Guilin, China Summary

GUILIN (Osmanthus Forest) is one of China’s worst tourist traps, entirely dependent on visitors for its income and flaunting an expensive service industry tailored to the well-heeled tour groups that are forever passing through. Well planted with trees and laden with bizarrely shaped, legend-ridden outcrops, the city is an attractive enough place to linger before embarking on the more interesting Li River cruise, but there are downsides – especially if you’re on a budget. Most obviously, locals unable to tap the tourist dollar have to suffer spiralling living costs, and most independent travellers detest the mercenary attitudes of Guilin’s all too worldly inhabitants – avoid letting students guide you around, unless you want to end up footing the bill at the most expensive restaurant they can find. If all this sounds daunting, it’s quite simple to abandon Guilin’s high prices for the more mellow village of Yangshuo, just ninety minutes away to the south, and come here on a day trip.