Most Beautiful Places in the world to visit!

Yangshuo, Guilin - China

The bustling tourist town of Guilin in Guangxi Province is famous across the world for its limestone peaks, which rise majestically from lush green rice paddies. However, the best scenery is further down the Li Jiang (Li River), at Yangshuo. A number of official tourist boats ply this route, but they are primarily designed for the burgeoning domestic tourist market and drastically overcharge the foreigners they ferry down the river, in a long and decidedly unatmospheric convoy, then whisk them to Guilin by coach.

A much better option is to take a bus from Guilin to Yangshuo and stay for a few days in this quiet town, hiring a bicycle and exploring the surrounding countryside at your leisure. Areas with limestone peaks with eroded cavities and caves are , described as "karsf”. Although other places have karst scenery - , including Vang Vieng in Laos and Viñales in Cuba - none has the complexity or the magnitude of that around Yangshuo. Spectacular limestone peaks stretch as far as the eye can see, and delight in such names as Lion Ascending Five Finger Hill or Grandpa Watching Apple.

It is best to go sightseeing in the early morning or late afternoon. Apart from avoiding the heat and humidity of the day, the light is better. (This type of landscape looks flat and hazy in the midday light). Sunrise and sunset are particularly evocative, even if the weather - exacerbated by the smog that seems to cover much of rapidly industrializing China - isn't perfect. The best position is at the top of one of the limestone peaks, and you should aim to climb at least a couple during your time here. The view from Yueliang Shan (Moon Hill) out to a sea of peaks bathed in early morning cloud is one of the most spectacular sights in the region, and well worth the 30-minute pre-dawn cycle ride and steep climb of similar duration to get there.

An almost equally stunning view of the sun slipping behind the peaks surrounding Yahgshuo can be had from Pantao Shan, accessed via a steep and ragged path. The top is peppered with TV and radio masts, but gives almost a 360-degree panorama. Remember not to linger too long at the top or you will have to make the difficult journey back down in complete darkness. About an hour by bus from Yangshuo is Xingping, from where you can take an unofficial boat trip to see some of the most impressive scenery on the river. You can sign up for this at any of the restaurants and guest houses in Yangshuo. Limestone mountains line the river on either side, offering a different view of the peaks and paddy fields around Yangshuo. Most trips also take in a 500-year-old fishing village once visited by former US president Bill Clinton.

On the outskirts of Xingping is probably the most well-known spot in the whole region: a bend in the river between limestone peaks, immortalized on the back of the current 20-yuan notes. The image and reality are identical- even down to an overhanging clump of bamboo. It is all remarkably unspoilt, especially given China's predilection for stringing up fairy lights and constructing eyesores that (with no trace of irony) they call 'place-for-viewing-the-unspoilt-landscape'. Synonymous with the Guilin region - and appearing on most picture postcards - is cormorant fishing. which takes place on the river at night. Boat trips will take you out to see fishermen using trained cormorants to catch fish. (The training obviously leaves something to be desired, as the fishermen still feel the need to tie string around the birds throats to stop them swallowing the catch).
Alternatively, there are always a couple of cormorant fishermen hanging out during the day by the riverside at Yangshuo, who are willing to pose for pictures for a few yuan.
INFO
Guilin airport can be reached by direct flight from Beijing, Shanghai and Chengdu, as well as a number of other Chinese cities. Buses run to Yangshuo every hour or so and take a couple of hours, passing through spectacular scenery.