avoid the crowds, even in the centre of town, where you can hike up Loazhai Mountain for some of the best views you'll see anywhere with few people around you.
Our final day of cycling is definitely a highlight. We follow the Li River upstream for around 2km past the view made famous for being on the Chinese 20 yuan note. From here we load up the bikes onto a local ferry to cross the river, then back on the bikes we send our way through small villages all surrounded by immense karst mountains. A small back road route brings us up our first climb of the day, heading up into the hills for some of the finest views of the tour. We'll stop for a break at Xianggongshan Mt which has a lookout where you can aappreciate the enormity of the landscape: a forest of karst mountains disappearing in the distance over views of the Li River far below. We continue to ride along the ridgeline passing through citrus orchard countryside before heading away from the Li River and down to Baisha and onto the Yulong River Valley. We'll stop for lunch in a local farmer’s restaurant by the river, with views of the 600 year old Yulong Bridge, before a back road ride along the river to our guesthouse in Jiuxian Ancient Town. Our guesthouse for our last night, and celebration of the end of our adventure, is in the middle of the old town in wonderfully renovated traditional buildings: a fitting way to end our tour!
Jiuxian Old Town is one of the more famous villages in the region. Situated in the serene and sublimely picturesque Yulong Valley, it boasts some of the nicest converted traditional style accommodation anywhere in China, making for a rewarding way to appreciate the old archectecture and village life in an authentic setting.
Today is departure day and you are free to leave at anytime. We’ll organise a transfer to connect with your onward travel. If you wish to stay longer to soak up Yangshuo’s unique atmosphere and activities chat to us about the possibilities on offer.
| 2 people | - 950 USD |
| 3 people | - 675 USD |
| 4 people | - 675 USD |
| 5 or more | - 510 USD |
