Theme Park
The Guilin Merryland World Resort (http://www.merry-land.com...), located about 1 hours drive north of Guilin offers two attractions:
Li River Cruise
A must do. The boats are frequent and easily organized by any hotel in Guilin. Most tourists will go from Guilin to Yangshuo a very picturesque smaller town downstream of Guilin. The river winds through some truly spectacular limestone formations and a slow boat trip there and back with a stop in Yangshuo will take a whole day. If you are using the luxury cruise, you might want to reserve a couple of extra hours to go for the additional tour to see the Comrade Bird fishing at a small village close to Yangshuo for additional ¥200.
Two Rivers and Four Lakes Cruise
A boat tour around the four lakes and two rivers of Guilin city. At night, the scenery is spectacularly flood lit. At the mid point in the tour, there will be a demonstration of traditional cormorant fishing. It is the best activity at night. Tours last about 90 minutes.
Dreaming on Li River Show
A theatrical dance and music performance daily. The show tries to recreate the culture of the various ethnic groups around Guilin.
There are many more activities nearby in neighbouring towns and villages:
Wu Pai River Drifting
White water rafting down the scenic Wu Pai River in Zi Yua county.
Guilin Shangri-la park
Set in beautiful scenery, this ethnic theme park tries to introduce visitors to the wide range of local nationalities and their cultures. A short boat trip will take you around the butterfly lake. On the way, various performances are staged on the shore of the lake, demonstrating different aspects of the culture. The boat will drop you off at the 'village' where you can see displays of local crafts including weaving, embroidery, buffalo horn carving and calligraphy. These crafts are produced on site and you may watch them working.
Butterfly Cave
A pair of sheer sided mountains surrounded by a butterfly themed park. One of the mountains has a cave running through the core of it. Inside this cave are many strange rock formations including stalagmites and stalactites. One particularly unusual formation is shaped like a butterfly, lending the hill its name. A rope bridge connects from the cave's exit over to the other mountain. At the side of the bridge, a waterfall cascades down the mountain side. The path takes you around the summit of the second peak and down to the gardens below. A dance performance greets each tour party here. The final stage is a walk inside a netted area in which a large variety of butterflies may be observed.
Crown cave and Gudong Waterfall
A 3km section of the Crown cave is currently open to tourists. To cover the entire cave, 4 modes of transport are available - Monorail, Elevator, Boat Only Monorail and Elevator included in entrance fee, and by foot. From Guilin, take a long distance bus to 冠岩Crown Cave, then take the monorail or visitor jeep 35 Yuan, not included in entrance fee to the entrance of the cave. Once at the entrance, take the elevator and venture 30m deep into the cave. After looking at the various stalactite and stalagmite formations, you can also visit the waterfall 5 Yuan inside the cave. After that, take the monorail to admire the largest and most beautiful section of the cave. To exit the cave, you can either travel back to the entrance point, or take a boat that will travel from the cave to the banks of the Li River. You can visit the nearby Gudong Waterfall or Daxu town after that, before returning to Guilin.