As we prepare for departure from China concluding our three year adventure, there were a few places in China we need to cross off the bucket list. So we hired a private tour guide and off we went!
Our first stop was the beautiful city of Guilin, China. Located in South China Guilin is considered to be the pearl of China due to the natural beauty and historical treasures. After landing and a quick stop at the hotel to check-in, we wasted no time and headed downtown to see the "Pedestrian Street" and then took in the beauty of downtown with a evening night cruise.
To begin day two we visited Seven Star Park. A beautiful place to take in Chinese culture and also the scenery of the limestone cliffs off in the distance.
One of the attractions in the park is Camel Hill.
Next we stopped at the Seven Star Zoo, also known as Panda Zoo due to the popular attraction.
Moving on we stopped at Yaoshan Mountain which is the highest of Guilin's city peaks. The peak is known for it's natural beauty and we took a cable car to the top for a view of the city.
Next we stopped at Elephant Trunk Hill which is considered the symbol of the city. As you can see it got its name because it looks like an elephant drinking water.
The last stop for day two was Red Flute Cave. This is a water eroded natural limestone cave.The cave got its name from the type of reed growing outside which is used to make flutes. The cave is filled with wonderful stalactites, stalagmites and rock formations. The cave is dated back to 792 AD!
Day three was reserved for our Li River Cruise from Guilin to Yangshuo. As we traveled down the river we were treated to the many limestone peaks.
Once we arrived in Yangshuo we walked around a very beautiful little town nestled among the limestone peaks. After sometime exploring we saw the Impression Sanjie Liu performance in the natural outdoor environment. This takes place in the worlds largest natural theater which utilizes the waters of the Li River as its stage. That evening we stayed in a rustic old farmhouse.
Day four was filled with adventure. We started the day with a fun bike tour through the countryside.
We continued our country side bike tour to Moon Hill, climbing over 800 stairs to the top!
Finally it was time to relax and we took a bamboo raft ride on the Yulong River.
Following our trip to Guilin and Yaoshuo we took some relaxation at Hainan Island, the city of Sanya. Billed as China's "Hawaii" it has a beautiful beach to enjoy. Despite the weather being abnormally cool, we enjoyed the rest as we knew traveling home we needed to prepare for our move to Thailand. In summary it was a great trip prior to our departure from China.
