Some landscapes feel painted rather than formed, places so impossibly poetic that they blur the line between dream and geography. Guilin—tucked into the lush heart of Guangxi in southern China—is one of those places. Here, limestone peaks rise like ancient sentinels from rice fields, bamboo groves, and winding rivers, creating a horizon that looks brush-stroked rather than carved. To move through Guilin is to step into the living imagery of classical Chinese poetry and ink-wash paintings—a world defined by mist, stone, and silence. 

The iconic karst mountains of Guilin are the result of more than 200 million years of geological artistry. Once part of a vast seafloor, the region’s limestone was gradually sculpted by rainwater, underground rivers, and erosion into the towering peaks, delicate arches, sinkholes, and caves we see today. The result is a terrain that feels both ancient and alive: dramatic limestone pillars standing shoulder-to-shoulder, narrow ridges that disappear into clouds, and valleys where rivers slip quietly between walls of stone. Local poets and scholars have praised this scenery for centuries. “Guilin’s hills and rivers are the best under heaven,” goes the famous Chinese saying—and even a moment in their shadow makes it clear why. The Karst mountains reward those who linger. The landscape changes with every hour: morning mists swirl like silk ribbons around the peaks, midday light reveals the emerald tones of the Li River, and dusk bathes the mountains in shades of silver and violet.

No journey through Guilin’s karst world is complete without drifting along the Li River. The river flows south from Guilin to Yangshuo, weaving through a forest of limestone peaks that rise sharply from its banks. You can choose a bamboo raft over a larger cruise boat—floating close to the waterline, and watching fishermen mend nets along the shore. Cormorants sometimes glide low over the water, water buffalo rest in the shallows, and villages hide behind groves of bamboo. The most iconic stretch is between Xingping and Yangdi, where the scenery appears on the Chinese 20-yuan note. But beyond its fame, the river offers something more intimate: a sense of drifting back through time.

Where Guilin offers sweeping views, Yangshuo offers immersion. Nestled among vertical peaks and surrounded by rice paddies, it’s a place where you can pedal a bicycle down country lanes, follow footpaths along quiet rivers, and stop whenever the mountains demand your attention. You can spend several days here—waking early to watch sunrise spill over the limestone spires, taking tai chi classes in the open air, or joining locals in the fields. Cycling or walking through the Yulong River Valley is especially rewarding. Without the rumble of engines, the mountains feel even larger, even closer. For a bird’s-eye perspective, climbing Moon Hill, one of the region’s most famous karst formations, reveals a panoramic sea of green peaks.

While the mountains dominate the skyline, Guilin’s subterranean world is equally enchanting. The Reed Flute Cave, named after the reeds that grow at its entrance, is a cathedral of stalactites, stalagmites, and stone draperies. Formed over millions of years, the cave is a hidden gallery of limestone sculptures created drop by drop. You can imagine the geological story etched into the stone. Every curve, every crystalline ridge, is a record of patient transformation.