Private Guilin and Yangshuo, Two Days

Guilin is known for limestone peaks that stand in rice fields and along the Li River, and Yangshuo, to the south, is where much of that scenery is concentrated. This is a two-day private tour that links the two, adds the Longji rice terraces and states that there are no shopping stops, which is a real selling point in a region where group tours often schedule them. The operator is Andy's private china tours, and GetYourGuide showed US$384 per person in October 2026.

Your private guide meets you at your Guilin hotel, and you travel in a private air-conditioned car or van. The listing describes the route as the Longji rice terraces plus the highlights of Guilin and Yangshuo, namely the mountains, the river and the caves. The second day can end with a drop-off in Yangshuo if you want to stay there longer, so you do not have to go back to Guilin for the night. The same private transport also takes you between your hotel and Guilin airport.

The Longji terraces, known as the Dragon's Backbone, climb the hills in curving bands that follow the contours, built over centuries by Zhuang and Yao communities. They are best known for the way the fields change colour through the year. In spring the flooded terraces mirror the sky, in summer they are green, in autumn they turn gold before the harvest, and in winter they can be bare or dusted with snow. The villages around them have wooden houses and their own traditions, and the Yao women are known for their very long hair.

Guilin and Yangshuo are linked by the Li River, and the stretch between them is the classic scenic cruise, though the listing does not say that a boat ride is part of this tour. The mountains, river and caves that it does mention could include well-known stops such as the Reed Flute Cave in Guilin or the countryside around Yangshuo with the Yulong River and Moon Hill. Because the listing does not itemise the stops, ask the guide in advance which of them are on your schedule.

The listing's inclusions are short: private guide services, private transport, entrance tickets, lunch and meals, and a hotel. It does not itemise which meals are covered or which night the hotel covers, so check the booking page for the exact programme before you book. The tour runs in English or Chinese. It is not suitable for wheelchair users.

What most visitors do not realise is that the distances are long. The terraces are a drive of around two hours from Guilin, and Yangshuo is about an hour and a half by road, so a two-day plan has a lot of driving. That is a reason to take a private car with a guide who knows when to stop, instead of a fixed coach route. It is also a reason to start early.

The common mistakes concern the season and the shoes. Visitors come in winter hoping for green terraces, or in summer hoping for flooded ones, so ask the guide which time of year your dates fall in. They also expect the same fog-free views every day, whereas rain and haze are common in spring and early summer. Bring comfortable walking shoes for terraces and stairs, a rain jacket and a hat.

Food gives the trip a second thread. Guilin rice noodles are the local breakfast and are eaten with a rich, spiced broth and pickled toppings. In Yangshuo, beer fish, a river fish cooked with local beer and vegetables, is a common dinner, and at Longji the villagers cook rice inside bamboo tubes over a fire. The listing says lunch and meals are included but does not say which, so ask the guide how the meals are organised and whether special requests, such as vegetarian dishes, can be made. In Yangshuo itself, West Street is the busy centre of cafes and shops, and a quieter evening walk is possible along the river. Bring cash for small purchases, since some villages and stalls do not accept cards.

Think about the rainy season. In Guilin it falls mainly between spring and early summer, when mist and drizzle soften the peaks and can hide the distant views. Autumn is usually clearer and drier, and it is the season when the terraces turn gold. If rain arrives, ask your guide to move the cave or the village earlier in the day and to keep the open viewpoints for any clearer spell.

The listing is brief and has no day-by-day schedule, so it suits travellers who are happy to agree the detail with the guide, and who prefer one guide for two days to two separate day trips. If you want a single mountain park with a lift and cable car in one day, the private Zhangjiajie day on this site is the alternative, but it is a separate destination in Hunan and needs its own travel.