Reviews

Most Inspirational Moment

Many really memorable moments but the trip to Yangzhou was really fantastic.

Thoughts on Group Leader

Our leader Hongbin Liu (Alan) was simply amazing and witout exception highly regarded by the whole group. His knowledge and passion for his country and desire to ensure that we came away with a true and balanced view of modern day China made the trip for us. He knew so much about everything. Was incredibly organised, kind, considerate and quickly became a friend. We cannot thank him enough for a wonderful holiday.

Advice for Potential Travellers

Need to be comfortable with the prospect of some long and uncomfortable train journeys. With some tight timings on itinerary.

Suggestions

The overnight sleepers give the trip an additional flavour of China but our view was that the final sleeper to Yangzhou needs a rethink. On a good day the journey time would be a total of 20+ hours but we had delays which seems to be routine and took us to 26 hours. So you lose a day of the holiday and are wiped out on arrival. There are clearly alternatives and these should be considered.

Most Inspirational Moment

Gosh there are just too many to mention as it all lived up to my expectations and in some cases exceeded them. I think the best moment for me was sitting in the rooftop terrace bar in Shanghai with a cocktail and a great group of people discussing all the things we had done on the trip and not believing it was all over! In addition, the limestone karst landscapes of Yangshou was breathtaking, the toboggan run down from the great wall and the early evening bike ride on Xi'an city walls were the best experiences but I have to say and this sounds really cliché but it was the people in the group and the fun we had that was the best part of the whole trip. Spending 3 weeks with strangers on a very busy schedule could be an absolute nightmare but we laughed the whole way round China - it was fabulous!

Thoughts on Group Leader

Gina was fantastic! The way she dealt with and fitted in with the group was great. She really got our sense of humour and did a fantastic job of keeping us in line. The variety of transport and amount of travelling we did seemed seamless as Gina just got on with it and made it happen. Gina felt like part of the group and not just a guide which made the trip even more special.

Advice for Potential Travellers

I'd like to say travel light because of the amount of travel and lugging of suitcases but the climate was such that you really needed those extra clothes to change into as there isn't much time to get any washing done. Take plenty of tissues / toilet roll - there are plenty of public toilets but no toilet paper. There will be LOTS of people but considering the volume the queues move quickly.

Suggestions

Highly recommend the toboggan run down from the great wall - really good fun! Would also highly recommend an evening bike ride on Xi'an city walls. The south gate is actually open until 10pm to return your bikes whereas the other gates tend to close around 7pm. As dusk descends and the lights on the city walls and around the city start to come on - it is just magical! Also recommend going to Sir Elly's rooftop terrace bar (Peninsula Hotel) for cocktails in Shanghai - the view is stunning and the service and hospitality just a perfect way to finish off the trip of a lifetime! :-)

Most Inspirational Moment

Yangshou

Thoughts on Group Leader

Gina was the BEST. Always happy, always efficient, always amusing. If you go on this trip, make sure Gina takes you

Advice for Potential Travellers

Get Gina as leader

Most Inspirational Moment

The Great Wall, Terracotta Army, 3 gorges, the amazing scenery especially around Yangshou.

Thoughts on Group Leader

Our group leader was an absolute star, she coped well with the large group, she was knowledgeable, had the patience of a saint and always had a smile. She really went the extra mile.

Advice for Potential Travellers

Check size of group. Cruise ship was also far larger than expected, 320 as opposed to 150, and was a bit like being at a Butlins camp including the wakey wakey call in the morning that burst through the intercom in your room. Learn some basic phrases in Chinese. Go cycling in the rural areas.

Suggestions

There can be quite a bit of lugging your case up and down stairs in stations so travel as lightly as you can.

Most Inspirational Moment

The Great Wall and the Panda breeding centre.

Thoughts on Group Leader

Alan was very considerate and helpful. Among the best tour guides I have encountered.

Advice for Potential Travellers

Be prepared for crowds. If you not already proficient with chopsticks then get some practice in. Get a phrasebook, very little English is spoken. If you want to avoid the strict internet censorship, download a VPN before you go (I used Vypr - £6.00 for a month - no problems.) Most electrical sockets took plugs of various sizes, though flat two pin was most common. Bank of China ATMs are reasonably common and reliable. Take a cup and some tea/coffee for the trains - hot water is available.

Suggestions

Hotels are good, and every one supplied a kettle and wifi. Food is generally very good, though a little samey. There are alternatives in the cities. The choice for vegetarians was surprisingly limited though not impossible. (I recommend a visit to the Pure Lotus Vegetarian restaurant in Yangshou - best veggy meal I've ever had). "The Legend of KungFu" in Beijing is very westernised and so cliched it was laughable. The acrobat show in Shanghai is rather good. While on the cruise, when the ship lands you are not allowed off unless you are on an official tour. All in all it's a great trip.

Most Inspirational Moment

Terra Cotta warriors, Great Wall, Tiananmen Square, pandas, were all fantastic. But what struck me was what a capitalist society China really is. Everything is for sale everywhere by individuals, and in areas there are a lot more luxury autos than I would ever see in my country. Not sure what happened to communism. The huge population is striking, we would pass a "small" city of 10 million that u have never heard of!

Thoughts on Group Leader

Alan was great, in China lots can go wrong, including streets so flooded we could not pass them to get to our train station ( he got us there), but he seemed very organized, giving suggestions for bakeries and food, ordering group dinners. He also expressed some of the shortcomings of his county, and his English was very good. He worked very hard!!

Advice for Potential Travellers

Facebook and more importantly gmail did not work in China, important if u have to stay in contact for business or personal reasons. It is very hot in August and there is a lot of walking. Always carry toilet paper and of course the standard of toilets is quite low except at hotels. The standard on the trains is very low but no one died on our trip, it is what it is, it is China. If u are a coffee addict take some instant, if u really like cream in your coffee, take some coffee mate. U will be carrying your bags up and down stairs in train stations. Generally u will get pushed and shoved, it is China u learn to push back. Traffic is crazy, be careful as a pedestrian and have patience when riding a bike. We went a day early to Beijing and had a great day exploring using the subway. We happened to luck out with a cheap 2 day stopover in Tokyo on the way back, the contrasts were amazing, worth trying if u have time. We took cable car up the wall, i am glad given the limited time u have to explore the wall it allowed me to see more of the wall, but I am a slow hiker!!

Suggestions

This is a great trip, I suspect u will experience parts of China u would not on more expensive tours. Our guide was very good who worked very hard. Try new things, the food in the markets is unique and fun, try the subway, generally all our guides suggestions were great (shows, food, even taking us to a basement food market one night). But remember IT IS CHINA!

Most Inspirational Moment

There were many, but I've selected two. Walking along the Great Wall and seeing it weave ahead over the mountains in to the distance, imagining all the thousands of people involved in it's construction. Second top moment was being among the Karst Mountains - summiting one that was right behind our hotel in Yangshuo and cycling along the Yulong river with the peaks as a glorious backdrop.

Thoughts on Group Leader

In a nutshell, he was brilliant. He was cool, calm and collected throughout the trip and really wanted us to get a sense of China, it's history and how it's developing in the modern day. Nothing seemed to be too much trouble for him and he had a great sense of humour - not sure how he maintained that, particularly when rivers of water where running down the streets in Xi'ian and it seemed a certain bet that we'd miss our train to Chengdu - however he was right to be calm as we had loads of time in the end!

Advice for Potential Travellers

My advice would be to make sure you are pretty fit as this is quite a full on trip, lugging baggage on and off various forms of transport and there are some great active optional activities to take up too. Be prepared for high volumes of people and when jostled, jostle back or you won't move very far! Also, go soon as from what we experienced China is changing fast.

Suggestions

The slightly unexpected pleasure on this trip was the range of delicious food, particularly in Sichuan. Usually our guide did the selections for us and we had some great, very reasonably priced food throughout the holiday.

Most Inspirational Moment

Photographs of the Terracotta Army don't really prepare you for the vastness of what is only a fraction of the whole site, and the detail of the warriors is fascinating right down to the tread on the boot of a kneeling archer warrior. The pandas were pretty cool too - but they DO look like dudes in panda suits (I tried very hard to see the zip)! The food was fantastic everywhere we went (with the possible exception of Congee - a Chinese breakfast I never quite mastered). Cycling round the walls of Xi'an.

Thoughts on Group Leader

One of the great things about the best Exodus tour leaders is that they get you to places at the best times to beat the crowds. Our leader Xin worked tirelessly, the clock-round for two and a half weeks.

Advice for Potential Travellers

I loved this journey, but we need to be honest about the intensity of the schedule. Despite the lack of physical "activities" on this trip, it is arduous. Negotiating the main railway station at a city of more than 30 million people (when most of them seem to be crushing to get in to the station), 16-hour train journeys in filthy compartments, squat toilets with dire hygiene, pollution which catches in the back of your throat - this trip covers huge distances and is pretty intense, takes it out of you, and you need to be stronger than the activity rating would suggest. There is very little "downtime" and Chinese hotels don't have much in the way of common areas where you can chill out, swim or watch the world go by. None of this can be changed by Exodus, it is part of the experience of this much China, but it is not for the faint-hearted. Psych yourself up and power on through. The rewards of this fascinating country are fantastic, even if they don't come easily!

Suggestions

Keep the packing as light as possible and if you are not used to carrying it in a rucksack, take a wheelie case as you will be schlepping it a long way through all those immense railway stations. Maybe take a plastic mug - hot water is readily available on trains, and you can buy tea.

Most Inspirational Moment

Seeing the pandas they were lovely. It made me realise how delicate and fragile nature is, these animals would struggle to survive in the wild In complete contrast the 3 gorges dam project was a huge technological undertaking, I wondered if the disruption it caused was justified

Thoughts on Group Leader

Ting-Ting was excellent. She managed the group over a very long and exhausting holiday.

Advice for Potential Travellers

There are three overnight train journeys. You have to carry your own luggage over considerable distances to and inside the station. Pack as light as possible.

Most Inspirational Moment

The many & diverse ethnicities of the Chinese people with their own different traditions & identities. The sheer size & enormity of the country that has grown so rapidly (complete with its huge numbers of German cars).

Thoughts on Group Leader

Jenny, wow what can we say, except that she's just an amazing, inclusive, intelligent, inspirational group leader, whose knowledge knew no bounds. Her grasp of English & associated humour was a real treat. Jenny was forever mindful of the groups needs & wants. Two group members had birthdays during the tour & Jenny made sure that they were memorable. This was a really nice touch & was appreciated by all

Advice for Potential Travellers

Do not bring US dollars as changing them is time consuming due to long queues in the banks. ATM's are in abundance (easy to use & instructions in English) Don't forget your toilet paper (none available in public toilets) You must: 1 - Go up the Shanghai World Financial Centre, for some spectatcular views from the 100th floor 2 - Eat at the Pure Lotus Vegetarian restaurant in Yangshuo (you could turn vegetarian after just one meal!) 3 - Visit the Han tombs Museum before they get too well known (optional excursion)

Suggestions

We were very fortunate in having a group of 16 people, ranging from 40 to 72 years all having diverse expectations. Everyone had a shared sense of humour, experienced great fun & adventure. This was truly a special & memorable holiday, we'd love to go back.