Short answer
Three day trips are worth the travel, and they start from different places. Longji rice terraces belong to Guilin: about 90 km north, two to two and a half hours each way, which makes them a punishing day trip from Yangshuo. Xingping belongs to Yangshuo: a 45-minute ride to an old riverside town with the viewpoint printed on the 20-yuan note. The Yulong River valley is barely a day trip at all. It is Yangshuo's backyard, twenty minutes away by bike.
With two spare days, do Longji from Guilin and Xingping from Yangshuo. With one, pick on what you want: terraces and villages, or the river bend and the banknote view.
Two logistics points decide whether the day works. Longji buses stop at the scenic-area gate and private cars cannot enter the villages, so you switch to the shuttle or the Dazhai cable car. And Yulong raft tickets are real-name and sell out fast.
The three trips side by side
| Longji rice terraces | Xingping | Yulong River valley | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Start from | Guilin | Yangshuo | Yangshuo |
| Distance | About 90 km north | About 25–30 km | 5–15 km west of town |
| Travel each way | 2–2.5 hours by road | 40–60 min | 20–40 min by bike or e-bike |
| Time on site | 3–4 hours on a day trip | Half a day to a full day | Half a day, or a full one with rafting |
| Cost shape | Scenic-area entry plus shuttle and cable car | Free to walk; small fees for the hill | Raft ticket, or just bike rental |
| Physical effort | Moderate, stone steps and slopes | High if you climb Laozhai Hill | Low, unless you ride far |
Longji rice terraces
Terraces climb the hillsides of Longsheng county in stacked contours, built over centuries by Zhuang and Yao communities. It is the one landscape here that is not about the Li River.
Which village
Three terrace areas sit inside one ticketed zone.
| Ping'an | Jinkeng / Dazhai | Ancient Zhuang Village | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Scale | Moderate, developed earlier | The largest and most layered | Smallest and quietest |
| Effort | Gentle. Main views walkable from the village | High, with real climbing to the upper platforms | Low |
| Cable car | No | Yes, up to Golden Buddha Peak | No |
| Accommodation | Plentiful | Moderate | Sparse |
| Crowds | Highest, and lots of tour groups | Moderate | Lowest |
| Best for | Half a day, young children, older parents | Photographers who can stay a night | Getting away from everyone |
Huangluo, the Long Hair Yao village, sits at the terraces entrance and is usually visited on the same trip. In Yao belief long hair means longevity, and women cut theirs twice in a lifetime. Entry is generally covered by the terraces ticket; the hair-combing show is usually extra.
Getting there and what it costs
Two to three hours each way. The bus is cheapest and least forgiving of a schedule.
- Public bus: from Guilin's Qintan coach station, or beside Guilin North and West stations. Sources report the Guilin–Longsheng leg at around ¥35 and a direct high-season service to Ping'an or Dazhai at ¥50–60.
- Private car or day tour: simplest, dropping you at a guesthouse door rather than a car park.
- Inside the zone: a shuttle links the viewpoints, and Jinkeng has a cable car to Golden Buddha Peak. Both cost extra.
Two windows are worth planning around: mid-May to early June, when the flooded paddies mirror the sky, and late September to mid-October, when the rice ripens and the terraces turn gold. Summer is lush green, winter is bare earth and frost. Mountain areas here are colder and wetter than the cities.
Xingping
Xingping is an old town on the east bank of the Li River, about 25 to 30 km from Yangshuo, and where the full cruise boats dock at Longtoushan Pier. The town is free to walk and takes ten minutes end to end. Three things justify the trip.
- The 20-yuan viewpoint. The exact framing printed on the banknote, about 1.5 km south of town. Free, best in early morning when the water is calm. Bring a 20-yuan note for the photo.
- Laozhai Hill. A steep climb behind the town, over 1,000 steps and 40 to 60 minutes up, with an iron ladder near the top that is not for everyone. The summit gives you the river bend from above, which no boat can match. Sources disagree on the fee, some reporting around ¥10 and others free, so check on site.
- Xianggong Hill. The sunrise viewpoint over the river's big bend, 28 km from Yangshuo on the west bank. Adult entry ¥60, concessions ¥30 for ages 6–18, students and seniors 60–65, free for under-6s and over-65s. About 500 stone steps, 15 to 20 minutes up, gate opens around 05:00 May to October and 05:30 November to April.
Getting there
| From | How | Time | Cost |
|---|---|---|---|
| Yangshuo bus station | Local bus to Xingping | 40–60 min | ¥10–15 |
| Yangshuo town | DiDi or taxi | 35–45 min | ¥60–80 |
| Yangshuo Railway Station | Shuttle to Xingping Bus Station | About 15 min | Around ¥5 |
| Guilin | High-speed train to Yangshuo Station, then taxi | About 40 min total | Train fare plus taxi |
That third row is the oddity worth knowing. Yangshuo's railway station sits at Xingping, so do it on the way in or out.
No public transport reaches Xianggong Hill's base, which decides your whole plan. From Xingping, take the ferry across the river at about ¥5, then a green sightseeing car to the ticket office, around ¥40 per person round trip and 30 minutes each way. From Yangshuo, a car or DiDi is realistic and most people leave between 4:00 and 4:30am. Confirm the price and return pickup time before you get in.
The Yulong River valley
The Yulong is the shallow river through the paddies west of Yangshuo, sometimes called the little Li River. It is not a day trip so much as the thing you do with a spare half-day. The attraction is the bamboo raft: hand-poled, no motor noise, drifting through the karst at water level, with small weirs you drop over on some sections.
There is no gate ticket. You pay per raft, and routes differ in length, price and weir count.
The valley is also the best cycling in the area, and the two combine well: raft one way, ride back.
| Route | Duration | Price per raft | Weirs | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jinlong Bridge → Old County | About 90 min | ¥320, two-person | 9 | 6 km, the fullest scenery. First choice for most |
| Jima → Gongnong Bridge | About 90 min | ¥320, two-person | 9 | Bamboo groves, near the Ten-Mile Gallery |
| Shui'edi → main dock | About 40 min | ¥200, two-person | 4 | Close to West Street. Long queues in peak season |
| Wanjing leisure drift | About 30 min | Around ¥45 per person, eight-person | 0 | The only route taking children under 1 m and visitors over 70 |
Rent a bike or e-bike in Yangshuo for roughly ¥30–50 a day and ride out along the river; the roads are flat and short-distanced. Docks also have shuttle cars, and a taxi from West Street to Jinlong Bridge takes about 15 minutes. The Yangshuo cycling routes guide covers the rides in detail.
Weirs will splash you, so wear sandals rather than white trainers and bring a waterproof pouch for your phone. Raft space is tight, so leave large bags behind.
Frequently asked questions
Can I do the Longji terraces as a day trip from Yangshuo?
Possible but punishing. Longji is 90 km north of Guilin and much further from Yangshuo, so the day becomes six or more hours of driving. Do it from Guilin, or stay a night in a village.
How much is the Longji terraces entry ticket?
Sources disagree for 2026, reporting between ¥80 and ¥100 for an adult. One describes a ¥100 pass covering all three terrace areas, checked at separate gates, so keep it with you. Confirm the price at the ticket office.
Is Xingping worth a day trip?
Yes, for half a day at minimum. The old town is free to walk, the 20-yuan viewpoint is a 45-minute walk south, and Laozhai Hill gives you the river bend from above. Add Xianggong Hill for the sunrise shot.
How do I get to Xingping from Yangshuo?
Local buses from Yangshuo bus station take 40 to 60 minutes and cost ¥10–15. A DiDi or taxi takes 35 to 45 minutes at around ¥60–80. From Yangshuo Railway Station, itself at Xingping, a shuttle covers the last 15 minutes for ¥5.
Which Yulong River raft route should I choose?
Jinlong Bridge to Old County for the fullest scenery, 90 minutes, about ¥320 for a two-person raft. Shui'edi to the main dock if you are short on time, 40 minutes at around ¥200. Wanjing with children or older relatives, since weir-crossing routes exclude them.
Do I need to book Yulong River rafts in advance?
Yes in peak season. Tickets are real-name, released through the official mini-program typically the evening before, and popular docks sell out within minutes.
Related reading
Distances, transport and journey times follow Guilin and Longsheng scenic-area operator information and independent travel reports, current as of September 2026. Ticket prices for Longji, its cable car, Laozhai Hill and the Yulong raft routes come from third-party sources that disagree with each other, and are not an official tariff sheet. Confirm details for your dates.