Highlights of China

Our Clients’ Reviews

Here at Exodus we thrive on feedback from our customers. It's the only way we can ensure our trips continue to be the best they can be. So, for the real tales, twists and turns of the trip you're interested in, look no further than the reviews from our previous travellers. Any feedback collected (Good or bad) from Exodus clients is posted straight onto our website - totally unedited. Read more...

Average Review Rating: from 28 reviews.

Sally Gosling

HIGHLIGHTS OF CHINA

Written April 2012
This was a great way to see China in a short time..this holiday blasts all the five senses. We were fortunate to travel with a lovely group of interesting friendly travellers.
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What was the most inspirational moment of your trip?
I loved finally seeing the Great Wall and enjoyed the lengthy time we spent walking along it. There were very few people on the wall despite being a busy Chinese holiday. We took a cable car up walked up to Tower 21 and back down to Tower 6..where we took the toboggan down to lunch!
I loved the bamboo rafting esp when we went over the mini waterfalls!! The first raft ride involved noisy outboard motors which although took us along a scenic route the quieter pole pushed bamboo ride the next day was much more as I had expected.
I enjoyed the cycle rides along the city wall in Xian and through the rice field to Moon Hill.
The cooking class was fantastic..now I know why my sitr frys never tasted as good as they smelt!!
Spending time with my husband and holding hands whilst we cycled the wall in X'ian.
What did you think of your group leader?
William was lively funny and always tried his best to accomodate all our needs. He took on the role of group leader at the last minute when Vivien became ill. He was very organised and we were never late for anything. He was always smiling and full of energy teaching us Majong at 07.30 in the morning! I was a bit picky with my food but William always ordered something to eat that I liked. William might not always have understood the request first time but once he understood how important it was to us he went the extra mile to get it sorted. This included finding a pack of cards on the overnight train ride, finding a restaurent we wanted to go to. William made sure we tasted some ' local flavours' including dumplings, bull frog and white lightening!
Do you have any advice for potential travellers?
Check the weather forcast before you go and take clothers accordingly..pack light!!!
Take a bag with wheels on it..we did need to carry our bags a fair way but there was always plenty of time and plenty of rests.
Practice squatting before you go!!! Yes there were a few dire toilets but at least you don't have to sit down!!! Nearly all touristy areas had a western toilet.
Do read up about China before you go esp the history of the Wall and T. Army.
Respect the culture!
Is there anything else you would like to add?
Do the bamboo river ride with poles not the out board motor.
Do the sight seeing on/ off bus in Shanghi..the info via the headphones is great.
Do the river cruise in Shanghi at night...breathtaking
Do the night market in Beijing to try deep fried scorpions (no I didn't but you could!!)
Cocktalls at sunset in the Grand Hyatt (ok it was a bit foggy but great to see the night lights coming on over Shanghi)
Do take a river boat ride in Tongli.
We sadly missed the chance to see the terrace fields which was not mentioned or offered as a day trip in Yangshoo, early start at 07 30, great 'rice' experience according to some other travellers who took it.
Hotel in Tongli was beautiful but needs to be reviewed from house keeping point of view big time!!
Exodus could review the bus/transport used ok for me with little legs but very uncomfortable for most esp with luggage crammed on. This has been mentioned previously so would have expected it to be sorted out by now.
Everyone we met was friendly and a polite repeated no, smile and no eye contact seemed to put off hawkers etc. I did not find them a problem.
Go with an open mind, learn hello, thank you, and ice cold beer please, add an extra 100 pounds to the optional extras and have a fabulous holiday!!
Well done Exodus!
Simon Saunders

HIGHLIGHTS OF CHINA

Written March 2012
There were many brilliant moments on this holiday and we very much enjoyed all of it. The trip was well balanced with a good range of different activities and places to visit. Wonderful food and nice beer at great prices was a further bonus
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What did you think of your group leader?
Wendy was an outstanding group leader. She was quite clearly passionate about China and showing and explaining to the group. She was knowledgable and good at delivering information to the group. She made every effort to make sure that every individual had a great time.
Do you have any advice for potential travellers?
A small piece of advice and a lesson learnt. The mini buses dont always have working seat belts. On one occasion I was forced (since there were no other seats left) to sit at the back in the middle. The driver did an emergency stop and I was thrown down onto the floor and was lucky not to be very seriously injured. Choose your seat carefully.
Is there anything else you would like to add?
Definitely recommend
Susan Calvert

HIGHLIGHTS OF CHINA

Written October 2011
A fantastic introduction to such a varied wonderful country!
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What was the most inspirational moment of your trip?
It was great to see so many different sides to China - from smoggy, slightly oppressive but stunningly beautiful Beijing, to the incredible great wall and terracotta warriors, to the amazing landscape of 'rural' china, ending in the sparkling city of Shanghai. The great wall really was incredible and very inspirational moment (and literally stayed with me for days - my legs killed after stupidly deciding to climb a particularly steep section!)
What did you think of your group leader?
Very informative leader who was very good at not losing any of us ( a very difficult job)
Do you have any advice for potential travellers?
don't forget insect repellent from Xian onwards, be prepared for a moderate amount of travel - a pack of cards and inflatable pillow made these journeys a comfortable and fun part of the trip (it was funny to see the Chinese people stop and watch us play cards in the airport with great fascination - in a very similar way that we had done to them at the temple of heaven!)
Is there anything else you would like to add?
There is no way you can see all of China in 2 weeks but if 2 weeks is all you have then this is a perfect way to get a great taste for the country! Stay open minded, give everything a go and you'll have a brilliant time!! :)
Kathryn Welham

HIGHLIGHTS OF CHINA

Written July 2011
It was an incredible trip in that I saw so many amazing sights and experienced a culture removed from our own. However, the number of people at some of the sites was a bit over powering, as was the amount of smog around the cities. I had not really been prepared for either.
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What was the most inspirational moment of your trip?
I really enjoyed the day of cycling and caving, the sun and relative peace and space and the incredible scenery was inspiring.
What did you think of your group leader?
She was excellent. This was her first trip to Hong Kong and her first tour of this kind and yet she looked after us extraordinarily well and ensured we got good service and were safe at all times.
Do you have any advice for potential travellers?
Be prepared for the fact you will not know what the weather is like in Beijing and Xian, such is the smog. Take a pocket dictionary to point at words in restaurants. Take a trip up the tower of the Chinese bank in Hong Kong to see the view for free, but remember to carry identification to get in. Worth it!
Is there anything else you would like to add?
The contrast between main land China and Hong Kong was marked and I loved having a free day to explore in Hong Kong.
Brian Helsdon

HIGHLIGHTS OF CHINA

Written May 2011
This is an exceptionally well designed holiday which enables you to see some of the main sights of China in a relatively short space of time. There is a good balance between city and country, old and new, organised events and free time. Unfortunately at times it was let down by unncessary skimping on the details. It's only this which stops my assessment being 5 stars.
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What was the most inspirational moment of your trip?
Three highlights stand out. The first - and probably the best - was walking on the Great Wall of China. The second was the whole experience in the Guilin area where we were based at Yangshou famous for the limestone pinnacle mountain scenery. I loved the cooking lesson (more fun and inspirational than it sounds), the bike ride through the paddy fields to Moon Hill, and the cruise along the river Li. I enjoyed Shanghai. Someone described the city as New York on speed. They weren't kidding. It was overwhelming in a positive and inspiring way, from the sight of the telecoms tower and surrounding area at night, to walking on the Bund, to watching the groups of Chinese doing Tai Chi near the Bund in the early morning.
Do you have any advice for potential travellers?
I would say - especially to more mature travellers like me - be fit and be prepared for a lot of walking and lugging of suitcases over quite long distances eg from airport to coach (in Guilin) and from coach to hotel (in Tongli). Do not try and do everything, you'll end up exhausted and need another holiday to recover. Be selective about the optional excursions. Some are excellent such as the cruise on the river Li and the 'Impressions' sound and light show at Yangshou. Some, like the 'opera' in Beijing are frankly disappointing.
Pick the right time of year to go. Seeing the limestone pinnacle scenery in the mist and rain (which I did on my first visit 15 years ago) would have been depressing. Fortunately we had sunshine and warmth. We were very lucky as April is one of the rainiest months of the year.
Is there anything else you would like to add?
I believe there was unnecessary skimping on some of the details. The examples below may seeem trivial and petty. However, added together, they led to an irritation factor far higher than it should have been.
This started with the welcome dinner. The Peking Duck is highlighted in the trip notes. This would have been fine if there had been enough to go round. There wasn't. And there wasn't the opportunity to order more.
In Beijing it would have been better to use a private bus rather than taxis and walking. We got taxis to the Forbidden City which must have been as expensive as hiring a bus.
In Yangshuo we were allowed one cup of coffee for breakfast. If we wanted more we had to pay extra!
The coaches, especially in Yangshuo, were decidedly sub standard. By the end I had a private joke, when arriving at a new place, look for the tattiest bus. That surely would be ours.
As the guide himself said the trip notes weren't 100% accurate. Perversely sometimes we did things because the itinerary said we should when common sense suggested otherwise. For example we arrived in Shanghai about 7pm after a long and tiring day. But because the itinerary said we should have a guided walk on the Bund on arrival that is what we did.
I think it would be better if the final dinner, a lovely occasion, was included in the price. Also, like the welcome dinner, it would have been nice if there had been enough food to go round. Some travellers felt decidedly short changed.
David Nun

HIGHLIGHTS OF CHINA

Written July 2010
This trip combined so much of the highlights of China into two weeks. It can be quite rushed at times, but we did manage to pack a lot in.
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What was the most inspirational moment of your trip?
Walking on the Great Wall was a fantastic moment (different section to that mentioned in the trip notes). The scenery around Yangshuo was spectacular and the cookery lesson there was my second favourite moment. Beijing and Shanghai are great cities to have a look around. The Terracotta Wariors was another special moment.
What did you think of your group leader?
Dragon was very well organised and new his facts and history well. Organisation was also good.
Do you have any advice for potential travellers?
If you are looking for peace and quite, this might not be the trip for you. There are enormous numbers of domestic tourists in China and most of them seem to be at the exact same sight as when you are there. They also like to have their pictures taken with tall, sweaty English men! There where more optional extras than I was expecting and I probably spent quite a bit more than the suggested budget in the trip notes. All optional extras were worth it though.
Is there anything else you would like to add?
I would highly recommend this trip.
marilyn smith

HIGHLIGHTS OF CHINA

Written July 2010
we had a wonderful holiday with a group of lovely people.dragon our group leader was excellent.all the arrangements worked out well.would recommend this trip to everyone interested in seeing the new and old of china.
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What was the most inspirational moment of your trip?
the great wall was my best day.it took about 30 minutes for us to walk up the steps to get onto the wall !being in our 60's and quite fit, it was however an energetic walk up.when we saw how it went up and over the countryside it took our breathe away.an amazing sight.
fantastic day !!
What did you think of your group leader?
Dragon was efficient,polite,and friendly towards everyone.he carried out his everday duties quietly and effieciently.when anyone needed help or advise he was there to help.his knowledge about his country was excellent, he never hesitated to answer any of our endless questions.
Do you have any advice for potential travellers?
have an open mind,enjoy the people,food,and culture.
take a camera with lots of memory space .
travel light,casual clothes comfy shoes !
Is there anything else you would like to add?
ENJOY !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

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Our Clients’ Reviews

HIGHLIGHTS OF CHINA

HIGHLIGHTS OF CHINA

HIGHLIGHTS OF CHINA

HIGHLIGHTS OF CHINA

HIGHLIGHTS OF CHINA

HIGHLIGHTS OF CHINA

HIGHLIGHTS OF CHINA