YangShuo to XingPing
XingPing had an ancient town that served as a good starting point to explore Li River. There were several ways to experience Li River. Some would take a cruise from Guilin to XingPing then to YangShuo. Others could take a boat ride from YangShuo to XingPing. We decided to relocate from YangShuo to XingPing I(staying a night) and then to take a boat ride (two ways) starting from XingPing Jetty upstream and back.
On our second morning in YangShuo, We woke early to enjoy sunrise over the karst landform of directly from our room. It was very a beautiful sunrise and we were very glad to have paid more for a room with a view.
We had our 2nd breakfast at Yangshuo hotel ( Yishan Yunshui Hotel). After breakfast we checked out and e-hailed a cab to take us from YangShuo to XingPing, it was a 50 minutes ride over about 27km.
Another reason we chosed to relocated to XingPing as the nextday we would leave Guilin/Yangshuo/XingPing via a fast train and the train station was close to XingPing.
Li River
When we checked with our hotel receptionist in XingPing as where we could get a boat ride on the Li River, she directed us to a Ticketing Office just down the road on the same side as the hotel. We walked a short distance and saw “Li River Scenic Area Ticket Office” and went in to get our tickets. The ticket was discounted for senior age 60 and above which included entrance fee and boat ride, the cost of the ticket was ¥165 per person.
From the ticketing office we turned a corner to wait for a tourist shuttle which transfered us from the ticketing office to the jetty. At the jetty were many bamboo rafts.
The bamboo raft had seats for four persons, so two of us and another couple were ushered onto the boat. Sadly unlike the front row the back row did not enjoy the “wide unblocked view ahead. The bamboo raft was not as authentic as those smaller ones on Yulong river. The bamboo that formed the base of the raft was not real. The raft also had a motor which the “boatman” used to move raft across the water.
Compared to Yulong River, Li River was wider and busier. The river was full of boats and they moved like a convoy upstream.
The karst landscape by the river was very scenic and the scenery was amazing. The Li River was 83 kilometer long stretching from Guilin to Yangshuo. There were also bigger double decker boats bringing tourists al lthe way from Guilin to XingPing to YangShuo.
Near the end of the water ride the weather turned bad and it began to drizzle. This time being in the second row was good as the shade above our heads covered us from the “splatter” of the rain. The couple in front row got wet as there was not where to hide from the rain.
After the river cruise we were back to our hotel room to rest and relax. In XingPing there were several high viewpoints to enjoy a top down of the karst landform. One of the viewponits was a 30minutes hike near XingPing jetty. We decided to forgo the hike as the ground was wet and slippery and missed a “bird eyes” view of the karst landform.
Dinner
Our hotel was on a busy street with many shops and restaurant. We found a restaurant 金牌烧鹅啤酒鱼(兴坪二店) just about 100 meters from our stay Mercure. We ordered three dishes a vegetable, a pork belly and roast duck. The meal came with rice and tea. Lovely and satisfying meal.
Our Stay
Our stay in XingPing was at Mercure GuilinYangShuoXingPing (桂林阳朔兴坪美居酒店), it was near XingPing Jetty and within walking distance to XingPing ancient town.
It was a very nice hotel with a posh and grand foyer. We arrived early and had no problem checking into our room at 1pm. The staff at the reception was very helpful in answering our queries like where to go for a boat ride to explore Li River, where around to go for dinner etc.
We had booked a “Mountain-View Balcony Delight Double Bed Room” for a night with breakfast the next day. Our room was spacious with very modern and cosy design. The cost for one night with breakfast was ¥550 for the double room.
The toiliet in our room was huge, clean and big.
Our double room had a balcony and a distance view of the Karst Mountain over the town. The view at Mercure was not as nice as the view from our room in Yangshuo.
Other Accommodation Nearby
