China Li River Cruise, Guilin (Travel)

Li River Cruise in the Karst Mountains

The mystical Karst Mountains of southern China have held a life-long magical fascination for me. I gazed at them as they graced the Chinese scroll paintings in my tours of the Mia (Minneapolis Institute of Art), my hometown art museum. I enjoyed sharing their beauty and fascination with my Art History students. My Design students learned about them as wonderful examples of the element of Value.

Karst Mountains are popular in Chinese scroll paintings. Poetry is written about them. They are on Chinese currency.

Experiencing them in real-time was high on my China Bucket List. A relaxing 6 hour Li River Cruise was a perfect way to wrap up our 3-week, activity-packed trip! Every bend of the river presented a new, breathtaking horizon!

Li River Cruises are very popular and take about 6 hours (depends on water levels). Most include a buffet lunch. Options vary on price, accommodations and English speaking guides. Ours was wonderful on all counts!

The shallow river weaves through colorful, sheer-sided, 980′ karst peaks.

The karst peaks are weathered into intriguing shapes and interspersed with villages and bamboo groves, typical of southern China’s rural areas. We discovered that there are varying and differing opinions as to how they were created – but all can agree that they are a wonder of nature!

We viewed examples of Karst Mountains in the Chinese scroll paintings at the Hong Kong Art Museum. My fascination began at the Mia (Minneapolis Institute of Art) my hometown art museum which has several; I will have a new appreciation next time I visit!

The ethereal quality of the Karst Mountains fascinates me. It is created by the different ranges of tonal Values within atmosphere. I shared these examples in the study of Value with my Design students. It was fun to experience the effect in real-time!

The Karst Mountains can be seen on Chinese currency. Our guide had a bill hand to show us the exact spot in the mountains where the currency sketch was taken.

Breath-taking views around every turn in the river.

The colorful, sheer-side cliffs lined the sides of the river as well as sandy beaches.

Every turn in the river held another breathtaking view! The small white boat on the left shoreline provides some perspective on the width of the river and height of the peaks.

Li River Cruise Boats

Our cruise boat was one of the more luxurious ones! 2 levels with panoramic windows were enclosed with an open air deck on the top. There were a total of about 48 passengers, 24 per level.

Open air top deck on the top was a popular destination to enjoy the great views on a warm, sunny day.

The climate controlled lounge area provided a buffet lunch, bar options, great views with comfy seating and air conditioning.

Another river boat option for a very close-up and personal view of the river were these open-air river rafts. (Buffet lunch not included!)

Locals on the Li River

Local residents still travel the river in low river rafts both for transportation and fishing.

Bamboo rafts like this one were intriguing! They were used for esily navigating the river especially during the winter’s low waters. This one came right next to our boat and nearly ran into us!

Ports and docks dotted the shores along our route. They were popular and useful for both locals and tourists.

Our Li River Cruise was a great finale to our 3-week China Adventure. While we were part of a tourist group, it did not feel rushed or “touristy.” We enjoyed the beauty of nature, the majesty of the mountains, the calm of the water, and ideal amount of sun and breeze. After experiencing 3 weeks of mostly hot, humid weather with temperatures in the 90s, it made the day even more delightful.

Visit

TRAVEL TIPS: I don’t have a lot of tips on cost and/or planning a visit, but it is well worth whatever it takes! Our Li River Cruise was part of a post-trip excursion that was included in the tour package.

Re: Cruise options – There were a lot of apparent variations which would certainly impact the cost. Ours was a “5 star” experience (per our guide) – and based on the boat, the facilities, the menu, the guide – it certainly was top of the line. Our boat was climate-controlled with great views and comfort even if it was sweltering hot, or cold, or rainy. The open-air ones we passed enabled the traveler to get much closer to the water and nature’s elements for a whole different experience. There are a variety of places along the river where one can board.

I recommend doing some research on your options, your budget, weather/time of year, guide preferences, travel partners, what else you want to do, etc. and then – GO FOR IT! I googled “Li River Cruises, Guilin” and many options came up. Some were simply a day trip and others were part of a package including a few days in Guilin or other area. FYI: Guilin is a fascinating place which I also highly recommend!

Sources

• Asian Art History Lessons taught by Cher B prior to the trip
• Viking cruise tour guide on-site on our cruise
• DK Travel Guide China 2012

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