Yangshuo, China
Our daughter’s birth town and Beijing are on opposite sides of China. We knew we’d make the trip to visit the orphanage, so we figured we might as well make the most of being so far south. We considered a few options for routes back to Beijing. One route would take us through Shanghai and other towns near the coast. The second route would take us through mountains and more rural areas.
We showed the kids pictures of both options and they picked the second option. My kids like nature and hiking, so it wasn’t a shock they picked green over cement. We booked trains and hostels and were on our way two weeks later.
After we wrapped up the visit to our daughter’s birth town, we caught a train to Yangshuo to begin exploring the greater Guilin area. Southern China is very humid and has a tropical feel to it. Palm and plumeria trees line the pathways and everything is green.
We spent 4 nights in Yangshuo and stayed at the Mountain Stream hostel. I am working on a blog post all about staying in hostels as a family and my tips. Spoiler Alert: we are huge hostel fans! 
The front of the hostel was lined with mopeds for renting. Initially, I said, “Nope,” to the idea of our family of 7 attempting to explore on mopeds. When Chris asked the hostel owner if Corbett could drive one, the owner asked how old Corbett was. Chris responded, “Thirteen. But he is bigger than his mom.” Needless to say, I got overruled by Chris and Corbett.
I did make a strong rule against any riding in town or anywhere near traffic. We stuck to the empty roads that connected the small villages outside of Yangshuo. These rides turned out to be one of the highlights of the trip for all of us. We ended up riding mopeds three days in a row because the hostel owner gave us a huge discount. It isn’t too common to explore these areas with kids, so we found we got lots of discounts simply because people were so happy to see kids!
We were able to see areas around Yangshuo that took my breath away. It was so peaceful, quiet and picturesque…with exception to my kids.
Walking the streets of Yangshuo it feels like the town is small and concentrated, but when you get up high you see it from a totally different perspective.
Like I said…we chose to stay outside of town….
There are several options for getting on the two main rivers near Yangshuo. You can take river cruises from Guilin to Yangshuo. We decided to do a 1 hour ride and thought we understood where it went. Of all our trip decisions, it was the one we ended up regretting. The little raft took us under a bridge, sat there still and then turned back around. We tried to laugh it off, but it was a bit frustrating. If you visit Yangshuo, I don’t recommend this option.
Yangshuo is a tourist destination for Chinese from across the country. When we walked around town and hit the major landmarks, we often drew a crowd. Half my crew enjoys the energy of lots of people, the other half not so much. Yangshuo provided a little of both for all of us.
When we were considering where to spend a chunk of time, we debated between Guilin and Yangshuo/XingPing. I’m so thankful we chose Yangshuo – it was a much better fit for my crew.
Travel tips for those considering a visit:
If you are considering a trip to the Guilin area and want to be away from the city – I would spend most of your time in Yangshuo and XingPing. If you want the least amount of people – go with XingPing. Yangshuo was a good mix of access to the countryside and then the bustle of a town at night. Guilin is a huge city (by Oklahoma standards). It is surrounded by beautiful mountains, so it just depends on what you are looking for in regards to your travels.
- Stay on the outskirts of town if you want views of the mountains and a peaceful setting. If you like the bustling nightlife, you might prefer being right in the middle of Yangshuo. Though we had a good walk to get back to our hostel, I was so thankful we weren’t staying in the middle of town.
- Eat on the outskirts of town if you want to save money. The middle of Yangshuo caters to tourists and everything is much more expensive.
- You don’t have to book tour guides for everything. Ask around what buses will take you to the destination you want to see. The buses are easy to ride, inexpensive and can take you anywhere.
- Explore outside Yangshuo during the day and then take in the nightlife in the heart of the town
