Day Trip of Bamboo Rafting and Bicycle Travel in Yangshuo

If you crave an authentic traditional bamboo rafting experience, you should float down the Yulong River, one of the Li River’s many tributaries running through Yangshuo. This river includes some spectacular scenic views along each river bank. The best way to appreciate Yulong River is by bamboo rafting combined with cycling. For the rafting part, you can float down from Jinlong Bridge to Jiuxian Village. To get to the Jinlong Bridge, you can either ride a bicycle or take the regular bus. As you will cycle around on the latter part of this day tour, the bus is a better choice. Please take the bus (Yangshuo - Baisha) from Yangshuo Bus station and get off midway at Jinlong Bridge, then walk to Jinlong Bridge Wharf. The bus ticket costs CNY6. 

The bamboo raft on Yulong River is non-motorized raft in the traditional way with a gondolier who steers with a long pole. The price is CNY255 per raft that sits two persons. It may take about two hours floating from Jinlong Bridge to Jiuxian Village. Here are some tips for the bamboo raft. Start your trip a bit earlier better before 09:00 to ensure a more peaceful and relaxing rafting experience. Take waterproof bags for your camera and cellphone. Don’t take the bamboo raft when the water level is high, which is usually in the early May. 

After finishing the bamboo rating, you will arrive at Jiuxian Village. It is a small old village with remains of grey brick mansions and mud brick farm houses. You can have lunch in this charming village. Then start your cycling trip along Yulong River. It is very easy to rent a bicycle in Jiuxian Village for around CNY25 per bike. When you rent a bicycle, ask for a tourist map, which is usually free. It could be a rough-guide to point you in the right direction. In case the map doesn’t show all the roads, you could also use Google Maps, Baidu Maps or Gaode Maps for more accurate maps on the road. Follow the road as it winds and bends in and out of farms, orchards and villages. This stretch of road is where you can experience the quintessential beauty of the Yangshuo countryside.

The Yulong River cycling ends at Gongnong Bridge, then you can cycle along the Ten-Mile Gallery back to Yangshuo. As the name implies, Ten-Mile gallery is a picturesque country road. You will cycle a section of the Ten-Mile Gallery, which is flat and paved. It is approximately 40 minutes of ride time, but it may end up being a two or more hours’ excursion by the time you factor in stop time to take photos and explore the surrounding area.