A Cycling Tour Through China’s Beautiful Countryside…
We’ve talked a lot about Chinese food in our blog, but without a doubt one of the most memorable things about China for us is it’s beautiful countryside.
Yangshuo, in the Guangxi province in southern China, is a place that really stands out for us. Next to the famous Li River, with its tributary the Yulong River running right through it, and surrounded by magnificent karst peaks – Yangshuo is a place with spectacular natural scenery that should not be missed.
We made a point of hiring bicycles as a way of really taking our time to explore everything Yangshuo had to offer and were not disappointed with what we found.
We cycled out to Moon Hill, the Big Banyan Tree and Dragon Bridge – famous points of interest in the area, and spent a day taking a raft down the Li River – all of which provided us with fantastic photo opportunities.
‘Karst Peaks Reflect In Gentle Ripples’ – Cycling alongside the Yulong River.
With such stunning scenery as this, what better way to explore Yangshuo than on two wheels! We can’t recommend it enough. Here, we share with you our photo essay.
Join us on our 2-wheel tour of Yangshuo…
Cycling towards the town gate and heading out into the open countryside.
Karst peaks in the distance. Good roads for cycling.
Passing lush green fields.
Rice paddy reflections.
Peaks up close.
Pausing for a breather in the hot sun.
Discovering local life…
Farmers and fishermen go about their daily business.
Collecting crops whilst the buffalo enjoys a feast.
Walking through the village.
Walking in the shallows across the river.
Cycling the tourist route…
Heading out to Dragon Bridge.
Enjoying the view of Dragon Bridge from a cafe along the river.
The Big Banyan Tree – A view of the trunk and side roots.
Posing with a Chinese family in traditional dress at the Big Banyan tree.
Cycling out to Moon Hill.
Heading back into the countryside….
Another cycling day – choosing a different route to explore.
Finding little gems along the way… Perfect picnic spot!
The path gets too narrow so we have to walk with the bikes.
Our only way to cross the river this time is by raft. A pic of our raft man!
Lots of gorgeous reflections make the long bike ride worth it!
Yes please! A much needed drink stop.
A cute little girl at the house where we stopped to buy a drink.
Fun on the river…
We stop to watch tourists enjoying raft rides on the Yulong River.
More spectators…
Ride of the day!
Heading back to town.
Final scenic photograph stop.
Make sure Yangshuo is on your list…
Yangshuo is easily accessible from nearby Guilin, and has a good infrastructure as it is visited by many Chinese tourists as well as foreign travellers. The bus station is close to the town centre and there are many small budget hotels that are of a good standard within walking distance.
We stayed at the West Lily Hotel, a short walk from the busy central area of Downtown Yangshuo and the popular West Street – all for the princely sum of 70 Yuan a night (£7). The hotel was clean, comfortable and friendly and the owner spoke a little English which helped us so much!
Our room was a double en-suite, with air-con and free wi-fi. We love that in the whole of Asia wi-fi provided ‘free of charge’ is usually the norm. Definitely a major plus point for us. We also hired our bikes from the hotel which made it a lot easier and convenient.
Another plus point was the great food you can find in Yangshuo. We enjoyed the freshest, tastiest noodles that we had found in the whole of China whilst staying there!
Yangshuo is one of our top 5 must-visit places if you are venturing to China. Add it to your bucket list!
2 Comments
Great photos from Yangshuo, one of our favorite places we visited in China! So many beautiful, photogenic spots. We stayed a ways out from the town at a place called Outside Inn. It was a great base for hiking and cycling around the countryside. Thanks for bringing back great memories.
Thanks for taking the time to comment. Yangshuo is definitely a special place for us too, giving us lots of great memories! We plan to return Sept 2014 🙂