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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For those that are considering the "Glories of China" offering from Wendy Wu, but remain doubtful if a multi-centre guided tour, in the best hotels with inclusive meals is a bit too expensive. May I tell you, I thought the same thing before I booked. But I am so glad I went for it. The Tour was jam packed with things to see and do. 2x internal flights, a 4 1/2 hour river cruise. Bullet train and Mag-Lev train journeys. Going to the top a skyscraper in Shanghai and viewing the city lights at night from a river boat. What an amazing spectacle. You will experience the hustle and bustle of cities and the more sedate pace of rural life. You can catch a show or two, or three. And if you're worried about the food, the cuisine was second to none, with a few local delicacies thrown in. There was always plenty to go around. Then there are the tourist landmarks, The Great Wall, Forbidden City, Summer Palace, Yu Gardens, Xian city walls, The Terracotta army, Guilin Pagodas, and more. I came away wowed. And wanting to do it all again. Amazing!!

Wendy Wu delivered a fantastic itinerary on their "Wonders of China" trip. It covered all the major cultural attractions in Beijing, Xian & Guilin travelling by plane, boat & bullet train.
Addison, our national guide , was brilliant in every way & is a great ambassador for his country, hometown of Xian & the Wendy Wu company. We became his 'family' for the tour & we all loved him. All the local guides in each city were very knowledgeable & helpful too.
The local cuisine throughout was a delight to the palate & we have been left with wonderful memories that will last forever.
The icing on the cake was our three day adventures in Tibet thanks to our lovely guide Yangte. My knowledge of Buddism has greatly increased & I have gained a great friend in the Himalayas.
Thank you Wendy Wu for your excellent organisation & help with the visa. You made it so easy & I will certainly travel with you again.

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My wife & I travelled with Wendy Wu for the first time when we visited China in May.
Our overall view is that Wendy Wu provided a good service, but they are not the best Tour Company we have travelled with over the years.

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The Wonders of China Tour is full on, with very little free time to explore on your own.
China is a big country and several times on the Tour, we took early afternoon internal flights (at approx 2 pm) which meant that we didn't arrive at the next city until late at night.
After flying from Xian to Wuhan we then had a 5.5 hour coach journey to Yichang to pick up our Yangtze Cruise, arriving at 11.15 pm.
We later discovered that the Cruise ship did not depart Yichang until the next evening.
It would have been far better to have had an extra relaxing day in Xian before taking an earlier flight to Wuhan.
Another example was our late arrival into our final stop Shanghai, meant we missed out on a Night Cruise on the Huangpu River and we went straight to our hotel instead.
The guides then attempted to cram everything into the next day, starting earlier than normal, but by 5.30 pm the group decided they were too tired and wanted to get back to the hotel to freshen up before our final meal. We again missed out on the Night Cruise and seeing The Bund at night.
We expected our local guides to have a thorough knowledge of their home city, however, whilst in Beijing, our local guide did not even know that Tiananmen Square had been closed off, or that there were similar parking restrictions around the Birdsnest Stadium & Water Cube on the following day.

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The tour was well organised. We were taken care off from the time we arrived to our departure.

The local tour guides were very good and had sound knowledge.

Our national guide Mr. Jacky was excellent. He was knowledgeable and had lots of patience. He made everyone feel at home and was helpful throughout the trip. His presence made the trip even more enjoyable. He is an asset to your company.

The places we visited were excellent. We managed to have a bird's eye view of China and Hong Kong. All important places were included in the itinerary.

The drawbacks were the time constraint and the travel between places. Beijing and Xian were good. The travel from Xian for the Yangtze river cruise was tiring. Even more tiresome was the day we travelled from the cruise to Hong Kong. We travelled by water, land and air all in one day. We would not have minded an extra day added to the itinerary if it helped to make the pace a bit bearable. That would have given us more time in Hong Kong.

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The places we visited were excellent

Amazing trip with fantastic guide who couldn't do enough for us. Food well thought of, itinerary perfect.
Negatives...29 of us on tour so rather big
Two of the hotels were not good and up to standard.
Other two hotels in Shanghai and xian were really good.
Had an amazing trip and would go again with them.

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The tour was imressively well organised, just needs a little bit more interaction between tour guides and clients on a day to day basis to ensure that the welfare of the clients is fully catered for. I understand the importance of fitting everything in, but a little more consideration of the client's welfare needs would be an improvement.

The hotel in Xian clearly catered for chinese clients despite there being at least 200 non-chinese clients there with Wendu Wu. The breakfast arrangements there were entirely unsuitable for non-chinese and a disappointement given the large number of non-chinese guests staying there. Guests staying there with other tours were equally disappointed. The hotel needs to address this or you might need to give serious thought to using a different hotel.

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The tour included all the things we wanted to see. The river cruise in the middle of the tour was restful and very enjoyable. The shipboard staff were most helpful and their english surprisingly good. The daily early starts came as a surprise to some and you might make the nature of the tour clearer in your brochure and advertising. That said, we would recommend the tour to anyone wishing to try to see as much of China as possible in one trip. We had been led to believe that little or no english would be spoken, but found that almost everyone involved in the tour (guides, shipbourd staff, hotel staff etc) all spoke english. With only one or two exceptions all the staff we had to deal with were most helpful and courteous

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We went on The Times Ultimate Tour of China in conjunction with Wendy Woo.
We visited Tianamman Square and the Forbidden City. We had a rickshaw ride through the hutongs, a tai chi lesson in the park, attended an acrobatic show at the theatre. We took the cable car up the Great Wall and came down on a toboggan run which was great fun. We later went to the Llama Temple.
We flew from Beijing to Xian and went to see the Terracotta Warriors and later did a bike ride along the city walls of Xian and also had a calligraphy lesson.
We travelled to see the pandas in Chengdu and also the Taoist temple at Mt Quingcheng and then on to Chongquing to go on a three night Yangtze River cruise and then on to Shanghai by bus, bullet train and flight.
Our food was fantastic and inexpensive particularly in the small local restaurants.
This was definitely not a restful holiday but a fantastic experience. We had an amazing national ******, Link Lee, who made the trip really special for us and suceeded in creating a cohesive (family) group with our fellow passengers, Link Lee being the undoubted leader. This experience has given us a thirst to discover more about China and continue our travels there. We would go with Wendy Woo again and definitely Link Lee. He is a really outstanding guide who gave tirelessly of his time and energy.

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We went on The Times Ultimate Tour of China in conjunction with Wendy Woo.
We visited Tianamman Square and the Forbidden City. We had a rickshaw ride through the hutongs, a tai chi lesson in the park, attended an acrobatic show at the theatre. We took the cable car up the Great Wall and came down on a toboggan run which was great fun. We later went to the Llama Temple.
We flew from Beijing to Xian and went to see the Terracotta Warriors and later did a bike ride along the city walls of Xian and also had a calligraphy lesson.
We travelled to see the pandas in Chengdu and also the Taoist temple at Mt Quingcheng and then on to Chongquing to go on a three night Yangtze River cruise and then on to Shanghai by bus, bullet train and flight.
Our food was fantastic and inexpensive particularly in the small local restaurants.
This was definitely not a restful holiday but a fantastic experience. We had an amazing national ******, Link Lee, who made the trip really special for us and suceeded in creating a cohesive (family) group with our fellow passengers, Link Lee being the undoubted leader. This experience has given us a thirst to discover more about China and continue our travels there. We would go with Wendy Woo again and definitely Link Lee. He is a really outstanding guide who gave tirelessly of his time and energy.

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Excellent service, everything was well organised for our group which made for a stress-free experience. The local Guides were brilliant and nothing was too much trouble for them. I did find the experience of having to tip the guides personally rather uncomfortable and would have been happy for this to be paid for in advance as part of the holiday cost.

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Both hotels were excellent and the facilities and meals were perfect for our needs. The tours were outstanding and the local guides were always on hand to explain the history and the culture. A truly amazing and unforgettable experience which I would hope to repeat.

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Going with a tour company like Wendy Wu always gives you a good service, quality hotels and local guides but the main reason this tour was so outstanding was due to their national guide David He who was was with us for 12 hours a day or more on some days for a total of 26 days and always maintained a balance between professional service and being a good companion along the way. He had a very good command of English and could relate well to western humour.

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I chose this tour as it provided a well planned and varied itinerary of the Silk Road in China from Xian to Kashgar over 3,000km with 13 different hotels in 26 days, 4 bullet trains and and two internal flights plus 3 meals a day and local door to door transport and local guides but what made it so enjoyable was having an excellent national guide David He who was with us all the way to smooth out any difficulties.

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The national tour guide Addison is an asset to the success of the tour ... his dedication ensured that our experience was memorable , action packed , well organised and amazing adventure he is a credit to the company , he is well informed , hard working , generous , proud of his peers , assertive and a true gentleman. Natalie ( my eldest daughter aged 28) and I arrived in Shanghai ,,, One of the tour guide was waiting for us at the airport .. welcoming us to china with a great big smile. Allow me to explain in brief an introduction to our adventure known as "the glories of china" . being in such a large country as china plus I don't speak Chinese I believed traveling with Wendy wu tours would be a sensible option . At the hotel we was greeted by our national tour guide Addison , the communication between the guides is amazing , he welcomes us to china stating he is pleased to meet us , he gives us our room key with an invitation to meet for dinner in a hour . From leaving the taxi to arriving in our room took maximum 5 minutes. Addison had checked us in ready for our arrival , he had porters ready to help with our bags , taxi door open by the doorman , lift door open by someone else .. we feel like royalty. We meet for dinner just a short walk away from our hotel the restaurant staff great us welcome us in offering us drinks (Chinese beer is very similar to lager ). The arrangement for meals is Addison orders a selection of dishes which is shared with our new travel buddies , we will affectionately become known as the Addison family 16 in total . Our first dinner is only 8 due to others arriving late evening .. this was perfect all the dining tables are circular most with a lazy Susan ( turn table ) in the centre so here we are sharing a new experience , culture , food and practising chop sticks with strangers !!! It was fabulous food fabulous people . After our long journey from Home to Shanghai ( 23 hours) the thought of going out to sharing food and pleasantries with strangers over dinner was not on the top of my to do list .. it's an amazing introduction to china . Brilliant evening. We are here slap bang in the middle of the Chinese New Year 2018 celebrations.. our first port of call is the the old town and yu gardens .. did I say there is a population of 26 million in Shanghai ??? Well there is !!! and I believe they was all there with us in the old town !!! What an amazing atmosphere, sights , smells , music , .. we get our first understanding as why it's a must to book on a tour . We don't join queue's we go via VIP entry on all of the excursions ( apparently Wendy wu is a very powerful woman across china and well respected ) everyone aim to please us. Shanghai known as Paris of the east with modern skyscrapers , European style mansions intermingling with shikuman buildings presents a blend of cultures modern and traditional. The old town of Shanghai where cobbled streets are lined with traditional shops selling herbal medicines, handcrafts, tea and an array of snacks .. the yu garden is the home to jade rock , goldfish ponds, pavilions, dragon walls and plants. We also go to the Silk museum, a walk around Shanghai up to the 88 floor of Jinmao tower , a ride on the maglev trains and a night cruise on huangpu river fills up a very good day .. We are driven to zhujiajiao it's a water village ( think Venice ) built on an old canal system alley ways , stone bridges, temples. We take a boat ride (Chinese style gondola ) . In and out of sights that take you by amazement at every turn . From here we now go to people square do some exercise with the locals, visit Shanghai museum finally finish the day with an evening stroll along the bund. Next day we fly to Guilin we check in to our hotel named waterfall-located on a lake. This location is breathtaking the lake has the sun ( red ) and moon ( gold ) pergolas. Our hotel becomes a waterfall daily at 9pm . ( the wall of the hotel just flows and flows water from the roof top down past the bedroom windows ) The seven star park with the mountain back drop is what makes Guilin beautiful countryside. After another tasty dinner we went for a beer or two on western street in an Irish bar . Today we cruise the li river to Yangzhou stunning scenery .. check in our hotel ready for our liu sanjie evening open air show on the lake .. the back drop is the stunning mountains , the performers are the local farmers their families and town folk . The show is directed by zhang yimou the creator of the Beijing Olympic opening ceremony. Absolutely amazing !!! A day with the local farmers land and their homes , they cook us a very tasty lunch, have a photo taken with the fisherman's two cormorants. Enjoy an hours reflexology massage feet and shoulders . Out for dinner drinks and dancing on western street . A very cultured day visiting the pearl museum , explore the sun and moon pagodas on for lake , connected by an underwater tunnel . Another night in an Irish bar there seems to be one in every town in china !!! Today we take flight to Xian visit the wild goose pagoda ( the only building that survived one of the strongest earthquakes in world history ) a night at the theatre enjoying a Tang Dynasty dancing show after sampling a feast of traditional shui jiao dumplings in comes a birthday cake !!!! My new travel Addison family and the restaurant staff sing both English and Chinese version of happy birthday .. 🥃🎂🥃.. Ok how do you describe the terracotta warriors ... one of the most significant archaeological discoveries of the 20th century . I could go on and on and on with all the facts and the sheer amazement of the site however it would never prepare anyone for the experience . In the afternoon we walk the city wall ( china likes their walls ) of Xian giving us a birds eye view over this fantastic city .. followed by admiring the lights of Xian on the tang ever bright night walk marvelling at the fountain light show outside the big wild goose pagoda . I stand in the middle getting soaked from the spray totally freezing now .. shower bed fabulous . Today we travel to Beijing on the bullet train experience a rickshaw ride through the warren like hutongs ( homes ) we visit the locals part take in exercise in the park . Eat with them in their homes , very kindly they prepare a feast for all of us . Today we rise early putting our best foot forward to walk/climb the Great Wall of china !!!! Over 700 years old I find it a strange experience like I'm in a dream the day is bright blue skies visibility is perfect the climb is steep however it's a must do temp -3 c. On route to summer palace we have a photo stop opportunity at the famous nest and cube Beijing Olympic stadiums. Call in at the jade museum. I strike the massive Buddhist bell in summer palace a former holiday retreat for Qing emperors . After feasting on dinner we go to the Kung fu show/story. Is it possible to see and experience more ??? Tiananmen Square , temple of heaven , forbidden city topped off with an evening on feasting on Peking duck .. is just a brief of my last day on the tour . Sorry the blog is lengthily I have not include all my experience as it would be a book .

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Every minute of the tour is fabulous 👍😎👍

Wendy Wu Tours more than deserve the 5 stars. The excellent customer service was there from the moment I made the phone call to book until we arrived home in Ireland. The attention to detail was second to none. Words cannot begin to describe how wonderful our National Guide Summer was. Nothing was too much for her and was available to us 24 hours a day. Her knowledge, professionalism and attention to detail is a real credit to her and she did it all with such ease. She also has a wonderful sense of humour. She made our trip to China one that we will remember for many years to come. I must also say special thanks to our local guides also, Grace in Shanghai, Hoffman in Xian and Mick in Bejing - they are excellent. Wendy Wu Tours are fortunate to have them working for the company.

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Guide Andy was amazing...never a dull moment...loved every minute of it. Arrangements made were excellent from the moment I was met in Beijing to when I left Shanghai.

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Holiday was perfectly named seeing and experiencing the Wonders of China...fabulous. Only other comment - Hotel in Xian lovely; others not so good.

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Link our national guide was great. he made everything run smoothly.........airtransport was well organized. Xian was amazing.
Only Brian Hynes in London was efficient and knowledgable. Accounting was desperate and not enough attention to detail.

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The visit to the houton in beijing was dirty, food prep was squalid. The rickshaw ride was trite, gained no feeling for city. The optional visit to the acrobats was sub standard for the price.as well. The standard of hotels was bad...in Waterfall we were allocated to family rooms to accomdate children and the Shanghai hotel was mouldy and unfriendly. Breakfast was chaos. Service non existent. I was ripped off by Wendy Wu because i stayed an extra night due to airplane schedule

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The national guide was fantastic and helped make the most of the wonderfull sights. He had a number of challenges but did well to overcome problems with agreement from the group.

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The holiday would have been excellent if the restaurants had been given more consideration Shanghai was lovelly but the whole group was disappointed with standards in this beautiful city in what should have been the highlight end to a great trip.