Guanxi Province is known for its stunning natural beauty: green rivers meandering by lofty, tree-covered hills and jagged, gray karst spires that reach into the sky. There’s a national forest, subtropical mangroves, and miles and miles of farmland. The province is also home to several minority ethnic groups, Yao, Miao,Dong and Zhuang. Its history as a melting-pot is evident in the people, foods and languages throughout the province. We began our exploration in Guilin.

Guilin Overview

Although it was a bit “big city” for us, Guilin was easy to get around, and most of the main sites were either within walking distance or a short bus ride from one another. Buses are cheap, and the main lines are pretty easy to navigate. Some of the buses appear to be free, but we never quite figured out the system. There were also quite a few English speakers around, which always helps. The city, whose name means Forest of Sweet Osmanthus for the large number of fragrant osmanthus trees found here, lies next to the famous Li River. There are bamboo rafts and larger craft to take visitors for a cruise, parks and walkways along the banks, and a number of peaks and hills to climb and look out over the landscape.

Seven Star Park

The famous Flower Bridge, dating from the Song Dynasty, leads into Seven Star Park. The park gets its name from the idea that the peaks in the park correspond to the stars of the Little Dipper. The natural setting is lovely, and there’s plenty to explore. From the top of Crescent Hill and Putuo Hill are nice views of the city, the river and beyond. Along the way are small caves, pavilions and gardens. The famous Seven Star Cave lies under Putuo Hill. Long believed to be home to immortals, it was once a section of an underground river, and contains some ancient tablets. Camel Hill looks like, guess what? The park is quite large, so we did quite a bit of wandering, but didn’t spot any of the wild monkeys all the signs warned about. We did, however, find a tasty lunch of cold, spicy noodles and dumping for just under a dollar each.

Some Pricey Peaks

Although it looked lovely from outside, we were priced out of climbing Duxiu (Solitary Beauty) Peak, whose entry fee had more than quadrupled since the guide we were using came out three years ago. The same was the case for Folded Brocade Hill. We consoled ourselves saying we didn’t want to fight the hordes of other tourists anyway. Instead we strolled on the pedestrian street downtown for a while, and past the Sun and Moon Pagodas in the lake at the city center. The Sun Pagoda is made of copper, and connected to the Moon Pagoda by an underwater tunnel. Cool! We also strolled along the Li River and bought an unidentifiable fruit from a man who cut the top off for us and handed us a mini spoon. From what we could tell he was explaining, you were supposed to eat the seeds and stringy fruit around them. It was tart and tasty and we are pretty sure it was a passion fruit, though this was just a bit bigger than a ping pong ball and kind of fuzzy. Guilin Botanical Garden was another nice place for a walk. Other major sites include the Reed Flute Cave and Elephant Trunk Hill.

Two Rivers and Four Lakes

Guilin is built around several rivers and lakes that are linked together by canals and channels. The Li and Taohua (Peach Blossom) Rivers; Rong (banyan tree) Lake, Shan (Chinese fir) Lake, Gui (Osmanthus tree) Lake, and Mulong (Wooden dragon) Lake make up Guilin’s water system that surrounds the city. Together these are known as the “Two Rivers and Four Lakes Area.”  Cruises along these waterways are offered by all the tour agencies.

Guilin is a great jumping-off point for visiting other attractions in the region. One of our favorites was a trip to the Longsheng Rice Terraces, which lie in the mountains the couple of hours away.  The Longji (Dragon’s Backbone) Terraced Rice Fields provide amazing views of the countryside. Layer upon layer of terracing creates intricate patterns for as far as the eye can see. From the 13th century on, these hills have been sculpted, adapting them to the purpose of growing rice and other crops.

Where We Stayed

The folks at Wada Hostel were very friendly and helpful. After a lengthy delay on the bus, we arrived at about 4 am. After being woken up, the night watchman was kind enough to let us in and set up a couch in the common area for us to crash on until we were able to check in. The room was basic but clean and comfortable. There are always three or four young girls at the desk, and they speak English quite well. The common areas include a large outdoor area, making it easy to meet other travelers. They have organized food nights and events for guests, as well as offering tours, games and videos, a book swap and laundry. There are discounts for members of Hosteling International.