Guangxi Family River Loop

The karst city: vertical limestone hills inside the city limits, the Li river running south, and one of the oldest Hui communities in southern China in the streets around the old mosque.

The village at the end of the Li river cruise, surrounded by karst towers and rice paddies. Cormorant fishermen, cycling lanes and the most photographed stretch of river in China.

The Dragon Backbone rice terraces, cut into a mountain by Yao and Zhuang families over six centuries, two hours north of Guilin. Wooden stilt villages, and the water-filled terraces reflecting the sky in spring.

A Gulf of Tonkin port city with a long sandy beach, an old colonial and merchant quarter, and the ferry pier for Weizhou island. Warm sea, cheap seafood and a slow pace.

The river runs right through town, with the famous rock formation at the confluence. Walk the riverside promenade at dusk.

A Ming-dynasty Hui mosque in the old centre, still active, with halal restaurants on the street outside it.

The classic float from Yangdi to Xingping, passing the view printed on the twenty-yuan note. Quietest in the early morning.

Flat lanes between karst towers, rice fields and villages. We arrange bikes with child seats and keep the loop short.

Several terraced valleys at different heights, connected by stone stair paths. Stay one night up in a stilt-house guesthouse, because the day-trip crowds leave by four.

A Yao settlement known for the extraordinarily long hair of its women, with a small museum and evening song and dance.

Guilin Hui cooking is its own thing: halal Guilin rice noodles, beef hotpot, grilled river fish prepared halal, and a well-known Hui sweet cake. The Hui quarter has dozens of kitchens. Guilin old mosque is nearby, so you can pray and eat on the same street.

Hui-run halal restaurants in Yangshuo town serve halal rice noodles, beer-fish made halal without the alcohol, grilled beef and Li-river fish. We pre-book and avoid the tourist barbecue strips. Yangshuo mosque is nearby, so you can pray and eat on the same street.

Village kitchens cook halal on request with advance notice: free-range chicken, mountain vegetables, bamboo rice and cured pork alternatives. We notify the guesthouse a day ahead and confirm. Longsheng mosque is nearby, so you can pray and eat on the same street.

Seafood is the draw and we handle it the halal way: Muslim-run seafood restaurants in the city, fish and prawns only, and no alcohol on the premises. Plus Hui beef and lamb kitchens inland. Beihai mosque is nearby, so you can pray and eat on the same street.

Central, historic and active, with wudhu on site.

A central historic mosque and a Hui quarter around it make this one of the easier cities in southern China for prayer.

Small, in the county town. On river days we plan prayer at the hotel before you board.

A small mosque in town and prayer at the hotel on river days. Your guide carries a mat and a compass for the raft trip.

In Longsheng county town, at the foot of the mountain. We plan the terrace night around prayer in town before driving up.

Pray in Longsheng town before the climb, then use a mat and compass at the guesthouse. The terraces face east, which makes Fajr easy to orient.

A small mosque in the city serving the Hui community. On Weizhou island we plan prayer at the guesthouse.

Pray in the city, and for the island night we book a guesthouse where you can pray privately. The ferry schedule is built around leaving after Dhuhr.

Guilin Liangjiang (KWL) airport, high-speed rail from Guangzhou in about three hours.

One hour by road from Guilin, or arrive directly by boat down the Li river.

Two hours by road north of Guilin. No rail; we drive it.

Beihai Fucheng (BHY) airport, high-speed rail from Nanning in about 90 minutes.

March to November. April to October is the best river water; summer is hot and humid.

April to October. Summer is hot and the river is at its best; winter is quiet and misty.

May to June when the terraces are flooded and mirror-like, and late September to October when the rice turns gold.

April to November for the sea. July to September is typhoon season, so keep one buffer day.