Moon Mountain (Yeuliang Shan) Area
A pleasant bike trip involves riding 8km (5 miles) out toMoon Mountain (Yueliang Shan)in the direction of Gaotian. Follow Pantao Lu in the opposite direction from Guilin until the traffic circle, and bear right onto Kangzhan Lu. Once you leave town, you'll be greeted around each bend with unbelievably scenic vistas of karst pinnacles stretching as far as your eyes can see. (It's just a shame that the authorities have not spent any of their profits on road maintenance!)
Along the road to Moon Mountain are several recently built attractions geared strictly towards Chinese tour groups that can be safely missed. About 6km (4 miles) from Yangshuo, theGurong Gongyuan(¥18/$2.25; open 6am-sunset) has an intriguing 17m-tall (56-ft.), over 1,500-year-old banyan tree that looks like a collection of entwined snakes up close and like a giant umbrella from afar. Unlike most alleged antiquities that tourists see, this is the real deal, easily as old as any American redwood. Visit if you have time, but you can see the tree just as easily from atopMoon Mountain,1km (2/3 mile) away (¥8/$1; open 7am-6pm), so named because of the large moon-shaped arch under its peak. A series of steep steps winds through thick bamboo brush all the way to the top, where there are some marvelous views.
If there's an adventurous spelunker in you waiting to break free, there are several interesting caves around here worth exploring. However, some of these are suitable only for the fit, as none have paved paths and all will require you to get down and dirty by crawling through holes and climbing rickety ladders.Buddha Cave(¥60/$7.50; open 8am-6pm summer, 9am-5pm winter), along withWater Cave (Shuiyan),have underground pools and rivers on which you can paddle and get that mud bath you've always wanted.
A more civilized alternative is 90 minutes south at the magnificentSilver Cave (Yinzi Yan;www.glyinzicave.com) situated in spectacular parkland about 20km (13 miles) south of Yangshuo. Any local agency will arrange tickets and transportation for around ¥80 ($10) per person, which is perhaps a safer option than public transport. We missed the last bus back to town and had to flag down an archaic vehicle (half-tractor, half-tricycle), whose maximum speed turned out to be about half my normal walking pace. After a painfully slow half-hour, we asked how long it would take to get back to Yangshuo. The young peasant girl at the wheel simply shrugged her shoulders; she had never been that far from her village before!