Reviews

Most Inspirational Moment

Seeing the Terracotta Army was for me the most inspirational part of the trip. The size of the find and how much they still have to uncover, so much so that they are leaving a huge proportion to future generations to explore as they have so much to do already.

Thoughts on Group Leader

Our group leader Jane could t have been more helpful or considerate, she was a delight and went out of her way to help everyone making sure that we were all comfortable and supported. She was also very knowledgeable about every part of the trip. She will be truly missed.

Advice for Potential Travellers

August is the Chinese school holidays and also the hottest time of the year so really crowded everywhere and extremely hot and humid. Think about going at a different time of the year!

Suggestions

I throughly enjoyed the trip, we saw so much and experienced so much. All was well organised. Comfortable hotels and great food. Lots to see and do. And many many steps! Worst day was 45 flights of stairs! Wish I’d started counting the steps when I arrived. Lots of walking and half of them upor down or so it seemed! If you go in the summer take clothes that can be easily washed through, it’s very, very sweaty!

Most Inspirational Moment

Climbing the Great Wall of China at Mutiayun! That was an achievement for me - I didn't think that I would manage to climb to the top but I did!

Thoughts on Group Leader

Excellent - Kris, our tour guide, is professional, knowledgeable, friendly and caring - exceptional. Kris made the tour fun and a fabulous experience.

Advice for Potential Travellers

Manage your own expectations and others about limited access and availability of wi fi and ability to contact family and friends easily. Take "roll on" or "liquid" insect repellent and not pressurised or "flammable" ones as these are not allowed in cabin luggage on trains, or aircraft.

Suggestions

I highly recommend Exodus and this tour - excellent trip and a great tour company.

Most Inspirational Moment

Lots, but the Great Walk and Yangshuo Light Show were both spine-tingling.

Thoughts on Group Leader

Kangzhu was amazing. Everything ran smoothly with presumably lots of arranging behind the scenes. She also created a relaxed and friendly atmosphere, even with a busy schedule. She helped us all get great food, including non-meat eaters. She definitely went above what was required, helping people find particular gifts, bringing us breakfast on the overnight train and working very long hours. She was a complete star! And very good company.

Advice for Potential Travellers

Expect a busy time!

Most Inspirational Moment

The most inspiring thing about our China trip was being able to experience the local life. I had in my naivety not realised that we would be a novelty to many of the Chinese people. They too are travelling in their country and are enjoying the sights we are seeing. Many of them have travelled very long distances from their homes where they never come across any foreigners. Many times they would ask to take photos of us on their phones. The Great Wall and Terracotta Warriors are everything you hoped to see. Beijing, Tiananmen Square, The Forbidden Palace are all much bigger than you realise. The whole tour enables you to see so many wonderful things. I feel pleased that I have had the chance to see how China is developing at a lightening pace. Go and see it now because it is changing all the time.

Thoughts on Group Leader

This was our first time with Exodus and the first time on a guided tour. Nothing prepares you for how amazing China is. It would have been really difficult to appreciate everything without our wonderful guide Vivian Xi. She translated the language, explained Chinese customs, took care of all the internal travel details, explained all about the tour destinations we were visiting, ordered our food in the restaurants when we could not understand the menus and made sure each member of the group was happy with the arrangements. A truly customer service minded, thoughtful person. I feel we would have missed so much without her.

Advice for Potential Travellers

I have mentioned above that you need to be fit to enjoy this tour. There were some travellers in our group of sixteen who had not done their research or benefitted from a good travel agent as we had. These people were not comfortable walking the distances needed and therefore unable to enjoy the full China experience. We travelled on local buses, mini buses, bullet trains, one internal fight and three overnight soft sleeper trains. All transport was well organised but the overnight trains are slow and noisy and you don’t get much rest. You need to know that sometimes you could be sharing a four bed compartment with strangers. We found the bunks clean but hard. There is usually one squatty and one potty toilet in each carriage. You only need a minimum of “pretty clothes” Comfortable clothes and shoes in practical colours suitable for any weather conditions. We had a little rain, clear days and some dull incredibly humid days. Laundry services are available in the hotels and our guide helped us with these details. We read lots of the previous reviews and gained lots of tips from them.

Suggestions

The Yangtze cruise has some lovely scenery but don’t think it will be a rest and you can enjoy them. There are excursions each day that you probably don’t want to miss. When you are moored at a venue you could find another boat moored along side you. We actually had one moored each side of us and I could have stepped onto their decks with no difficulty. This meant, no views and the smoking fumes from other crew members coming into your cabin if you left you balcony door open. The breakfasts in most of the hotels has a western choice as well as Chinese style. Fill up you tummies in the mornings. The Chinese menus later for your lunch or dinner may or may not be to your liking. There are McDonald’s, Pizza Hut and KFC in the cities when you just have to have something you recognise. Go with a sense of adventure and lots of energy, you will need it.

Most Inspirational Moment

The Great Wall was great, the Three Gorges cruise on the Yangtze, the cycling in the country amongst the limestone karsts, amazing landscape. There were a number of other WOW factors not least of which was the food.

Thoughts on Group Leader

Leon was excellent: very knowledgeable about all the areas that we visited, he was helpful on a personal level as well as to the group particularly when it came to ordering food where the menus were only in Chinese. He was well up to the standard of tour leaders that I had come to expect of Exodus. His English was excellent also.

Advice for Potential Travellers

Travelling in China could be a bit of a challenge particularly as there is little English spoken and much of the signs even at airports and railway stations are in Chinese. Having a competent Chinese speaker with you, such as we had, made life much easier. The trip was billed as 1 leisurely. I think a 2 grading would be more exact; the steps up to the great wall and later on up to the Moon Rock were something of a challenge for some.

Suggestions

Keep your eyes open and look for quaint English translations of signs.

Most Inspirational Moment

The pandas at Chengdu,the terracotta warriors, the scenery at Yangzhou, the dam,the cycle ride on the walls at Xian, the food..... Good fun learning Mahjong! The Great Wall is excellent although it takes ages to get there because of the traffic. Fantastic walking. Shanghai is very interesting....lots to see.

Thoughts on Group Leader

Alan Liu is such a good leader. He is always smiling and his English is excellent. His knowledge of history and politics is very good and he is very good at explaining ideas.He was always counting us...no one got lost! He was so good in the restaurants choosing dishes for us to share....the food was wonderful. He was always on task....everything worked like clockwork. He really is a five star leader and such a nice person. He was very patient... the group although small had varying levels of fitness and he always waited to make sure no one got left behind. I felt very confident travelling with him.

Advice for Potential Travellers

It is full on but no more than other Exodus trips. The luggage situation at stations was not so bad as I expected....there are slopes beside stairs so you can roll your bag up or down but the Chinese people are so friendly and I had help every time without asking! You do need a sleeping bag liner...the train duvets etc are ok but not great. The third train trip is from 1.00pm to 5.00 in the morning....then a bus ride, then a orientation tour, then a Chinese cookery class. Drink lots of water there...I got really ill as did a few others that day. Just a bit too much in the heat. There are lots of washing opportunities. The hotels are generally good...you don't usually get shampoo etc but always a toothbrush!

Suggestions

The acrobat show in Shanghai and the Light show in Yangzhou are both very good. The Great Wall is excellent..no need for hiking boots....walking sandals are ok. Very little English spoken. No Facebook or google!

Most Inspirational Moment

I particularly enjoyed the visit to the Panda Breeding Programme in Chengdu and seeing the baby pandas -such a conservation success story.

Thoughts on Group Leader

The leader Alan - Liu Bin was excellent, my only criticism was that he only seemed to have one speed which was fast, I prefer to amble and take in my surroundings particularly in a country with a different culture and this was not possible when trying to keep up with Alan. Alan gave us a very interesting and informative session on China's take on disputed territories which presented a different viewpoint from that we have been given in the West. Alan was very organised and full of information, he worked constantly but still maintained a good sense of humour.

Advice for Potential Travellers

If you are not happy to use squat toilets I found that the disabled cubicle usually contained a 'potty' style. Coffee was not generally provided in hotel rooms so some sachets are useful.

Suggestions

Hotels in China do not provide maps, I found this very frustrating and feel that Exodus should provide maps of the area around the hotels used with information of suggested places to eat/drink and transport options to places of interest, it is not possible to print these before departure as hotels are not notified until arrival. As a consequence of the lack of maps I do not feel that I had an overview of the cities visited (spatial awareness). I found the food pretty boring, as the only non-meat eater I found that meat dishes were served first (a cultural norm) and often sat with just a couple to veg dumplings while the rest of the group tucked in, when the vegetables (and rice) eventually arrived they were usually rather bland and boring and the rest of the group were nearly finished eating. I would have welcomed the opportunity to pick a dish for myself from the menu. The much vaunted Sichaun Hot Pot was rubbish for me as the spicy part contains ox fat so I could not cook my food there and just had to use the boring unspicy broth. Three nights on trains was too many and Exodus should look at tweaking the itinerary as there was some wasted time waiting for trains and also when we go on the boat. Overall a very good enjoyable trip - I found China interesting and am very pleased I chose this trip as it gave a great overview.

Most Inspirational Moment

Walking a stunning stretch of The Great Wall. Cycling through the stunning scenery in Yangshuo.

Thoughts on Group Leader

Jane (Weijie) Liu was a wonderful addition to the tour, offering a knowledgeable background to the history of China and all locations visited, together with a great sense of humour and patience with all members of the group. Not to mention an incredibly hard-working approach and willingness to go the extra mile to keep everyone satisfied. Any group that finds Jane leading their tour will be very lucky.

Advice for Potential Travellers

Walk every path, climb every hill and explore at every opportunity - there is so much more to discover...and stunning scenery too. Invest in a good quality camera. You will return with photos to treasure. The optional tours give an added flavour of life in China and can be recommended....although maybe not the Beijing opera.

Suggestions

3 weeks for a tour of China? I could have stayed for much longer!

Most Inspirational Moment

Bejing, Great Wall, Chengdou Dou and Shanghai

Thoughts on Group Leader

I cannot praise Jane enough, (The best things come is small packages) she was professional, unflappable, super organised and helpful. Jane has a wicked sense of humour, if I could book Jane to be my next Exdous guide I would. Thinking of walking in North America next year, can you organise Exodus?

Advice for Potential Travellers

Read the trip notes, ensure you pack light and can carry your cases ( easy to organise laundry and ball gowns are not required) Take advantage of every optional tour you won't regret it.

Suggestions

Do not be faint hearted - if your are prepared to be out of your comfort zone and want a different holiday - book this trip now

Most Inspirational Moment

It was an amazing trip with so many highlights it is hard to name just one. The Great Wall is exactly as named - Great, the Panda breeding and conservation centre was lovely, the scenery in many places was completely unique. The sheer size and complexity of the Terra Cotta Warriors site was incredible, the story about how they were discovered and the work that had to be done to produce what is visible today is amazing.

Thoughts on Group Leader

Our group leader - Jenny was lovely. She went the extra mile to make sure everything ran as smoothly as possible for us working tirelessly to make sure all the arrangements for all the excursions were made in order for us to have a brilliant trip. She always had a smile and was very patient and understanding when dealing with any problems or requests members of the group might have.

Advice for Potential Travellers

The beds on the sleeper trains appeared clean but if you got on the train part way through it's journey bedding was not changed so silk sleeping bag liners made us feel more comfortable!! Public toilets are everywhere and free to use but are mostly 'squat' style and having your own toilet paper accessible at all times is essential! Before we arrived at the port our tour guide told us that there was an option to upgrade to the VIP dining restaurant which was limited to about 30 people for each cruise, she explained that the extra cost gave us assigned tables and free wine and beer with meals but the main advantage was that it was away from the 'free for all' nature of the main dining room. After consideration the whole group opted for the upgrade and we were very pleased that we had done as it gave us a much more relaxed dining experience - it was money well spent!! Before we left we were unsure what to do about money for the trip so we took a reasonable amount of Yuen plus credit and debit cards. It turned out that most of the time we needed cash, all of the optional excursions were paid for in cash as were the group meals that were not included as well as drinks for all the meals. There were plenty of ATM's available in all of our destinations and the guide was happy to take whoever needed cash when necessary. Credit and debit cards were acceptable in larger shops but cash was used most of the time. Be prepared to barter for your purchases! We did a lot of the optional excursions on the basis that we may never be in China again and every one was worth the extra cost.

Suggestions

This is an amazing trip but there is a lot of walking and there are stairs at many of the places of interest. The stairs at the stations were hard work, it is rated as leisurely but that is not a word I would use to describe it, great but 'full on'!!