Guilin Family Trip 5-Day Guide

Guilin 5 Days 4 Nights Family Trip Guide｜Easy Strolling with Kids Among Mountains and Waters, Check Off Elephant Trunk Hill, Bamboo Rafting, Caves, and Ethnic Villages!

What’s the biggest worry when traveling with kids?
Not that they can’t walk, but that they lose interest!
But Guilin is different—
Here you have the textbook-famous “Elephant Trunk Hill,” fairy-tale-like Li River bamboo rafts,
an alien-base-like cave, and singing ethnic minority sisters…
Every stop is a “challenge map” in the eyes of children!

This 【Guilin 5 Days 4 Nights Super Easy Guide】 specially designed for families,
zero uphill climbs, less sun exposure, more experiences,
lets parents relax, kids scream with joy, and the whole family return home smiling!

🌟 Highlights at a Glance
✅ Stay in a river-view room, open the window to mountains and waters
✅ Li River bamboo raft drifting through a water gallery (free for children)
✅ Explore the “Underground Galaxy” Silver Cave (kids love searching for stalactites)
✅ Eat Guangxi snacks at Yangshuo West Street night market
✅ Impression Liu Sanjie live show (stunning sound and light, kids instantly become little singers)
✅ Parent-child interaction: make glutinous rice cakes, feed lambs, learn Zhuang language slogans

🗓 Itinerary: 5 Days 4 Nights · Slow-paced Deep Exploration

Day 1: Arrive in Guilin｜Easy adaptation, night tour of Two Rivers and Four Lakes
🛫 Arrive at Guilin Liangjiang International Airport → 30-minute taxi to city hotel
🏨 Recommended accommodation: Guilin Lijiang Waterfall Hotel / Huamanlou International Youth Hostel (family room + river view)
🌃 Evening walk to 【Elephant Hill Park】 to watch the night light show! When Elephant Trunk Hill lights up, kids exclaim: “A real elephant is drinking water!”
🍜 Food recommendation: Zhengyang Road rice noodle stall (try braised meat noodles + spicy and sour papaya salad)

✅ Tip: No sightseeing on the first day to let kids adapt and avoid fatigue

Day 2: Elephant Trunk Hill + Jingjiang Princes’ City + Ride the city wall mini train
🐘 Morning: Check in at the textbook cover 【Elephant Trunk Hill】 (free admission! Enter with ID card)
Must-do: Climb to “Water Moon Cave” to touch the elephant’s trunk for blessings; shout “1, 2, 3—I am the little elephant brother!” when taking photos, super fun
🏯 Afternoon: Explore the 600-year-old 【Jingjiang Princes’ City】
Kids’ mission: Find the “Guangxi’s first top scholar” monument, answer questions to get a commemorative bookmark stamp
Exciting activity: Ride the vintage mini train on the city wall for a panoramic view of Guilin
🍚 Dinner: Chongshan rice noodles (local favorite, chicken broth noodles, sweet and mild)

Day 3: Li River bamboo raft highlight section → Yangshuo West Street carnival night
🚤 Morning: 1-hour drive to Yangdi Pier → Take the 【Li River Highlight Bamboo Raft】 (90-minute drift)
Route: Yangdi—Xingping (Nine Horses Fresco Hill, Yellow Cloth Reflection all in this section)
Safety tip: Life jackets for everyone, babies can sit on parents’ laps, smooth and bump-free whole trip
📸 At Xingping, snap photos at the same spot as the 20 RMB background! Let kids hold the bill and say: “I found twenty yuan!”
🏡 Stay in Yangshuo: Recommended 【Yangshuo Sugar House】 or 【Huamengjian】 family guesthouses (with pool + small animal area)
🌃 Evening stroll on 【Yangshuo West Street】
Kids’ favorites: sugar painting stall, glowing balloons, Zhuang ethnic girls teaching bamboo pole dance
Must-try snacks: Lipu taro cake, osmanthus iced tofu pudding, grilled baby corn

Day 4: Silver Cave exploration + Yulong River family cycling
🕳 Morning: Visit the “underground art palace” 【Silver Cave】
Constant 18℃ inside, perfect summer cool spot!
Prepare a “cave adventure booklet” for kids to find wonders like “Snow Mountain Waterfall” and “Music Stone Screen” along the way
Hear the guide say “It takes 10,000 years for a stalactite to grow one meter,” kids instantly understand “the power of time”
🚲 Afternoon: 【Yulong River Jinlong Bridge—Old County section】 family cycling
Rent tandem or triple bikes, leisurely ride along rural paths
Stops along the way: rice field viewing platform, feeding ducks by the creek, picking lotus pods by the roadside (seasonal)
🎭 Evening watch 【Impression Liu Sanjie】 live show (directed by Zhang Yimou)
Mountains as the backdrop, river as the stage, lights cut through the night sky, kids watch in awe
Buy family tickets in advance, choose front row center seats for the best view

Day 5: Ethnic minority village fun day + Return trip
🏘 Morning: Head to 【Ethnic Minority Tourist Village】 (such as Maling Ancient Village or Paradise)
Experience:
Wear Zhuang children’s costumes for photos
Make glutinous rice cakes with mom (pounding hard is super stress-relieving)
Feed lambs, watch peacocks spread their tails
Learn a Zhuang phrase: “Gelia” (means “Hello”)
🎁 Buy handmade embroidered balls, ethnic-style small ornaments as souvenirs
🚗 Afternoon return according to flight/train schedule, end the joyful trip!

💡 Thoughtful Tips for Family Travel
👟 Shoe advice: mainly non-slip sports shoes, caves are slippery, avoid sandals
🎒 Backpack checklist: children’s sunscreen, mosquito repellent, wet wipes, snacks, portable mini fan
🚌 Transport advice: Guilin → Yangshuo can be chartered (about 200 RMB), more flexible and time-saving than bus
🧾 Ticket discounts: Most scenic spots free for children under 1.2 meters, remember to bring household registration or birth certificate

Final Words:

Guilin is not just mountains and waters,
it’s the first window for children to understand China.
They watch clouds and mist on bamboo rafts,
hear dripping echoes in caves,
learn to smile and greet strangers on West Street…

This trip,
is not just tourism,
it’s a gentle awakening of growth.

Next holiday,
take the kids to Guilin!
Let the mountains and waters be companions, childhood a painting.