The Li River is more than 400 km long, and the Karst Mountains follow it for about 50 km. The first are around Guilin, the largest city in the area. While the city has many tourist facilities, it lacks character. It was the only place in China where we felt completely cheated. To see the famous Elephant Trunk Hill you must take an organized tour. The Prince City is one of their main scams. You pay 20e to enter and there is not much to see. Apparently a state-owned company manages everything, and according to what we could find out, the local people are not very happy.
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| Li River China |
Although Guilin is considered the starting point for visiting the scenery around the Li River - in fact, most visitors choose the comfortable boat ride between Zhujiang Pier and Yangshuo Port to complete their tour - it is actually just part of the northern tip of a landscape that spans hundreds of square kilometers, spanning much of the northeastern section of Guangxi Province to neighboring Guangdong Province.
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| Li River China |
That is why Guilin continues to be like a gigantic magnet that attracts organized tourists alike - those who complete their visit with a tour of the Li River and some excursion between rice fields and small rivers - and less rushed travelers who, from their base in Yangshuo village, they systematically cycle, walk.