Guilin Hikes 老寨山

Yangshou is so enchanting, the mist in spring gives this enthralling scenery of a Chinese painting scroll. There are so many hikes around Yangshou that you could pick from but I reckon the hike to Laozhai shan #老寨山 a 100% MUST! DO it for the gram!!

Note: Many photos that are shared on INSTAGRAM from #Laozhaishan involves climbing into jagged rocks over the rails and noting to separate you from the sheer cliffs of the karst tops! I am not afraid of heights but some degree of precautionary should be observed especially when the rocks can be slippery from rain or mist! The was a sign warning of deaths and a missing person from this hike!

Laozhai shan pavilion

The start of this hike is from the boat terminal of Xinping. There is a paved track behind the Laozhaishan Inn. The trail up only takes 30-40 minutes depending on your fitness level, it also involves a steel ladder climb right to the top! It feels like a 30 minute intense workout uphill with not many places to catch you breath.

The initial part of the track is moderate, until you reach a gazebo by the Li river, head to the left and up the flight of 1160 steps! You will come to a stone arch, and there is a warning there reminding hikers about the dangers if you venture too far out from the path! From here, the steps gets steeper but not for long! And when you see the steel ladder, one last climb and you have arrived!

The panoramic view up here is incredibly breathtaking and so rewarding. Have a picnic up there, catch your breath, view the clouds blanketing over the karst tops like a Chinese fairy- tale book!

View from the Laozhaishan

Do the sunrise or the sunset hike up!

If you’re planning on hiking Laozhai Mountain for sunset or sunrise, you should stay overnight in Xingping. Xingping gets a lot of day trippers, but strangely the local tourist don't venture very far off from the popular tourist traps.

We had the gazebo to ourselves for about 30 minutes before another hiker joined us! It is surprisingly quiet up there!

There is not much to explore up there unless you don't mind risking the climb up the antenna tower to snap that insta worthy?? shot!!???

Come evening you’ll pretty much have the town all to yourself and will really get a taste of life in rural Guangxi.

Gazebo from Xinping town

This is truly an epic hike! So memorable and so quintessential Guangxi! And later in the day when you view gazebo from the Xinping village, you know it was your trodden path, what a wonder to behold!

Date visited: May 2019