Guilin: Li River

Rafting in style!

Lijiang River Cruise

This 83km river cruise from Guilin to Yangshuo takes in some spectacular scenery of towering peaks and elegant hills all beautifully reflected in the clear mirror like waters of the river. Your cruise vessel will not be alone on the waters as there are several vessels that will ply the waters in convoy passing each other from time to time with loud horns echoing against the surrounding mountains. Most of the vessels have seen better days but nonetheless are comfortable enough with indoor dining room style seating but with plenty of outdoor deck space for the unlimited photo opportunities along the way; browsing water buffalo, local fishermen and small villages. The four hour cruise includes a Chinese buffet lunch; the quality of the food is not the greatest but is adequate.
Yangshuo is an old village, now a small town, with cobbled streets and a large variety of shops and stalls catering for tourists. Many visitors stop over here to enjoy other attractions on offer in the town. We decided to return to Guilin by road and stop off on the way for a side excursion on the river. The local farmers have initiated a unique attraction. They have constructed bamboo rafts and equipped them with 2 deck chairs and an umbrella. The farmer stands on the back of the raft (Gondola style) and poles the raft along the river. The surprise comes at the small sets of rapids created by a series of manmade weirs over the river. The oarsman deftly manoeuvres the raft over the rapids whilst shouting something in Chinese which means ‘lift your feet’ as he negotiates the craft over the rapids which then comes down with a splash, temporarily flooding the raft and your shoes if you’re not quick enough lifting your feet off the deck. In true Chinese entrepreneurial spirit a photographer takes photos of the action and your craft is then guided to a floating platform which has a bank of manned computers ready to print out your photos before you continue on your cruise downstream and then back again.   

Our great guide: Angela

Washing up on board

Rafts

Yangshuo

Yangshuo