Wendy Wu Tours

Very well organised, the guides were great. The accommodation in China was a far higher standard than expected, and the foot massage in Yangshuo was fantastic! Our only criticisms would be in Japan the split of time between shrines/temples and gardens could have been different to allow more time in the beautiful gardens and a little less in the temples which all became a bit samey towards the end. The other issue for us was the excessive amount of time devoted to shopping in both countries. We felt this could be severely cut back to allow more time to enjoy the natural wonders of each country. The one other bug bear was the cost of all the additional trips in China which were far more than we had been led to believe and meant having to get more cash out on two occasions. That said they were largely worth doing.

Overall a very good holiday, good accommodation, good meals, and the coaches were OK but could have been newer (and quieter with better sound systems), both drivers were first class. For our first week, we found our guide Lizwe to be excellent.
The itinerary was satisfactory, but too rushed on the first day when visiting the Apartheid Museum and then travel to Mpumalanga - consequently we did not stop to appreciate view points on route and arrived at Angel's View after dark.
A separate day for Johannesburg sight seeing then travel to Mpumalanga the following day would have been preferable.
Sightseeing on the Panorama Route was spoilt due to bad weather, so it would be sensible to have an alternative sightseeing opportunity if necessary.
The Shiduli Game Reserve was a highlight (in spite of cold weather) and could not be faulted. It would have been good to have had more notice of the optional safari on the last morning so more people would have joined this.
On the Garden Route, the highlight was the Featherbed Eco Experience. We would have liked stops at view points on the route (we travelled the Garden Route but felt there was more to see).
The worst day - which needs to be addressed - was the journey from Knysna to Cape Town. The itinerary said this would take 8 hours including sightseeing, but actually took 13.5 hours even though we only had the planned times for sightseeing, lunch and comfort breaks. We had to buy food at a service station as we would have arrived in Cape Town too late to eat.
We would suggest staying overnight part way to Cape Town to avoid this excessively long journey and enable more enjoyment of sights on route.
In Cape Town the sightseeing trips were good and we included a visit to Signal Hill as there was plenty of time for this.
The queues for the Table Mountain cable car were probably well over and hour, so the group opted to pay extra for the fast track tickets - we feel this should be included as standard.
The trip to the winelands included a gourmet lunch at Haute Cabriere. The service was vey slow but the meal delicious. In the evening we went to the Gold restaurant, so had a second substantial meal - may be a bit too much in one day. We don't know how it would be best to improve this.
OVERALL we felt that an additional day at the beginning (or effectively starting the tour at lunch on the first day, since most of the group had travelled overnight) would be beneficial. Similarly, an extra day on the Garden Route is essential to ensure it is a holiday not a route march!

This trip was amazing. The organisation, value, National and local guides could not be faulted. We left with a far better understanding of the social, cultural, historical and natural world aspects of China.

Superb. Very clear and helpful. Couldn't have been more impressed. Would definitely recommend. Can't wait to go on my trip

Excellent itinerary for first time travellers.
Good planning hotels and guides.

A comprehensive opportunity to see the principal historical sites, towns and varied landscapes of both China & Tibet. Bullet train journeys added to the sightseeing enjoyment of the holiday. Our guide spoke very good English and was often able to expand on the more recent political history of China & Tibet. The tour schedule could be somewhat physically tiring at times but meals were good and cuisine varied. Hotel accommodation was also good. We would really recommend the optional Sichuan Opera performance we attended in Chengdu.
Our particular highlights would include The Great Wall, The Terracotta Army, The Li River cruise, Pandaland, Lijiang, Shangri-La, Lhasa and the Potala Palace and the final evening cruise in Shanghai.
Using the internet was problematic and we were unable to use the recommended Chinese WeChat & AliPay phone payment systems but Yuan paper money was always accepted and in some locations Western credit cards and ATMs were used without problems.

Great trip and special thank you to our amazing guide Corina! Everything was organised to perfection - great hotels, food, transfers and experiences.
It was our first time with Wendy Wu but, after our experience, we are ready to book another trip with them.

Just what I wanted it to be.

This is the shortest of the Wendy Wu offerings and I was pleased I took advantage of the Hiroshima extension.

Wendy Wu are very well established in the in the Australian & UK tourist markets. They provide a very organised itinerary, where everything is all in (except drinks). As one of only 2 singletons on the tour I was pleased about that, but in a very busy schedule, understandably there isn't a massive amount of free time. Their pretour reading is very detailed.

One thing it didn't appreciate was the 20 hour journey via a 3 hour stopover in Abu Dhabi from Manchester. I might have sought a direct flight from London.

As another traveller said to me beforehand, there is nothing to dislike about Japan. She was right. From waking up to see Mount Fugi, the Tea Ceremony, the Calligraphy lesson, the beautiful shrines to ,the amazingly poignant experience in Hiroshima.

It is hot and it is humid for a Brit, never below 31 degrees in Sept. Even the Aussies said they wouldn't be out in this heat.

I'd use these people again in the Far East certainly.

Dreams of Nature UKQ660552
5th to 27th September 2024

This was without no doubt my one of the best and
truly felt like a Wish and Dream come true fulfilled
with absolutely excellent experiences and bringing back lifetime lingering memories

It was very well organised with detailed daily itineraries and seamless tour culminating in my safe return home. The Travel Consultants are very friendly, knowledgeable and very professional in portraying its Owner Wendy Wu's passion, enthusiasm and offering a unique travel experiences not only as China but worldwide Tours

The Hotels were of high quality standards and unique in its own ways!
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Our National guide Raymond Lu was very professional with excellent historical and Geographical knowledge, fantastic customer services, always eager to help and support with positive attitude and always had a good focus for care safety and with great attention to details no matter how minute it may appeared throughout the journey - be it Hotel check in, comfort breaks dietary requirements, Bullet train and cruises checking and
to endless lists of the questions etc fellow travellers!
We were also fortunate to have local guides Oscar,LJ and Peter showing their respective regions with Passion expertise and made us feel welcoming

I would highly recommend without any hesitations to Feel, See, smell, Taste, Hear and experience with Difference these incredible Natural wonders of China - my favourite Zhangjiajie and the national parks with breathtaking and stunning views of the sandstone pillars,gorges and the canyons- unique experiences walking on the Glass bridge and the walkways.
The magnificent Yangtze River Cruise with the Professional and friendliest Crew ever, Three gorges Dam with its historical and magnificent Engineering feat and the Upstream & Downstream Ship upliftment and many more excursions were well organised My another favourite was the
Part of Tibet - Nine Villages Valley with mesmerising crystal clear lakes,Rivers Waterfalls and natural , serene and tranquil views

The culinary dietary requirements as a vegetarian were well looked after plus all the local folklore and evening entertainments were amazing!

In my views China is openly welcoming back Tourism and I will certainly look forward to explore other known parts of China and book the tour with One & Only Wendy Wu Tours my all time Favourite.

Dreams of Nature UKQ660552 certainly exceeded my expectations 😘

With much appreciation and from the bottom of my heart I Would like to say a big "Thank You to All at Wendy Wu Tours in making this dream come true!

Acknowledging the virtual Tour clip with Wendy and her Top Team first visit after China reopened made my heart set to visit these lovely place - want to revisit the dream !!!