Luoyang to Guilin, Li River and Yulong River 4 Days 3 Nights

A morning departure from Luoyang with one change lands you in Guilin in the afternoon. Drop the bags and walk to Dongxi Alley, where rice noodle shops and silver smiths sit under grey brick arcades. Dinner is a bowl of Guilin noodles, two liang, with a side of crisp pork.

Attraction introduction: Guilin sits in northeastern Guangxi with the Li River running through the city and isolated peaks such as Duxiu, Diecai and Fubo scattered among the streets. Dongxi Alley is the lane of the old Ming and Qing town, joined to Zhengyang Street and now full of local food and craft shops.

Tips: Arrive late, eat, and rest rather than forcing in a sight. Guests generally find the broth at noodle shops freshest in the morning and towards evening, and thin at midday. In practice dinner stays close to the hotel, because the next morning starts early for the pier.

Leave the hotel a little after seven for Mopanshan pier and board around eight. Mist sits on the water soon after casting off, and the peaks on both banks are cut in half by it. Nine Horse Fresco comes up on the port side, and the flat reach at Yellow Cloth Shoal holds the view printed on the twenty yuan note. Disembark at Yangshuo in the afternoon and walk Xijie after dark.

Attraction introduction: The Li River runs eighty three kilometres from Guilin to Yangshuo, and the Mopanshan stretch is the celebrated one, with karst towers crowding both banks. Nine Horse Fresco is a cliff whose bedding planes read as nine horses, and Yellow Cloth Shoal is shallow and flat, so the peaks land cleanly on the surface.

Tips: The upper deck is windy, so stay off the outermost rail and keep the phone inside it. Guests generally find the second deck far better than the cabin and claim a spot early. In practice the ticket is booked for the morning sailing, which puts you midstream while the mist still holds.

In the morning head for the Yulong and switch to a hand poled raft. The water is shallow enough to count the stones, and the boatman punts stroke by stroke; at each low weir the raft slides over and your cuffs get wet. In the afternoon rent a scooter and follow the Ten Mile Gallery road toward Moon Hill, rice fields on one side and limestone towers on the other.

Attraction introduction: The Yulong is a tributary of the Li, running from the Baisha area down to Yangshuo in a channel rarely more than a few dozen metres wide, bordered by farmland and low peaks. The Ten Mile Gallery is a country road past Moon Hill, the Great Banyan and Butterfly Spring, flat enough to ride easily.

Tips: Weirs splash, so a waterproof pouch for the phone beats a pocket, and quick dry trousers beat denim. Guests generally find the Yulong quiet before noon and queuing after lunch. In practice the raft takes the first slot and the cycling follows, which keeps the day unhurried.

Drive back from Yangshuo in the morning, a little over an hour. Elephant Trunk Hill sits in the city; enter by gate three and leave by gate two, walking to the Water Moon Cave where the hill reads as an elephant dipping its trunk into the river. Lunch on Zhengyang Street, then the airport or the station and home to Luoyang.

Attraction introduction: Elephant Trunk Hill stands where the Peach Blossom River meets the Li. The hill is low, pierced by a round opening called Water Moon Cave, whose reflection closes the circle into a full moon. A landmark since the Song dynasty, it is now free to enter but needs a booked time slot.

Tips: Free does not mean walk in, and the gate will not open without the booking code. Guests generally find the shot at the cave waits a few minutes for a ferry to clear. In practice the slot is booked for ten in the morning, which leaves lunch and an unhurried afternoon transfer.