Yangshuo Bamboo Boat & Ruyi Peak Cable Car: Private day tour

A bamboo raft steered by a gondolier past mud-brick villages is a different view than the cycling route.

A private day tour of Yangshuo combining a traditional bamboo boat ride on the Yulong River with cable car access to Ruyi Peak, where a 2.3km ropeway passes a glass-bottomed skywalk, love-ring bridge, mountain crafting mirror and cliff dwellings. Your driver and guide pick you up from your Yangshuo hotel and return you there. The tour runs around five hours. Children under five and adults over seventy cannot ride the bamboo boat. Each boat holds two people or one adult and one child.

Step-by-step itinerary

Stops and time spent at each

1. Moon Hill2h · entry included
2. Yulong River40m · entry included

Yangshuo highlights and river cruise

• Meet driver and guide at hotel
• Transfer to Ruyi Peak near Moon Hill
• Ride Ruyi Peak cable car and explore attractions
• Take bamboo raft ride on Yulong River
• Return to Yangshuo hotel

The experience

Your driver and guide meet you at your hotel lobby and drive to Ruyi Peak, a newer spot near Moon Hill. The cable car itself is the draw here: a 2.3km ropeway built with French equipment that climbs 242 meters and moves eight passengers per cabin. As you rise, you pass construction projects built into the mountainside: a glass-bottomed skywalk where you walk over the drop, a love-ring bridge, a mountain crafting mirror, and cliff dwellings carved into the rock. The ropeway capacity is 2,000 people per hour, so the ride moves steadily, and you sit while the landscape of Guilin's Ten-mile Gallery unfolds below.

After Ruyi Peak, you head to the Yulong River, a tributary of the Li River south of Yangshuo. Here you board a bamboo raft steered by a gondolier in the traditional way: no motor, just pole and current. The raft carries two people, or one adult and one child if you have a young one with you. From the water, the view is different from the cycling routes that run the same area: you pass mud-brick villages and farmlands at water level, with limestone mountains rising on either side. The ride is built for sitting and watching, not for activity. The peace of it is the point.

Your guide and driver escort you back to your Yangshuo hotel at the end of the day. The tour includes the private car, private guide in English or Chinese, entrance tickets to both Ruyi Peak and the cable car, and the bamboo boat ticket. The vehicle is air-conditioned. If anyone in your group weighs more than 160 kilograms, you'll need to buy an extra bamboo boat ticket at the time of booking, since each boat is rated for that weight.

What’s included

• Private car and private guide in English or Chinese.
• entrance tickets to Ruyi Peak and the round-way cable car.
• bamboo boat ticket for the Yulong River.
• air-conditioned vehicle.
• hotel pickup and return to your Yangshuo hotel.

Options for this experience

3 options

Departure from YangshuoGuide in English or Chinese · 10 departure times: the first at 09:00, the last at 13:30The tour runs for 5 hours. You will be collected from and returned to your hotel in Yangshuo. Pickup is included.

Departure from GuilinGuide in English or Chinese · 09:00, 09:30, 10:00 and 10:30The tour takes 9 hours in total. Collection is from your hotel in Guilin, and you will be dropped off at your hotel in Guilin or Yangshuo. Pickup is included.

Departure from XingpingGuide in English or Chinese · 12 departure times: the first at 09:00, the last at 14:30The tour lasts 6 hours. You will be picked up from your hotel in Xingping and returned to your hotel in Xingping or Yangshuo. Pickup is included.

You pick the guide language when booking.

You'll see the exact price of each option when you check availability.See dates and prices

Before you book

Days and timesEvery day12 departure times: the first at 09:00, the last at 14:30

Book up to10h before

AgesAdult (5 to 69 years) · Under 5: can't be booked

GroupPrivate

Live guideEnglish and Chinese

Meeting point and pickupHotel pickup included.

Cancellation and refundsFree cancellation up to 24 h before the start. After that, no refund.

Prices and times updated 12 days ago

Good to know

Low physical effortInfant seats availableNot recommended during pregnancyNot recommended with heart problemsNot recommended with back problems

Operated by happychinatours

Is this one for you?Book this if you're based in Yangshuo and want both mountain and river scenery in one outing: the cable car and bamboo boat cover two landscapes without needing separate transport arrangements.

Traveler reviews

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Top questions

What languages is the tour guided in?

Live guide in English and Chinese.

Can I do this tour if I'm visiting Yangshuo for just an afternoon?

The tour runs around five hours from pickup to return, so it fits a free afternoon if you have one. Your guide and driver pick you up from your hotel and bring you back there, so the timing is built around your schedule.

What is the Yulong River bamboo boat ride actually like?

The Yulong River is a tributary of the Li River, and the bamboo raft is poled by a gondolier in the traditional way with no motor. You sit on the raft and move past mud-brick villages and farmlands with limestone mountains on either side. It's a slow, peaceful ride designed for watching the countryside, not for activity.

What can I do on Ruyi Peak besides ride the cable car?

Ruyi Peak has several built-in attractions along the 2.3km ropeway route: a glass-bottomed skywalk where you walk over the drop, a love-ring bridge, a mountain crafting mirror, and cliff dwellings carved into the rock. You stroll along these at your own pace while the cable car carries you up the mountain.

Who can't do this tour?

Children under five and adults over seventy cannot ride the bamboo boat. The tour is not recommended for travelers with spinal injuries, poor cardiovascular health, or pregnancy. Each bamboo boat holds two people or one adult and one child. If anyone weighs more than 160 kilograms, an extra boat ticket is required.

Does the price include lunch?

Lunch is not included in the tour price. The itinerary covers Ruyi Peak and the Yulong River, with pickup and return to your hotel, but you'll need to arrange a meal separately.