Giant China with Geckos Adventures
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Recent Reviews
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Tour reviewed 31st August 2012 |
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Gecko's "China Odyssey" tour was a spectacular array of sites throughout China, beginning in Hong Kong, and ending in Shanghai. Being a lengthy tour of 25 days, it was just what I was looking for, knowing that it would take me to the farthest reaches across China.... north, south, east, and west. This tour included many things that I was unable to find anywhere else, such as the Giant Buddha at Leshan, the Panda Research Centre at Chengdu, and hiking in the Yellow Mountains ("Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon" territory), as well as all the most famous sites in China, from the Terracotta Warriors in Xian to the Forbidden City in Beijing. This tour not only takes travelers to the Great Wall of China, but it takes you to the most spectacular location possible, the Great Wall on top of the mountains of Mutianyu (http://www.mutianyugreatwall.net/).
With 10 travellers and a guide, we navigated China via an array of transportation means..... buses, trains, hydrofoil, boats, rafts, bicycles, and automobile.... which meant that it was a "grassroots" approach, and allowed us to connect with the people of China, and truly see the China of today. Being, eating, traveling, and in some cases even sleeping with Chinese people (on sleeper cars in trains) was a unique and memorable experience.
As a single, female traveler, this Gecko tour offered me the perfect opportunity to see China while accompanied by a wonderful guide and language interpreter, and 9 other fellow travelers who made it so much fun. They kept me laughing for 25 days, and have truly become friends. The tour was a good variety of age-groups (from 23 to 56), and everybody blended and befriended one another very well.
Our tour guide (Jay) was extraordinary. He worked from sun-up until sun-down on our behalf. I now appreciate how difficult it could be to travel in China without a knowledge of the language, and am grateful for his interpreting for us, helping us communicate with the locals (essential when there's a medical problem), deciphering restaurant menus, and getting us to the most amazing places very efficiently. He had an amazing sense of how to get us everywhere, as quickly and easily as possible (not an easy feat when some cities in China are 32 million people, and trust me, nobody at the train or bus station will speak English). Even on our free evenings, when we had the opportunity to do extra activities (Peking Opera, Shanghai Acrobats, etc), our guide accompanied us on subways to our events, to make sure that we safely arrived.
Having gone in the summer months, I would recommend that travelers take a large backpack and a day pack, and travel very lightly, with good hiking sandals, and a few pieces of loose, cool clothing. Despite the summer heat, our accommodations were great, with comfortable beds and air conditioned rooms. We found that our credit cards were almost useless in China, but ATM machines are everywhere. Remember to pack lightly, because China a shopper's paradise! :-)
I can't rave enough about Gecko's "China Odyssey" tour, and would highly recommend it to everyone!! It was a such a thrill seeing all of China, and I can't thank Gecko enough!!!
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Name of tour: Giant China
Starts: Hong Kong
Ends: Shanghai
Tour operator: Geckos Adventures
Price:
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