9 Jan 2012

Rafting on the Li River

by | posted in: Adventure, China, Natural Wonders, Photography, Travel | 58

Our first day on the trip and first of the New Year was wonderful. It started with a short bus ride to Xingping, a small fishing town between Guilin and Yangshuo. After walking down a 1,000-year-old street with, of course, a handful of souvenir vendors, we arrived at the Li River. Here we boarded a “bamboo” raft for a couple of hours up and down what Mulan said is the most beautiful section of the river.

Rafting the Li River in Guangxi China

The raft was patterned after the traditional fishing rafts except bigger, with seats, a small outboard motor and a canopy and was made of PVC pipe instead of bamboo. It was just the four of us with our raft driver and was magnificent.

Almost right out of the gate you come to the section of river that is printed on the 20 Yuan note and it just gets better from there. Even though there were several other rafts on the river and the motors hummed all around, it was extremely tranquil and very beautiful.

Along the way we passed hundreds of karsts rising high above the ground covered in green, thickets of bamboo that looked more like gianormous palm trees, and many people going about their daily routine by washing clothes in the river, bringing their water buffalo down to graze and loading pomelos into a boat to go to market.

1 Jan 2012 Li River banboo raft (63)At two points we brought the raft up on to the shore. First was a planned touristy stop where a bunch of local vendors have snacks for sale, a local fisherman has his cormorants for photos, and photographers are soliciting you to take your picture for a small price. We took our picture with the cormorants and were pursued by just about every vendor since we were the only foreigners on the rocky sand bar.

Our second docking was to see some water buffalo that were brought down to the river to graze. At first they were a little scared of us because of the orange life vests we had on, but once we shed those, our raft driver went and grabbed the rope of one so we could get pictures. Aaron tried to pet it but it didn’t want to be touched.

One of my favorite parts was right before we turned around to head back to Xingping. The driver stopped the motor, and we just sat in the middle of the river. There were no other boats around, and it was so quiet and still. This was such a peaceful moment in a beautiful, clear river surrounded by some of the most magnificent scenery I’ve seen around the world. That few moments will linger with me for a very long time.

Water Buffalo on the Li River in Guangxi China

The raft trip was 1.5 to 2 hours long. I hope I can go back some day when it is much clearer for a ride down the Li River. After the rafting we had lunch in Xingping at a delicious little local place. I only wish we had found a place like this every day of the trip.

Fuli Village

After a short bus ride we got off at the village of Fuli. Here Rong led us through some of the back streets until we were walking down another supposed 1,000-year-old street. Here we learned and witnessed many things. The highlight was the series of workshops in people’s front rooms where they made paper fans. We stopped at the workshop of the guy who paints the fans and watched and participated. We each ended up buying a fan or two direct from the artist.

We also saw the homes of farmers down this little alley-like street where they had a gate at the front of the house to keep the animals like chickens and ducks inside and where they had a small stable right next door for their water buffalo. At the end of the street we found the path that leads to the fields down some steps through the buffalo pasture.

On our way back to the bus stop, we saw the living conditions of the locals and saw them going about their business. Most of them had power, but didn’t use it for heating or lights. Instead, most of the houses had the TV on and a little fire to keep warm. I still don’t understand why there aren’t stoves or fireplaces built into their homes for warmth. It’s the same thing in Hefei.

That night we meandered down the famous West Street of Yangshuo full of shops and restaurants and an unnerving amount of clubs. We had fun bartering with the vendors and exploring what they have to offer here. Food prices are definitely inflated for tourists, but there is a wide assortment of Chinese and western eateries including the fall-backs of McDonald’s and KFC.

In addition to the lively atmosphere, the city casts flood lights on the surrounding mountains, which the city is built right in the midst of, so you don’t forget the scenery you’re walking in the shadow of.

58 Responses

  4. Bethany Pegues
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    The photos are so beautiful. Those are some oddly-shaped mountains. I especially like the three photos of the village along the bottom of the post. Very nice!

  8. LL
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    Thanks for sharing this impressive story about the picturesque scenery along the Li River. It’s an artist’s dream to be imbued with such out-of-this-world beauty and tranquility in person. If you are interested in learning a little Mandarin and getting bits of information about Chinese culture and mentality, please read my blogs at http://teachmechinese.wordpress.com.

    • shrinivas belsare
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      I like your picture. It looks so very Indian that I am tempted to ask you, “are you really an Indian?” my email is shreeneevas@gmail.com if you can reply….Thanks.

  10. skyraftwanderer
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    That first image…wowzers.

    It’s perfectly sublime. So easy to see why Chinese landscape painters created such wonderful pictures with landscapes like that.

    Great photos.

  17. valeriamaleria
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    Your trip sounds amazing and I can only imagine the scenery along the river to be even more beautiful once illuminated by the sun.

  18. xplorer
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    It was great to see your blog featured as I had been in Yangshou a week earlier. A beautiful part of China but I wonder how many more tourist that river can accommodate. They have barely scratched the surface of domestic demand.
    My blog is all about Conscious Travel – you’e welcome to take a peak: http://www.conscioustourism.wordpress.com Thanks Anna

  22. kurt
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    Excellent write up. The Fuli Village looks to be interesting. Sustainable development to those areas is the key to progress.

  23. alastor993
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    Looks great! Thank you for sharing, rafting the Li river is on my to do list but I’m waiting for spring time!

  25. shanghyper
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    Looks lovely. We live in Shanghai and are planning a trip to Guilin next fall, including a rafting trip on the Li River. Your pictures make me all the more impatient!

  26. strickenwithwanderlust
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    this is one travel destination i am raring to experience! Li River has earned quite a reputation for being a lovely river. a romantic and perfect setting for asian period dramas…

  30. mbdemille
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    Great post, I took a boat trip on the Li in 2001. Fond memories…. it’s the one place in China I would like to return to.

  33. sapphy03
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    Beautifully described! I love rafting, I have only done it once in Thailand!

  36. septic tank emptying cheshire
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    God your picture of the mountain is amazing! Really takes your breath away. Love the pic of the bull too 🙂 v.cute!

  37. johnhauge
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    good stuff. i’ve done the li river boat deal with the flotilla of tour boats on the river from guilin. pretty cool but i’m sure not as cool as your trip. the li river is one of the more spectacular spots on the planet.

  40. mazurkapens
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    Very nice. Definitely a place I would like to visit someday.

  41. Joe Labriola
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    Wow so simple, but looks so serene. I’ve kayaked on rivers, but this looks like a much different experience!

  44. Romantic Asian Guy
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    What an exciting adventure! I’ve heard about this excursion down Li River before. The bamboo raft, karst peaks, and grazing cattle.

    Did you ever get a chance to see the dragon terraces (which I believe are in Longsheng) or make it to Guilin for its picturesque scenery?

    Thank you for sharing your lovely story with us:)

    • kevinearl
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      Yes, made it to both Longsheng and Guilin. My post about the rice terraces was posted yesterday and my posts about Guilin should be posting later today.

  49. theincurablelibertine
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    wow that looks amazing! your pictures really take us there! i would love to do china properly one day – last time was so cold i couldn’t venture out to see as much as i wanted to see

  52. lkallmeyer
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    These are the kind of posts I spend hours looking for! A great balance of photos and written experiences. I could only hope mine does the same thing for readers 🙂

  53. New Year’s Memories! « Adventure Patches
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    […] I flew into Guilin, Guangxi, China with some friends. We arrived in Yangshuo right around midnight. The next morning was spectacular! There was no better way to start the new year than to float down the Li River through some of the […]

  56. Top 5 Posts from 5 Years of Adventure Patches | Adventure Patches
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    […] 9 January 2012 (Freshly Pressed) – Perhaps my most fond memory of China is the moment our boat driver shut off the motor and we floated all alone in the midst of Southeast China’s magnificent karst mountains surrounded by silence with the crystal clear water of the Li River flowing past and the brilliant green water grass dancing in the undercurrents while the clusters of bamboo burst from the sides of the river and mountains like lush fireworks frozen mid explosion. […]