The 15 Best Li River Cruises in Guilin

1.1 Day Li River Cruise from Guilin to Yangshuo with Private Guide & Driver

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 148 reviews · from $209Our pick

Start with hotel pickup in Guilin, then cruise four hours down the Li River past famous karst peaks. Your private English-speaking guide, such as Tony or Jeff, helps explain the scenery. Lunch is served aboard, followed by Yangshuo’s West Street, countryside touring, and a private transfer back to Guilin.

“The river cruise was a fantastic way to see the famous Guilin karsts, and the visit to Yangshuo and the charming surrounding countryside was wonderful. Tony was a great guide, patiently answering our questions and giving us plenty of time to enjoy our walk after the cruise. Highly recommended!”

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2.Li River Cruise with Transfer to Yangshuo

★★★★★★★★★★4.2 · 89 reviews · 4 - 8 hours · from $82

Travel from Guilin to Yangshuo by air-conditioned vehicle and boat. Choose a 3-star cruise with a box lunch or a 4-star boat with buffet lunch. Andy organizes pickup and tickets, while drivers such as Mei handle the road transfers. The four-hour Li River ride offers wide views, onboard seating, and the option to take luggage to Yangshuo.

“Magnifique ballade nous emmenant à notre prochain lieu de séjour..les paysages sont magiques et reposants, le bateau est vaste et la box suffit amplement et est delicieuse délicieuse Merci à notre guide qui nous a emmèné et à tout géré!”

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3.4 Star Luxury Li River Cruise with Buffet Lunch

★★★★★★★★★★4.3 · 80 reviews · 4 hours · from $92

Start with downtown Guilin hotel pickup around 8:00 AM, then cruise from Zhujiang Pier to Yangshuo for about four hours. You’ll pass karst peaks, farms, villages, bamboo groves, and waterfalls while enjoying a Chinese or Western buffet lunch. There is no English-speaking guide, but a QR code provides multilingual commentary.

“Beautiful river! But really overpriced, we have paid 3 times more than the actual price of the tickets! The first class toilet was broken.”

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4.Guilin Highlights Tour Li River to Yangshuo and Xianggong Hill

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 50 reviews · from $79

You’ll spend a full day moving from Guilin’s hotel district to the Li River, Yangshuo’s West Street, and Xianggong Hill. A private English-speaking driver-guide, such as Leo, Liu, Sandy, Nick, or Li, handles transfers and boat arrangements. The cruise takes about four hours, with a Chinese boxed lunch on the three-star boat or buffet lunch on the four-star option.

“Nice tour including various highlights of the area around Guilin. The guide was friendly snd spoke good English.”

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5.1 Day Private Tour: Li River Cruise from Guilin & Yangshuo Biking

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 35 reviews · from $172

Spend about nine hours cruising 54 kilometers of the Li River from Guilin to Yangshuo, then explore West Street and cycle through villages and rice fields with a private guide. Hotel pickup, transport, boat tickets, lunch, and bicycle rental are included. Guides such as Frank, Jerry, Lily, and Sarah have earned especially strong praise.

“I will include this day as one of the most beautiful day of my life and this place on earth as the most beautiful! Frank my tour guide contributed a lot to make the most of the experience!”

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6.3-Day Private Guilin Tour with Li River Cruise and Yangshuo

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 35 reviews · from $619

You’ll meet your English-speaking guide at Guilin Airport, settle into a private air-conditioned car, and spend three days seeing the city and countryside. Expect Reed Flute Cave’s colored chambers, Elephant Trunk Hill, a four-hour Li River cruise to Yangshuo, a rural outing, and Xianggong Mountain. Two hotel nights, breakfasts, lunch, transport, and entry fees are included.

“It is a beautiful place to visit. We did both the city tour and the River cruse and both these were beyond our expectation. The lighting system inside the cave adds to the beauty. It is a must if you are in Guilin. The next day was river cruse and tRead more”

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7.Li River cruise & Yangshuo countryside private day tour

★★★★★★★★★★4.5 · 34 reviews · from $110

You’ll be picked up at your Guilin hotel, driven to the port, and cruise 83 kilometers toward Yangshuo beneath dramatic karst peaks. An English-speaking guide points out the named formations, and lunch is served aboard the 3-star boat. You can explore Yangshuo afterward or return to Guilin. Guides such as Jenny and Jacky have earned especially warm praise.

“It was really nice and very well organized. Our Chinese guide ( Jacky) was fantastic ! He spoke very well English, explained a lot and took a lot of time with us, we really recommend him, thank you Jacky! We will come back!”

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8.Private Full-Day Li River Cruise and Liusanjie Show

★★★★★★★★★★4.2 · 27 reviews · 12 hours · from $263

You’ll travel by private car and boat from Guilin to Yangshuo with an English or Chinese-speaking guide, lunch onboard, time on West Street, and an evening Liusanjie performance. Guides such as Jeff, Leo, Alonso, and Josef have been praised for friendly, flexible service. The day runs roughly 8:20 a.m. to 10:30 p.m.

“Migliorerei il rapporto qualità del servizio/prezzo pagato. Per un’esperienza pagata circa 450 Euro mi sarei aspettato molto di più (tutte le esperienze a Yangshuo sono extra), in considerazione del costo effettivo dei servizi (DiDi, crociera, spettacolo, 200 Euro approssimativi).”

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9.Li River Cruise, Yangshuo Biking & Flexible Pricing

★★★★★★★★★★4.6 · 20 reviews · 1 - 2 days

Travel from Guilin to Yangshuo by Li River boat, then explore West Street and the Yulong River by bicycle. A private English-speaking driver handles hotel pickup, transfers, and bike rental. Guides including Blues Lee, Bruce Lee, and Mok have earned strong praise, but boat tickets cost extra and the guide may not join you on board.

“The boat trip through one of China's most iconic and picturesque landscapes with views of the characteristic limestone mountains is very beautiful and relaxing. We had booked a four star boat with lunch buffet and enjoyed the trip which lasted a little over 4 hours. The subsequent bike ride in Yangshuo was disappointing as the trip was very short and the bikes were of poor quality.”

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10.2 Day Guilin Highlights Li River Cruise and Longji Terraces Tour

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 15 reviews

Spend two full days exploring Guilin’s best-known sights with a private driver-guide. Visit the Longji Ping’an Rice Terraces, then cruise four hours along the Li River to Yangshuo. Guides such as Leo and Liao are noted for careful driving, strong English, fresh fruit, and personal attention. Accommodation, entry fees, cruise tickets, and meals cost extra.

“Liao was an excellent and caring guide. Moreover he was a good driver with perfect English skills. He showed us the Guilin area (Longji rice terraces, tea factory and Li River cruise). We can recommend him by 100%.”

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11.Li River Cruise with bamboo Rafting & Xianggong Hill Private Tour

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 14 reviews · from $110

Travel from Guilin in a private air-conditioned car with an English-speaking driver such as Peter or Jacky. Cruise the Li River from Yangdi to Nine Horse Pier by small bamboo raft, then visit Xianggong Hill and Fuli Bridge. The 4 to 6 hour outing suits families and couples who want river views without a full-length sightseeing boat.

“I took this tour with my mom while we were visiting Guilin because we didn't want to do a big river cruise and this was a great alternative! We really enjoyed the itinerary of things they had planned, and we also asked to add a stop in YangshuRead more”

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12.Li River Cruise with Yangshuo Countryside Tours

★★★★★★★★★★4.7 · 13 reviews · 6 hours · from $128

Spend six hours traveling from Guilin to Yangshuo by Li River boat, passing karst peaks, rice fields, and working villages. After a simple included lunch, your English-speaking driver takes you to West Street, Yulong River, and Fuli Ancient Bridge before returning you to Guilin. Guides such as Jacky Li, Mike, and Silvia may be available on request.

“Gita bellissima e organizzata molto bene. La nostra guida - una ragazza cinese Silvia che parla inglese - è stata bravissima e ci ha accompagnato e fatto passare una giornata stupenda. Vi consiglio questo tour e assolutamente di richiedere lei come guida. Bravi!”

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13.Li River Cruise with Buffalo and Tour of Yangshuo

★★★★★★★★★★4.8 · 12 reviews · 8 - 14 hours · from $222

Start with hotel pickup in Guilin, a four-hour cruise from Zhujiang Pier to Yangshuo on a four-star boat, and a buffet lunch. Then choose from more than seven Yangshuo activities, including cycling. Guides such as Andy, Colin, Kim, Bruce, and Cristóbal provide private transport, local help, and language support in English, Spanish, French, or Chinese.

“Absolutly stunning landscapes. Well organised tour. Our guide Bruce spoke well English, was very entertaining and knowledgeable. Highly recommend tour. Need to be slightly fit to climb up the mountain evening, but it's so worth it, a true highlight!”

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14.Li River Cruise ticket from Guilin to Yangshuo with pickup

★★★★★★★★★★4.0 · 8 reviews · from $72

Start with downtown Guilin hotel pickup around 8 a.m., ride to Mopanshan Pier, then cruise about four hours through rice fields, villages, water buffalo, and dramatic peaks. Lunch is served aboard the air-conditioned boat. After arriving in Yangshuo, explore West Street independently. Nora, the operator contact, confirms pickup details the evening before.

“The views of the mountains along the river are incredible. So worth it. The cruise itself was pleasant. The duration of the cruise was about 3.5-4 hours. Plenty of time to relax, take photos, eat food and reflect about your trip!”

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15.Best of Guilin Li River Xianggong Hill and Yulong River

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 8 reviews · from $89

Spend a full day with a private English-speaking driver-guide exploring Guilin’s best river scenery. Ride an electric boat from Yangdi toward Xingping, climb Xianggong Hill, float on a Yulong River bamboo raft, and add the Impression Liu Sanjie night show. Guide Leo is praised for clear English, safe driving, and local insight.

“Great day with Leo! It was a fascinating day with Leo. He picked us up at the hotel and brought us safely back in the evenig. Our tour was great! Yery informative and highly recommended!”

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