Wendy Wu Tours

Just completed a 16 day tour of China. Had a fabulous time. Visited Beijing, the great wall, Xian the terracotta warriors, a cruise along the Yangtze River, 3 gorges dam and much more. Tour well organised, tour guide and local guides friendly, helpful and knowledgeable. Hotel of a high quality, help at Shanghai airport with booking in and organising boarding passes etc. Well done Wendy Wu!!!

A "Must do" experience for anyone with an interest in seeing the REAL China. It was extremely well organised, Covered a large area and very diverse Ethnic minority regions, as well as the usual: Great Wall, Terracotta Warriors, Pandas etc. Alex our National guide was an absolute treasure, everything went along so smoothly that we never saw the work behind the scenes to make this happen.

This was a very comprehensive tour of a large country. The advantage of this tour was a week spent in the west and south-west of China among (some of) the 55 minority groups of the Chinese culture...certainly somethingnyou dont get in the shorter tours. Our guise, Alex, was outstanding, with excellent English and a clear understanding of Western/ Australian humor. I highly recommend this tour.

We have recently returned from a trip to China. The Wendy Wu tours have a very good reputation, and they certainly lived up to it on this tour, and very good value for the price. Our tour was The Majestic Yangtze Tour from Shanghai to Beijing. Every aspect was of excellent standard, from flights to accommodation, and the Yangtze cruise was amazing. There are some optional activities, which can only be offered on the day due to availability, weather conditions, etc. I recommend the MagLev train in Shanghai, and The "Face Changing Show".
My only criticism is there was not enough time at the Great Wall, only 2 hours. I think the itinerary needs to be altered to allow at least 4 hours.
Our National guide Alice was super amazing, the best guide I have ever had in my travels. She was efficient, very knowledgeable, happy, funny and very caring. She was available at any time for any problems or concerns. She is a huge asset to her company. Thanks Alice for a great time.

My husband and I have recently returned from our Wendy Wu tour in China. May is a great month to travel there as the weather was very pleasant, not cold at all. Our guides were really knowledgeable and spoke English well. The tour was very well organised from start to finish and every Hotel was very clean and modern. All meals were included and we had buffet western-style breakfasts in each Hotel, lunch and dinner were banquets in authentic Chinese restaurants. The food was wonderful and very plentiful. Drinks had to be purchased, sometimes green tea was served with the meal.
You do need a reasonable level of fitness for this particular tour as a lot of walking is involved and many stairs as well. We did struggle a bit and were usually at the rear of the tour group.
Our National Guide, Chuck, was terrific and kept a good eye on us and when we had a local guide for a day or two , he would stay back with my husband and self to make sure we were okay. Quite a few people in our group of 26 persons did find this tour challenging. Long days as well, sometimes we would leave our Hotel at 8.00 am and not check-in to the next Hotel until 9.00 pm that night.
All in all, this really is a great tour, but do bear in mind that you will be on your feet and walking a great deal.
The three hour bullet train ride to Xian was fine and we did not have to hop off very quickly as ours was the last stop on that line. The men in our tour group unloaded the suitcases.
All of our guides were very good, but they did move very fast and we struggled to keep up with them.
Perhaps Wendy Wu could take this fact on board and make sure that guides do keep to a reasonable pace.
A very comprehensive and enjoyable tour.

China Port Adelaide Football trip 2019 our first trip overseas tour from Beijing to Shanghai,not knowing what the next 8 days would bring!!
The first 3 days of the tour was with Wendy Wu team and our National Tour director, Tony Li with help of the local Beijing guide Jack.
Tony adopted the people in our group as part of ‘Tony’s Family’ and was always available to answer questions, provide advice, and was on call 24/7. Tony And Jack were exceptional.
These guys would have to be up there with the very best & is certainly an asset to Wendy Wu tours
Tony travelled with us from Beijing to Shanghai on the bullet train and making sure everyone was handed over to the Phil Hoffman team for the second stage of our tours also great.
We owe a big thank you to Tony Li and Jack for setting up an exceptional China experience.

The flights to and from China were great. We had a stop over in Hong Kong both times which was nice to break up the long flight. On the return our plane was a little late and the catching the connection to Melbourne was tight, but we still made it 10 minutes before boarding. Cathay Pacific was a great airline to fly with. Both of the Internal flights were easy, and our wonderful national guide made sure that we were all seated and stayed together, and that we all made it safely on and off with all of our belongings. When we arrived in Xian, we were met straight out of customs by our local guide, and taken straight to where our national guide had gathered together a group of us. After that we were packed into our bus and driven straight to our hotel. We were given a few hours to rest and tidy up before we were taken out to a wonderful restaurant for our first Chinese meal.
The food was wonderful the entire way around. At several places we had almost 20 different dishes to choose from. All the restaurants we went to were serving high quality fresh food, and at most of them we were even able to watch them making it. This particular tour lasted for 28 days, and in that time I did not tire of all the amazing different Chinese dishes. Since we were traveling to many very different areas, each had their own particular local specialties which gave us a wonderful variety. On the few days where we were traveling through remote areas and there were no suitable restaurants to eat at, our guide packed us all a lunch as well as some snacks. All the Hotels provided breakfast. Most of them were massive buffets where we had Asian or Western choices. Eating Chinese for lunch and Dinner was amazing, but I did couldn't quite face it at breakfast. Toast with eggs, jam, muffins and yogurts were more down my alley!
I am not a coffee drinker, but our national guide went to great lengths to make sure that the coffee drinkers had hot black coffee made available for their breakfast wherever we went. And when that was impossible, he bought them some coffee so that they could easily make their own. The Tea was amazing - especially in the more highly Muslim populated areas.
They could have provided more information about the optional tours they offered us. A list of the tours and the prices before we left would have amazing.
The Buses were good, and all the drivers were friendly and helpful. I admired their driving skills as well - there is no way I would want to drive through some of the cities we went through!
Our tour guide gave us all tags to hang around our necks with his name and contact details if we ever got lost during our free time, and space to write our names on the other side. They were very handy for the first few days while we were trying to learn everyone's names!
All of our Hotels ranged from great to WOW! I had my own room the whole way around, and they were always spacious and clean. The beds are hard in China, but that is because they believe it is better for their backs. Our wonderful national guide, Charles, always had the hotel staff provide extra blankets to pile on the mattresses for those who couldn't manage. The central cooling had not yet been turned on in China when we visited, but our guide was amazing and offered to switch rooms to a different area of the building if any of us had problems with our rooms being too warm.
Our National guide, Charles, was incredible! We were all made to feel part of his family, and he bent over backwards to achieve whatever we needed. He was very knowledgeable on the areas where we were traveling as well as general history on China, and told us many other fun and interesting facts about all manner of subjects from Tea etiquette and Traditional Chinese Weddings to China's Family Planning Program and price per meter of apartments in the cities we visited. He had a wonderful sense of humor and really made the holiday very special for each one of us. He spoke very good and clear English - I was impressed.
Our local Guides were amazing too! Each of them gave us detailed information about all the places we visited, and answered all of our questions. They were also very helpful, and made sure that we were well looked after. Each of them had wonderful personalities and very different background stories to tell us. They really made the places we visited come alive. All of them spoke good English and were easy to understand - even through their accents.
The Silk road is an incredible tour! It is packed with history and beauty. We visited many places that have paintings and sculptures dating back to 2000 and even 3000 years.
Personal highlights for me were: The Terracotta Warriors, Xian's Old Town Wall and Muslim Quarter (the markets there were amazing!!!)
The Beautiful scenic walk in Lanzhou down from the Baita Temple and across the yellow river before watching them hand stretch the noodles for our lunch!
Liujiaxia Lake - The speed boat ride on the Yellow river was so much fun and the scenery you pass on the way to Bingling Temple is breathtaking!!!! We had some Lightning and Thunder while we were there, and it made for some incredible lighting for photos! The majestic cliffs and surrounding mountains left me gaping! This is one place I want to come back to!
Danxia National Park - we did the colours tour and they were incredible. One day I would like to go back and do the shapes!
Jiayu Fortress and the Overhanging Great Wall at Jiayu Pass. The history of the fortress was so interesting and the wall was AMAZING!!!
Riding the double humped camels in the Taklamakan Desert by Crescent Moon Spring. The camel riding was an optional extra but definitely well worth it!!! I also thoroughly recommend climbing to the top of the desert hill. The view and the satisfaction (not to mention the incredible fun of slide walking back down) is well worth it!!! The Spring and the incredible shifting sand deserts surrounding it are a natural phenomena.
Jiaohe Ruins. The history here is fascinating! Our local guide Aysha was extremely knowledgeable on it, and has studied it quite extensively.
Karez Irrigation System. This truly is remarkable. A must see!!!
At Kuqa we were offered the option to visit the incredible Grand Canyon. This is a MUST SEE! The photos on google really don't do it justice at all! It is INCREDIBLE!!! This is another place I definitely want to go back to!!!!
Tian Chi Heavenly Lake! I was not so impressed by the actual lake itself as it was swamped by tourists. But when you go off the main path and into the woods the mountains are truly breathtaking! This is another place I want to go back to and spend a lot more time at. AMAZING!!!
Xinjiang Museum - If you are at all interested in Mummies or in the actual lives of the people who lived and traveled on the Silk Road, this Museum is a must see. Allow at least a few hours to wonder through. There is so much to see here!!!!
Great Wall of China by Beijing. The scenery around it is so beautiful and dramatic! It truly is incredible!!!!
Chinese Acrobatic Show - while perhaps they could have been a little more professional with their lights and backdrop, nothing could take away the brilliance of their performance! They truly are amazing!!!!
Farewell dinner - The food was wonderful. The Peking duck was incomparable, and there were complimentary drinks for all. It was a wonderful evening to wind up our unforgettable trip!!!

This trip was for solo travellers and was great value for money. The hotels were of a high standard and the 2 national guides were exceptional. I booked this tour through a travel agent and paid the advertised price with no hidden extras. Highly recommend Wendy Wu tours.

Prior to booking this tour we previous booked a tour in 2016 to China which was very enjoyable. Alas this latest tour to Japan was quite disappointing in a number of ways.
Our flight was suppose to have left Perth 11.55pm but the flight was delayed and we never left until 1.35am. On arrival in Hong Kong we had to rush to connect with our flight to Osaka. We were met at the airport and had to wait for others to clear customs. Taking public transport to a hotel, thinking that it was ours, was told we had to walk to our hotel. Pulling two 30k suitcases plus two hand luggage had to walk 35-40 minute walk, crossing three major roads plus work our way through crowded pavements.
On day 3 we visit Nara where we took a short cruise. Sounded good in the brochure when in fact the river ran between high banks with no scenic value. Consensus was it was a time filler only.
Then we were suppose to visit the Isui-en gardens. Told by the guide to wait while he bought the tickets. On his return was told the garden was closed on Mondays. Nobody thought to check opening hours?
The visit to the 21st Century Museum of Contemporary Art was again voted a waste of time. As was the walk through the Miyagawa morning market. As there was very little interest to the group.
The visit to the Itchiku Kubota Art Museum was given a low score in regards to enjoyment.
Yes we were aware that the tour would include quite a lot of walking to see places of interest. But after a hectic day on your feet the last thing you want after an hour or hour and half rest, was a route march to the restaurant to eat the evening meal and then the long walk back in changeable weather. {Rain and the cold}
Where Western food was being served in these restaurants the food was stone cold. Yes the dishes were placed on dish warmers but someone forgot to provide heat to keep the food warm. Attempting to eat cold chips or the baked potatoes is not very enjoyable and cold veggies. This complaint was in regards to all the restaurants that served Western food.
Out of five I would give this tour a 3.

Really enjoyed the Majestic Yangtze tour just recently.
Grace our guide was excellent and local guides did well too.
A little more information on optional tours and the cost would be helpful before leaving home.
We were quite happy both with the food and the accommodation.
Many unforgettable memories.

No unexpected costs or fees and the Flights to and from Japan out of Brisbane were good (QANTAS) even the Jetstar Japan flight was good. We were the last to arrive in Osaka and missed the first dinner....Immediately given a credit for that..so well done WW.
* Buses were good but perhaps porter service and seat rotation policy would help there.
* I would also suggest issuing name tags as it took awhile to discover the names of fellow travellers.
* Food was good although at times it would be good to offer a western choice as well as local.
* Hotels were excellent and well situated. Rooms were a decent size considering the nature of Japanese
hotels so they had done that well.
* Our tour guide was a great person but lacked good conversational English. Perhaps daily bulletins in the hotel reception or as handouts would improve that. I would suggest Orientation drives in the major cities would also help.

On the whole it was a good tour and I enjoyed it. I would suggest that the 18 days (16 for Brisbane) is a bit long. I think 14 days would be a better duration with less shrines and Temples.
Standouts were…..
Kemiji Castle and the Cherry blossom…..stunning.
Hiroshima…Sobering but tastefully presented.
All the Gardens…Japan obviously has a plethora of Gardens and everyone we visited was special.
The Kimono museum and Garden….great location in the shadow of Mt Fuji.
Snow Monkeys…cute little rascals and the drive through the Alps was breath taking.
Mt Fuji……. just a photographers dream and eager to please.
Tokyo Skytree …. Really nails home the size of a Mega city.
Farewell Dinner. Good food and wine.. on a boat down the Sudima river and Karaoke into the bargain

Good tour but we encountered some shortcomings. We had to pay 930 yuan each ($AUD195) compulsory tipping upfront, no choice. This was advised to us a week before leaving Australia. The optional tours were over-priced and had to be paid in cash. These options were not notified to us until we started the tour so we had no prior warning to have extra money. We had to ask several times for the paper work on the options. The details of the options, together with costs, should have been available before leaving Australia. The cost of drinks at meal times was five times what you could get at supermarkets. For the cruise section, we were strongly encouraged to pay for upgrades of rooms and meals, eg $USD300 to upgrade meals for three days. We found the basic cabin and meals quite satisfactory.
The thermostats in most hotel rooms, including the cruise, did not work. It was either too hot or too cold. We were told that air conditioners were not allowed to be used before 1st June! Sound insulation was also non-existent even in some of the better hotels.
We had two evening flights after wasted days where nothing was organised, arriving at our accommodation close to midnight both times. It would have been better to have early afternoon flights.
Being a coeliac is not easy in China. My diet was not communicated to the guide beforehand. The Chinese idea of gluten-free is plain rice and steamed cauliflower or broccoli! Any coeliacs should take their own soy sauce.
Our guide, Ian, was wonderful and could not do enough for us. He was very friendly, considerate and tried to help everybody. His organisation was spot on.
Highlights included the Great Wall, Terracotta Warriors, pandas, Three Gorges (we did not see the dam as it was very foggy that day).

Really enjoyed our stay in Beijing with the highlights being visiting Tiananmen Square, The Forbidden City, The Summer Palace and The Great Wall. While these were all amazing places to visit, our guide Bruce, certainly helped to make our experience particularly memorable. He was thoughtful, considerate, polite and a fountain of knowledge. Bruce always put our needs first and nothing was too much trouble for him. He gave us the opportunity to do some extras like seeing the Legend of Kung Fu which we really appreciated and enjoyed. Bruce made us feel special and took a genuine interest in our family in our way of life in our homeland. Our whole experience exceeded our expectations.

I have just returned from the April 16 Yangtze River tour of China and had a wonderful time. Our tour guide was absolutely amazing with her knowledge of China and her personal care of our group. She had a few difficult people to deal with but didn't let that distract from making the tour so memorable for everyone else including those who didn't seem to want to have the full China experience. China is such an interesting place and the perfect way to see it was with Wendy Wu tours. Judy.

My husband and I have just returned from a 21 day Magnificent China tour. In every way, this Wendy Wu tour was enjoyable. There was a full and interesting itinerary, fantastic, local and knowledgeable guides, and our young tour guide, Maya, was exceptional in her care and organization of our group of twenty. We cannot commend her enough. At all times, she was organised and clear and concise in her instructions, so we knew exactly what was happening. Throughout the tour, she showed unfailing care and concern to passengers who had extra needs. Nothing was ever too much trouble, and she often went way beyond her role description. She shared many stories about living in China which contributed to our new-found understanding of this culture. We have been greatly enriched by her sharing, and we know that our tour was all the more enjoyable because of her. We would strongly recommend travelling to China with Wendy Wu tours. Anne (Brisbane)

P Hamilton 2/5/19
Spent 14 days in China 2nd April till 15th April, amazing trip would recommend this trip to anybody, in fact have not stopped talking about it.Started in Shanghai,Wuhan,Yangtze Yichang, Yangtze River Cruise (on the Victoria Jenna), Chongqing, Chengdu, Xian and Beijing. Saw lots of wonderful amazing sights . Our tour guide Amanda was with us all the way , a lovely lady I cant begin to say how helpful she was , arranging all our needs nothing was too much trouble, she went above and beyond her duty. She deserves 500 out of 100 , many thanks to this amazing friendly lovely lady .

To Whom It May Concern,

We have just returned from our Magestic Yangtze tour of China, departing Australia April 16. We are writing to commend our tour leader, Betty. It was Betty's expertise, good humour, generosity, genuine concern for our safety and comfort, as well as her willingness to share with us her knowledge of China that truly enhanced our trip. She shared with us aspects of her own life, providing us with further insights into her country. We cannot speak highly enough of her as a tour leader. Betty also has an excellent understanding of western needs and expectations and we feel she went beyond what is to be expected of a tour leader. We now have a new perspective of China and very much enjoyed our trip.

Sally and Neil Pratt

We have just returned from a Wendy Wu China Experience, the sights, sounds, places, were all spectacular, we visited Shanghai, Xi’an, Beijing. Our Tour Guide Amy was absolutely fantastic, she went above and beyond and well exceeded our expectations. A truly memorable tour well organised, very professional, will share our experiences with everyone.
Regards Terry & Sandra

We would thoroughly recommend this tour to anybody who wishes to see this part of China, which is amazing, very diverse with stunning scenery.
We paid the suggested Tipping at the beginning of the Tour which the National Tour Guide distributed to the local Guides, Coach drivers etc. an excellent way of ensuring appropriate tips are made when you don't have knowledge of local customs.
There were no other additional fees to be paid all was included. Booking was easy and the tour exceeded our expectations.
Our National Tour Guide, Ken, was very supportive and helpful, nothing was too much trouble, his knowledge of his beautiful Country was very helpful to us to understand Chinese culture and enjoy our experience of China. Our questions were answered and explained and we were also able to talk frankly about Australia and compare cultures.
The Local Guides were also very good, the coach drivers very professional, we felt exceedingly safe and at ease at all times.
The standard of the accommodation exceeded our expectations. The meals were designed to give us an insight into the local specialities, totally different at each venue and so delicious, plenty to eat.
A thoroughly enjoyable tour.

My husband and I enjoyed the 16 day Wendy Wu Wonders of China tour in March. Our National tour guide Nick was superb. His knowledge and pride in his country was tremendous and for us made this tour 5 stars. The local guides; Macy, Lily, Effie and Melody were all wonderful - Ding Ding Hao:) Nick and the local guides taught us about life in China and gave us an understanding and appreciation of this amazing country.

Our tour covered Beijing, Xian, Yangtze, Chongqing, Guilin, Yangshuo and Shanghai and
our tour group of 16 consisted of amazing travellers from Aus, UK, US and NZ. We were very fortunate that everyone got on well and we enjoyed each others company.

We found the hotels first class and better than we were expecting. The tour transport includes buses, flights and trains and all were punctual, efficient and very comfortable. We loved dining with our tour mates and enjoyed the local food but at day 15 we needed a burger!

We found China to be very scenic, clean and safe. The Chinese were very friendly and seemed proud to welcome us to their country.

The tour was fast paced and I still can not believe how much we were able to experience and see in these two weeks.There were so many amazing moments and memories that will be treasured for ever. My highlight was the visit to the Great Wall where we arrived very early (before any crowds) and when we had climbed to the highest point, we were all alone and able to enjoy this amazing view and moment. Other highlights include the Yangshuo village walk, Xian night tour and the amazing scenery of the Li River.

Thanks again to Nick and Wendy Wu for a well organised and amazing holiday.