Yulong River
Yulong River
4.5
12:00 AM - 11:59 PM
Monday
12:00 AM - 11:59 PM
Tuesday
12:00 AM - 11:59 PM
Wednesday
12:00 AM - 11:59 PM
Thursday
12:00 AM - 11:59 PM
Friday
12:00 AM - 11:59 PM
Saturday
12:00 AM - 11:59 PM
Sunday
12:00 AM - 11:59 PM
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Most Recent: Reviews ordered by most recent publish date in descending order.
Detailed Reviews: Reviews ordered by recency and descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as waiting time, length of visit, general tips, and location information.
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4.5
1,638 reviews
Excellent
1,078
Very good
455
Average
80
Poor
13
Terrible
12
TaylorMade58
Columbus, IN14 contributions
Sept 2023 • Solo
I stopped here on my way to Guilin to play golf. It was a Monday afternoon and there was not much business at that time. There was no line to ride on the bamboo rafts. The raft ride was about 40 minutes and cost 180 RMB. There were lots of people there selling trinkets. There were some small restaurants overall a nice distraction for two hours time.
Written 23 September 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Dawei
World22 contributions
Aug 2023 • Family
We hired an electric scooter in Yangshou and drove up the valley, was a pleasant drive but roads busy, views were quite attractive. The river is swarming with fake plastic bamboo rafts and orange life jackets drifting down and punting up the river. People jockeying to get that selfy pic without the million other visitors getting in the way. My head hurt. Then some rando village aunty tried to stitch us up for rmb5 for parking in a normal space. I was here 15 years ago, it was just bucolic and undeveloped. Things do change I understand but it's a classic case of killing the golden goose. Will never be back.
Written 24 August 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Daniel A
Beijing, China33,057 contributions
May 2023 • Family
If you like action/adventure and seeking thrills, this is not the place for you. If you have a family with small children and want to take pictures of the scenery, then this is the right place for you. We went on a boiling and humid day and thankfully the boat we rode on had a shield from the sun, but it was still very sweaty. There were still many boats on the river which took away from the amazing background of the pictures. It reminded me of the canals in Venice where it looks amazing, but in actuality you are surrounded by other boats, but nonetheless it’s still a must do.
Written 12 August 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Harry Li
Guilin, China15 contributions
Jan 2023 • Friends
Come to Guilin, come to Yangshuo, come to Yulong River, “Yulong” means “meet a dragon”, which is a nice symbol of China. This place is heavenly, make sure you rent a motorcycle unless you want to walk 12km. Hire a boatman at the price of CNY33-CNY260(different routes different price), and a boat can sit 2 people. I genuinely suggest you live here for a few days, upstream villages, no tourists!
Written 15 March 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Richard-in Asia
London, UK14 contributions
Nov 2020
Be prepared to get a little wet as the river goes down a few weirs along the way. Great views down the river though.
Written 7 December 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Mouriska
Macao, Portugal2,051 contributions
Oct 2020 • Friends
Highly recommend for people who like natural!
Very beautiful place and interesting!
Must go to visit the river.
Very beautiful place and interesting!
Must go to visit the river.
Written 21 October 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
KodoDrummer
Buenos Aires, Argentina65,207 contributions
Sept 2020
The waters are super great for peaceful rafting and magnificent mountain and scenic views. All in our group were in awe.
Written 17 September 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
FannyShenzhen
Shenzhen, China26 contributions
Jul 2020
Much less crowded than Li river and the scenery is just beautiful.
You can bike along the river , jump in a bamboo boat, get back your bike and continue the journey.
You can bike along the river , jump in a bamboo boat, get back your bike and continue the journey.
Written 23 July 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
JonasCN
Singapore, Singapore4,060 contributions
Sept 2019
The Yulong river is located in a prominent area in the main town of Yangshuo. To experience the river and the karst mountains, you can get a short 1 hour long river cruise. It is a small raft with 4 seats. They will only leave when there are 4 passengers unless you are willing to pay more. The boat will ride is bumpy but you will experience beautiful scenery and even water buffalos swimming in the river. There is a photo booth mid way in the cruise where you can take a photo in ethnic clothes. But there are safety concerns. Life jacket is compulsory but the strings on the life jackets are all broke. There are also no safety belts on the raft. Thus this boat ride is not suitable for families with young kids or elderly who cannot swim. Thus the Yulong River is a beautiful trip if you can ignore the safety breaches.
Written 17 April 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Joel K
Vancouver, Canada3,577 contributions
Nov 2019
We went on a bamboo boat ride and on a electric mope ride along the yulong river. What a fantastic day out in nature with beautiful flowers, farms, karst hills, and more.
Written 10 March 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
God_of_Small_Things7
United States1,510 contributions
Is it possible to take a bamboo raft from Xingping to 9 Horse Mountain upstream, then come back down to Xingping. Is this route feasible (I know the typical route is in the opposite direction). Where can I find this raft, and how much should I expect to pay for 1 hour of rafting maybe?
Danny Chan
Hong Kong, China534 contributions
It is possible to take bamboo raft ride from Chaobanshan to Nine Horse Mountain in the other side of the Yulong River. Chaobanshan is very near to Xingping and your taxi drover should know. However, it i important to know hat bamboo raft is only available for hire after 1:30 pm.
Rianne D
Amsterdam, The Netherlands3 contributions
Is het mogelijk om van Guilin naar Yangshou te reizen per cruise?
Martina-Elisabeth-K
Amstelveen, The Netherlands1 contribution
Nog even een aanvulling. Wij hebben de Li rivier met de boot gedaan. Op de andere rivier de Yulong, waar we langs hebben gefietst, hebben wel veel bamboevlotten gezien, maar een cruise?geen idee of dat mogelijk is op de yulong rivier. Succes!
Arriving in Guilin Airport at around noon which I have all day and the next day but have to fly out the following day.
Seems like starting in Guilin, seeing whatever there is there in afternoon, then waking up early for LiRiver cruise 4-5 hrs and take bus back to Guilin is the typical route for many tourist.
Came to this area for the scenery so it seems to make more sense to go directly to Yongshuo from airport upon arrrival and explore Yongshuo, bike paths, do bamboo rafting down YuLong river. any point doing bamboo motor rafting on Li river ? anyways, leave on day of my flight from Yangshuo and call it a day.
Johan N
Gothenburg, Sweden62 contributions
Yangshuo is much nicer than Guilin, so skip Guilin and take taxi directly to YS from GL airport. Should cost around 300Y and take 1 hour or so. But make sure to say you are willing to pay for the expressway road toll (around 30Y) or otherwise the driver will take the much slower highway which currently is under repair (anything from 1.5h to 3h).
We stayed at the Yangshuo C. Source West Street Residence (search for "Yangshuo West Street Residence" on TripAdvisor and my review there). For our bike tour we arranged from one of the freelancing tour guides roaming West Street. Do not bother using the hotels - they are mostly just middlemen to a larger tour agency which may be a hit or miss when it comes to individual travel arrangements). Most of the freelancing guides are women and speak enough English for what you need (if you speak Chinese it is of course better!) We hired "Esther" (Zeng Shiyan曾诗燕 13617860516 or 13667866009) who is most often found close to KFC on West Street). Anyway, most guides can arrange whatever you ask for! Bikes, e-bikes, electric "golf cart", tandem bikes, ordinary car...
The guide then can take you along less trafficked roads towards northwest upstreams Yulong River passing beautiful countryside along the way.
There are several spots where you can take a raft, but none of them will travel the whole length of the river. Each dock serves just a specific stretch of the river. We went by bike to Jiuxian Dock (旧县码头), crossed the bridge and continued north along a common countryside gravel road to the next bridge upstream. From there, back to Jiuxian and the newly beautifully paved pedestrian/bike path along the east side of Yulong River towards the Banyan Tree/Gongnong Bridge.
There are several places to take a raft trip en route: Jiuxian, Xiatang, Chaoyang, Aishanmen, Mountain Retreat etc. (We, seven people, however went by bike and "golf cart" all the way. The scenery is the same and the rather expensive bamboo rafts only take two persons each). Perhaps Jiuxian is the best place for rafting unless you continue even further upstream to the most beautiful stone bridge: the arched Yulong Bridge. Quite a long ride but manageable for most people. Maybe not for you if you have a flight to catch the same afternoon/evening...
The guide can arrange (probably quite late by now!) lunch near Moon Hill, and then it is an easy bike ride back to YS along the main road (8 km or so). If there is time: a climb up Moon Hill is recommended!
If you are short of time, you can just go by bike to Jiuxian, ride down to Banyan Tree and back to YS for a taxi to the airport.
In any case - a guide is well worth the 200Y or so it will cost for a day since she will arrange for rental bikes, fix discounted tickets (for the banyan tree etc) and knows both the roads/paths and where to stop for the best photogenic views! (of course bikes and tickets are paid separately and not included in her fee).
Li River: The good thing about the motor rafts or other ferries along the much larger Li River, is that you can go to interesting and historic villages/towns like Fuli and Liugong. Otherwise, the natural scenery along Yulong River is _much_ better than Li River downstream Yangshuo.
when does the bamboo rafting shut down, stop running?
how much for bamboo rafting. planning on biking from Yangshuo to YuLong bridge( Chaoyang dock) and getting off at Gong Nong Bridge
how much does it cost to rent bicycle for the day.
frezet47
Freiburg im Breisgau, Germany7 contributions
It depends on the quality of the bike. For a normal bike I payed 200 Yuan for 6 weeks, but if you like a better one, it will be much more. The area here is totally flat, so it is not necessary to have a mountainbike or anything else. The raftigtour for me with transportation of my bike was about 200 Yuan, but actually I didn't bargain, so may be you can get it much cheeper.
MsJanJen
11 contributions
Do you guys recommend the Li river or the Yulong river ? Thanks !
Jürg-Andreas Z
99 contributions
I preferred the Yulong river! It's much more quite and not so overcrowded! If you are interested in rent a bike and bike along the river - it's an absolut gorgeous landscape!
KamChoon
Australia69 contributions
Hi, I am planning a trip in Jan 2017 same month as u went. Is it too cold or the river too shallow ... that's what I have been told if u go to Yangshou in Dec / Jan ? Seems like u really enjoyed your trip without any issues
Andrew L
Singapore, Singapore40 contributions
It's not quite the cold you should worry about since the cold is quite bearable with warm clothing. The cold is not very cold, even with wind. It is the rain you should worry about. It can rain the whole day - light rain though. And the rain can last many days in a row. A boat ride is ok with the rain but you will have problem with other out-door activities like cycling.
gflohr
Tel Aviv, Israel14 contributions
We intend to stay in Guilin on May and take the express bus to Yangshu.
Once in Yangshu we would like to have as long as possible raft ride on the Yalong river. Which is the recommended start point? When ending the raft ride how one would return to Yangshu?
Thanks
jenny d
Launceston, Australia97 contributions
The only rafting we went on was several hundred metres up the river and back. I don't know if there is rafting fully along the river or not.
blondie048
london164 contributions
Is there a way to book the bamboo rafting on your own? Do you know what company it was?
MinibearX
Doha, Qatar256 contributions
The easiest way is book via your hotel or a travel agent. Yangshuo is a small village, folks seem to know each other. You can also purchase tickets by the Yulong at the dock, but might be pricy. The questions before booking are: 1) how do you want to organize your transportation before and after--car/bike ride or mix both; 2) how long do you want this journey to be? it stars from 30 mins to 3 hours, I think 1 hour is good. Also book it at early morning or later afternoon to avoid crowds. (we did it at 7AM)
CarolBradyGonzalez
Boston, MA425 contributions
Hi Roger,
I am in Yangshuo for three days in the end of April, 2016 and debating between Tea Cozy and Yangshuo Mountain Retreat, We are two parents and three young teens. Any thoughts on these two inns?> Also how did you spend your time there. What would you do the same or different?
We want to go up to the Rice Terraces after Yangshuo which is a distance but I am interested to see Minority Vilages with the Yao and other people. I wonder if I would see many of these traditional Chinese people in the farms and back roads of the bike paths of the Yulong. I am a bit confused with how close things are to Tea Cozy and the other inn. If you leave Tea Cozy on bike, how long is it to get to the Half Moon Area. and is that where the kids jump off> I would love to hear about your time there and anyone else who wants to share their experience there. I am not sure if I need to hire a guide for every move we make or not. Also how did you do staying healthy eating food there. I need to practice safety so kids do not get sick.
Thank you
Carolina
Liz L
NH344 contributions
I hired a guide through my hostel (Trippers Carpe Diem) because I was travelling solo and wanted to do a hike along the Yulong River, countryside farms, and then a bamboo raft ride. We started at the Dragon Bridge. The hike/raft excurion was an all day event and the guide cost 200Y. Raft was an extra 200Y for 2 people. I was there in May and it was in the 90s, so I really enjoyed the cooler temps on the water.
Both places I stayed in Yangshuo and Ping'an (rice terraces) arranged transportation for me. It was 650Y for the car from Ping'an to Yangshuo. I stayed at Bai Ke Hotel in Ping'an and would recommend 2 nights there; and the full day hike through the villages.
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Frequently Asked Questions about Yulong River
- According to Tripadvisor travellers, these are the best ways to experience Yulong River:
- Private Day Tour of Yangshuo Xianggong Mountain and Yulong Bamboo Boat (From ₹ 10,417.84)
- 6-Day Private Tour: From Guizhou to Guilin (From ₹ 1,30,947.60)
- 2-Day Small-Group Biking Adventure from Guilin to Yangshuo (From ₹ 30,951.75)
- 9-Day Private Tour: From Guilin via Southern Guizhou to Zhangjiajie (From ₹ 1,45,083.73)
- Yangshuo Classic Private Day Tour (From ₹ 8,808.66)
- Hotels near Yulong River:
- (0.13 km) Yulong Liansheng Inn
- (0.39 km) Mountain Escape Yangshuo
- (0.58 km) Yangshuo Loong Old House
- (0.09 km) Yuren Matou Boutique Hostel
- (4.11 km) Secret Garden Boutique Hotel
- Restaurants near Yulong River:
- (10.08 km) NAMO NAMO Ganga Impression Indian Restaurant
- (10.13 km) kali mirch(black pepper)indian cuisine
- (4.32 km) Explorer
- (4.11 km) Secret Garden Cafe
- (10.09 km) Mood Food Energy Cafe