Yangshuo Yulong Bamboo Boat Tour Private Transfer & Raft

A bamboo raft steered by a gondolier, not an engine, is how you see the Yulong River the way it looked centuries ago.

A 2-hour bamboo raft tour on the Yulong River from Guilin, Yangshuo or Xingping includes private hotel pickup and drop-off with an English or Chinese-speaking driver. You board a traditional non-motorized bamboo boat and drift past limestone peaks, mud-brick villages and farmland on a tributary of the Li River. The driver transports you both ways. The boat itself lasts about 1.5 hours one direction. Pickup time is flexible between 7:30am and 3pm, and driving time varies by hotel location: 90 minutes from Guilin, 30 minutes from Yangshuo, or 60 minutes from Xingping.

Step-by-step itinerary

Yangshuo Yulong Bamboo Boat Tour

• Pick up from hotel
• Drive to Yulong River bamboo boat
• Enjoy 2-hour bamboo raft ride
• Drive back to hotel

The experience

The Yulong River is narrow enough and shallow enough that a gondolier can pole a bamboo raft across it without a motor, which means you hear the water and the birds instead of an engine. The raft holds two people and moves at the pace of the current and the pole: slow enough to watch farmers work the fields on the banks and see how the limestone mountains change shape as you drift downstream. The boat ride itself runs about 1.5 hours one way, and the whole outing takes three hours from pickup to drop-off.

Your private driver picks you up from your hotel anytime between 7:30am and 3pm and handles the drive to the river. If you're staying in Yangshuo, that's 30 minutes; from Xingping it's an hour; from Guilin it's an hour and a half. The vehicle is air-conditioned, and the driver speaks English or Chinese. Once you reach the river, you board the bamboo boat with a local gondolier who steers. After the ride, the same driver takes you back to your hotel.

Children under 5 and adults over 70 cannot board the bamboo boat. The boat is rated for 160kg per person. If you or your travel partner exceed that, you'll need to purchase an additional boat ticket on-site. Each raft accommodates two people, and if you're traveling with a child, one adult and one child share a boat rather than two children.

What’s included

• Private hotel pickup and drop-off with an English or Chinese-speaking driver.
• air-conditioned vehicle for both transfers.
• the bamboo boat ticket for the Yulong River ride.
• a local gondolier to pole the raft.

Options for this experience

3 options

Starting point: a hotel in YangshuoGuide in English or Chinese · 9 departure times: the first at 07:30, the last at 15:00Pickup from a Yangshuo hotel: pickup is at 4:30 am from the Yangshuo hotel, and the tour ends with drop-off at the Yangshuo hotel; pickup is included.

Starting point: a hotel in XingpingGuide in English or Chinese · 09:00Pickup from a Xingping hotel: the tour starts at the Xingping hotel and ends with drop-off at Guilin airport/train station or at a Yangshuo or Xingping hotel; pickup is included.

Starting point: a hotel in GuilinGuide in English or Chinese · 8 departure times: the first at 07:30, the last at 14:00Pickup from a Guilin hotel: the tour begins at a Guilin hotel and ends back at a Guilin hotel or a Yangshuo hotel; 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 day10 departure times: the first at 07:30, the last at 15:00

Book up to2h 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 13 days ago

Good to know

Low physical effortNot recommended during pregnancyNot recommended with heart problemsNot recommended with back problems

Operated by happychinatours

Is this one for you?Choose your own pickup time between 7:30am and 3pm, which works if you want to pair the boat ride with other Yangshuo activities or sleep past dawn. The private driver means no waiting for a group to assemble, and the non-motorized boat is what makes the river quiet enough to hear the water and the villages instead of an engine.

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Top questions

What languages is the tour guided in?

Live guide in English and Chinese.

How long is the actual bamboo boat ride on the Yulong River?

The bamboo raft ride lasts about 1.5 hours one way on the Yulong River, a tributary of the Li River south of Yangshuo.

What time can I be picked up from my hotel?

Your driver can pick you up anytime between 7:30am and 3pm, so you choose the departure time that suits your schedule.

Is the bamboo boat motorized?

No, the Yulong River bamboo boat is non-motorized: a gondolier poles it by hand, which is the traditional way and keeps the river quiet.

How far is the drive from my hotel to the Yulong River?

Driving time depends on where you're staying: 30 minutes from a Yangshuo hotel, 60 minutes from Xingping, or 90 minutes from Guilin.

Can children go on the bamboo boat?

Children aged 5 and older can board the boat. Children under 5 cannot. If you have a child aged 5 or older, one adult and one child share a single raft.