Yangshuo: the karsts, the river and the town

Although we spent a grand total of 2.5 days in Yangshuo, we could have easily spent 5 or more days enjoying the sights in and around Yangshuo. I kind of regret not heading back there after finding out how overrated Guilin was.

Famous for the karst peaks in and around Yangshuo, this is a must see for those who have more time traveling in China outside of just visiting Beijing, Shanghai and Hong Kong.


The karst topography occurs when limestone and is the result of limestone interacting with underground water. The water dissolves the limestone to form karst topography which is made up of caves, underground channels, and random peaks of various shapes and sizes towering in the sky.

Unfortunately, we didn't visit any of the caves because there were all these cave tour operators claiming to be the 'real' water caves but it all seemed a bit too theme park-like (rides, loud music, laser shows, etc) for us so we passed on it. Maybe I'll visit a cave next time I visit, if I'm lucky enough to find one that is free and uninhabited by touts.



Another famous Yangshuo tourist feature is the Li River 漓江. I was not impressed with the river as it flowed through the town, the water levels were pathetically low. I guess it's because of the winter dry season now. Many ads around town proclaimed that a boat tour of the 'mighty' Li River was a must when visiting Yangshuo but we passed on that, too. Biking along the river was quicker, cheaper and we could cover more ground than a slow, upstream boat tour.

The third feature of Yangshuo is the fact that it is a backpacker's haven. You won't find many 3-5 star hotels here. If you travel four stars all the way, Yangshuo wont' be for you. In fact, I didn't spot many personal cars on the road let alone a taxi the whole time I was there. It was strange. The town's method of public transportation consisted of these elongated electric golf carts. I wish I took a photo of them.

Yangshuo is basically a hostelling heaven. I'd never seen so many hostels in a single town before. It was unreal. Every second storefront was a hostel, it seemed. Hostels were built into gift shops, restaurants, and bars. It was the most westernised place me and my mates had ever seen; and collectively, we'd been all over east Asia. Personally, I was put off by all this western culture. I went out to look for Chinese restaurants and the ones I did find mainly catered to western tastes. Nevertheless, I did find Xinjiang lamb kebabs 羊肉串 which kept me satisfied for a bit.



Surrounded by touring karsts, the town itself (most tourists, especially western ones hang out exclusively on the riverfront and on West Street 西街) has a small town feel with a lot of bars, restaurants, discos, and shops selling tacky souvenirs. As I mentioned before the western food is of a higher quality than the Chinese food (to my disappointment).



At night, West street comes alive when every restaurant/pub/disco has music blaring and waitresses invite you in for a drink. Thankfully, it was low tourist season when we were there so the crowds weren't too large.

I guess I enjoyed the town less for the town itself and more for the biking and scenery. There's lots to do in Yangshuo-or you could sit back, drink some coffee and do nothing. That's the beauty of this town, you can do what you like.

I didn't forget to mention our karst rock climbing trip. That deserves is own post.