The cruise began on the Li river with the motorised bamboo rafts floating past an endless procession of beautifully carved limestone peaks, of near perfect conical shapes. There were thousands of them and one can only wonder what God must have been thinking when he created them. They were like beautifully organised chess pieces on the Greatmaster's chess board, which he gazed on while contemplating on his next move of creation.

It was at this point that I got a nice warm feeling of confidence, that I had finally arrived at the right place after a grueling 20 hour journey on a sleeper train, from Kunming in Yunnan to Guilin in South Central China. 

You can easily sit back on the bamboo raft and feel you can happily spend a few weeks in this little paradise just floating around, taking pictures and soaking up its natural beauty, where accommodation costs £3.50 and a good meal was £1.50. 

I had seen a BBC documentary about this place by Sir Richard Attenborough about 10-12 years ago. It was about the fishermen on the Li river and how they use Cormorant birds to do their fishing for them. A beautiful story of the relationship between humans and birds which has lasted for thousands of years. 

Having paid ¥150 (£15) for the 40 mile cruise along the Li river, I was all revved up for the scenic tour and to see the Cormorant Fishermen. After being picked up by a mini bus from my hostel in Guilin, I was taken for a 45 min drive to Zhujiang Wharf to start the 4 hour cruise towards the town of Yangshuo 40 miles downstream from Guilin. This stretch of the Li river is the most scenic of the entire region of Guilin county. 

As the cruise progressed, the limestone peaks start to vary in shape from perfectly conical, to  assortments of jagged, smooth, tapered, pointed, funnel-shaped and multi-peaked mountains. But the one common theme about them was that they all look like sculpture exhibits, lovingly carved and shaped, and carefully placed on their spot. 

About 1 hour downstream is the old village of Yangdi where we took a break and stopped for tea and snacks. Surprisingly enough, this unassuming small village was full of shops and cafes with enticing snacks and merchandise for very cheap prices. Its streets were lined with houses that date back to the 1300's. People were so warm and welcoming to tourists with friendly smiles, hand shakes and excited requests to have their picture taken with a foreigner. Kids playfully shout 'hello!' at every foreigner that went past.

Further down stream was another pit stop to take pictures of some peaks and more snacks where locals by the side of the river were selling some food and drinks.

The cruise finished at the town of Xinping where the most famous spot of the Li river is located. By the side of the river are three peaks whose picture appears on the back of the Chinese ¥20 note. For this reason, this spot is one of the most famous in China and iconic of this region. It's a must stop, especially for Chinese tourists, who come to have a picture taken holding a ¥20 note, before moving on. A sort of 'been there, done that and got the ¥20 note picture' moment!

Our journey continued to Yangshuo town by bus for another hour where we were moved on to another raft to see the Cormorant fishermen in action. The rafting is popular with tourists and newly weds who come seeking those serenely picture perfect moments, with the backdrop of the river and the stunning landscape.

Yangshuo is snugly surrounded by the limestone mountains which dominate the scenery of the town. The town sprawls around the foothills of the mountains and along the Li river, creating a scenery of urban development harmoniously entwined with its surrounding natural beauty. And the best way to explore it was either by walking or cycling, where a bicycle can be hired for £2 a day.

This is certainly the most popular tourist destination in this part of China for its cruises along the Li river, the Cormorant Fishermen, rock climbing, trekking, cycling and its night life, with West street in the center of town as its beating heart, it is full of historic buildings, markets, shops, street entertainers, bars and restaurants.

Having spent a few wonderful days in town, the most memorable evening has to be the one I spent watching the Cormorant Fishermen fishing at night. It was a live action experience where our raft was following a Fisherman's raft, while he went chasing his Cormorants who were diving into the river to grab their fish.

Their raft had a small lamp at the front to guide them through the darkness, to suss out where they were going and find their prey. But still with astonishingly small amounts of background lighting, it is amazing how the Cormorants were able to see through the murkey river and dive in to grab their agile prey. Apparently, they have remarkable vision. They can dive from high altitudes and grab their prey, even at night without the need for any artificial light. The lamp was probably more useful for the fisherman than the Cormorants.

After catching their fish, they emerged and climbed onto their raft, only for the Fisherman to snatch it away and throw it into a large storage basket, before sending the Cormorants back in the water to grab more fish. They get their hard earned meal at the end of their shift's work. Until then, it's all work but no rest, where one Cormorant can fish up to 15kg a day.

We finished the tour with a stop by the side of the river for pictures with the Fisherman and the Cormorants, whom we had been following for an hour and whose skillful techniques we watched with great admiration. Cormorants are very smart creatures who can forge a profound bond and relationship with humans, just like dolphins and dogs. They gently approached us like shy little kids and sat on our arms and shoulders, full of grace and beauty, so we could have our pictures taken with them. It was an experience to last a lifetime.

How to get there

https://www.travelchinaguide.com/cityguides/guangxi/guilin/yangshuo-bus.htm

Accommodation

 - Average daily cost of a dormitory hostel, £3.50

 - Average daily cost of 2 Star hotel, £10 pounds

 - Average daily cost of 4 Star hotel, £20 pounds

Food

 - Average Local restaurant, £1.5

 - Mid-range restaurant, 3-course meal, £8

Google Map Location