5. Check Out the Cormorant Fishermen
Some local Yangshuo fisherman still use the age-old traditional style of catching fish with cormorant birds. This is mostly a display put on for the tourists these days, but it is fascinating to watch this effective fishing method nonetheless. The trained aquatic hunting birds are fitted with a ring around the throat that allows them to swallow small fish, but any larger fish they catch can be retrieved for the fisherman’s bounty. It may sound a little off-putting to eat fish coughed up from a bird’s gullet, but it’s an efficient demonstration of man/bird teamwork. The cormorants’ fishing instincts are sharp, and loyalty to their human masters is ingrained as hatchlings. Early evening is the best time to watch the cormorant Huangs on the rivers near Yangshuo.
6. Explore the Caves
The nearby city of Guilin is famous for its magnificent Reed Flute Cave, but Yangshuo boast quite a few worthy cave systems too. Silver Cave on the road to Lipu is an impressive cavern open to tourist exploration, with colored spotlights illuminating the limestone stalagmites and stalactites. Longmen Cave near the Moon Hill Scenic Area is popular as it has an subterranean river that can be traversed by a small boat. Buddha Water Cave and Real Water Cave, also close to Moon Hill, are two other large cave systems with lots of cool rock formations. Bring a swim suit and towel as you’ll have a fun opportunity to take a mud bath here, then wash off in a crystal clear pool.
