Backroads of China

Guilin is the city often mentioned on the tour routes, but its counterpart, Yangshuo, found 65km southeast of Guilin , is the real tourist mecca. Often referred to as a “backpacker's paradise” it boasts amazing scenery, well-developed tourist services, relatively cheap prices, and a variety of activities to keep you entertained. It's a place to visit when you've been on the road for a while, and have a craving for a bit of relaxation and some western comforts (especially in the food department).

There is so much to do in Yangshuo. One of the best things to do is to rent a bike and go for some long rides through the countyside. The whole area is surrounded by scenic hills and rivers, and peculiar karst formations. Bike out to one of the nearby villages and browse the local produce at the markets. Taste the pomeloes, oranges, horse chestnuts and persimmon that are specialties of the area. Visit some of the famous peaks and hike along walking tracks to the top. The panaromas are well worth the effort.

When you want to soak up the scenery in a more relaxing way, catch a bus out to the village of Xingping, and take the boat cruise along the Li River. Or simply sit by the river bank and watch the comorant fishermen.

If you want more adventure, rockclimbing, mudsliding and caving are all available. Or if you want to become more familiar with Chinese culture, you can join kungfu or chess classes in the town. At night when you want to wind down, the old village is the place to go. Filled with quaint alleys, shops and restaurants, it's a great place to stroll around, to bargain for local handicrafts, to meet other travelers, to sample some of the special local foods (eg. Crispy River Shrimps) or to pig out on hamburgers and sticky date pudding! It's the type of place many travelers come planning on staying for a few days, and a week later, find it very difficult to leave.