How was your Explore Tour Leader?

Oliver was an excellent tour leader with a wonderful sense of humour and very well organised.

What tips would you give to someone else booking this tour?

China is a great deasl more sophisticated than I expected. Rather than rely on changing money at banks use ATMs-much quicker. Bring some sort of WiFi enable device if you need to keep in touch with home. Nearly all hotels have it whereas internet cafes were almost impossible to find. Must do optionals are the Sound & Light show at Yangshou which and the acrobats in Shanghai-both were mind blowing. Wheeled luggage is a good choice as long as you can carry it down a small flight of steps and onto a train

Do you have anything else to add?

This is an excellent trip which gives a really good overview of China's highlights. Highly recommended.

I have just returned from China and enjoyed it all immensely.  I was fortunate to be part of a group of 20 who all got on well from the start, and we were gently guided by our wonderful tour leader, Tracy, (and Peter in Beijing) who both added greatly to our enjoyment of the holiday.  I chose this trip specifically because of the visit to Ping'An and the Longji Rice Terraces, and I was delighted that that did indeed turn out to be a highlight.  The whole area was shrouded in mist which repeatedly cleared for a few moments then closed in again, but it was all very atmospheric and beautiful.  Buy your souvenirs from the lovely people there.  I didn't and regretted it for the rest of the trip.  The brochure and tour leaders emphasised how basic the guest house would be -  but I have never before stayed somewhere “basic” with constant hot water, ensuite bathrooms and complimentary toiletries!  We all thought it was great.    After being there, the Yangtze river cruise was a culture shock as it seemed very much the mass tourism experience.  On the other hand , the scenery was lovely, and the beds on the boat were the comfiest we came across (but they didn't have much competition, as all the other beds were rock hard).  Other highlights for me were the Li River and Yangshuo, the pandas at Chengdu and the Great Wall north of Beijing even though it was very hard-going.  I hadn't actually realised it would be all up and down steps and very steep in places.  My mistake! The only minor disappointment was the loss of a day in Shanghai: in the 2010 itinerary there were 2 days there, but our trip only had one when we joined up with another 12 going on a different tour.  This trip gives an overview of the contrasts of China, only skimming the surface of course, but it's all interesting and enjoyable, and the food is great!  By the way, Chinese drivers don't stop for pedestrian crossings, and rarely for red lights.  You know you are getting a feel for the country when you find you are casually walking across a six-lane highway as buses, cars, lorries, roar past or swerve round you.  Don't try this at home! (YRB - 29th March 2011)

The rice terraces in Longji were a real highlight. The sheer variety of large cities, very Western in many respects, combined with the much more traditional rural communities, made for tremendous contrasts. Traffic in the major cities was quite something too. You don't realise China is quite so big - until after you have done three internal flights, and realised the weather can be quite different in Shanghaii to Yangshuo. Take some warm pullovers. (YRB - 12 October 2010)

We really didn't know what to expect from China, all the other tours we have done have been heavy on the wildlife, and as my husband said, if it looks nice they wear  it, tastes nice they eat it or sings nice, they cage it. With that said, Longji was wonderful, Ping'an village is sooo peaceful and the walk along the rice terraces is lovely. Shanghai offered a little of something for everyone. Guillin and Yangshou are not to be missed (I would definitely go there again). Chongquing proved to be the strangest place, with a rendition of Jingle bells, 40 degrees heat in august in the local park with the choir. All in all a diverse trip, one not to be missed (even the stone cold food on the boat)! (YRB -27th July 2010)

Warning! If you’re not already a complete Sinophile, you will be after this tour. It will deliver the best of China and leave you longing to return for more. In Hong Kong, escape the bustle momentarily and enjoy the hushed reverence of Man Mo Temple, where the smoke and gently falling ash from hundreds of incense coils reminds you that you are in China. On the Li River, stand up on the top deck and gaze in awe at the dramatic karst scenery that has been an irresistible draw for poets and travellers over the centuries. When you arrive in friendly Yangshuo, you might wish that you could put down roots for a while to bask in the warmth of the locals and the best citrus you will ever eat. Don’t miss Zhang Yimou’s ‘Impressions’ show, staged on Li Jiang. A flying visit to Chengdu might deliver you a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to cuddle up to a panda cub. Did you know their fur feels like coconut fibre? Waiting for your cruise to begin in Chongqing you might witness an adorable streetside tableau of toddlers playing ‘shoeshine’ with a toothbrush, while dad tends to the paying customers nearby. Or if that doesn’t capture your imagination, how about rowdy groups of young Chinese, singing patriotic songs in a duel-like fashion after one or too many beers with their Sichuan hotpot meal? This is China. As you cruise along the Yangtse, don’t miss the excursion to Fengdu where you will be transported from the underworld, to heaven and then on to Hades. Your visit will be timed so that you can enjoy the ghostly atmosphere through dusk and beyond. Xi’an is all about the terracotta warriors, but no words can adequately describe the awesome spectacle. It will be easier for you to convey to your friends the amazing dumpling meal you had in the dumpling capital of China! Your banquet will probably include boiled, fried, pork, beef, ham, chicken, duck, fish, shrimp, mushroom, cabbage, walnut, noodle (yes, noodle dumplings) and soup with baby dumplings; where the duck dumplings are shaped liked ducks, the fish like fish – you get the picture. You will see that formal, serious Beijing is just as interesting and charming as fun, flighty Shanghai. You might conquer a personal challenge of climbing to the top of the Great Wall. And if you have time, do try to visit the Temple of Heaven park, where – in the middle of a city of more than 20 million people – you can wander in solitude to the gentle strains of piped Chinese music while you contemplate whether you have time to duck into the Pearl Market for last-minute souvenirs.(YRB -May 10th 2008)

The trip was full of highlights- the expected ones like pandas, the great wall and the terracotta armyand the unexpected highlights like Shanghai. (YRB- 27th July 2010)