Great tour - We really loved the whole tour. But to scooter around the countryside was truely memorable! Our guide was very fun too

2 day visit to Guilin and Yangshuo with Frank - One of the highlights of our 5 sites visit in China was definitely Guilin/Yangshuo. The Li river cruise is unique and relaxing, and the bike visit through Yangshuo farmland and a >400 year old farm home is such a peaceful, tranquil and educational experience. And we couldn't have asked for a more knowledgeable, thoughtful and helpful guide than Frank. And his English was excellent! Our tour advisor Robert Hui of China Highlights has made our 11 day, 5 sites China tour completely worry free and totally enjoyable. Only if China Highlights could have lowered the 100 plus daily temperature in Beijing, ours would have been a perfect tour!

Li River, Yangshuo, and Longii Terraces with Guide Frank - We had the most AMAZING time in Guilin.The Li River cruise was unforgettable and a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. But what really made our trip exceptional was our guide, Frank. He was knowledgeable about everything and gave a great tour. At the same time, he knew when we wanted to just wander around and spend times on our own and didn't hover. Frank also was proactive about taking pictures of us and sending them to us later, which we are very grateful for! When we wanted authentic souvenirs - beautiful landscape paintings and embroidered art - he took us to local shops where we were able to purchase unique pieces. Lastly, Frank saved us in Guilin when we accidentally boarded our flight without our bag. Frank went above and beyond to contact security, lost and found, and the airport police to track down our bag. He then was able to ship it to us at our next hotel in Beijing. We could not have gotten our bag back without him and are SO GRATEFUL for everything he did for us. He is truly an exceptional guide.

Guilin, Yangshuo Paradise on Earth - I recently spent 3 1/2 days (June 25-June 28, 2018) exploring Guilin and Yangshuo with my son (21), daughter (25), daughter's boyfriend (25). Our trip was planned with Lily from China Highlights and our guide for our stay in Guilin was Lele. Lele started as our guide but quickly became our friend; he is professional, attentive, patient and funny. He went above and beyond to make sure our adventures were enjoyable; he helped us order food, gave us tips on how to bargain and when not to bargain, shared his vast knowledge of history, and was truly a joy to be around. On our first day in Guilin we visited Reed Flute Cave and Elephant Trunk Hill, we found both enjoyable. We visited Daxu town and it was like a walk back in time. Lele has friends everywhere and he introduced us to a lovely man who welcomed us into his home, showed us how to grind soy, and told us a story about how the Americans were kind and dropped food during the War. It was an experience that I will always treasure and be grateful for. On our second day we were escorted by Lele to Longsheng Rice Terraced Field and hiked up to the top of the terraces through the villages and had a delicious lunch at Longji Ping'an Restaurant. This experience was surely one of the highlights of our entire China trip and should not be missed. Day three found us on the Li River Cruise to Yangshuo with Lele as our guide. The boat was lovely, lunch was good, and the scenery is breathtaking. This was a relaxing, enjoyable cruise. West Street is Yangshuo is fun and after a quick walk through we headed to rent bikes to take a tour through the country. My children absolutely loved this bike ride and Lele made sure I was able to enjoy it with them - many thanks. On day four we spent the morning shopping on West Street and enjoyed our final lunch with Lele. While we were in Guilin we stayed at the Shangri La Hotel and in Yangshuo we stayed at the Banyan Tree. Both were lovely, but the Banyon Tree was possibly our favorite hotel in China due to its location, pool, amenities. Our only regret is that is we did not have one more day to enjoy all the BT had to offer. We are grateful to Lele for his impeccable service, his attention to detail, his patience, and most of all for making us feel at home in his beautiful country.

Great experiences for first visit to China - I spent three days with guides from Chinahighlights: Sunny met me at the airport and returned me on my last day (when she picked me up 30 minutes early so we could visit the Flying Tigers musuem on way to Airport - as a history buff, totally great end to my stay.) The first full day was led by another guide - Hill - who brought me on the +2 hour drive to the Long-ji rice terraces. This is the best time to see them, during monsoon season (summer) when the rice is growing and an amazing green - later in the year the terraces are brown, with nothing in them by perhaps sweet potatoes. The best part was that you are brought to the top - and you can spend two hours wandering the paths down through a local village and on the pick-up spot. It's maybe a 40 minute walk, but I took as much time as I could just standing, looking and listening: the sound of water flowing over the terraces is everywhere (rainy season!) and magical. I recorded 5 minutes of the sound on my cell phone to use to fall asleep. Highlight of the trip, by a mile. The day also included a stop to see a performance by women of the Yao minority, which even in Chinese was very funny. Young men are selected from the audience to take part in one humorous bit about marriage - so if your son is a teenager, and you want to see him squirming on stage, sit near the front if you can.... The next two days was led by another guide - Ocean - (they have all chosen very user-friendly names), who was an amazing guide - full of great information, great sense of humor and a very chill attitude. Can't say enough about him. The highlights included a boat ride down the Yi River on a very swank river boat - comfortable, with A/C and comfy seating in the plush cabin, and a great viewing deck on the top (with NO annoying diesel fumes pouring from a funnel right behind you, as I've had on ferry services sometimes.) This river is China's Shangrila - amazing scenery at every turn - and we were on the river right after 4 days of rain, so it was overflowing - the trip took 3 hours instead of the usual 3.5, but after 2 hours of scenery I was like most others: done. At the end point town (Yangshuo), instead of bikes we hopped on electric Vespa-like scooters. Also, I had been on scooters before, and Ocean checked me out to see I was competent. (NOTE: Foreigners aren't permitted to rent them in the city of Guilin - but I was told that outside the city, on a tour, it's ok. Whatever.) They top out at 30 km/hour, but with the congested traffic, no one goes over 20 and I had to prod Ocean to go over 18 km/hr when we got on quiet country lanes. He took me to a local national forest, then down lanes in rice paddies, stopped at the river side to wade in and cool the feet, then a visit to an older couple who live in a 300 year old home. In the heat of July, it is the only way to go. The few tourists I saw sentenced to the bikes looked miserable. Stayed at the Lijiang Waterfall Hotel - an over the top almost Vegas-like new-ish hotel - very grand - I had trouble adjusting the heat so the room remained on the cool side, and the bathroom had a gamy smell in it. NB: I didn't complain to the hotel - I wasn't in the room long enough to really care, (and my wife was no along on this trip.) So all in all, a great experience - very good service from ChinaHighlights from the first time I contacted them - worked with Coco - and throughout.

Great time in Guilin and Yangshuo with Frank - The best parts of our experience in Guilin and Yangshuo were the Reed Flute Cave, which is pretty spectacular, the Li river cruise, which is stunning in person and can't be captured by photographs (but bring your camera!), and riding scooters in the Yangshuo countryside, where you can get iconic views of China. Our tour guide, Frank, was friendly, energetic, personable and knowledgeable. We were sad to say goodbye to Frank when we moved on to the next city! China Highlights makes a trip to China about as easy as it gets with the tour guides and drivers making it a seamless experience.

Family tour of China - Jason our guide for China Highlights was terrific. He waited for 4 hours in the Guilin airport while our plane was diverted, then gently encouraged us to continue on the next morning for the Li River Cruise. Despite pouring rain, the boat trip was amazing, the clouds/mtn combo stunning. We stayed at an amazing renovated Tea House in Yangshou, one of the highlights of our trip-beautiful rooms, amazing service, excellent food. We lucked out and stumbled onto a Chinese opera in Yangshou and shopped at the store specializing in locally made goods, A MUST for authentic, beautiful artisan pieces. The tour of the rice paddies and local home were eye opening. LOVED every minute of this trip. HIGHLY recommended by skeptical NY'rs...! Smart, knowledgeable guide, great food, beautiful views....

Lovely Guilin - Guilin is a lovely city and the surrounds are even more beautiful. We had a very happy two days with Jason as our guide. Unfortunately, I had a bad cold and Jason went out of his way to look after me and make sure that I had the best experience possible. The cruise and the cruise ship were first class and we thoroughly enjoyed it. Would recommend Guilin to anyone, but note that it can be very hot and humid and make sure you have appropriate clothing. We were taken by surprise!

Awesome guide - Very interesting tour and one you cannot miss when in Guillin. Our tour guide Yang and the driver picked us up from the hotel and after a one hour ride we arrived to the river where you'll find the boats ready for departure. weather was not ideal so we had to stay inside the boat a lot of the time. nonetheless our guide was very keen to converse with us and keep us entertained all the way through. She advised us every time to get on the upper deck of the boat when an interesting area was coming up. Food on the boat was good (not great). Yangshuo is also worth visiting although I would have loved to spend at least 3 hours there. We only had about an hour or so. Thumbs up for boat Yang and the driver. We booked tour from here. I suggest checking other sites cause I believe we could have gotten a better deal.

A lovely way to get to Yangshuo - If you are visiting Guilin part of your trip will no doubt include a visit to Yangshuo with a Li river cruise the best way to get one way ( with a coach back; I wouldn’t recommend both ways by boat). I believe this goes daily with plenty of boats undertaking the journey. It takes about 4 hours and is a pleasant leisurely way to take the trip, see the views and enjoy the Chinese countryside. The boat provides commentary at the key points ( in Chinese and English) to make sure you don’t miss the main views. I would suggest you take a packed lunch to enjoy as your boat winds it’s way down the Li. Seating is very comfortable which allows good views from your seat although you can also enjoy the river from the top deck which gives you a 360 degree vista. Enjoy