We had a local guide (Anna) for the day and our first activity was to collect bikes from a nearby hiring service and head westwards towards the Yulong River, a tributary of the Li River.
This was a gentle ride on mostly flat roads that meandered amongst the karst mountains. The track we followed was initially on a busy highway section which inevitably caused some anxiety for us as cars and motor bikes overtake in dangerous places and often don’t give cyclists much room. After a few kilometres of highway travel, we turned off onto a minor road that eventually terminated and we then continued along stony paths that passed through rice paddies.
Group riding through rice paddies, Yangshuo
We eventually arrived at the Yulong River area where we were to participate in a bamboo rafting trip down the river for about an hour and a half.
The bamboo rafts are 5 m long and made from about ten bamboo trunks lashed together. The rafts take two people and a boatman who uses a long bamboo pole to propel the raft by pushing against the bottom of the river which was seldom much more than 2 m deep. We sat on an old steel bench seat and were each given an inflatable cushion (‘floaties’) in place of a life-jacket. This served as a comfortable backrest!
At the start there were hundreds of boatmen plying for trade but our group had already booked sufficient rafts and thus avoided some of the hiatus that prevailed.
We headed off in pairs, about 100 m apart and soon we were moving along enjoying the scenery and relaxing while our boatman did all the work. During the 5 km journey we descended over six or seven concrete weirs of height about a metre. This caused merriment as for a short period the front half of the raft was underwater. We didn’t get wet but other people in our group did get soaked. Every few hundred metres we’d encounter photographers and drink sellers demanding that we buy their wares. We passed under elaborate arched bridges and observed what appeared to be expensive resort hotels along parts of the river bank.
Bamboo rafting, Yulong R, Yangshuo
Corinne & Jak on bamboo raft, Yulong R, Yangshuo
Karst mts from bamboo raft, Yulong R, Yangshuo
Loading rafts onto truck, Yulong R, Yangshuo
It was an enjoyable experience being on the river and the morning’s conditions were reasonably cool on what later turned out to be a hot and highly humid day.
After rafting, we collected our bikes that had been transported downstream for us by truck, and then followed a circuitous route past yellow mud-brick houses and farms to a café near the Moon Hill track.
Group riding bikes to Moon Hill, Yangshuo
We had a lunch break and then commenced the walk to the Moon Hill arch. There were eight hundred or so steps up the track and in the sweltering conditions we were very hot by the time we’d reached the top which is 230 m higher than the paddy fields below from where we’d commenced our climb. The climb took us about twenty minutes.
Moon Hill from cafe, Yangshuo
The hill is the only one of the karst mountains with a 50 m diameter near perfect semicircular hole through its top; hence the name Moon Hill. This area has become a magnet for rock climbers and hikers alike. The scene from the top was stunning with the blue skies and bright sunshine making the panoramic spectacle below quite unforgettable. Unsurprisingly, many photos were taken at this magical site.
Moon Hill, Yangshuo
Jak & Corinne atMoon Hill, Yangshuo
View from Moon Hill, Yangshuo
We returned to the main road below and then rode our bikes to the nearby Golden Water Cave. This cave is a spectacular limestone cave with nearly a kilometre of walkable tracks and staircases through it. Unfortunately, many of the beautiful cave features such as the large stalactites and stalagmites were named with signs like “Buddha Praying” and “Beautiful Forest”. To add to the destruction of the natural beauty, the glorious limestone structures were illuminated with coloured lights in green, pink, blue and orange. This may have appeal for some but we found this artificial colouring and labelling most inappropriate. To add to the human intervention, there were several mini-markets inside the larger cave sections, these selling the usual touristy things plus alcoholic drinks and carved limestone statues of Buddha and dragons. Despite all this, the cave is magnificent and a very complex system of tunnels, galleries and water courses together with several small waterfalls.
Golden Water Cave, Yangshuo
Golden Water Cave, Yangshuo
Market inside Golden Water Cave, Yangshuo
After our caving exploits we hopped back on our bikes and rode for half an hour through quite heavy traffic back into the centre of Yangshou and returned the bicycles. The bikes were not in very good condition and although geared, many of the gears were not accessible. Corinne’s bike had problems with its wheel bearings to the extent that she had to peddle even on downhill sections.
In the evening, our group had a preliminary farewell dinner in a local (and very noisy) restaurant. This early farewell gathering resulted from the fact that not everyone in the group is moving on to Hong Kong with us tomorrow.
Chefs at the restaurant, Yangshuo
Group at the restaurant, Yangshuo
Tomorrow sees this wonderful adventure terminate in Hong Kong and to get there will necessitate buses, two bullet trains and the HK underground as well as going through the customs and border check as we cross from China back into HK; a big day ahead!