Things to Do in Guilin

Guilin's karst mountains have been immortalised on China's 20-yuan banknote, making them among the most recognisable landscapes in the world.

The Li River bamboo rafting tradition dates back over 1,300 years, with local fishermen historically using trained cormorants to catch fish at night.

Guilin sits at the intersection of three major rivers—the Li, Tao, and Gui—which shape its distinctive geography and give the city its name (gui means osmanthus, tao means peach).

Osmanthus flowers bloom across Guilin each autumn (September–October), filling the city with a sweet fragrance and inspiring its ancient poets.

Reed Flute Cave contains stalactites and stalagmites formed over 180 million years, with evidence of human habitation dating back 250,000 years.

Guilin was China's capital during the Ming Dynasty (briefly) and remains one of the country's oldest continuously inhabited cities, with settlements dating to 2,000 years ago.