Taking a 4-star cruise is a wonderful way to appreciate the Li River, which boasts the most beautiful scenery in China. The cruise is from Zhujiang Wharf in Guilin to Yangshuo. Along the route, the hills on banks are lush and green, and the water is quite clear, all of which are like paintings. It is a peaceful fairy-tale land with gorgeous reflections on the water and idyllic villages on the banks, especially in the morning, you can also see hazy mist above the river, which would present you a scene of beauty.
The cruise journey from Yangdi to Xingping, about 20km in length, provides the best scenery during the whole trip. You will definitely be attracted by wonderful sights on both banks, like Mural Hill and Yellow Cloth Shoal.
The charming reflections add more beauty to Li River. The reflection at Yellow Cloth Shoal, current 20-yuan banknote’s background pattern, is the most intoxicating one. At Yellow Cloth Shoal, a large beige slate lying at the riverbed will come into your view. It is exactly like a yellow cloth, thus Yellow Cloth Shoal was named.
Compared with 3-star cruise ships, 4-star ships are more luxurious with better facilities. You can enjoy a buffet on 4-star cruise ships for lunch but only a box lunch on 3-star ships.
The cruise itself was fantastic - a nice pace for young and old and plenty of photo opportunities. Worth paying for the professional photographers on board as they know the landscape well BUT make sure you sign up early for their services when it is offered, as the groups are called up to take photos in numerical order of signing up for their services. You don't want to be one of the last groups otherwise you may miss the opportunity for that perfect shot as the cruise ship does not stop.
Lunch was great - a full Chinese smorgasbord of local dishes and some western. You may want to option up for the cruiseship's special dishes offered on the day for an extra fee.
We were lucky with the weather on this occasion as there was a possibility of rain on the day however we were blessed with sunshine and slight clouds during our cruise. It was downright warm by the time we arrived at our destination some 4 hours later.
Note that at the end of the cruise when you arrive at the pier you will need to hire a driver for approx 15RMB / person to take you back to the carpark area, as no large tourist buses are allowed to drive down to the pier to pick up guests. Otherwise it could end up being a very long walk!!...More
Booking with Travel China Guide is easy as they are well versed in English. Only thing is there is no earlier confirmation till the day before the cruise. In fact, i have to ring them up un the afternoon as i did not receive any confirmation details. Collection of cruise tickets are at the pier itself. It is best to arrive 45mins earlier as it is a huge crowd at the pier. The tickets were ready for us. No queue for collection as it seems most are group tourists and it was a low season (mid Nov). Foreigners like us without an ID card entered via a different queue and not the auto-scan entrance.
Upon entering, follow the crowd to the pier and look for the cruise ship. There are so many cruises leaving at the same time.
The pier for the 4 stars cruise is quite far, about 30-40mins by taxi at 100-120rmb....More
does the cruise return from Yangshuo or it is a one way trip?
if yes, a seprate ticket is needed?
The cruise only depart from Guilin. If you want to take the cruise, you need to reach Guilin first. VIP seats are still available for Nov 30 and Dec 01. If you are interested in booking tickets, you can submit your booking request online on this page. Thank you.