Reviews

We purchased the Silk Road Explorer trip in February 2024 at the destination show and we are a group of 5 friends from UK. We met at the airport and was really looking forward and excited for the flight to Xian transit at Beijing airport. When we landed at the airport we had to fill in transfer forms and there was a long queue of travellers at passport control. We only had one hour to catch the connecting flight to Xian so we missed the late afternoon flight. That caused a lot of anxiety and we were rushing at the airport looking for information. The staff at the counters were very helpful and we managed to catch the late evening flight to Xian. We would have like to leave London on an earlier flight to give more time for transit.
There were 18 of us in the group and our national guide was Hoffman Huo. We felt very safe in his care and nothing was too much trouble. He provided us with information on each day of the iternary of the places we were to visit . He was always at the back counting and making sure that we get on the train and coach safely. We were his family and felt sad when he waved us off on the last day. Well done Hoffman and we hope to get a guide like you on our next trip to China.
We have enjoyed this long journey on the Silk Road. The places on the iternary were historical , educational and interesting. The sceneries of the sand dunes on the desert and changing colours of the mountains were spectacular. The highlights were the art gallery at the Magao caves and the camel ride at the Gobi desert. What a great experience!
Well done Wendy Wu and staff for organising this amazing trip .
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We had been to Hong Kong & Beijing before, but the Grand Tour was a whole new level of understanding of China. The trip organisation by Wendy Wu was faultless & our national guide, David He, was exceptional, showing patience & understanding where needed plus a great knowledge of China. He worked hard to satisfy Gluten / Veggy food needs – not always easy with this style of meal service. Local guides in each town were also really good. Hotels varied from good to great, with priority usually being location. The Yangshuo hotel, for example, was a bit older but we stepped straight out onto West St, and breakfast was simple but had an exceptional view. There is a lot of travel involved with 3 each internal flights & trains, but Chinese trains & airports put the UK to shame! Overall the food was at least good sometimes great. Breakfast did not always include a wide ‘Western’ selection but then we were foreigners in China - How many foreign breakfast options do UK hotels have? Bus management was brilliant – a snap of the electronic fingers & it was there. We had not done a ‘follow the flag’ holiday or used Wendy Wu before. We will definitely do both again. Thanks again David. 

If you are considering a long trip in China for the first time – lessons we learned:
> Grand tour lunch & dinner is 26 days of Chinese food, with set dishes, off a lazy susan except for a few packed lunches & the Yangtze cruise. Some of the dishes may not be to your taste – be flexible.
> You will need to handle your luggage – journeys involve suitcases + escalators + airports & stations
> Out walking at night in China - this is the safest I have ever felt either at home or travelling.
> Don’t think too hard about the tip pot, it just works, saving time & hassle.
> Alipay attached to your UK credit card is super quick & easy to use if you have an active phone.
> Install Wechat to contact family in case you cannot get Whatsapp to work – basically the same (Family will also have to install).
> VPN’s did not reliably work. But they do have 30 day money back warranty. I tried Express / Nord
> If your phone accepts e-sim, get one. Ours gave us access to Western websites with no VPN and always worked.
> You may be sharing China with lots of domestic tourists – check when their major holidays are.
> The Yangtze cruise was great & we are happy we did not upgrade either room or meal options. Upgraders were equally happy with their choice - do not worry about it.
Totally recommended.
Paul & Tracy

On this tour we covered a lot of ground and felt that we saw a huge amount. Our National guide Ivan was outstanding and worked tirelessly the whole 21 days to make sure we were happy and well looked after. The local guides were also brilliant. The hotel standards were all excellent and all the transfers were well managed and comfortable. We should have looked more closely at our flights as we arrived very late ( 11pm) after 24 hours travelling and had an early 5.30am start. We let Wendy Wu arrange the flights but I think if we had looked closer we could have chosen different flights and would have flown direct to Beijing a day earlier to help with the 7 hour time difference. The food was interesting at the start of the holiday but became monotonous as we had a lazy susan of similar dishes presented to us for lunch and dinner every day. It would have helped us all if the guides had taken us to an Italian or other western food restaurant occasionally. The 3 night cruise on the Yangtze River gave us a break from the lazy susan Chinese food and white rice but we had to pay for that as an upgrade.
The holiday schedule was very full and busy with very little time to relax, but we really saw and experienced a lot of China both on an off the beaten track. We had an amazing time with our 24 travel companions and I would recommend this holiday as great way to visit China.

This has been the most amazing experience, truly a holiday of a life time.
Such a well organised tour, which included so many aspects of China, including historical landmark sites like the Terracotta Warriors, The Great, to the wonderful outdoor landscapes and the hussel and bussel of the beautiful Old Town of Lijiang which was magical and excellent for shopping. The tour gave a real insight to China as a country and the people their selves who were so very friendly. The days were long and busy, and therefore tiring but it made the most of the time we had in China. The Yangtze River cruise was a great way to wind down from this spectacular holiday. The hotels were very good, the food was excellent and plenty of it.
Our tour guide Gary Guo was excellent and made our holiday. The poor man met us at Beijing air port only to be greeted by us, very upset as both mine and my husbands cases had not arrived at the airport as British airways has failed to put it on our flight. We were most distressed as we had no clothes etc and due to the language barrier we were uncertain that Beijing airport understood us and all the information was correct. Gary was very calm and soon had us reassured that he would follow this up and sort it out, which he did. he kept us updated each day and made sure they were delivered to the hotel in time before we left for the next destination. making sure personally to deliver the cases to our rooms.
Gary was very knowledgeable and we learnt so much about the various places that we visited but also about Chinese people, their customs how they live. He was constantly taking care and watching out for us and the whole time in China we felt very safe in his hands. so travelling around the country went very smoothly as the holiday was arranged so well and because the guide put a lot of effort into taking care of us at tarain stations and airports, having our tickets ready to hand and making sure we were on time. A number of us on the tour fell ill with chest infections and Gary made sure to get us to a pharmacy and translated for each of us what symptoms we were experiencing so that the pharmacist could give the correct medication. He made sure we were drinking plenty of fluids and brought food to the rooms for those who were unable to make dinner. Even now a month on, he is dealing with the fact that our silk pillows which we had purchased from the silk factory, accidentally had not been included with the rest of our purchases. He has kindly arranged for the them to be posted to us, and kept us updated on their progress. We have now received the pillows. We can not sing Gary's praises enough he has gone far and beyond what we would expect of a guide, such a lovey caring man with a great sense of humour too. he really brought the group together. The best tour guide ever and we hope one day to be able to return to China, so long as Gary will be our guide again.
Just loved everything about the holiday.

Totally excellent. The first few days were quite hard - relentless schedule to ensure we got the most from Beijing and Xi'an - before heading into the country. Slower pace on the river with Guilin the highlight. Returned to civilization in Shanghai. Unforgettable.

This is not a holiday, it is an interesting, educational, cultural experience!
On 6th April 2024 we became part of” Ivy’s family “of fourteen. Four English, one New Zealander and the rest Australian (4 singles and 5 couples), a great combination. Due to jet lag we decided to fly to Beijing two days before the tour started-good idea.
Very few people had any English at all, even in the hotels. They did use translation app’s, to varying degrees of success. Downloading your own before you get to China is a good idea (wish we had).
Ivy, our national tour guide was with us throughout the 26 days. How she got us all from Beijing to Shanghai via three domestic flights (enormous airports with very tight security), three train journeys (gigantic stations) and all the tours without losing anyone was a mystery to us all. She made us all feel safe in an environment alien to ours. Forests of sky-high, tower blocks as far as you could see, cars, bikes, scooters and people everywhere. You couldn’t read anything or communicate.
When we arrived in a place we were met by a local guide, so had two looking after us most of the time.
Food was ordered for us by the local guides and Ivy depending on the area we were in and any group likes and dislikes of food. All dishes were put on a lazy Susan (always plenty, you won’t starve) for everyone to try. We practised with chopsticks before going- good idea, some restaurants provided full cutlery, some hunted round for forks and one had to give extra little china spoons (normally for soup) only thing they had apart from chopsticks!
On this trip you don’t need a scarf for temples or clothes for sleeping overnight on a train. You need layers as temperatures differ. A cotton cardigan was the most useful item. Thin plastic mac, sunhat, lipsil, sun block, mosquito repellent in some areas and a good pair of trainers.
All the hotels had toilet paper. Just remember to take some with you when out and about as few public loos (which are abundant and free) have paper. Some have paper you collect before going into the cubicle. Look out for disabled toilet or potty toilet or pedestal, otherwise you’re in the squat!
We averaged 12,000 steps a day (ranging from 6,000 to 19,000) at a moderate pace. Not all due to the tour, we preferred to walk round rather than sit with a coffee during free time.
Go on every optional shows/tour they offer, as they were all exceptional experiences!
Goggle and WhatsApp (blocked in China) TV in English if you’re lucky. Free Wi-Fi in most hotels.
Thank you to all the Wendy Wu staff for all your excellent organisation. All the local guides (especially Max and Bell) who introduced us to their home areas. Our very special thanks to Ivy.

The Wendy Wu Wonders of China tour was my first trip to China. It was 16 days long and covered all the major sites you could think of; the Great Wall, Forbidden City and the Terracotta Army. Our guides were amazing. Nothing was ever too much for them. We had a National guide, Britney/Zhang Ru, who is just an amazing person. She was super helpful and one of the kindest people I have met. Our local guides were all very informative, knowledgable and passionate regarding their area/city and country, especially our Beijing guide Alan/Jiao Yang.
I would 100% use Wendy Wu again to go back to China in a heartbeat! Or even to try another country.

The tour overall is excellent and we were so pleased to have done it . The itinerary speaks for itself . The following points are things that Wendy Wu (WW) should consider .
Broadly speaking the choice of hotels are budget . Some were huge old monolith hotels . Some in business districts . All aspects that makes the room rate cheaper for WW.
WW seem to specialise in offering a full days meal every day of the tour . It’s not necessary . We don’t need feeding so much food - most of which went to waste as we certainly did not eat it ! They could make the holiday cheaper . Lunch and dinners were identical most days . Noooo!
Too much .
There were quite a number of one night stays in cities . This makes the tour very arduous for travellers taking into account the days itinerary you are encountering .
The guides were all basically excellent . Some personalities were unhelpful to fellow travellers . One was majorly arrogant and totally disinterested in what we did , eat , see and go (Shanghai ).
We did not have a National guide for our tour as we only were a party of 8 ( 10 and above qualify for a National guide). At first we thought this would be a disadvantage . However it was great ! We were all pleased that we weren’t carrying an outsider for the entire trip! Most individual guides were supportive at points of transfer eg: airports or rail stations . Some weren’t as supportive but we muddled through .
Aspects of the tour which could be broadened are :
We needed to learn more about people and their life in China . Too much focus on temples gardens and museums.
We ought to have visited a family living in a 80sq.metre flat on their 27th floor . We went to a Hutong in Beijing so why not in a modern day setting ???
The guides did not discuss human geographical aspects other than population sizes from city to city . That should be changed/improved. Aspects of the journey should offer more of a commentary as to where we are ; what the landscape and trees around us are rather than travelling in total silence or chatting to the coach driver in Chinese !

During the tour the Xi’an WW office manager liaised with most of the tour guests which was an amazingly caring and supportive thing to do and was appreciated by all concerned. She even took on board a few suggestions and made changes or tweaks to a couple of meal times .

So to sum up - yes a brilliant tour but not without a few criticisms . If WW change things we won’t get the benefit sadly but they should look seriously at these aspects .

Very well organised. Guides were excellent.
I missed my connection from Beijing to Shanghai. I needed more time.

This was a great holiday, fast pace no doubt, but to see all the main attractions this was necessary. Our group comprised of a fabulous mix of the loveliest people ever. The Mekong River Cruise was a fabulous relaxer in the middle of the trip. I have to say on a negative side the trip in Beijing to the 'Old City' was quite disappointing...just a walk trough dusty streets to arrive at what appears to be nothing short of a tourist attraction visiting an 'authentic home' which was packed with other tourists eating was underwhelming. Another low point (an area that in my opinion may be able to be improved) was the day we had the early start to get the flight to Yichang. There was a long period of time in the afternoon spent hanging about before we were able to board the boat at 19.30hrs. Surely we could have stayed in a hotel in Yichang the evening prior to boarding the boat, enabling us to have a leisurely day there and possibly resulting on us being less tired on arrival at the cruise. All in all a great holiday enabling us to see all the main attractions in China. It was just such a wonderful asset to have the help and support of your National Guide Addison. What a well informed, kind gentleman he is. He was just amazing from start to finish. Thank You Addison

I thought the tour was excellent,well constructed, interesting, with very comfortable accommodation, excellent food and an exceptional tour guide, who was well informed and good company. It was a fascinating introduction to Japan and Japanese culture. I deducted a star due to travel arrangements to and from Japan. I had only an hour to change flights in Beijing which was quite stressful. Transit is not well signed and there is no obvious departure board at the airport. It worked, and I and my luggage did not miss a flight, but it involved some anxiety, quick marching, almost running, through the airport to reach the departure gates on time. It is fortunate that I am quite fit !
I would return to Japan and book with Wendy Wu again

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Easy online booking with any queries quickly answered. Visa process very efficient and final paperwork and documents arrived in plenty of time.

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It was never going to be a relaxing holiday and a few of the day's involving internal travel were pretty full on but China is a big place and it has to be done. The organisation was superb from the time we were met by our national guide Eileen at Shanghai to the time she (tearfully) waved us goodbye at Beijing the tour ran like clockwork. All hotels were good by any standard and any room problems were quickly resolved. Free bottles of water were provided in every hotel. Some locations were better than others with the hotels in Guilin and Yangshuo particularly well placed for an evening stroll and see local life. Our local guides were good although they did tend to give a heavy sell on the "optional" tours on offer. The selling at the factories we visited tended to be a bit full on but then again I did manage to get a bargain at the jade factory. Don't be afraid to haggle hard and maybe you will be offered a "secret" price. We were a group of 25 with 7 different nationalities who bonded well and made the trip enjoyable.

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Wendy Wu, Grand Tour of China. This was very well organised, with pick up from the airport, meet by the excellent National Tour guide Summer. Check in, all transport, entry to attractions. Meals etc. The tour itself was excellent with interesting locations and places to visit. Very well run. 2 of the local tour guides stood out. Both called Cherry, the first with Three Tribes tour in the Yangtze River and in Chengdu.

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Wendy Wu were easy to book with. The daily trips out were excellent. Several stand out, Dali was beautiful in the foothills of the Himalayas, Beijing and the Great Wall. The terracotta Warriors, the Pandas, Xi’an at night and Shanghai. Sailing through the Three Gorges on the Yangtze Cruise. Loved wondering around the markets in the various towns battering for items.

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Jason Gao (National guide) was amazing and local Guide Susan in Chengdu and Andy in Beijing were good/

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Hotels at Beijing and Xi'an were good, especially the Boffo L in Xi'an (which we believe was brand new to Wend Wu Tours). Hotel in Chengdu was disappointing - staff did not speak much English, not very helpful, room was disappointing.

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Their main guide was very good, however the local guides were not upto scratch. It is a shame that the local guide in Beijing was the worst because he hardly told us anything about the places we visited. Especially considering that Beijing has more historical monuments to see than Shanghai, Chengdu or even Xian.

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The cruise was good and the places we visited were very interesting. The local guides were good.