Why the Guilin to Yangshuo Cruise is special
For thousands of years, the 83-kilometer (51-mile) stretch of the Li River between Guilin and Yangshuo in China has inspired writers and artists. Today's travelers take day-long trips on boats that silently move down the serene Li River.

Memorable scenes unfold
The smooth water exquisitely mirrors a fairy-tale landscape of conical peaks reaching for the sky (see photo). The vista is particularly mystical when flowing mists weave themselves around the peaks, hiding then exposing them in moments of surprise.
The limestone peaks are the vestiges of eroded ancient sea beds. The one named Elephant Trunk Hill resembles a goliath elephant eternally sipping water from the river with its trunk.
Along the river banks you also see graceful bamboo groves, farmers tending rice paddies and fishermen gliding on narrow bamboo rafts. Reed Flute Cave is another major Guilin-area attraction. It's lit with colored lights and has a cavern room that can hold a thousand people.

What leading travel books say about Guilin
Guilin has China's most "Chinese" scenery, the subject of thousands of paintings.
China
Berlitz Guides

Guilin has been eulogized in innumerable literary works.
China
Lonely Planet