River cruising in Yangshuo, China
ON my first day in Yangshuo, southern China’s legendary karst mountain landscape so overwhelmed me that I rushed to take a boat ride on the Li River. This is the scenery immortalised on the back of the 20 Renminbi note and attracts millions of visitors each year.
Yangshuo Karst Scenery and Li River. Pic: Natasha von Geldern.
Yes the scenery from the boat is spectacular, mystical, heart-stoppingly beautiful. I saw women doing their laundry and an old boatman wearing the traditional conical bamboo hat and a buffalo hide cape.
But where once people were poled downriver on bamboo rafts, now the boats are made from plastic piping and the constant sound of the outboard engine is on the air. I visited Yangshou in the off season but from the rows of large cruise boats tied up at regular docking stations along the Li River I could tell that it must be absolutely rammed in the summer.
Yangshuo West Street, China
So I was left feeling a little, well, disappointed. After the Li River cruise I caught a taxi from Yangshuo town to my accommodation at the Yangshuo Mountain Retreat.
This only took around 15 minutes but what a difference a few kilometres can make. Away from the bustle of touristy West Street and the calls of hawkers, the eco lodge is on the banks of the Yulong River, a tributary of the Li.
View from Yangshuo Mountain Retreat. Pic: Natasha von Geldern.
The view from here is just too beautiful for words. Enjoying a beer from the riverside garden I looked out at the sun lowering behind the mountains, faint pink clouds reflected in the tranquil river.
Feathery fans of bamboo arch over the water and from around the bend came a raft. A raft made of bamboo, silently poled along with a passenger relaxed in a deck chair. You know what I did the next day!
In some places, the traditional ways are still alive. Pic: Natasha von Geldern.
This is a great base for exploring the countryside by bicycle, trying your hand at rock climbing or just relaxing and enjoying the delicious meals.
The eco lodge is staffed by young people from the local villages, creating opportunities and community involvement. The commitment to environmental preservation is impressive, with a zero contamination septic system, solar panels and a strict ‘no single use’ policy.
In the midst of a China that at times seems to be one huge construction site, here is a little piece of authentic paradise set among lush rice fields, forested hills and the karst peaks of Yangshuo.
Recommended for you
A cruise down Li River reveals the beauty of rural China
A SEARCH for iconic China often takes tourists to the Great Wall in the north and the archaeological pits of the terra-cotta warriors in the nation’s midsection. But for a glimpse of China’s natural beauty, take the trip south to the city of Guilin, and board a boat for a four-hour cruise down the Li…>
Vietnam’s Hue Citadel and a cruise on the Perfume River
THE ancient citadel of Hue was once capital of the Nguyen dynasty but what remains of the Forbidden Purple City now sits quietly in its peaceful, grass-grown garden, surrounded by a nearly million-strong Vietnamese city. Hue’s monuments are a battle-scarred Unesco World Heritage site after fierce battles during the 1968 Tet Offensive. Bullet holes punctuate…>
Top Offers
-
Old Penang Guesthouse
Urban Boutique Guesthouse
Penang, Georgetown, Malaysia
Deal USD $ 10 per night
-
Sukau Rainforest Lodge
Eco River Retreat
Kinabatangan River, Borneo, Malaysia
Deal USD $ 400 per night
-
Abaca Boutique Resort
Spa & Wellness Resort
Lapu Lapu City , Mactan Island, Philippines
Deal USD $ 340 per night
-
Eternity Springs Art Farm
Eco Wellness Retreat
Byron Bay, New South Wales, Australia
Deal USD $ 100 per night
-
L’Hotel Nina at Convention Center
Urban Budget Hotel
Hong Kong, The New Territories, China
Deal USD $ 100 per night
-
Sunrise Nha Trang Beach Hotel & Spa
Luxury Beach Resort
Nha Trang, Khanh Hoa province, Vietnam
Deal USD $ 134 per night
-
The Secret Sanctuary Boutique Cottage
Boutique Guesthouse
Kuching, Borneo, Malaysia
Deal USD $ 35 per night
-
O’Reilly’s Rainforest Retreat
Boutique Resort
Canungra, Queensland, Australia
Deal USD $ 200 per night
-
Anggun Boutique Hotel
Urban Boutique Hotel
Kuala Lumpur, Bukit Bintang, Malaysia
Deal USD $ 75 per night
-
The Apsara
Urban Boutique Guesthouse
Luang Prabang, Luang Prabang Province, Laos
Deal USD $ 75 per night
-
Hintok River Camp @ Hellfire Pass
Rivers Glamping
Kanchanaburi, River Kwai, Thailand
Deal USD $ 125 per night
-
The Chedi, Chiang Mai
Luxury Boutique Hotel
Chiang Mai, Chang Khlan, Thailand
Deal USD $ 250 per night
-
Ana Mandara Villas Dalat Resort & Spa
Luxury Resort
Dalat, Lam Dong, Vietnam
Deal USD $ USD $175 per night
