Four lakes threaded through downtown, linked to the Li and Taohua rivers — a water circuit first dug in the Song dynasty and rebuilt at the end of the twentieth century.
Four lakes — Gui, Rong, Shan and Mulong — sit in and around downtown Guilin, joined to the Li River in the east and the Peach Blossom River in the west. Together they restore a waterway that originally ran around the city in the Song dynasty (960–1279) and had been lost to silting and building. The modern restoration is recent, but the line of the water is old.
The daytime walk around the lakes is free, flat and pleasant, and gives you the Sun and Moon pagodas — twin towers, one copper-coloured, one pale, joined by a stone bridge. At night the whole circuit is lit and the pagodas reflect in the water, which is when most photographs are taken. The night boat takes about ninety minutes and includes a short musical performance at one of the locks.
This is the one Guilin sight that works as an evening. Rather than a separate trip, arrange your city day to finish here: the driver drops you at the lakes, you walk or take the boat, and you make your own way back to the hotel — most downtown hotels are within ten minutes.
Right through downtown Guilin — you can walk to the lakes from most central hotels. The night boat departs from several piers around the circuit.
Any evening. The lighting comes on at dusk; summer evenings are crowded but the most comfortable. Daytime walks are free and much quieter.
Fixed price per car, driver waits while you walk.
Tell us your dates and we will confirm the car, the driver and a fixed price within 2 hours.