How to get from Hong Kong to Yangshuo
Last updated: December 12, 2005.
Short instructions:
Take KCR to Lowu. Cross border. Take #7 bus to Yihu station (1.5Y).
Take sleeper bus to Yangshuo (150-350Y). Call 0773-8813651 on arrival.
Step by step getting to Yangshuo:
Forget about CTS. That'll be more hassle than going and buying the
ticket yourself if you're going via Shenzhen.
1a. Copy the characters for Yangshuo and Yinhu out of a lonely
planet guide.
- Take all your shit to a KCR station ((Hung
Hom, Mong Kok, etc.) Use your Octopus card (or buy a ticket) for a ride to
the terminus of the KCR in Lowu. The KCR to Lowu runs every 5 minutes,
so no worries about missing your train, etc.
- Stagger through customs and immigration in Lowu. Remember, your
address in China is Hotel California, Yangshuo; you'll be visiting
Guilin, Chongqing and Kunming; and you're a tourist. Life will be a
lot easier if you have a pen easily accessible, as there are never any
working pens where you have to fill out forms.
- Once you exit immigration, you want to get up on the big elevated
walkway. (Last time I was there, I came out of the immigration
building on the ground floor, turned right, walked 20-30m, and then
went up an escalator to the left, but it may have changed slightly--the
key is just to get up on the walkway). On the walkway, follow the
signs for buses to find the city buses (gong gong qiche). The buses
should basically be straight ahead and then down to street level. They
are outside. Do not get confused and go inside - the various train and
bus terminals which are inside buildings connected to the walkway DO
NOT have regular trains or buses to Yangshuo. Ignore them.
- Take the #7 bus. It should be 1.5Y, or maybe up to 2Y now. The #7
terminates in Lowu, so every #7 bus will be going the right direction--
to Yinhu Qichezhan (Silver Lake Bus Station). Sit on the right side of
the bus. This is very important. Depending on traffic, it may take 20
minutes to 1 hour to get to Yinhu. Keep your eyes open for a stadium
on the right. A few minutes past that is Yinhu. You'll recognize it
by an arch on the front of the building with a large clock above it. I
think there should be a sign saying Bus Station. There are also a load
of taxis outside and it generally looks a bit like a bus station. I'm
sure everyone on the bus will know where Yinhu is.
- Buy a ticket to Yangshuo. From the bus stop, cross the taxi area and
immediately in front of you should be something that looks like a hotel
lobby. To the left is the ticket office. There are two types of buses:
airconditioned sleeper buses and cheap+nasty buses. The AC buses are
all in the evenings: 7:30 and 8:30 I think. The cheap buses are all in
the morning + early afternoon: last about 2pm I think. A ticket for an
AC bus normally runs about 250Y, cheap bus 150Y, but prices have been
all over the place lately. Don't pay more than 300Y. I strongly suggest you aim to
arrive at Yinhu in the early afternoon and buy a ticket for the AC bus.
This should assure you a ticket. (In the unlikely event that all of
the tickets are sold out, you can get a room at the hotel in the bus
station for about 40Y). Once you have your ticket in hand, walk back
into the hotel-lobby-looking area, turn left, and go into the waiting
room. There is a big electronic board with info about bus arrivals +
departures, but it is in Chinese, so you'll need to know what Guilin
looks like to read it (it should be on your ticket). They're also very
nice to foreigners at the bus station, so I'm sure the staff will help
you if you have any problems.
- While you're waiting for the bus, give us a ring to tell us which
bus you'll be on. Home number: 0773-8813651
- Take the bus. The air conditioned sleeper buses only stops twice:
Yangshuo, followed by Guilin. The driver will know from your ticket that
you'll be getting off at Yangshuo.
- On arrival in Yangshuo, give us a ring and we'll meet you at the
station. Home number: 0773-8813651
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