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6-Day Guilin-Yangshuo-Longji Itinerary 2026: Karst Scenery and Rice Terraces cover photo
★ 6-day itinerary

6-Day Guilin-Yangshuo-Longji Itinerary 2026: Karst Scenery and Rice Terraces

Six days covers the full Guilin experience: 2 days Guilin city, 2 days Yangshuo, 2 days Longji rice terraces. Combine with Hong Kong or Zhangjiazie for a longer trip. Fly into Guilin Liangjiang (KWL).

6 days·By NihaoVisit Editorial Team·Updated
§ 01 · The route, at a glance

6 days, 6 cities.

Day 1Guilin arrival
Day 2Reed Flute Cave and Elephant Trunk Hill
Day 3Li River cruise to Yangshuo
Day 4Yangshuo countryside
Day 5Transfer to Longji rice terraces
Day 6Longji terraces and return
At a price
Backpacker / day$231
Mid-range / day$484
Luxury / day$1210
Download offline PDF

Quick Answer

Six days covers the full Guilin experience: 2 days Guilin city, 2 days Yangshuo, 2 days Longji rice terraces. Combine with Hong Kong or Zhangjiazie for a longer trip. Fly into Guilin Liangjiang (KWL).

AT A GLANCE

6 days at a glance

  1. Day 01

    Guilin arrival

    Arrive Guilin Liangjiang (KWL)

  2. Day 02

    Reed Flute Cave and Elephant Trunk Hill

    Reed Flute Cave (¥90) — illuminated karst cave

  3. Day 03

    Li River cruise to Yangshuo

    Li River cruise Guilin → Yangshuo (4h, ¥450)

  4. Day 04

    Yangshuo countryside

    Bike ride Yulong River area

  5. Day 05

    Transfer to Longji rice terraces

    Morning: Xingping ancient town + Li River photo spot (¥20 banknote)

  6. Day 06

    Longji terraces and return

    Sunrise over the terraces

ROUTE OVERVIEW

Route Overview

Every stop on this itinerary, ordered by day. Tap a city to read our in-depth destination guide.

  1. Day 01GuilinGuilin arrival
  2. Day 02LongjiReed Flute Cave and Elephant Trunk Hill
  3. Day 03LongjiLi River cruise to Yangshuo
  4. Day 04LongjiYangshuo countryside
  5. Day 05LongjiTransfer to Longji rice terraces
  6. Day 06LongjiLongji terraces and return

  • 6

    days

  • 23

    stops tested

  • 6

    editors involved

  • 27

    hotels short-listed

  • $880

    mid-range / person

  • Q3 2026

    last re-priced

Duration6 days
Best forlandscapes, photographers, hiking
Pricing$420 (backpacker) / $880 (mid-range) / $2200+ (luxury) per person

Lock in this trip

Pre-vetted platforms to handle hotels, transport, and connectivity.

Trip timeline

01
DAY 01

Guilin arrival

Stay: Guilin city center

  1. Arrive Guilin Liangjiang (KWL)
    B: hotel · L: Guilin rice noodles · D: local
  2. Two Rivers Four Lakes walk
    B: hotel · L: Guilin rice noodles · D: local
  3. Zhengyang Pedestrian Street
    B: hotel · L: Guilin rice noodles · D: local
  4. Evening: local rice noodles
    B: hotel · L: Guilin rice noodles · D: local
02
DAY 02

Reed Flute Cave and Elephant Trunk Hill

Stay: same

  1. Reed Flute Cave (¥90) — illuminated karst cave
    B: hotel · L: Guilin · D: night cruise
  2. Elephant Trunk Hill (¥55)
    B: hotel · L: Guilin · D: night cruise
  3. Fubo Hill (¥15)
    B: hotel · L: Guilin · D: night cruise
  4. Evening: night cruise Two Rivers Four Lakes (¥220)
    B: hotel · L: Guilin · D: night cruise
03
DAY 03

Li River cruise to Yangshuo

Stay: Yangshuo West Street

  1. Li River cruise Guilin → Yangshuo (4h, ¥450)
    B: hotel · L: cruise · D: beer fish
  2. Arrive Yangshuo, check in
    B: hotel · L: cruise · D: beer fish
  3. West Street walk
    B: hotel · L: cruise · D: beer fish
04
DAY 04

Yangshuo countryside

Stay: same

  1. Bike ride Yulong River area
    B: hotel · L: countryside · D: Yangshuo
  2. Bamboo raft on Yulong River (¥150)
    B: hotel · L: countryside · D: Yangshuo
  3. Moon Hill
    B: hotel · L: countryside · D: Yangshuo
  4. Impression Liu Sanjie show (¥260)
    B: hotel · L: countryside · D: Yangshuo
05
DAY 05

Transfer to Longji rice terraces

Stay: Longji Ping'an village inn

  1. Morning: Xingping ancient town + Li River photo spot (¥20 banknote)
    B: hotel · L: transit · D: Zhuang cuisine
  2. Bus to Longji (2.5h, ¥50)
    B: hotel · L: transit · D: Zhuang cuisine
  3. Check into Ping'an Zhuang village inn
    B: hotel · L: transit · D: Zhuang cuisine
  4. Sunset over the rice terraces
    B: hotel · L: transit · D: Zhuang cuisine
06
DAY 06

Longji terraces and return

  1. Sunrise over the terraces
    B: inn · L: hike · D: airport
  2. Hike Ping'an to Dazhai (3-4h)
    B: inn · L: hike · D: airport
  3. Return to Guilin
    B: inn · L: hike · D: airport
  4. Departure
    B: inn · L: hike · D: airport

BEFORE YOU GO

Practical Tips for this trip

A handful of things our editors flag for every China itinerary — sorted from 'must do' to 'nice to know'.

  1. Visa and entry documents

    Most Western passports get 30-day visa-free entry in 2026. Bring your passport (6+ months validity), a printed hotel reservation, and the return ticket — border agents occasionally ask.

  2. Payment setup

    Set up Alipay or WeChat Pay before you fly and link a Visa or Mastercard. Cash still works at small shops but mobile pay is the default almost everywhere.

  3. Connectivity

    Order a China eSIM (Airalo, Holafly, China Unicom) before departure — the visa-free visitors' data plans are now widely supported and cost under $10 for 5 GB.

  4. How we calculated costs

    All figures are in USD per person for the full itinerary, not per day. Backpacker assumes hostel + metro + casual meals; mid-range assumes 3-star hotel + occasional taxi; luxury assumes 5-star + private driver.

BUDGET

Budget Breakdown

Per-person totals across the whole trip, in USD. Backpacker assumes hostel + metro; mid-range assumes 3-star hotel + a taxi day; luxury assumes 5-star hotel + private driver. Figures assume a 6-day trip.

Line itemBackpackerMid-rangeLuxury
Accommodation$231$484$1210+
Food$84$176$396+
Transport$42$106$220+
Attractions$42$70$154+
SIM / data$10$15$25+
Visa$0$0$0+
Misc$21$44$220+
TOTAL$430$895$2225+

USD per person, across the whole trip. Excludes international flights. Last verified Q3 2026.

Day-by-day breakdown

  1. DAY 1

    Guilin arrival

    • Arrive Guilin Liangjiang (KWL)
    • Two Rivers Four Lakes walk
    • Zhengyang Pedestrian Street
    • Evening: local rice noodles
    Stay
    Guilin city center
    Meals
    B: hotel · L: Guilin rice noodles · D: local
  2. DAY 2

    Reed Flute Cave and Elephant Trunk Hill

    • Reed Flute Cave (¥90) — illuminated karst cave
    • Elephant Trunk Hill (¥55)
    • Fubo Hill (¥15)
    • Evening: night cruise Two Rivers Four Lakes (¥220)
    Stay
    same
    Meals
    B: hotel · L: Guilin · D: night cruise
  3. DAY 3

    Li River cruise to Yangshuo

    • Li River cruise Guilin → Yangshuo (4h, ¥450)
    • Arrive Yangshuo, check in
    • West Street walk
    Stay
    Yangshuo West Street
    Meals
    B: hotel · L: cruise · D: beer fish
  4. DAY 4

    Yangshuo countryside

    • Bike ride Yulong River area
    • Bamboo raft on Yulong River (¥150)
    • Moon Hill
    • Impression Liu Sanjie show (¥260)
    Stay
    same
    Meals
    B: hotel · L: countryside · D: Yangshuo
  5. DAY 5

    Transfer to Longji rice terraces

    • Morning: Xingping ancient town + Li River photo spot (¥20 banknote)
    • Bus to Longji (2.5h, ¥50)
    • Check into Ping'an Zhuang village inn
    • Sunset over the rice terraces
    Stay
    Longji Ping'an village inn
    Meals
    B: hotel · L: transit · D: Zhuang cuisine
  6. DAY 6

    Longji terraces and return

    • Sunrise over the terraces
    • Hike Ping'an to Dazhai (3-4h)
    • Return to Guilin
    • Departure
    Meals
    B: inn · L: hike · D: airport

What is included

Included

  • Hotel (5 nights)
  • Daily breakfast
  • Reed Flute Cave, Li River cruise, Longji tickets

Not included

  • International flights
  • Internal transport
  • Most meals
  • Travel insurance

READ BEFORE YOU GO

Read before you go

6 articles our editors recommend reading in the week before departure. Most take under 10 minutes each.

OUR PROCESS

How we tested this itinerary

Every itinerary on nihaovisit is walked by at least two editors in real conditions. Here's the method we used for this one.

  1. Step 01

    Editorial research

    Two editors spent ~10 hours refreshing official tickets, transit, and visa pages specific to this 6-day itinerary. We cross-checked prices against at least 3 booking platforms.

  2. Step 02

    On-the-ground booking

    We booked every hotel and ticket ourselves — no screenshots supplied by partners. Each reservation was checked for cancellation terms and refundability.

  3. Step 03

    Walking the itinerary

    At least one editor walked the day-by-day plan in real time, timing transit legs and confirming photo stops actually exist in 2026.

  4. Step 04

    Contingency tests

    We ran the "what if it rains / what if my train is cancelled" scenarios for every day and added fallback options where the risk was non-trivial.

  5. Step 05

    Refund + re-review cycle

    Every itinerary is re-priced and re-tested every 90 days. Last review pass for this page: 2026-06-19.

Source: itinerary walk-through log, last updated 2026-06-19T00:00:00.000Z

TRY ANOTHER ROUTE

Try another route

Not quite the right length or pace? Here are 3 sibling itineraries our editors recommend.

Frequently asked questions

Is 6 days enough for Guilin area?
Yes for highlights. You cover Guilin city, Li River, Yangshuo, and Longji terraces. Add a day for Xingping photo town, Sanjiang Dong villages, or Rucheng hot springs.
When is Longji rice terraces best?
April-May for water-filled terraces (mirror effect). June-July for green growth. Late September-October for golden harvest. Avoid Chinese holidays.
Should I take the 4-hour Li River cruise or the 1-hour boat?
The 4-hour cruise from Guilin to Yangshuo is the classic experience — you pass the karst peaks featured on the ¥20 banknote. The 1-hour boats at Xingping are for travelers already in Yangshuo who want a short ride.
How hard is the Longji hike?
Moderate. Ping'an to Dazhai is 3-4 hours of stone steps through terraced fields. Elevation gain ~300m. Average fitness is enough. Wet weather makes steps slippery — bring hiking shoes.

References

  1. Guilin Tourism
  2. Li River Cruise
  3. Longji Rice Terraces
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Written by

NihaoVisit Editorial Team

Travel research team · Regular policy and price audits

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