A Travel Price Comparison for Families, Couples, and Backpackers Guilin vs. Royal Chitwan National Park for Vacations, Tours, and Honeymoons

Should you visit Guilin or Royal Chitwan National Park?

Which is cheaper to visit? Which is more expensive for vacation?

Which city is more affordable and which is best for your travel style? If you're trying to figure out where to go next, comparing the travel costs between Guilin and Royal Chitwan National Park can help you decide which place is right for you.

Where Should I go: Guilin or Royal Chitwan National Park?

Guilin

Guilin is a city in Southern China situated on the west bank of the Li River with Hunan to the north. Its name means, "Forest of Sweet Osmanthus," owing to the large number of fragrant Sweet Osmanthus trees located in the city. Products like tea, sugar, and wine, can be made from the tree and are found in many shops throughout Guilin. A popular tourist destination, the city is renowned for its scenery of karst topography with unique mountains jutting out of the urban landscape.

Royal Chitwan National Park

The majestic elephant, the silly monkey and dozens of soaring birds call the Royal Chitwan National Park home. At the foot of the Himalayas, this UNESCO World Heritage Site is 932 square kilometers of animal and plant life preservation in Nepal.

Once the favorite hunting ground for Nepal's ruling class, the area began seeing the endangerment of all the area animals. So in 1957, Nepal passed its first conservation law to protect the rhinos and their habitat. At the end of the 1960s, however, DDT had cleared 70% of Royal Chitwan National Park jungles, thousands of people had created moved in on the land and only 95 rhinos were left. By 1977 the park was under complete protection, enlarged to the present-day size and is one of the last refuges of the Bengal tiger.

This park, also known as "the heart of the jungle," provides over 70,000 annual visitors with opportunities to get close and personal with animals they've only seen in movies. Fair warning, however, the weather is quite hot and humid for most of the year.

For some great organized tour ideas, see The Best Hiking & Trekking Tours in China, The Best Historical Tours in China, The Best One-Week (7-Day) Tours from Pokhara, and The Best Family-Friendly Tours to Nepal.


Which place is cheaper, Royal Chitwan National Park or Guilin?

These are the overall average travel costs for the two destinations.

The average daily cost (per person) in Guilin is $67, while the average daily cost in Royal Chitwan National Park is $35. These costs include accommodation (assuming double occupancy, so the traveler is sharing the room), food, transportation, and entertainment. While every person is different, these costs are an average of past travelers in each destination. What follows is a categorical breakdown of travel costs for Guilin and Royal Chitwan National Park in more detail.



Accommodation
  • Accommodation Hotel or hostel for one person
    Guilin $34
    Royal Chitwan National Park $11
  • Accommodation Typical double-occupancy room
    Guilin $68
    Royal Chitwan National Park $22
Compare Hotels in Guilin and Royal Chitwan National Park

Looking for a hotel in Guilin or Royal Chitwan National Park? Prices vary by location, date, season, and the level of luxury. See below for options and compare which is best for your budget and travel style.

Hotels in Guilin


Hotels in Royal Chitwan National Park


Kayak helps you find the best prices for hotels, flights, and rental cars for destinations around the world. Compare prices for multiple destinations when planning your next trip.


Our Analysis
We've analyzed the average and typical hotel prices based on guest reviews, star ratings, and hotel amenities here: Royal Chitwan National Park Hotel Prices.

Local Transportation
  • Local Transportation Taxis, local buses, subway, etc.
    Guilin $5.76
    Royal Chitwan National Park $22
Typical Local Transportation Prices in Guilin

Some typical examples of transportation costs in Guilin are as follows:


  • Taxi
    $2.76

Hired Cars and Shuttles in Guilin

Some specific examples of transportation prices in Guilin:

  • Yangshuo Via Ferrata with Round way private transfer from Guilin hotel: $92
  • Private Transfer: Guilin Airport to Yangshuo Hotel: $115
  • Private Transfer from Yangshuo/Guilin to Sanjiang and stops Longji Rice Terraces: $160
  • Private Transfer from Guilin to Zhaoxing and stops at Longji terraces: $168
  • Private Transfer from Guilin to Zhaoxing and stops at Chengyang Dong Village: $197
  • Private Transfer from Guilin to Fenghuang and stops at Longji rice terraces area: $267
  • Private Transfer from Guilin to Fenghuang and stops at Chengyang Dong Village: $267
  • Private Transfer from Guilin hotel to Yangshuo hotel: $37
  • Private Transfer from Guilin hotel to Xingping hotel: $64
  • Private Guilin Airport Transfer to Yangshuo: $42
  • Private Departure Transfer: Downtown Guilin Hotel to Airport (KWL): $25
  • Private Departure Transfer from Hotel to Guilin Train Stations: $17

Hired Cars and Shuttles in Royal Chitwan National Park

Also for Royal Chitwan National Park, here are a few examples of actual transportation services:

  • Chitwan to Kathmandu One Way Transfer by Private AC Car : $75

Is it cheaper to fly into Guilin or Royal Chitwan National Park?

Prices for flights to both Royal Chitwan National Park and Guilin change regularly based on dates and travel demand. We suggest you find the best prices for your next trip on Kayak, because you can compare the cost of flights across multiple airlines for your prefered dates.





Food
  • Food Meals for one day
    Guilin $22
    Royal Chitwan National Park $9.44
Typical Food Prices in Guilin

Below are a few samples from actual travelers for food and meal costs in Guilin:


  • Fresh Coconut Drink
    $1.38

Food Tours and Cooking Classes in Guilin

Also, here are some specific examples of food and dining related activities in Guilin.

  • Half day Yangshuo Cooking lesson Small Group Tour: $62
  • Full-Day Li-River with the 4 Star Luxury Boat VIP Room and Yangshuo Cooking Tour: $286

Entertainment
  • Entertainment Entrance tickets, shows, etc.
    Guilin $28
    Royal Chitwan National Park $9.63
Typical Entertainment Prices in Guilin

Here are a few typical costs in Guilin for activities, ticket prices, and tours that come from previous visitors:


  • Entrance to the Caves
    $17

Tours and Activities in Guilin

Here are a few actual costs in Guilin for available activities, ticket prices, and tours:

  • 2-Day Self-Guided Guilin Tour with 4 Star Boat, Yangshuo and Longji Terraces : $200
  • Full-Day Guilin Li-River Cruise with 4 star boat and Reed Flute Cave Tour: $262
  • Full-Day Yangshuo Sunrise and Li-River cruise with the 4 Star Boat Private Tour: $272
  • Longji Rice Terraces Day Tour with the Ping'an and Dazhai Village: $209
  • 1 Day Guilin to Yangshuo with top scenery & culture private tour : $79
  • 1 Day Li River Cruise from Guilin to Yangshuo with Private Guide & Driver: $219
  • 1 Day Private Tour: Li River Cruise from Guilin & Yangshuo Biking: $169
  • 1 Day Relaxing Li River Cruise Private Tour with the 4 Star Luxury Boat VIP Room: $251
  • 1 Day Yangshuo Countryside Cycling and Yulong bamboo boat Private Tour: $94
  • 1 Day Yangshuo Countryside Hiking along the Yulong river Private Tour: $103
  • 1 Day Yangshuo private Day Tour with the Scooter: $105
  • 1 day Guilin Li River Cruise and Yangshuo Countryside with Scooter Private Tour: $204

Tours and Activities in Royal Chitwan National Park

For Royal Chitwan National Park, here are a few prices for actual activities, tours, and tickets provided by various companies:

  • Experience the ride in Lowlands of Nepal: $62
  • 1 Night 2 Days Chitwan Safari Tour: $118
  • Chitwan Jungle Safari Tour: $140
  • 2 Nights 3 Days Chitwan Jungle Safari Tour : $154
  • Chitwan Safari Tour : $160
  • 3 Nights 4 Days Comfortable Chitwan Safari Tour: $195
  • Chitwan Tour Packages: $200

Alcohol
  • Alcohol Drinks for one day
    Guilin $5.72
    Royal Chitwan National Park $6.49


When we compare the travel costs of actual travelers between Guilin and Royal Chitwan National Park, we can see that Guilin is more expensive. And not only is Royal Chitwan National Park much less expensive, but it is actually a significantly cheaper destination. So, traveling to Royal Chitwan National Park would let you spend less money overall. Or, you could decide to spend more money in Royal Chitwan National Park and be able to afford a more luxurious travel style by staying in nicer hotels, eating at more expensive restaurants, taking tours, and experiencing more activities. The same level of travel in Guilin would naturally cost you much more money, so you would probably want to keep your budget a little tighter in Guilin than you might in Royal Chitwan National Park.

If you're trying to decide if either of these two destinations are within your price range, also see Is Guilin Expensive? and Is Royal Chitwan National Park Expensive?.