10 Guilin River Cruises Worth Booking

1.1 Day Li River Cruise from Guilin to Yangshuo with Private Guide & Driver

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 148 reviews · from $209Our pick

You’ll cruise the Li River for about four hours from Guilin to Yangshuo, with a private English-speaking guide and driver, lunch on board, a countryside tour, and time on West Street. Tony is one guide praised for patient help, but the boat itself is shared and can be busy.

“1-Day Guilin Tour to Reed Flute Cave, Xianggong Hill, Bamboo Boat & Night Show This tour was truly amazing, made even more special by our excellent English-speaking guide, Mr. Jeff. He is caring, attentive, and took very good care of us Read more”

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2.4 Star Luxury Li River Cruise with Buffet Lunch

★★★★★★★★★★4.3 · 80 reviews · 4 hours · from $92

Travel from downtown Guilin to Zhujiang Pier, then cruise four hours toward Yangshuo through China’s famous karst country. You get hotel pickup, a buffet lunch, observation-deck views, and multilingual audio via a QR code, but no English-speaking guide or hotel drop-off.

“Beautiful river! But really overpriced, we have paid 3 times more than the actual price of the tickets! The first class toilet was broken.”

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3.Li River Cruise and Yangshuo Private Day Tour from Guilin

★★★★★★★★★★4.0 · 53 reviews · from $132

Spend about four hours on the Li River from Guilin to Yangshuo, with hotel pickup, an English-speaking driver-guide, and lunch on board. Enjoy views near Xingping, then choose free time in Yangshuo, a return transfer to Guilin, or an overnight stay there.

“Dont get me wrong, the Li-river itself is beautiful, you should definitely visit this beauty of nature. But be wiser than me and choose an other operator. The guide barely speaks english and the informations are mostly provided in the chinese language. It also is said, that the Read more”

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4.Guilin Highlights Tour Li River to Yangshuo and Xianggong Hill

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 50 reviews · from $79

Spend a full day cruising the Li River from Guilin to Yangshuo, then visit West Street and climb Xianggong Hill. A private English-speaking driver-guide handles hotel transfers and boat tickets, while you pay separately for the cruise and hill entrance.

“Great experience, 4 hours cruise in river see the beautiful views . One of best experiences I had. Thanks”

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5.Private Full-Day Li River Cruise and Liusanjie Show

★★★★★★★★★★4.2 · 27 reviews · 12 hours · from $263

You’ll cruise from Guilin to Yangshuo beneath karst peaks, eat lunch aboard, wander West Street, and watch the 70-minute Liusanjie show on the Li River. A private English-speaking guide such as Jeff, Leo, Alonso, or Josef handles the long day and return transfer.

“overall experience was great . The guide Mr. Jeff was very kind and friendly. He helped us explore Yangshuo and was very professional while driving. Highly recommend”

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6.3 star Li River Cruise & Sightseeing Tour

★★★★★★★★★★3.5 · 20 reviews · 1 day · from $82

You’ll leave downtown Guilin around 8am with a Chinese-speaking driver, collect your cruise tickets at Mopan Pier, and spend 3.5 to 4 hours on the Li River. Lunch is included. After arriving in Yangshuo, you’ll have about two hours to explore independently, with no return transfer included.

“Un servizio deludente, ben al di sotto delle aspettative e della descrizione fornita. Si tratta semplicemente di un trasferimento dall'hotel al molo, qualcosa che si potrebbe facilmente organizzare in autonomia con Didi. Una volta arrivati al molo, l’addetto si è limitato, in modo piuttosto disorganizzato, ad acquistare i biglietti alla biglietteria – un’operazione che avremmo potuto tranquillamente svolgere da soli – e poi ci ha lasciati lì. Considerando che un taxi dall’hotel a Yangshuo costa circa 25€, questa “esperienza” da 70€ è assolutamente sconsigliata.”

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7.Li River Cruise, Yangshuo Biking & Flexible Pricing

★★★★★★★★★★4.6 · 20 reviews · 1 - 2 days

You’ll cruise four hours from Guilin to Yangshuo, passing the Nine-Horse Fresco and the 20 RMB-note view, then explore West Street and cycle beside the Yulong River. Private transport and bicycles are included, but the boat ticket costs extra. Guides may include Blues Lee, Bruce Lee, or Mok.

“The boat trip through one of China's most iconic and picturesque landscapes with views of the characteristic limestone mountains is very beautiful and relaxing. We had booked a four star boat with lunch buffet and enjoyed the trip which lasted a little over 4 hours. The subsequent bike ride in Yangshuo was disappointing as the trip was very short and the bikes were of poor quality.”

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8.Li River Cruise with Yangshuo Countryside Tours

★★★★★★★★★★4.7 · 13 reviews · 6 hours · from $128

Start with a four-hour Li River cruise from Guilin, including a simple lunch and views of karst peaks, fields, and villages. Your English-speaking driver then takes you through Yangshuo, along Yulong River, and to Fuli Ancient Bridge before returning you to Guilin. Private transport and hotel pickup are included.

“It was a beautiful day, the organization was perfect and the guide was nice, friendly and helpful.He knew many things about the places.”

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9.Li River Cruise with Buffalo and Tour of Yangshuo

★★★★★★★★★★4.8 · 12 reviews · 8 - 14 hours · from $222

Start with hotel pickup in Guilin, a four-hour Li River cruise with buffet lunch, and views of peaks, rice fields, villages, buffalo, and fishermen. In Yangshuo, choose cycling, a scooter ride, or another listed tour option with guides such as Andy, Kim, Bruce, or Cristóbal.

“Really liked my tour and my guide Kim who was super helpful and knowledgeable. The only thing I disliked was the greasy fish food stench from the boat kitchen, and the seats not very comfortable (you can’t stretch your legs). But all in all really enjoyed!”

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10.One Hour Chinese Calligraphy or Painting Lessons in Yangshuo

★★★★★★★★★★4.8 · 10 reviews · 1 hour · from $19Best value

Choose calligraphy or traditional Chinese painting and learn at your Yangshuo hotel. An English-speaking instructor shows you how to prepare ink, hold the brush, and create Chinese characters or classic brushwork. Private lessons cost $19 per person, with a 150 RMB transfer fee for Xingping-area hotels.

“Our tour guide Andy was very attentive and helpful, his English was excellent. The tour was perfectly organised, including assistance with fulfilling all the additional Covid19-related regulations The tour on the Li River is wonderful, Andy provided many interesting facts about the sights on the way, which we would have stayed unaware of as all information on the boat was only provided in Chinese. Altogether, a very enjoyable trip!”

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