Guilin was the first stop on my big-time adventure and it certainly didn’t disappoint. In fact, it was the perfect warm-up for what was to come! My four days were full of some fucking spectacular scenery, including the Longji Rice Terraces, which honestly were so amazing that I almost cried. UNESCO really do know their shit. It’s surprising that many people skip Guilin on their travels and head straight to Yangshuo, but I definitely feel that it is a worthwhile stop- as a smaller, more manageable city, it is a perfect introduction to China and the scenery surrounding it is definitely bucket-list worthy.
Before I get into it, here are some fast facts! Guilin is a prefecture-level city in the Guangxi Zhang Autonomous Region in the south of China. Its population is around 4.7 million (actually rather small for a Chinese city!) and sits on the bank of the Li River. The scenery surrounding the city defines it and makes it a hotspot for tourism, including karst mountains, hills and caves. For more info on being a tourist here, check out this link.
In terms of arriving, you have a couple of options depending on where you’re coming from. If you’re flying, the airport to book your ticket to is Liangjiang International Airport, or, if you’re on the train, you can choose between Guilin Main Station and Guilin North Station, depending on where you’re staying or the timetables.
My accommodation
Photo creds: Agoda
I stayed at Ease Hostel, which I would totally recommend. It was really clean and modern-looking, in a great location just a walk away from the Sun and Moon Pagodas, the train/bus station and Elephant Trunk Hill. They also keep you entertained- it has a pool table, cinema, books and Netflix in the common area, as well an affordable restaurant and bar. And, maybe the best bit, I only paid 108 CNY for a four night stay in a six bed mixed dorm. Pretty fucking sweet!
To book, use this link for 10% off!
Day One
Day one was mostly a travel day for me, super exciting, I know. I ended up arriving from Shenzhen at 5:30 as I had to endure the fun of moving out of my apartment (hella complicated as nothing is ever straight forward in China). So, if you are planning a trip and can arrive in the morning, you could totally make this a three day tour!
I spent my first evening eating and having a lil’ explore. I managed to catch the sunset over the canals and karst mountains, which was a beautiful introduction to my first night on the road! Then I headed to Tian Fu Lou– a vegetarian buffet in a temple (and a pretty sweet temple at that), which offers all you can eat veggie food for only 36 CNY. wowowowowow. The food was delicious and I actually frequented here to make sure I had an affordable intake of veggies.
Day Two
In classic rookie backpacker style, I spent the morning getting super lost and confused trying to find the bus station and totally flopped. Regardless, I made my way to Reed Flute Cave, a natural limestone cave with ambiant lighting that’d make any European jazz bar jealous. FYI, you can only go in via a tour, which is entirely in Chinese, but its still totally worth it. The lighting highlights the formations beautifully, and the guide also sings some traditional songs for the visitors, making it feel very magical. And, of course, following the Chinese love of weirdness, there are some fun projections on the rocks, including a ballet dance and some weird dinosaur stuff. Sure. Why not? Embrace it.
After heading back to the temple for a buffet, I went for a magical stroll around Shan Lake to see the Sun and Moon Twin Pagodas. Fun fact, if you go to a park in China after dark, you get to enjoy some local ladies dancing. When I arrived there were some dancing to classic Chinese tunes which honestly really added to the park’s vibes. The park is full of pretty places to chill, and the Sun and Moon Pagodas are spectacularly lit at night. There is also a cafe-bar on the lake that features live music shows, as well as several other quieter cafes and shops, which make for a chilled evening.
Day Three
On my third day I visited the famed Longji Rice Terraces, on an organised tour with my hostel. If you’re planning on visiting here I’d recommend a tour as they are a pain to get to otherwise. Now, pre warning, they’re a fucking treck away from Guilin so this trip requires an early start as it took us around three hours to get there. We did, however, make a stop at the Huangluo Ethnic Yao Village, where the ethnic women traditionally grow their hair crazy long. The customs and history of these people is fascinating, and unique, and the scenery surround the village is hella stunning. Get yourself here if you’re on the Longji tourist trail, it was worth the detour from the long ass-numbing bus ride.
Once you finally reach the rice terraces, they’re totally worth the long long journey. The Longji Rice Terraces coil up the mountain in layers of water and rice shoots, often described as looking like a dragon’s scales. At the rice terraces themselves, you have two options- hike up or take the cable car. We opted for the cable car up and a hike down, pretty lazy, I know, BUT, the views from the cable car were crazy spectacular and it saved us a nice sweaty hike to the top. Regardless of your route, the views of the fields are amazing. The hike is also interesting because you get to see some local farmer’s houses and the rice shoots up close.
After a nice exhausting day of travelling and hiking, what better way to relax than head out for a night of clubbing? That’s right, I can be fun sometimes. We headed to Music Life Club on Zhengyang Pedestrian Street for an interesting night out. Honestly, China’s nightlife should be something for everyone’s bucket list, you won’t experience it anywhere else. Most ‘clubs’ arn’t even really clubs, but a big room full of tables of Chinese party-goers and huge buckets of booze. Many of these locals can’t hold their drink and half the club will likely be passed out on the sofas by 11pm or dancing wildly like your dad at a wedding. The music will ALWAYS be the classic masterpiece that is EDM and there is a 70% chance that there will be some cheekily dressed female dancers appearing at some point of your evening. Honestly, I’m not sure if I’m selling it…. but I think it’s worth trying at least once for the experience- locals are super friendly to foreigners and the odds of you being asked to join a table and receiving some generous gifts of ‘welcome to China’ booze are high.
Day Four
After waking up late with a regretful hangover, I headed back to Zhengyang Pedestrian Street for some hangover food. Chinese street food is super cheap and yummy (most of the time, depends on how you feel towards chicken feet) and I opted for some vegetable baozi- a kind of bread dumpling filled with hot vegetables. Zhengyang is also a good spot for some shopping if you visit without a fun headache like I did!
After I felt like I could survive some real touristing, I headed to Elephant Trunk Hill which was only a five minute walk away, and it was for sure worth crawling out of my hangover for. Named because it looks like an elephant having a drink, its a beautiful scenic spot to spend the day. You can hike up the hill, which is a killer for the more unfit among us, but the views of the city at the top make it totally worthwhile. There’s also a pretty temple- the site is also used for Buddhist worship. For the more lazy among us, you can also just chill by the river bank, soak in the views, and, if you’re feeling extra wild, dip your feet in the river water.
I had an awesome time in Guilin! Are you planning a trip there or have your visited already? Let me know in the comments. Next stop, Yangshuo.
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