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| How do I get to Yangshuo? |
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| While Chinese people are always keen to practice their English, even if it is just a “hello!”, it does help to have a Chinese phrase book or know a little Chinese. Xclimbercan help out with booking many aspects of your trip but we are limited to our surrounding area of Guilin. Though ask us any question about travelling and we will give you an answer! There are some bus routes direct to Yangshuo and it's nearest city Guilin is an hour away and is an easily accessed transport hub both nationally and internationally. There are several ways to get to Yangshuo, below is a short list : From Guilin to Yangshuo… You have several options. If you are arriving in the airport then you can take a taxi. Prices vary from 200RMB to 400RMB so it is best to bargin or let Xclimberbook it for you free of charge. If you are on a budget you can take the CACC bus downtown for 20RMB. You will get dropped of at what seems a random road but it is 5 minutes from the train station where you can get a bus to Yangshuo. Just walk in the opposite direct of the traffic on your side of the road until u hit a junction, the train station is just behind it . You can either take a bus from Guilin’s train station or the bus station to Yangshuo. Both are on the main road of Zhongshan Lu. For the bus station walk up away from the train station and intersection and its on the same side a few minutes up. Buses from the train station are cheaper but slower as they pick peple up on the way. They start at 7am till around 12am and prices vary depending on the time and how much they want you to pay. Locals pay 10RMB during the day and 13/14RMB after 8pm, they might ask you more but try stick to these prices if you can give or take a few yuan. An easier way is from the main bus station. Buses start at 8am till 8pm and are direct. Ticket prices are fixed at 15RMB and you just buy them at the ticket office. These buses go right to the bus terminal in Yangshuo, a few minutes from West Street, however the smaller local buses from the train station often try drop you off a little way away to trick you into staying into their hotel! Take care! Fron Hong Kong There are regular flights to Guilin, but these flights can be very expensive. Expect to pay between 1500RMB and 2500RMB. Another option is to make your way to Shenzhen or Guangzhou where flights are much cheaper or you can take a bus or a train. From Hong to Shenzhen simply get the ferry direct to Shenzhen airport if you are flying from there to Guilin, or the train direct to the Lo Wu border where the buses leave for Yangshuo. Hong Kong agents offer a combination ferry/flight ticket. Ferries leave from Kowloon and take you to the port near Shenzhen airport and with a free shuttle bus to the airport. Overnight buses and trains also operate out of Shenzhen and Guangzhou. These are amuch cheaper option. Buses to Yangshuo depart from near the border crossing in Shenzhen From Shenzhen Flights from Shenzhen to Guilin. These can be bought at most travel agents in Hong Kong. You can even get a combination high speed ferry/ flight ticket at a very good price. These combination tickets include a ferry from Kowloon to the port near Shenzhen's airport. A free bus shuttle from the port to the airport and the flight to Guilin at around 500 to 700RMB. Check www.elong.net for up to date prices and times of flights. You can even book you flights online and get them delievered to where you are if you are in a major city in China. To save the pennies you may get the Express Sleeper Bus - This is a very cheap and comfortable way of getting to Yangshuo from Shenzhen. The buses are very modern and the beds comfortable. The buses depart every night at 19:30 arriving into Yangshuo around 6am. You can buy tickets at the counter inside the bus station for 250 Yuan. You can also pre buy tickets in Hong Kong at most travel agencies including CTS. The bus station is very close to the Lo Wu border between Shenzhen and Hong Kong. Most people here speak some English if you get stuck. Getting here from Hong Kong is very easy. Take the KCR train from Hung Hom or Tsim Tsa Shui to Lo Wu. Trains leave every 4 minutes, take 45 minutes and cost HK$33. The bus station is very close to the China-Hong Kong border crossing. On arrival in Lo Wu, go through Hong Kong and China immigration. As soon as you come out of the Chinese immigration, look to your left and you will see an escalator. Go up on this escalator and walk on the overpass that goes over the train station and this will take you to the bus station. There is a new train service from Shenzhen to Guilin. Train T38 departs every afternoon and arrives in Guilin the following morning. Ask at a travel agent in Hong Kong for more details or inside the train station as times may vary. From Guangzhou There are three ways to get to Yangshuo from Guangzhou. You have the option of taking a flight, train or a bus. Train - There are two daily trains. The K36 and T38. Check with travel agents for times and prices. Both these trains will drop you off at the Guilin station. They also stop at the Guilin Bei (North) station. Do not get off here as you have to get across Guilin to find a bus to Yangshuo Travelling by train is generally more comfortable because you can walk around and go to the bathroom in your own time. And is advisable if you are traveling with a family. Hard sleepers are great. The price of the ticket varies depending on which bunk you will sleep in. The top bunk is the cheapest whilst the lower bunk is the dearest. Expect to pay between 175 Yuan and 200 Yuan for a hard sleeper, obviously more for a soft sleeper. Bus - There are numerous buses each day from Guangzhou to Yangshuo and these depart from several bus stations in Guangzhou for simplicity, we will recommend the bus station near the main train station. If you are facing the train station, the bus station is about 200m to your left. Buses to Yangshuo depart at 11am, 8.30pm and 10.30pm. Tickets cost 150 Yuan and the trip is t about 8 hours. These buses are seater buses. The two late ones have very comfy seats From Kunming Regular trains are best for this journey. There are several direct trains to Guilin. You will see that some trains travel a longer distance, that is because there are 2 routes. The Northern route sees the train go past Guiyang in Guizhou province and the Southern route takes the more direct route through Nanning. If you are having difficulty getting a ticket to Guilin, then just go to Nanning as there are more trains from Kunming to Nanning. Then from Nanning, you can take an express bus to Guilin or another train. If you do not mind buying tickets we advise for a more comfortable route go to Nanning first. The train is then over night (leaving usually around 7pm) and takes 14 hours. The bus from Nanning to Guilin costs around 80 to 90 RMB and takes 4.5 hours and sometimes has luxury seats! To get to Nanning's bus station it is best to take a taxi. Buses leave for Guilin every 15 to 20 minutes until 11pm. There are also direct flights from Kunming to Guilin which is best if you have a disability or have young children. Though it still can be done via the train if you fancy an adventure! Just book a soft sleeper which has more space, comfort and privacy. From the rest of China There are many trains that make their way to Guilin from the other parts of China. For those who do not have so much time or prefer a more relaxed form of travel then we can suggest flying into Guilin. Guilin has an international airport with connections all over China as well as Hong Kong, Macau, Korea and Japan. Just check www.elong.net for prices and times. You can also phone them as they speak excellent English and are the partner of www.expedia.com. Our foreign staff rely on them frequently! The other option is to get the long distance train on a hard or soft sleeper with comfort and speed. Either book your tickets in the cities train station or pay a travel agent or hotel a small fee to save you the hassle. |
| Thing to do |
| There are so many things to do here: Bike riding Bike hire starts at RMB 5 per day, and tandems are a bit more. The bikes tend to be poorly maintained, so be sure to check brakes and gears before you set out. For travellers craving reliability, Bike Asia [1] (on Guihua Rd) has well-maintained Specialized mountain bikes for RMB 30. Bike Asia also has free bike maps of the area, and can advise on where to cycle. Exploring caves, of which there are an abundance in the limestone hills guided tours for the general tourist serious spelunkers should talk to the climbing shops about possible cave climbs Swimming During the summer the water and air temperature are good for swimming. Locals swim from the docks on the Lijiang a short way upstream of the town centre. The Lijiang water quality is generally good but tour boats coming from Guilin are a hazard. The Yulong River is also good for swimming although parts are crowded with bamboo rafts. Bamboo rafting Rafting along the Yulong river is particularly popular in summer, but travellers should take care not to go rafting if the water is brown and turbulent. In 2005 there was a fatality during high floods. Hot air ballooning Pricey by Chinese standards, hot air balooning in Yangshuo is still a bargain compared to the west. Volunteering The Volunteer English Teachers [2] program visits local schools to teach poor children English. Martial arts Classes in Taichi, Qigong, Kungfu, Taiquando, and other martial arts are available at the Budizhen school at the top of West Street for 80Y a day. Chinese cooking Single and multi-day classes in traditional Chinese cooking are offered in the beautiful traditional farmhouse at Yangshuo Cooking School [3], and at Cloud 9. Typical dishes include beer fish and stuffed pumpkin flowers. Yangshuo Cooking School teaches egg-wrapped dumplings, a delicious local treat. Cormorant fishing Hiking River cruises Take a boat down to Liugong village then cycle back, much cheaper than the boat from Guilin Drinking |
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