Li River Essence Day Trip
The Li River's finest 22 km — floated by bamboo raft from Yangdi to Xingping past Nine Horses Hill, the Yellow Cloth Reflection and the very peaks printed on the RMB 20 note, with the old town to finish. Bookable end-to-end by our team.
Day Plan
Out to Yangdi. Guilin has no direct Yangdi bus — take a coach towards Yangshuo from the bus station at the south railway station square and alight at the Yangdi junction, then the local shuttle in. Alternatively take the full cruise boat from Mopanshan or Zhujiang dock (¥190–450 by class, departures 09:30/10:00, ~4.5 h to Yangshuo's Longtoushan dock) if you prefer the big-boat experience.
The 22 km raft. A bamboo raft from Yangdi down to Xingping (¥95–120, seasonal): Nine Horses Hill — count the horses in the cliff face — the Yellow Cloth Reflection, where the peak's reflection sits on the sandbank, and finally the RMB 20-note bend above Xingping. Keep the banknote handy; the view lines up best from the raft.
Xingping & home. Land at Xingping and walk the old streets — the 1,400-year-old town with ancient bridges, temples and wharves, and the fishing village 2 km out where The Painted Veil was filmed. Lunch on farmhouse dishes, then the 45-minute bus back to Yangshuo (¥7, every 15 min) and the coach to Guilin (¥22), or straight back if you arranged a pick-up.
Book this Guilin itinerary
Hotels, boat tickets, rafting, show seats and guides arranged by our team — free of charge, no obligation.
Shuttle logistics
Yangdi shuttles leave from the south railway station bus area; Yangshuo–Xingping buses run every 15 minutes (¥7, 45 min). Going the other way, rafts also run upstream from Xingping to Yangdi. Our team arranges the whole chain free.
Raft prices
Yangdi–Xingping raft ¥95–120 per person (seasonal); Yangdi–Nine Horses Hill ¥118; Yangdi–Xingping with ferries ¥216 for hikers. Cruise boats ¥190–450 by class, book at least one day ahead.
Overnight option
Xingping has farmhouse guesthouses and a famous sunrise over the 20-yuan bend; Yangshuo has the full hotel range from ¥120. Browse Guangxi hotels.