Essential 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...

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  suzannah stubbs

  ESSENTIAL CHINA

  

  Written May 2013

  this trip is a great way to see a lot of key attractions in china in a short space of time. it is by no means a 'relaxing' trip as there is a lot of travelling between the cities and to attractions and never more than 2 nights in one hotel. however i have seen so much that i will never forget! i found some chinese 'stereotypes' that i had before the trip to be incorrect, in particular the food - we saw chicken feet and powdered ants, etc, but all the restaurants we ate in had fantastic food! although very few menus had english translation. 

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  What was the most inspirational moment of your trip?

  these are more my highlights than inspirational moments:

  1 Great Wall of China

  2 Terracotta Warriors

  3 Bamboo Rafting in Yangshuo

  4 The skyline view of Hong Kong Island from Star Ferry & the view if Hong Kong at night from Victoria Peak

  What did you think of your group leader?

  i personally would have found it very difficult to have explored china without our guide - simply because of the language barrier and sheer size of the cities. Ting Ting spoke perfect english & was very knowledgable about the places we visited. she also gave us great insight into the chinese culture and way of life. she even taught us very useful phrases in chinese!

  Do you have any advice for potential travellers?

  1) take a good pair of light walking shoes or trainers. 2) be prepared to spend money - you will need to pay for most evening meals and lunches and there are a lot of optional excursions that are a 'must' that you will need to pay for. 3) if you do an open top bus tour in hong kong take the green route on hong kong island first - fantastic! 4) take a swimsuit as in hong kong there is a swimming pool on top if the hotel that is just what you need on the final few days! 5) take a toilet roll with you where ever you go! most toilets don't provide toilet paper - and 90% of toilets are squat toilets! 6) take reading material with you as there is a lot of travelling time! 7) avoid rainy season - we were very very lucky as we only had rain on our departure day. yangshuo could be very disappointing if it is cloudy / rainy as the scenery is breath taking & a lot of excursions can only be done if it is dry. also the view of hongkong from victoria peak is amazing but you can only see it on a clear day/night 8) if you get chance in beijing go to the olympic park & the birds nest stadium - you can go to the roof top and the view is spectacular! 9) make sureyou have a day off work after you return - you will need it!

  Is there anything else you would like to add?

  the flight home from hong kong is very long & tiring - the air china flight goes via beijing back to london. a direct flight at the end of a very busy week would have been much better! we were a group of 6 on our tour - a great number and we met some fantastic people! :) the tour has a grway variety of chinese culture - new city in beijing, old city in xi'an, rural in yangshuo (although the town us very touristy!) and modern/western culture in hong kong. be prepared for hard beds! and the overnight sleeper trains are definately an......experience!!

   
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  Joanna Zubr

  ESSENTIAL CHINA

  

  Written August 2012

  Very well designed itinerary allowing you to see plenty of places in China and take party of many activities but there was free time as well. Very good standard of accommodation and overnight train experience. Great mixture of sightseeing in big cities and countryside - really diverse trip. Great Wall was amazing but it was only one of many highlights on this really interesting trip! 

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  What was the most inspirational moment of your trip?

  Two great days in Yangshuo where we have done biking trip, bamboo boat trip, cooking class, visited a market and had plenty of time to chill out.

  Great Wall on the Day 3

  Beijing Duck dinner with the group.

  Night market in XianWhole overnight experience

  Star Ferry in Hong Kong

  Victoria Peak in Hong Kong with amazing view of the whole city

  Watching local people and their daily life

  Great atmosphere in general

  What did you think of your group leader?

  Very professional, helpful and he made sure that the trip runs smoothly. He told us a lot about the culture, history and a few very interesting things about China.

  Do you have any advice for potential travellers?

  Don’t be scared of overnight trains. They are more comfortable than you think but make sure you buy food before boarding.Definitely take a cooking class in Yangshuo  and boat trip!Make sure you have comfortable shoes and pack light.

  Is there anything else you would like to add?

   Book this trip and enjoy every minute!Oh and practice your Chinese before you go:)

   
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  Gail Wilson

  ESSENTIAL CHINA

  

  Written May 2012

  A great introduction to China. This is a busy trip with a lot of travel, but an excellent way to see the main highlights the country has to offer. The few days in Hong Kong at the end of the trip were highly enjoyable and provide a welcome contrast to the week spent in China. 

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  What was the most inspirational moment of your trip?

  This trip has many highlights, but for me it was seeing the Terracotta Army - absolutely amazing & took my breath away! The Great Wall is also a site to behold seeing it stretch for miles and miles! The Forbidden City and Palace in Beijing is impressive but so vast that you do become "palaced out"!

  The few days in the countryside are a welcome respite from the hustle and bustle of the cities (and pollution, particularly in Beijing) and are at a considerably more leisurely pace. I would recommend the cycle/rafting/walking day, although you do have to have your wits about you for the cycle back into town at the end of the day!

  I also loved Hong Kong - such a contrast to be back in a "westernised" society after the culture shock of China!

  What did you think of your group leader?

  Li Yan/Sandy was very pleasant and helpful and had a great sense of fun, even taking some of the group to a karaoke bar!

  Do you have any advice for potential travellers?

  Be prepared for a bit of a culture shock in China, not so much in terms of facilities (although some of the toilets were rather "interesting"!! I found the local people to be rude and what really pushed my buttons was the constant spitting no matter where you are!

  There is a lot of travelling between the various destinations so make sure you have books/ipods/games etc to keep you occupied. The overnight train trips were great fun, but earplugs are definitely advisable! Travel reasonably light as there are quite a few times when you will need to carry your own luggage. Do also take an umbrella, especially if travelling during the rainy season - we literally had monsoon rains in Hong Kong!

  The time in Hong Kong is limited - a free afternoon plus a day's guided tour - so if you can extend your trip by a few days I would do so. I had an extra day and was able to get out & explore further.

  Is there anything else you would like to add?

  This is a very interesting yet intense trip but a fantastic way to see a lot in a short time. Take the plunge & go for it!

   
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  Emma Bardsley

  ESSENTIAL CHINA

  

  Written April 2012

  A very hectic trip, lots packed in. 

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  What was the most inspirational moment of your trip?

  This question assumes every tourist on an Exodus trip gets inspired. This isn't true. I didn't get inspired, I just had a nice time.

  What did you think of your group leader?

  Very good and reliable, I was glad to have her around.

  Do you have any advice for potential travellers?

  Though Western food is available (the usual fast food places for example), don't go if you don't like Chinese food. I love Chinese food; the food was fantastic so I enjoyed the food a lot. Toilets generally very bad, unless you are in a hotel or a Western Chain.

  Is there anything else you would like to add?

  I would have liked more time in Hong Kong.

  The first question needs to be amended - one of the potential answers is "we'll be ..." - lots of people go on holiday alone. The third question assumes every Exodus holidaymaker gets inspired, so it needs to be amended to something like, "were you inspired and if so, why? For you what was the most inspirational moment of the trip?"

   
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  Sarah Westlake

  ESSENTIAL CHINA

  

  Written January 2012

  Fantastic and very varied tour of China. Within quite a short about of time we managed to cover lots of the main sites of interest but we also had time for walking, cycling and evening shows. Although the trip was quite fast paced I never felt particularly rushed. Our tour guide was very friendly and knowledge and went out of his way to make the trip more comfortable (access to hotel showers better evening overnight trains etc). 

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  What was the most inspirational moment of your trip?

  There were lots of truly amazing moments but I found the cycling through the limestone peaks in Yangshuo the most inspirational

  What did you think of your group leader?

  Our group letter was very friendly and extremely organised. He was very knowledge about China (sites and politics etc) and was happy to answer all of our questions. He was also very responsive to the groups interests e.g. Taking us on a longer cycling route when we were obviously enjoying it.

  Do you have any advice for potential travellers?

  This is quite a fast paced tour. We slept on the flight in both directions and managed to work the days either side of the trip. Walking sandals were the most useful piece of footwear.

  Is there anything else you would like to add?

  My only suggested improvement would be in Hong Kong when we spend a large amount of time on our last day on a public bus. It would be better either to explore sites closer to the hotel or use private transport.

   
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  Lucy Woods

  ESSENTIAL CHINA

  

  Written October 2011

  A great introduction to a wonderful and varied country.  A mixture of old and new, accompanied by a fantastic group of people. 

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  What was the most inspirational moment of your trip?

  My “I can’t believe I’m here” moment was on the Great Wall (and on returning to the UK, I still look at my shoes and think to myself “wow, these shoes have walked on the Great Wall of China”!!).  The holiday provided many other highlights, particularly the terracotta warriors, the cookery class in Yangshuo and the bamboo raft ride along the River Li.  Oh yes, and my first experience of Tai Chi on a very early and wet morning.

  What did you think of your group leader?

  “Charlie’s Group” couldn’t have been in better hands.   Charlie was well organised and informative and looked after us from start to finish.

  Do you have any advice for potential travellers?

  I would suggest adding a couple of days onto the holiday to wind down a little and to see more of Hong Kong (or at least a day or two at home before heading back to work!).  As the length of the holiday was relatively short for such a vast country, the itinerary was packed with very little relaxation.  This was fine as I knew this would be the case, but a day or two to recharge the batteries before heading home would have been welcome.

  Also, a suitcase on wheels would have been really useful when walking to catch the overnight trains and the ferry to Guangzhou.  The length of walk to each was not long, but would have been easier if I could have wheeled along a case behind me!

  Is there anything else you would like to add?

  Could I suggest to Exodus that instead of visiting the cave near Yangshuo, the nearby rice terraces (which we saw advertised at the cave) are included on the itinerary. The terraces provide the classic snapshot of Chinese countryside and several of us exclaimed as we left the cave that we would have preferred this as an alternative.

  Finally, if you buy a Chairman Mao watch from a street trader in Tiananmen Square, don’t expect it work for more than 5 minutes!

   
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  Patrick Butler

  ESSENTIAL CHINA

  

  Written October 2011

  As they say "Does exactly what it says on the tin" A great way to see highlights of China. Having travelled to a few countries over the years I thought I was becoming a custom to the varvious life styles from around the, but China open my eyes further. Nothing in a negative way. Getting your picture taken by total strangers with their was unusual!! Love to return and explore more!  

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  What was the most inspirational moment of your trip?

  seeing the great wall plus walking on it. Plus the teracotta soliders, hearing how they were found and story why they were made.

  What did you think of your group leader?

  Great group leader, always there for the group

  Do you have any advice for potential travellers?

  If stuck for time it is a fantastic way to see Essential parts of China in a short period.

  Is there anything else you would like to add?

  Had a great time, Exodus trips are great way to meet people from different back grounds!

  So anyway... time to look at where I can go next!

   

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