Top 10 Tips for a weekend break in Yangshuo, China - from how to avoid a hot air balloon crash to rafting the Yulong River.

Even at 500 metres in a faulty hot air balloon Yangshuo is a breathtaking place. At that nail-biting height the region's famous limestone karsts look even more dramatic; their pointed peaks rising up from flat, green rice fields that spread out from the Li and Yulong rivers.

The town of Yangshuo was until recently a sleepy provincial village. Now it's a bustling tourist hub that has seen phenomenal expansion. Visitors are drawn to the town by the busload, eager to soak up its stunning views and raft down rivers made famous through centuries of Chinese paintings and, more recently, scenes from The Painted Veil.

Parts of Yangshuo can feel a bit like a Chinese Disneyland, especially around West Street. If you're prepared to go off-the-beaten track, and to spend just ¥100 a day on using a local guide, it's easy to experience a Yangshuo that's as far away from package tourism and flag-following lemmings as you can imagine.

TIP 1: The lovely Lilly

We used Lilly Lu for the two days that we were there. She speaks excellent English and can arrange everything from a hot air balloon rescue mission to airport transfers to lightshow tickets to unspoiled stretches of river to simple, but utterly delicious, local dining. Lilly has lived in Yangshuo and its nearby villages all her life. She's an expert on what to do and can guide you to places that package tourists can only dream of. For Lilly's contact details and more info on her tour and services, please leave us a comment with your email address at the bottom of this post.

TIP 2: Cycle far, far away

Get those legs pumping and be prepared to spend at least 2.5 – 3 hours in the saddle. Don't fret: it's flat and easy cycling along river banks and through stunning fields and tiny villages. Bike all the way up to the 400-year old Yulong Bridge and then have lunch. If you're with Lilly she'll show you where to go, but if you're heading up alone make sure you go to the first restaurant downstream from the bridge. The food is fantastic – lots of fresh vegetables stir-fried with garlic, the delicious local specialty "beer fish" and local chicken dishes as well. Note: this is not for the squeamish… if you order fish or chicken you'll see the cooks fetching live catfish from the river or live chickens from a hutch that they polish off in the kitchen and then gut. It's really not that bad, and the end result is well worth any misgivings you might have about ending an innocent life!

TIP 3: When it comes to the rivers, don't follow the crowds

The river trips in Yangshuo are one of the big highlights. At the weekend, especially if it's a public holiday, hundreds of people flock to the water to ride on bamboo rafts and squirt each other with enormous water pistols. If throngs of over excited water rats don't spell tranquility in your book, make sure you make the effort get away from the crowds.

For the Yulong River – bamboo rafts punted by boatmen – spend 3 hours in the saddle biking up to Yulong Bridge and escape the crowds. You'll be rewarded with a 2 hour trip downstream in complete quiet and isolation as it only gets busy for the last 10 minutes (and there it's phenomenonally busy). For the Li River – motorized bamboo rafts – hire a car for the day (only ¥300 - ¥550) and drive to XingPing Town. From there head upstream and you'll be on more or less your own.

TIP 4: Get up early

Set your alarm for 6am and head to Moon Hill. This karst peak has a hole straight through it that makes for some seriously impressive photographs.

You can hike to the top of the peak up a concrete staircase. The steps are pretty steep and it can be hard going unless you're a regular gym bunny. During the summer months the weather gets sticky at about 9am so it's well worth rising early to beat the heat. Getting there before breakfast also means you'll have Moon Hill entirely to yourself; we did and it was amazing.

Once you're at the top you can scramble up a dirt track right to the top of the hole. The guides tell you to allow 1.5 hours for a round-trip. If you're fit it'll take more like 45 minutes.

TIP 5: Breakfast late

The tourist groups tend to leave Yangshuo after breakfast to go sightseeing. If you're prepared to stick around you can wander the town's pretty streets in relative peace. We headed in for breakfast at around 9:30 / 10am and everyone had left. After breakfast at Café Mimosa (16 Gui Hua Road) we spent a relaxed hour exploring old streets that are normally swarming with crowds.

TIP 6: Stay out of town

Daily bicycle rents are cheap (from ¥5 - ¥20 per day), as are taxis (from about ¥30 per trip), so it's easy to travel in from a hotel that's slightly out of town.

We stayed at the Li River Retreat, which was about a 10 minute bike ride from the centre of Yangshuo. The hotel has stunning, un-obscured views from its terraces and balconies. Almost all the rooms have private balconies and they're clean and very reasonably priced (from ¥250 - ¥490 per night). Staff are friendly and can speak English. The Yangshuo Mountain Retreat also gets good reviews from friends who have stayed there (from HK$229 – HK$800 per night).

If you're prepared to stay further outside Yangshuo, the new Hotel of Modern Art gets fantastic write ups (from ¥2080 per night). It's the only hotel in China that's a member of the prestigious Relais and Chateaux alliance.

TIP 7: Don't hot air balloon unless you're very brave

We had a bad experience. At 500m our pilot laughingly announced that we had a small problem. Pointing inside the balloon he told us to look up at the hole that had appeared in the silk. We didn't think it was so funny and spent the 30 minutes it took for us to land in palpations of worry. Added to this terror was my crippling fear of heights: I should never have got into that basket…

Other friends tell of a white-knuckle ride that involved crash landing in the trees on the side of a steep karst.

Although everyone in Yangshuo does their best to convince you that the balloon pilots are highly experienced, that it's not dangerous and that there have never been any accidents don't believe them. Hot air ballooning is by far and away the most expensive activity you can do in Yangshuo (¥700 - ¥900 per person for 70 minutes) and the local operators want your business.

TIP 8: Check out Fuli

This small town is home to families of fan makers. For centuries Fuli's inhabitants have painted fans and scrolls depicting traditional scenes. They used to make fans for the queen of one of the Chinese dynasties.

If you want to buy scrolls or fans whilst you're in Yangshuo it's worth hiring a car and visiting Fuli as they're about a third of the price and of a much higher quality than the ones selling in Yangshuo's markets. Expect to pay about ¥200 for a big silk fan.

TIP 9: If you're going for the weekend forget about Guilin

The boat trip down the Li River from Guilin to Yangshuo takes about six hours and you have to pack onto a big cruiser. If you're only visiting for the weekend it makes far more sense to arrange for a car to pick you up from Guilin airport and drive you straight to Yangshuo that night. The stretches of river around Yangshuo are quieter and you can travel them on a traditional bamboo raft away from hordes of snap-happy tourists.

Guilin is also a city with 1.32 million inhabitants – it's not the quaint town some brochures depict. If you're in search of peace and quiet ditch the city and head straight for Yangshuo. Hotels can organise a car from the airport (¥380 one way, travel time 2 hours) as can Lilly.

TIP 10: Don't go in a guided group to the light show

It's not as complicated as people have you believe. If your hotel or guide organizes the tickets for you then arrange a driver and go on your own. You'll save being herded about like cattle and will be able to escape the crowds and mayhem much more quickly. Tickets to the light show cost ¥180 per person.

All photos © Emma Torry / Bryony Greenwell