The Silk Road

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...

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  Michael Toussaint

  THE SILK ROAD

  

  Written August 2011

  An excellent trip which takes in a lot of varied culture & scenery. A lot of very memorable sites, cities & peoples. As you travel west towards Xinjiang, the geography, food & history changes dramatically. How long the regional cultures will remain intact with China's policy of relocating some of the Han majority west of the country is hard to say so I would recommend visiting the Xinjiang province sooner & whilst the Yuan is still comparatively weak. The hotel accommodation was fine & the food fantastic, a real highlight of the trip for me. There were several long train journeys but in general the trains were good quality & comfortable with AC, even in the west of the country.  

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  What was the most inspirational moment of your trip?

  So many! The terracotta warrriors, the great wall both north of Beijing & the fort at Juayguan, the livestock market at Kashgar, Iftar at the Kashgar nightly food markets (we went during Ramadan which did not impact us at all), the Mogao caves at Dunhuang. The food, your view of your local chinese restaurant may be dramatically altered if you take this trip, was great, nice job by the tour leaders.

  What did you think of your group leader?

  We had three group leaders in different areas which had benefits with regard to knowing local areas, languages & cultures. Generally they were very knowledgable, well organised & found us some great places to eat.

  Do you have any advice for potential travellers?

  The train journeys are long so take something to keep yourselves amused. Take a mug & some basic cutlery for the train, there is constant boiling water available so buy some tea/coffee for the journey. The food on the train is not the greatest so suggest you buy some food as well. We went in August, it is hot, 40C + around Turpan but it is a dry heat & quite manageable, suncream, sunglasses & sunhat are important though. I recommend hiring bikes & cycling around the city walls at X'ian. The Yonghe Temple , also known as the "Palace of Peace and Harmony Lama Temple" or - popularly - the "Lama Temple" in Beijing is well worth a visit & can be seen on the way back from the visit to the great wall.