Probably the longest and best photograph day tour in the World.

We're Andy and Mia, a Brit and Finn that are highly allergic to vanilla tours.

We've spent years helping travel firms develop and improve itineraries and guiding standards. In the end, due to their cookie cutter approach, a focus on the mass market, inability to control standards, and a lack of guides that understand photographers, we never found a tour we would buy or recommend to friends visiting.

We decided to create a trip we would buy, the kind of trip we'd love to take.

We hope you do too!

This is that trip! We've maximised your time, selected the very best sights, and designed it to give you the very best jam packed photography day tour possible.

If we had just one day to show you, Trey Ratcliff, Nikon, or our family the very best of Guilin, this is it!  

A Truly Time Smart Day Tour

A day is a short time to cover such a diverse region. However, we have selected the most impressive and iconic photography locations, the type of places that are most likely to give you a portfolio shot. 

10 Reasons this is Smart

We've designed your day to be the very best use of time, and visit awesome locations.

1. No wasted time in Guilin city traffic jams. You're out early & back late.
2. Best dramatic mountain top sunrise.
3. Enjoy the Li River before the crowds and lines of noisy tourist ships fill the river.
4. Stop and take photos where you like. 
5. Enjoy 1.5-2 hours on the most dramatic part of the Li River and avoid the 4-hour cruise plus 1 hr tourist coach transfer to the cruise. Which in the end takes you to touristy Yangshuo West Street.
6. Rural hike for a unique afternoon view.
7. Photography session with 4th generation photogenic fishermen.
8. Ancient town, possible local food market
9. We pay for fast toll roads whenever possible. All firms we consulted for in Guilin avoid toll roads for cost saving.
10. Your return to Guilin is late at night, a time where there are no traffic jams. Typically tourists are starting to drive back to Guilin 3/3.30pm. We start back on average at 8pm.

Those are just a few of the reasons.

Day Tour Focus

Guilin offers rice terraces, the Li River, karst mountain landscapes, the Yangshuo countryside, ethnic village tribal people, rural family visits and a host of ancient villages to explore. 

On this photography day tour we focus on mountain landscapes and cormorant fishing environmental portraits with Yangshuo countryside area. This is the most popular request we receive and it offers the most iconic shots and varied types of shots.

Focused on getting you shots

Our years of experience mean we handpick the best net throwers. We arrange the net throwing shoot during the early evening warm strong light, utilizing the sun as a backdrop to freeze those water drops.

Net Throwing on the Li River

A Bad Day with Us
This next photo was taken during a mild flood, where we know one overseas workshop (using a local Chinese travel agency) was told to cancel the shoot, they all went back to the hotel early, as they were told the river was brown and had no reflections. :(

That same day we had two groups and two guides out, and this photo is one of the shots we nailed that same day.

It's not always possible, sometimes we can't even get on the river in heavy flood, but boy we're do our best for you! If anyone can we can.

Guilin Cormorant Fishermen on the Li River

We know some unique areas that can sometimes still work during a flood, and can still offer wonderful reflections in calm puddles, even with fast moving rivers surrounding us. 

We arranged rafts to take the fisherman and our clients upstream to this area, an area that also offers a sunset mountain backdrop. 

There is no certainty of getting out during a flood, and zero change when the river is closed. But we'll go all out to help find you a location that you could make a portfolio shot.

What others say

You can also read reviews on TripAdvisor or our tour reviews page.

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Tour Route - Start & Ending Options

We have three variations based on where you require your tour to starts and end.

A. GUILIN RETURN

Starting in Guilin
Returning to Guilin

At the end of the day, after the cormorant fishing photo session, we will drive downstream 40 minutes (crossing the nearest bridge) before driving back upstream to Guilin City.

The drive takes approx. three hours from where we finish the cormorant fishing shoot. 

You will arrive to your Guilin city hotel about 10-11:00pm.

B. GUILIN > YANGSHUO

Guilin to Yangshuo
or the reverse

Similar to photo tour route A, but after the cormorant fishing session we will drive you over to the Guilin town of Yangshuo. Or vice versa.

We will drop you at any hotel you require in the Yangshuo town or nearby countryside areas. Ideal if you want to explore a day solo.

You will arrive to your Yangshuo hotel about 7-8pm or Guilin 10pm.

C. YANGSHUO RETURN

Starting in Yangshuo
Ending in Yangshuo

We'll pick you up at your Yangshuo hotel around 4-5am and follow our most popular route. 

Save time and the cost of our Yangshuo drivers going to Guilin the previous evening or 2am to collect you. This makes the tour the cheapest we can offer.

You will return to your Yangshuo hotel about 7-8pm.

Rough Day Tour Price Guide

These multi-currency prices are just approximate indications for your convenience. The price depends on where your hotel is located in the city, the fisherman available, no. of fishermen, size and price level of car, and what type of guide you request.

$185 pp 4 people
Your group is 4 people
Total: $739  £473  €667
Book REF: GPT-DT-01GG4

$219 pp 3 people
Your group is 3 people
Total: $657  £419  €593
Book REF: GPT-DT-01GG3

$319 pp 2 people
Your group is 2 people
Total: $638  £407  €573
Book REF: GPT-DT-01GG2

$619 1 person
Based on 1 person 
Total: $619  £396  €557
Book REF: GPT-DT-01GG1

$177 pp 4 people
Your group is 4 people
Total: $709  £453  €639
Book REF: GPT-DT-01GY4

$209 pp 3 people
Your group is 3 people
Total: $627  £401  €563
Book REF: GPT-DT-01GY3

$304 pp 2 people
Your group is 2 people
Total: $609  £389  €549
Book REF: GPT-DT-01GY2

$589 1 person
Based on 1 person 
Total: $589  £377  €531
Book REF: GPT-DT-01GY1

$169 pp 4 people
Your group is 4 people
Total: $679  £434  €613
Book REF: GPT-DT-01YY4

$199 pp 3 people
Your group is 3 people
Total: $598  £383  €539
Book: GPT-DT-01YY3

$289 pp 2 people
Your group is 2 people
Total: $579  £371  €523
Book REF: GPT-DT-01YY2

$559 1 person
Based on 1 person 
Total: $559  £359  €505
Book REF: GPT-DT-01YY1

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• The lowest price per person is based on 3 friends or family of 3 travelling together.
• We only accept card payment. We do not charge extra fees for paying day tours on a card.
• Prices are displayed in various currencies to enable you to quickly understand the approx. costs.
• We charge your credit card in British pounds (GBP) because we are a UK registered company, the rate is calculated at the time of booking from xe.com

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Excludes - The kind that put you in control

Food is fairly cheap. Simple fried rice and veg is less than $5, and starts at $2. The average cost of a shared Chinese meal, about $8 per head, unless you prefer a western meal or hotel restaurant.

We do not cost this into the tour as we want the trip to be flexible. You might want to keep shooting and delay meals, skip meals or snack on the go. we find clients prefer this compared to an all-inclusive; especially on a day tour.  We are happy to recommend places and help you order.

Cormorant Fishing Session - You can decide on the day once you see the weather. You might like to hire more than one fishermen, you might be happy to share or have to share with others. This is dynamic, and so we leave you to pay this at cost price to the fishermen and raft man on the day. 

The average cost of a session is 600 CNY, paid in CNY on the day. This would give you about 2-3 hours model time, from right before sunset right into the blue hour with lamps. We do not make commissions or profits on models. This is their only lively hood now, as the overfishing and pollution mean this is the last of 5 generations of original fishermen on the Li River. Future generations will not be photographing authentic fishermen like this.