Best Travel Guide Guilin | ArrivalGuides.com

GuilinGuide was updated: 2023-01-24

Guilin has long been a favourite among travellers to China. This compact city is most famous for the green mountains, crystal clear waters, unique caves and the beautiful cliffs in its outskirts. The karst peaks and the surrounding areas are world renowned for its beautiful scenery. Yet it is not only this stunning landscape that draws visitors to Guilin, but its unique folk customs, that make for unforgettable experiences in themselves.

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Guilin is famous for its extraordinary karst landscapes and exotic local culture of ethnic minorities. Major attractions in Guilin include the Li River, Elephant Trunk Hill, Reed Flute Cave, Seven-Star Park and Longsheng terrace fields. The city’s pride is that it is just like a stone museum where amazing geological finds are displayed.

LiJiang River / 漓江

If Guilin is a living entity, the Li River is the absolute soul. Originated from Mao’er Mountain, Li River starts its journey from Guilin down to Yangshuo, just like a jade ribbon winding among the green hills to form a most poetic beauty spot. The reflection of the fantastic karst peaks in the water, the cowboys, the fishermen at leisure and the simple households along its banks are mesmerizing. The section from Xingping Town to Yangdi is the highlight of this magnificent picture scroll.

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Elephant Trunk Hill Park / 象山公园

The landmark of the city, also known as Elephant Hill, looks like a giant elephant drinking water from the river with its long trunk. Other famous spots here include Shuiyue Cave (水月洞), Puxian Tower (普贤塔), Xiangyan Rock (象眼岩), Dagoba Tower (舍利塔), Yunfeng Temple (云峰寺) and three amusement islands by the lake. The park is great for spending an idyllic afternoon.

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Seven Star Park / 七星公园

This is not just a park, but a representative scenic area covers more than 120 hectares. The park contains rivers, mountains, Chinese gardens, traditional architectures and an underground cave. The Seven Star Cave in the park is a fantastic karst cave with a large number of stalagmites and stalactites, which transform the cave into a surreal place. If you can only visit one place in Guilin, this should be it.

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Longji Terrace / 龙脊梯田

The Longji terrace fields date from the Ming Dynasty, about 500 years ago. Winding from the base up to the top, it divides the mountain into layers. Sights alter here as the season changes: water glittering in the sun in spring, green rice shoots in summer, golden rice in fall and silvery frost in winter. It is advised to stay overnight so that you can see the sunrise and sunset, which should not be missed.

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Drifting on Yulong River / 遇龙漂流

The Yulong River is a big tributary of the Lijiang River, flowing along scenic hills, plains and villages down to Gongnong Bridge. Hiking and riding around the river are also good ways to enjoy the view. Drifting on a bamboo raft is especially recommended for views that you cannot see from the banks. There are usually two seats on the raft and space is large enough to have bikes onboard as well. With many docking places on the route, it is possible to choose to tour the river for the whole length or in sections.

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Impression of Guilin / 桂林千古情

Guilin is one of the cities in China that posse the most ethnic variety, which provides the area with an extremely rich and unique customs and cultures. The folk song culture, among others, is the most well-known and representative example. The impression of Guilin is a large-scale performance that creatively combines the classical folk songs, ethnic culture and the fishing lights, reflecting a harmonious atmosphere between the people and nature here.

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