Guilin Photography Tour

Your guide and driver will pick you up from Guilin Liangjiang Airport (KWL) and transfer you to your hotel. Relax for the rest of the day and prepare for the upcoming trip.

Get up early at 04:30 and drive to the top of Yao Mountain for the sunrise. Standing on the tallest peak, you will be amazed by the hundreds of Karst hills at the foot.

Return to your hotel for breakfast before heading to Daxu Ancient Town which is about 20 km from downtown Guilin. As one of the 4 oldest and most important towns in old times, its old architecture and traditions carry the history and culture. Rice fields, vegetable gardens, old houses, fishermen, and small river compose a harmonious picture of it all. Record the paved stone paths, the local residents and their traditional life style with your camera. You will fall in love with this quiet, charming little town.

Go back to Guilin and have lunch at McFound Chain Restaurant to taste a mixture of northern and local cuisine. Get some rest at the hotel for a while afterwards. In the late afternoon, your guide and driver will take you to Chuanshan Park, which is the best place for a view of the sunset in the city. With a good location beside the Li River, Chuanshan provides a perfect platform to shoot the open wide city view of residential buildings coexisting with plenty of rolling karst hills.

Then continue to the Sun and Moon Pagodas on Shanhu Lake. It will be a rewarding experience of a chance to take photos at night. This long day ends at 20:30.

At 04:00 you will depart to Xianggongshan for the sunrise. It takes 1.5-hours to drive from Guilin and around 20 minutes to climb up to the top, from where you can have a panoramic view of the stalagmite-like towering hills. The winding and flowing Li River lies quietly in the arms of the hills and turns a U-shaped curve, forming the famous "The first Bay of Li River". The sun shows its face from the back of the hills. Take your time to appreciate the breathtaking karst landscape by mother nature.

After that, you will have 1 hour’s drive to Yangdi port. Taking a bamboo raft along Li River is the centerpiece of the trip to this region, recording the highlight part. This is just the paradise that you could imagine. It is applicable to spend more time on your preferred photo spots. The bamboo raft takes you to Nine Horses Painted Hill and you will change to an electric cart to Xingping Ancient Town, a time-honored town developed from a small fishing village.

After lunch, you will spend some time to explore this town, appreciating the ancient dwellings built in the Ming and Qing Dynasties' style. In the late afternoon, your guide will take you to Xiaomian Mountain (Small Face Mountain) to capture the magnificent sunset. Standing on the top, you will have a bird’s-eye view of the hills, which is the image on the back of the 20 RMB Chinese note.

The countryside is pleasantly quiet at night time. Your night will be a little different there by shooting some photos of the fishing lights on the Li River. The dim lights with reflections, the cormorants, and the fisherman's wrinkled face all show the way of living since past times. Finally, you will be transferred to your cozy hotel in Yangshuo.

Have a good rest this morning and enjoy a leisurely breakfast. Head to Longsheng (2.5 hours) at 09:00. Your destination today is the most beautiful and best-preserved area of Longsheng Terraced Fields, Dazhai Jinkeng Terraces.

Hike from the parking lot up to the top, where you will have an open view of large-scale rice terraces. A cable car is available up to Gold Buddha Summit (No.3 viewing platform) only. Yao ethnic minority live in this mountain area in their traditional way. Their wooden houses and daily life produce great photography too. Wait for the gorgeous sunset and feel the certain vibe in the mountain and tribes.

Get up at 05:00 to enjoy the sunrise. You will get some photos of magnificent mist-shrouded mountains. Head down to the parking lot after breakfast. Your guide and driver will take you to Guilin Liangjiang Airport / train station for your departure.