GUILIN (桂林) & YANSHUO (阳朔县)

Nestled in southern China’s Guangxi Province, Guilin and its outlying lands is regarded as one of China’s – if not the planet’s – most astounding areas of natural beauty.

The enchanting topography of mossy-green karst peaks, limestone caverns and meandering Li River, has for centuries inspired generations of Chinese artists and poets, acknowledging this as “the most magnificent under heaven!” This fairy-tale karst landscape has even been immortalised on the Chinese Yuan twenty bank note, while timeless accolades, such as, “The river winds like a green silk ribbon, while the hills are like jade hairpins” still stand the test of time. Not surprisingly, Guilin, a small and picturesque city on the Li River, has developed as a hugely popular tourist destination, along with its smaller neighbour Yangshuo, which lies 90km (50mi) to the southeast. In fact, many believe that the jagged-peak limestone karsts that surround Yangshuo town are even more breathtakingly beautiful and other-worldly.

The main drawcard is the world-famous boat cruise on the Li River, but there is simply so much more to experience in magical Guilin and Yangshuo, even it is doing simply nothing.