Li River Bamboo Raft Guide: Routes, Tickets & What It's Really Like
The Li River between Guilin and Yangshuo is on the ¥20 note for a reason. Karst peaks rise straight out of the water like green teeth. Bamboo rafts drift past water buffalo on the banks. It is the image of China that lives in the Western imagination, and unlike a lot of travel brochure fantasies, it actually looks like that.
The experience, however, is not as simple as “show up and get on a raft.” There are multiple sections, seasonal water levels, a booking system that confuses even Chinese tourists, and a few things about the rafts themselves that nobody tells you until you are already on the water.
This guide covers what works.
The thing nobody tells you about “bamboo” rafts
They are not bamboo. Not anymore. The traditional bamboo rafts were replaced years ago with PVC tubes painted to look like bamboo. They are motorized: a small outboard engine pushes each raft downstream, and they hold four passengers seated in pairs under a canopy.
If you came expecting a silent poled raft drifting through the mist with a cormorant fisherman, that version of the Li River still exists but only as a staged photo setup. The tourist rafts are functional, reasonably comfortable, and get you through the scenery efficiently. They are also loud. The engine is not a whisper. Accept this before you go and the experience works. Fight it and you will spend 90 minutes annoyed about something no one can change.
For the silent karst experience, head to Yulong River (遇龙河) near Yangshuo instead. Those rafts are still actual bamboo, still hand-poled, and still quiet. More on that at the end.
For the full Guilin itinerary including where to stay, what to eat, and how to plan 2–3 days around the area, see our Guilin and Yangshuo first-timer guide.
Which section to book
The Li River rafting route is not one continuous journey. It is divided into sections, and you pick one.
| Section | Start | End | Duration | Price (per person) | What you see |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Yangdi–Xingping (best) | Yangdi Pier (杨堤) | Xingping (兴坪) | 60–90 min | ¥225 | The classic. Nine Horse Fresco Hill, Yellow Cloth Shoal, the ¥20 note view. This is the one you want. |
| Yangdi–Nine Horse Hill | Yangdi Pier | Nine Horse Hill dock | 40–50 min | ¥160 | Half the classic route. Ends before the ¥20 note view. |
| Xingping–Nine Horse Hill (round trip) | Xingping Pier | Nine Horse Hill, return | 60 min | ¥120 | Shorter, cheaper. Gets you the ¥20 note view. Popular for photo-focused trips. |
| Guilin city section | Various city piers | City center | 30–40 min | ¥60–90 | Urban river views. Not the karst landscape. Skip unless you have time to kill. |
The Yangdi to Xingping section is the one you see in every photo and the one this guide recommends. Book it. The other sections exist for people with less time or a tighter budget, but the difference between the full route and the partial route is the difference between seeing the Li River and experiencing it.
The Xingping round trip is a reasonable second choice. It covers the most photographed stretch and ends where you started, which simplifies logistics. If you are short on time or traveling with people who will not enjoy 90 minutes on the water, pick this one.
What it costs
The official prices are set by the Guilin tourism bureau and are the same regardless of where you book:
| Item | Price |
|---|---|
| Yangdi–Xingping (adult) | ¥225 ($31) |
| Yangdi–Nine Horse Hill | ¥160 ($22) |
| Xingping round trip | ¥120 ($17) |
| Guilin city section | ¥60–90 ($8–12) |
Each raft seats four passengers. If your group is fewer than four, you pay for the empty seats (¥56 per empty seat on the Yangdi–Xingping section) or wait at the pier for other travelers to join your raft. Most solo travelers and couples end up paying for empty seats or waiting 15–30 minutes, which is less annoying than it sounds — the waiting area at Yangdi has shaded benches and tea vendors.
Children under 1.2 meters in height and adults over 70 are not allowed on the rafts. There are no exceptions. This is a genuine safety rule enforced at the ticket gate. Do not plan a multi-generational Li River rafting trip without checking everyone’s height and age against the cutoff.
How to book
You have three options, in descending order of reliability:
Option 1: Trip.com or Klook (easiest for international travelers). Both platforms offer Li River rafting tickets in English with international credit card payment. They handle the real-name registration and send you a QR code. Show the code at the pier, collect your physical ticket, get on the raft. This is the path of least resistance and the one this guide recommends.
Option 2: Official WeChat mini-program (cheapest, Chinese-only). Search “漓江竹筏” in WeChat. The official booking system requires a Chinese phone number and WeChat Pay. If you have both, tickets cost exactly the published price with no booking fee. If you do not have both, use Option 1.
Option 3: Hotel or local travel agent. Any hotel in Guilin or Yangshuo can book raft tickets for you. Expect a ¥30–60 ($4–8) markup per ticket. This is fair compensation for not dealing with the booking system yourself. Some hotels also arrange transport to the pier, which solves the logistics problem in one phone call.
Option 4: Show up at the pier. Do not do this. Tickets sell out during peak periods (summer, Golden Week, Chinese New Year). Even when available, the on-site ticket window requires a Chinese ID or passport registration that takes 20 minutes and involves filling out a paper form with your passport number. Book online.
When to go
| Season | Months | Verdict |
|---|---|---|
| Spring | Mar–May | The best. Comfortable temperatures (18–26°C), clear skies, misty mornings on the river. April and May are ideal. Book 2–3 days ahead. |
| Summer | Jun–Aug | Hot and humid (30–36°C). The river runs high and the karst hills are intensely green. Rain is frequent but usually passes in an hour. The canopy on the raft provides shade. Book 3–5 days ahead. |
| Autumn | Sep–Nov | Nearly as good as spring. Clear skies, golden light, pleasant temperatures (20–28°C). October is the second-best month after April. Skip the October 1–7 Golden Week. |
| Winter | Dec–Feb | Cold (5–12°C), grey skies, low water levels. Some sections may close if the water drops too far. The landscape is still beautiful but in a stark, subdued way. On the plus side: no crowds and tickets cost ~20% less. |
Rafts do not operate in heavy rain, thunderstorms, or when the river rises above safe levels. If you book and the weather turns bad, the pier cancels all departures and you get a refund. Check the forecast the night before. A cloudy day is fine. The karst landscape looks good in soft light. A rainy day means the rafts are grounded and you need a backup plan.
Morning departures (8:00–10:00 AM) have the best light and the fewest people. Afternoon rafts are hotter in summer and the light is harsher for photos. If photography matters to you, go in the morning.
Getting to the pier
Yangdi Pier (杨堤码头) is the main starting point for the classic route. From Guilin: 1–1.5 hours by car. A Didi taxi costs ¥120–180 ($17–25) one-way. From Yangshuo: 40–50 minutes by car, ¥80–120 ($11–17) by Didi.
There is a public bus from Guilin Bus Station to Yangdi (¥15–20, 1.5–2 hours), but it runs infrequently and drops you at the Yangdi village entrance, which is a 15-minute walk from the pier. If you have luggage and limited Chinese, take the DiDi.
Xingping Pier (兴坪码头) serves the round-trip section. It is closer to Yangshuo (30 minutes, ¥50–70 by Didi) and has better bus connections. The Xingping bus from Yangshuo costs ¥10 and takes 40 minutes.
If you are doing the full Yangdi–Xingping route, your raft ends at Xingping Pier. From there, you can explore Xingping Ancient Town (worth an hour), then take a bus or DiDi to Yangshuo (30 minutes). Some people stay overnight in Xingping. Most head to Yangshuo. For where to stay once you get there, see the Guilin and Yangshuo guide.
What the experience is actually like
You arrive at the pier 30 minutes before your booked time. You show your QR code or passport at the ticket window. You get a paper ticket with a raft number. You walk down to the dock, find your raft, and step onto a plastic seat under a canopy.
The engine starts. It is louder than you expected. The raft pushes off and within two minutes you forget the noise because the landscape takes over.
The river is wide and green, lined with bamboo groves on both banks. Karst peaks rise in every direction: sharp, improbable, each one distinct. The raft moves at a steady pace, fast enough to cover ground but slow enough to take in the view. Every bend reveals a new composition: a lone fisherman on a rock, a water buffalo drinking at the edge, a village tucked into a valley between two peaks.
At the Nine Horse Fresco Hill, the boatman gestures at the cliff face and holds up nine fingers. You squint at the rock and see maybe three horses. This is a universal Li River experience. Do not feel bad about it.
The ¥20 note view comes near the end of the Yangdi–Xingping route. The boatman will tell you when it is coming. The angle from the raft is slightly different from the note; the note was photographed from the riverbank, not the water. But it is unmistakably the same scene. Have a ¥20 note in your hand for the photo. If you did not bring one, withdraw cash before the trip. The boatmen have seen every variation of this photo and will offer to take it for you.
The raft docks at Xingping Pier. You walk up a flight of stone steps, pass through a small market selling oranges and dried fish, and emerge into Xingping Ancient Town. From here, follow the signs — or the crowd — to the bus stop.
Photography tips
The Li River is one of the most photographed landscapes in China and it rewards a little preparation:
- Bring a polarizing filter if you have a real camera. It cuts the glare off the water and makes the sky and karst peaks pop.
- Morning light is better. The sun rises behind the karst peaks to the east, lighting the river from the front in the morning. In the afternoon the peaks cast long shadows.
- The ¥20 note shot — the actual viewpoint is on the riverbank in Xingping, about a 10-minute walk from the pier along the river path. It is marked with a sign. Go there after your raft trip for the exact note-matching angle.
- Phone cameras are fine. The scenery does the work. Wipe your lens — river spray and humidity fog it up faster than you think.
- Mist is your friend, fog is not. A light morning mist on the river is magical and photographs beautifully. Thick fog means you will see nothing. Check the visibility forecast, not just the rain forecast.
The Yulong River alternative
If you want the silent, hand-poled bamboo raft experience, go to the Yulong River (遇龙河) instead. The Yulong is a tributary of the Li, about 20 minutes from Yangshuo town, and its rafts are still real bamboo with a boatman using a pole. No engine. No PVC. Just the sound of water and bamboo dipping into the river.
The Yulong River rafts hold two passengers and the scenery is a smaller-scale version of the Li River — lower peaks, rice paddies right up to the water, stone bridges. Routes range from 40 minutes (¥160 per raft) to 2 hours (¥320 per raft). The longer route (Jinlong Bridge to Gongnong Bridge) passes under the iconic Yulong Bridge and through several small weirs where the raft bumps down a half-meter drop — not dangerous, just surprising the first time.
If you have two days in the Guilin area, do the Li River for the grand karst panorama and the Yulong River for the quiet version. They complement each other perfectly. If you only have one day, pick the Li River. The scale of the scenery is unmatched.
What to bring
- Sunscreen and sunglasses. The canopy provides shade but the reflection off the water gets under it. You will burn without protection.
- Water. There are no vendors on the raft. Bring at least a liter per person.
- A rain jacket or poncho in summer. Sudden showers are common. The canopy helps but does not fully protect the outer seats.
- Your passport. Required for ticket pickup. A photo on your phone works at most piers, but bring the physical passport to be safe.
- A ¥20 note. For the photo.
- Dry bag or ziplock for electronics. River spray plus an open raft equals wet phones. A ¥5 ziplock from a convenience store solves the problem.
For a complete Guilin-area packing list, see the China packing guide. For the full Guilin and Yangshuo itinerary, including where to stay and how to spend 2–3 days, read the Guilin and Yangshuo first-timer guide.
The bottom line
Book the Yangdi–Xingping section on Trip.com or Klook. Go in the morning. Bring a ¥20 note, sunscreen, and a ziplock bag for your phone. Accept that the raft is motorized and the engine is loud. Once you are on the water looking at karst peaks rising out of the river, you will stop caring about the engine.
The Li River delivers. It is one of the few places in China where the reality matches the postcards. You just need to do a little logistics to get there.
