Guilin was our last stop in China. We landed quite late there (after 6pm) so we did not plan anything except preparing the next 2 days in the area.
Stopped by the tourism office of the airport, we could book everything at a really reasonable discounted price! The full boat trip on the Li-River (4h) with pickup at hotel by Bus for 480RMB per person (instead of something over 600RMB) and guide with car to visit some random spots in Guilin for our last day (300RMB package, including the way back to the airport).
The airport was a little bit far from the center of Guilin and it cost us a 200RMB fee to reach it (regular rate). It was dawn so we did not really enjoy the view even if we could still caught the shapes of the far mountains.
Guilin is a big city crossed by big avenues and the branches of Li River. Our first hotel was the Jing Guan Ming Lou Holiday Hotel, located nearby the river and some busy streets with restaurants. This hotel is designed as an old tea house, nicely decorated with pots and paintings. The 298RMB room was definitely a good deal, with free tea (presented with all the tools you need for a traditional party.
We arrived at hotel by night and directly left it to search for a restaurant. The streets around were pretty dark and after a 5 to 10min walk, we reached a busy street with open-air restaurants serving exclusively Chinesedishes. We took one randomly and ordered local specialties.
Once again, we woke up early the next morning. We had to checkout and be ready for the tour. The mini van arrived just on time. The driver had to catch some other customers at different hotels before joining a bigger bus with more tourists (around 50) heading to the harbor (around 50min journey).

Our guide was really friendly and pleasant. He followed us all the day from our 4h boat trip to our visit of Yangshuo area. Indeed the guide proposed us an extra tour after the boat to visit the country side of Yangshuo (200RMB). As we had no idea what to see there, we accepted. It was also more convenient for us so we could relax during the day.
The Li River was really quite (weather was ok, grey to blue sky at the really end). The mountains around were impressive, beautiful. All is nature there, except very few local houses.

We had a quick lunch buffet in the boat (nothing fancy, prepared at the rear of the boat). The drinks were not free… at all! 20RMB for a coke when it costs only 2 on the land!
Arrived at Yangshuo, we had 30min to walk around the tourist market. It was definitely enough as all the products here aren’t really local, so we already met part of them in the different cities we previously visited.
The next step was our country side trip. We experienced a Cormorant show, a ride by bamboo boat and the visit of the oldest village of the area.

The birds were really beautiful but also looked aggressive. A fisherman showed us how he was using the cormorants to catch fishes in the river. Tiding a rope around his neck, the bird can’t swallow his taking. The guy has just to strangle a bit the poor animal to get the fish. Clever but also a torture for the animals lovers. We also had the luck to be able to carry the birds for a shooting session. Those monsters are pretty heavy and their strong beak sharp so you don’t really want to bother them much.

The bamboo rafting was pleasant and energetic: standing on a 2 sit ship under the sunny sky, jumping one small waterfall and having an exceptional view on the rice fields and mountains. Really funny and unstable. We had the luck not to fall out! A quick stop on a partially flooder grass made us meet some buffaloes.The guide offered us to feed them with some leaves.

After 1h, the boat dropped us at a small town, Yulong, famous for its old bridge. The village was not interesting at all, partially destroyed and abandoned. The bridge gave us a good spot do admire the landscapes.

This shot tour which ended just before 5pm was worth the 200RMB if you don’t want to loose time organizing your visits. The town wasn’t great, I’m sure there was more to see by bicycle nearby.
The bus took us back to the center of Yangshuo and our nice guide called our hotel to arrange a pick-up there. We were surprised to discover that there was no taxi in Yangshuo. So if you want to reach your hotel, better is get some assistance! The guide was definitely a good idea at the end as our destination was at about 20km from where we were standing.

The Yangshuo Mountain Retreat was a great experience. This small hotel located on the river provided a wonderful service with a great and kind staff. Our 572RMB room (family suite, the only room available) was really big with a balcony and a view on the river and mountains. The only weak point was the presence of mosquitoes due to the river. Dozen and dozen made our night difficult even with a net and incense.
We had a short walk in the area to shoot some pictures. As the sun was setting and the insects hunting us, we went back and had our diner at the hotel. We tried the local beer fish: catfish from the river cooked in a beer sauce (like a belgium beef stew). A really tasty meal for two.

The last day of our Chinese trip began early, 7am. We had to catch a bus a Yangshuo city for Guilin where a guide was waiting for us. The hotel arranged us a car to the bus station where a 20RMB tickets allowed to us to reach Guilin in less than an hour.
The private tour booked the previous day at the airport was… not that great. The guide was speaking English but was not as kind and friendly as the one we met before. She dropped us at some places without explaining us the history and purpose of them: the four lakes visit by water bus, the Yaoshan mountain by cable car, the Limestone caves and the Tea science and research institute.

The lakes were boring, nothing to see except the city. After seeing the mountains on the river, this tasted insipid. The Yaoshan mountain wasn’t great as the weather was cloudy. We did not have a great view on the area, our bad. The cable car scared a bit Kunie as a bit old and long (15min). The caves were interesting with their lights plays but cold and a bit crowded.

Finally the Tea institute was a good surprise. First, it was free. And we had a English speaker researcher who explained us how his eco-tea was made. We met the fields and how the leaves were prepared and dried. We learned the differences between teas and had a tasting. I had many questions and found my answers there.

This ended by a stop at their shop where all products were local (good thing!). This visit was really pleasant and I would recommend it.
We took our delayed plane at 17h30 in a very poor airport without real snack bar or restaurant. The few tourist shops were showing only fake European products.

Thank you China!