Cycling from Yangshuo to Xingping

Leaving behind the hustle and bustle of the town, the buildings begin to thin out and the traffic disappears until you’re in a landscape of fertile rice paddies and lush fields. All around the countryside unfolds in a palette of greens and blues, framed by dramatic limestone mountains and karsts and bisected by the beautiful Li River. Cycling along flat paths, you’ll wind past bamboo-lined waterways and paddy fields before climbing up through iconic rice terraces and fields of tea and orange orchards with spectacular views down to the Li River.

Stop at a beautiful waterfall for a picnic lunch before getting back on the bikes for the afternoon on a route that winds through tiny villages where you can stop to admire the traditional homes and wave to the locals. At your final destination, the historic village of Xingping, you’ll have time to explore the ancient architecture, some of it dating back to the Qing and Ming dynasties, and the bustling market with its exotic, and occasionally noisy, produce. Your journey home is a more leisurely boat trip down the Li River to Yangshuo, or you may prefer to be driven back.