Guilin · With kids
WITH KIDS
Rafts, caves and rice terraces — landscape does most of the entertaining, so keep days short.
Li River rafts
Motorised bamboo rafts run short stretches between Yangdi and Xingping in about ninety minutes, far easier with children than the four-hour Guilin cruise. Life jackets provided.
Reed Flute Cave
A floodlit limestone cavern on Guilin's edge, with level paths and a mirrored underground lake. Roughly an hour, and reliably a hit from age four.
Longji rice terraces
A day trip north to Ping'an, where paved stepped paths climb between flooded terraces. Manageable from about age six; the greenest months are May to September.
Cycling the Ten-Mile Gallery
A flat riverside road out of Yangshuo past Moon Hill, with tandems and child seats for hire and buffalo in the fields. Easy from age five.
Heat, rain and payments
June to August brings heat and afternoon downpours that swell the river. Cash is scarce — set up Alipay or WeChat Pay before arriving.