2-Day In-Depth Cycling Tour around Yangshuo

This day's cycling route will take you cycle away from the bustling West Street, travel through farmers' fields and rural villages to take in the surreal landscape and enjoy the tranquillity. It takes you around 5 minutes to cycle from the West Street to Yangshuo Bridge. Standing on the bridge, you can overlook the Green Lotus Peak to the west and Shutong Hill to the east.

After crossing over the bridge, you will continue cycling around 30 minutes to reach Fuli Ancient Town. This old town has a history of 1,000 years and it is also called 'the Hometown of Painted Fans', because a lot of traditional bamboo fan-making workshops lining along the flagstone-paved lanes. You can have a simple lunch at the old town. 

In the afternoon, cycle out of Fuli Town and ride northwards around 17 kilometers (10.5 miles) to reach Xingping Ancient Town. After cycling for around 10 minutes, you will pass by the Donglang Hill, where there is an outstanding peak vividly resembling a man. Then continue your journey for around 1.5 hours and pass Xishan Village, you will arrive at Xingping Town. Take a leisure walk around to explore the town's well-preserved old buildings and traditional local lifestyle. At the other end of the town, you can enjoy the spectacular Li River view. 

Nearby Xingping port is Laozhai Mountain, which is the best place to appreciate the beauty of Xingping town and have a bird's eye view of the huge U bend of Li River. It is around a 45-minutes hike to the top. Alternatively, you may walk across Xingping Bridge and head forward for 500 meters (0.3 miles)  to Chaoban Hill, which can also offer you a great view of the surroundings.

After getting down from Laozhai Mountain, find a hostel or a home-stay in Xingping to stay overnight.

Today you will have a longer bike ride and you will travel through mutiple unpaved dirt or gravel paths, so be prepare for the intense cycling. You may want to get up early and climb up to the top of Laoshai Mountain to enjoy the stunning sunrise if you desire. After that, you can take a bamboo raft to the other side of the river, where Dahebei Village is located. 

Starting from Dahebei Village, you will cycle around 20 minutes or so along the narrow path of the village to reach the Snail Hill. Have a short stopover there and then head for Dazhouling Village. From here, you need to push your bicycle for about 1,000 kilometers (621 miles) up to the mountain along an ancient path built during the Qing Dynasty (1644 - 1911).

Upon arrival at Huangnitian Village, follow a muddy path uphill to the Dalingtou Village after about half an hour. The nearby Hebao Hill, with a height of 200 meters (0.12 miles), is a good place for backpackers to enjoy the scenery. Climb to the top of the mountain and you can have a full view of the rolling hills and winding Li River.

Continue your journey for about two hours along the country road to the Ancient Stone City. It was founded during the Qin Dynasty (221 - 207 BC) in the arms of the mountains. Houses, pavements, wells, and ramparts over there were all built of stones, and hence the name. This city had undergone numerous wars during the past 2,200 years. Although some buildings have already collapsed with plants covering the surface, it still reveals a beauty of incompleteness.

Then head for another 7 kilometers (4 miles) westwards to Putao Town, according to the road signs. This may take you more than an hour because of the poor road condition. When you almost get down from the mountain, you will see a large stretch of farmers' fields. In Spring, an endless sea of rape flowers appear in front of you while the golden rice fields in autumn are also worth taking shots.

When you arrive at Putao Town, find a restaurant to have a simple meal and take a good rest. Then ride southwards that’s labeled telling you to head back to Yangshuo. It's a 20 kilometers' (12 miles) cycling. If you get lost, just check your map on your phone and see which direction you need to go to start heading back towards Yangshuo.