One-Day Guilin CityWalk Tour: Outskirts Ancient Town and Reed Flute Cave

  • Approx. 8 hours
  • Daily
  • Group tour (Min 2, Max 10)
 

Description

Overview

Explore and witness the unique charm of Guilin with our professional local guide during this day trip. Walk along the peaceful pathways in an ancient village, feeling the atmosphere of rural life stretching back to imperial times, and experience Guilin traditional cultures and folk arts in a beautiful village nearby a tributary of the Li River.

Taste this city's atmosphere, admire the splendid "Natural Art" in Reed Flute Cave, and walk along the banks of the scenic Two Rivers and Four Lakes water system. 

Itinerary

8:00 am – 9:30 am, Hotel Collection and Drive to the Xiongcun Village

Your guide will be waiting for you in your hotel's lobby or other appointed location at the agreed time, which is usually between 8am and 8:30am. The tour guide will hold a Trippest banner so that you recognize him/her immediately. You'll join a group with no more than 10 members, which is a great size to ensure you enjoy a better travel experience.

After collecting all the members, your tour group will head to the first destination - the ancient village of Xiongcun. It takes about 40 minutes (20 kilometers) to get there from Guilin city center.

9:30 am – 11:00 am, Visit the Ancient Village of Xiongcun

After a 40-minute drive, you will arrive at a peaceful ancient village called Xiongcun. This village has a history of more than 1,000 years. It was a very busy town in the past but its popularity faded as time went by. The original prosperity has been replaced with old houses, mossy stone steps, and elderly villagers who retell the village's ancient stories.

In this village, you'll see the well-kept traditional Chinese residential culture. You'll have the chance to visit a local family's home and witness their peaceful lifestyle, like as though you have traveled back in time by several hundred years.

11:00 am – 1:30 pm, Visit the Dong Li Ancient Village

After 20-minute driving from Daxu Town, you'll arrive at a rebuilt village named Dong Li Ancient Village, near the mountains and nearby an important tributary (Chao Tian River) of the Li River. This village preserves the old dwellings style of Northen Guangxi. You can also see many handicrafts here, like pressing old with a flying hammer, weaving cotton cloth, forging iron, making wine, etc. As the city develops, some of handicrafts are dying out. Fortunately, these intangible cultural heritages are protected and inherited here.

You can try one of handicrafts which is free. But if you want to do more deep experiences like potting, making dried bean milk cream, tie-dyed fabric, ect, that would be optional and pay on your own expense. Feel free to ask the tour guide if you have any questions.

Have a lunch (at your own expense) at a local restaurant or cafe here. You'll have a chance to taste some locals' favorite daily dishes.

2:30 pm – 4:30 pm, Visit the Reed Flute Cave

After lunch, you will head for the most famous cave in Guilin - Reed Flute Cave. It is called a "Natural Art Museum" due to the numerous beautiful stalactites and stalagmites inside it.

Decorated with colorful spotlights and with intriguing shadows cast across the cave's small pool, it's as though you are looking at a beautiful Chinese painting. A karst cave on such a great scale as this and with such beautiful natural formations is a rare natural phenomenon in the world.

Now Reed Flute Cave has become a calling card of Guilin. More than 180 international heads of state and politicians have visited this cave, including two former presidents of the United States, Nixon and Carter.

5:00 pm – 6:00 pm, Walk Around the City's Water System - Two Rivers and Four Lakes

After visiting Reed Flute Cave, you'll be driven to the city center where you can enjoy a walk around the city's water system - Two Rivers and Four Lakes.

The two rivers in the name relate to Guilin's two major rivers running through the city: the Li River and the Peach Blossom River. The four lakes in the name refer to the four major lakes in the city: Ronghu (Banyan Lake), Shahu (Chinese Fir Lake), Guihu (Osmanthus Lake), and Mulonghu (Wood Dragon Lake). These rivers and lakes are linked together in a circuit.

Your walk will begin at Gunanmen (Old South Gate), which is used to be the south gate of Guilin during the Tang Dynasty in about 700 AD.

Near the gate stands a 1,000-year-old banyan tree, which reflects the history of this city. In front of it is Banyan Lake - walk alongside it to discover ancient bridges in many different styles.

After you walk around Ronghu, you'll come to another lake named Shahu, which has twin towers standing in it. The Sun and Moon Twin Towers are landmarks of Guilin. The Sun Tower is the largest bronze Buddhist tower in the world.

Continue onward to reach the most beautiful street in Guilin - Binjiang Road. The road runs alongside the Li River and you'll see the aptly named Elephant Trunk Hill, which appears to be an elephant drinking the river. Along the roadside, which is decorated with banyan trees, you'll see many street artists playing music and singing.

Your final stop is the Lijiang Waterfall Hotel, which is home to the largest man-made waterfall in the world. Your wonderful trip ends here. You can choose to continue walking in the nearby area (Zhengyang Pedestrian Street and the food market are only a few steps away) or you can be driven back to your hotel.

Know Before You Book

What's Included?

  • Local English-speaking guide service.
  • Transport between attractions, including pickup and return to your hotel.
  • Bottled water.
  • Entry/Admission - Xiongcun Village and Dong Li Village.
  • Entry/Admission - Reed Flute Cave.
  • A walking trip to the Two Rivers and Four Lakes.

What's Excluded?

  • Lunch fee (RMB 60-80 per capita, depending on appetite)
  • Tipping of guide & driver recommended on good service on a 2:1 ratio separately (usually RMB 50-100 per person).
  • Accommodation, travel insurance and any other personal expenses during tour.
  • Airport transfer.

What Do I Need To Bring?

  • A moderate amount of walking is involved. Comfortable walking shoes are recommended.
  • Please be ready and waiting in your hotel lobby 5 minutes prior to your scheduled pick up time. 

Additional Info

  • Minimum number of participants required for the tour to run is 2 (negotiable). Maximum number of participants per tour is 10.
  • Guilin hotels pickup and drop-off areas are available within the urban center of Guilin City. For further distances, you need to hire a taxi to the appointed hotel which your tour guide will tell you the day before the trip. Most of the major hotels are located in these areas such as the Sheraton Hotel, the Shangri-la Hotel, the Lijiang Waterfall Hotel and Guilin Bravo Hotel etc.
  • The tour guide will contact you through hotel or leave a message for you regarding the exact pickup time the night before tour. 

Cancellation Policy

  • We will charge a cancellation fee of 100% if booking is cancelled 48 hours or less before event.
  • Ours operate rain or shine. In periods of extreme or unsafe weather, we will discuss with you for alternative arrangements or cancel the tour at our discretion and provide a refund.
Price From
USD104 p/p
Tour Date
Adult (age 12-75)
Child (age 2-11)

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