Cycling in GuangxiCycling in Guangxi is for many people an idea out of the ordinary. I hear people claiming that Guangxi has nothing to offer except of Yangshuo and Guilin. Nanning is mostly mentioned because it is the gateway to Vietnam. So why go there? Are people right? Is Guangxi indeed a province to skip? 
Cycling in Guangxi on the way to Hechi
The answer as usual is obvious. There's enough to see but you need time. There are few entrances possible for the cyclists:
Hong KongHong Kong is an easy option to enter China. You will be easily able to get a visa in Hong Kong and transport into China is easy too.
There are 3 ways are recommend to start your bicycle adventure in China, start : a train to the Hong Kong - China border at Lo Wu and from there:
I would not recommend to cycle out of Shenzhen, done that, never more. It's a busy ugly road with little to see. Instead, take option #3:
I've done all the options mentioned here several times. If you have little time, take a train to Guilin and start from there. In case you want to explore the countryside in between Hong Kong and Guilin, either take a train/bus to Guangzhou and start there but much nicer is to have the boat to Gaoming, I did that twice (first time a boat to Zhaoqing which is no longer operating). Read here about my experience.
Baise to GuilinBaise is the border town with south Yunnan and Guangxi province. It sees few tourists. But it is a hub if you cycle the southern route in Yunnan to Guangxi which leads from Jianshui to Baise. In Baise you have several options.
The road that connects Nanning and Xingyi passes Baise. It's a big busy 4 lane road. I've cycled only parts of it (particularly a short part out of Nanning and about 15 km out of Baise south until the junction to Hechi).  While cycling in Guangxi, you will pass this kind of villages Guilin and the roads to Yangshuo, Liuzhou and NanningGuilin is of course the most visited city in Guangxi. But it's not Guilin you want to visit, it's Yangshuo, 65 km south of Guilin. There are 2 ways to cycle from Guilin to Yangshuo, one is the main road that connects Guilin with Baisha and Yangshuo. More interesting is an old road on the east bank of the river. It is about a week cycling from Guilin to Nanning. There are several ways to go to cycle from Guilin to Nanning :
Nanning itself is a good place to get a day off from your bicycle. There's enough to keep you busy for a few days in parks and markets. If you need it, there's a good bicycle shop not far away. 
The scenic road from Lipu to Taiping and Nanning When you are in front of the railway station, go right. At the first traffic light, go left and go through the tunnel. You will find a big Giant bicycle shop after about 300 meters on your right hand.  The road to Pingxiang and Vietnam The road from Nanning to the border is more interesting than it looks likes. Other directionsSome people want to cycle all the way from Chengdu or Chongqing. It's possible. There are a few roads from the north coming into Guangxi. From Xingyi, road 214 is a busy 4 way street that will lead you straight to Nanning. Another option is to use road 310 down south from Guiyang. However, this road is partly a motorway and thus not available for cyclists.  Karst limestone mountains in the south of the province You can escape it by first cycling to Duyun and from there going south. This road too is quite a big busy road. The road will lead you to Nandan, the first city in Guangxi. The best road for going into Guangxi from the north to my opinion is road number 321 which goes from Guiyang to Duyun and then through Rongjiang, Sanjiang, Longsheng to Guilin. The road to Longsheng, Sanjiang and Zhaoxing is further explore on these two pages: More about Longsheng, Sanjiang, Zhaoxing and Rong'an
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Guilin to NanningCycling in Guangxi to Nanning from Guilin (Yangshuo). It's a around a week cycling, and it's pleasant and not too difficult. Going to Guangxi from YunnanThere is a little traveled road connecting Jianshui with Baise in Guangxi. It's a pleasant alternative for the road to Xingyi Hotel in HuanjiangFinding accommodation in China is seldom difficult and can be dirt cheap. At the border of Guizhou and Guangxi I arrived in Huanjiang and found one of the cheapest and nicest hotels ever. |
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If I am honest,
there are more spectacular areas in China to visit. That doesn't mean Guangxi
is not interesting. There are a few areas worth to cycle through. 
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