Reviews

My name is Diego Citroni and I took part in the China by rail tour from 7 September to 27 September 2024 with code UK12345678.
Once the trip is over, I want to describe my impressions: It all started around March when searching on Google to show me organized tours in China I came across Wendi Wu's website and while scrolling through the various proposals I was amazed by the China by rail proposal: the locations visited and the length of the tour.
The departure was not entirely easy for me because I discovered that both Alipay and Wechat pay did not work even though I had configured and recognized my credit card from these APPs. Other problem, my credit card was not accepted at ATMs to withdraw cash, luckily, I also had some cash that I could change, as if that were not enough, the Chinese SIM in my possession did not work.
When I arrived in China, I found Mr. Addison and another person that kindly escorted me to the hotel.
The tour was as expected and I had a lot of fun seeing beautiful and interesting things. Of course, not everything can go well, but here it depends only on me, who has a very personal diet, as I do not eat meat from animals with feathers (chicken, duck, turkey, goose, etc.) and I do not eat spicy food. In Italy, there are many Chinese restaurants and Italians frequent them.
Our guide deserves a separate mention; he was always up to his role. He was able to mix and create a group of people from different countries, Australia, New Zealand, Singapore, England, Ireland and Scotland, as well as myself, Italy, I don't think I forgot anyone and he was able to organize all the transfers and tasks that arose as the trip progressed.
Personally, I have to thank him because he helped me get a Chinese SIM card. About a week before the end of the tour, I lost my glasses, so I had problems seeing up close.
One evening, when I was having trouble eating dinner, I warned him that I would not go because I was unable to eat food. He came to my room door and brought me some fruit, and if that was not enough, he brought me a pair of reading glasses that gave me back my sight. I cannot thank Mr. Addison enough for all the attention.
Talking with my friends on the tour, everyone agreed that we were lucky to have him as a companion during our trip and that if things always went well, it was all thanks to him.
If I had to give a definition of Addison, he was like the shepherd who scrupulously cared for his flock, making sure that everything was at the maximum level of safety and perfection for all his sheep.
Lastly, he gave us a video where he filmed the highlights of our trip, leaving us with an indelible memory of him and of all of us.
Now I am home, other trips? We will see about the well-deserved rest for now.
Best regards
Diego Citroni

We absolutely loved our two week tour to China. The organisation was exemplary and the tour guide- Ruby- was the best!
I can’t recommend Wendy Wu tours enough, what a fabulous experience and so many memories made!

We chose this tour as it visited virtually all the places we wanted to visit. We always go for Escorted Tours with all meals included and everything organised for us. This was our first tour with Wendy Wu and it really was worth paying a little more for the quality of service we received, particularly from our National Guide (Coco) who was professional, friendly and worked incredibly hard. As for Jaoan, we loved the country especially the culture (organised, quiet, polite, clean) and the highlights were: Hiroshima, Kyoto, Tokyo and the Snow Monkeys. Mention also should be made of the gardens, castles, temples, shrines, mountains, wooded hillsides, bullet train, rice fields and Sumo Wrestling. Lastly, we enjoyed the variety of food on offer including around 35% Western - we were able to try the whole range of Japanese cuisine including having to cook our own food on occasions - fortunately we were always provided alternative cutlery as well as chopsticks. Hotels were all of a high standard as were the toilets!

The tour itself was fine. The meals were the same things for lunch and dinner and after 12 days everyone on the tour was fed up and wanted something different. It would have been nice to have some time to do things on your own, like shopping. It was an early starts every day and then about 1 hour to get ready for the evening meals. The tours were very long winded at times in the very hot weather and people started to walk off. The guide was very good and helpful. Very disappointed that we did not go to the show as advertised. We were told before travelling that the Tonkin show was not running and it would be a similar one. The night before we saw this show from across the river and it looked brilliant but when we were taken to a show it was not the one we had seen the previous evening it was just acrobats which was very boring. Hoi An is famous for its lanterns at night but we never even saw this. Wendy Wu needs to realise that people do not want to know about the very ancient history all the time but would like to see the way of life in Vietnam now. I love history but it goes over your head when there is too much of it.

Everything has always been perfect. We are well looked after. They offer a great selection of tours to suit all requirements. All meals, at well sourced places, are included. Great internal guides. Couldn't ask for more.
We have been on three tours so far and have just booked our fourth.

I have attended a few of the Wendy Wu online travel shows, which are always very inspiring and informative, and give the opportunity to have my questions answered. I decided to take advantage of the new China brochure launch offers to book an escorted tour, and found Arti to be extremely helpful in comparing and contrasting the tours I had shortlisted and checking prices for a range of options. I have now booked and am very much looking forward to my Magnificent China Tour, with Dubai Stopover.

I have always received excellent service from Wendy Wu's. Their staff are polite & friendly & very helpful when you are booking a tour or customising it to meets you needs.
I have been on three tours with them & have recently booked a fourth. Each has been a wonderful experience, with excellent tour guides. The tours ensure you see as many places of interest as possible during your visit & are extremely enjoyable & informative. The tour guides provide an excellent service & ensure all needs are catered for. I thoroughly recommend this travel company.

Overall very good but some frustrations over places not visited on previous similar tour. Recommend comparison of alternative tours to ensure places visited best match expectations before final choice.

Very helpful advice from Alexia in a pre booked phone consulation after she had researched a selection of less strenuous tours suitable for me. It was great that she had recently been on the Uzbekistan tour I selected as I was able to answer my specific questions. I also booked the Treasures of Taiwan tour for Spring 2025 and she'd also experienced that tour too.

It was an excellent tour, but I have rated the holiday as 'Good' for the following reasons:
1. Apart from Ruby, our guide in China, Wendu Tour operators in London do not understand the difference between someone who does not eat pork to someone who is vegetarian. I do not eat pork, but I eat other meat like chicken, beef, lamb etc. For the outboard flight to China and the return flight from Hong Kong, British Airways was told by Wendy Tour operators that I am vegetarian; I refused to eat the disgusting vegetarian dishes which were served to me for supper and breakfast, and I was told that was what the Tour Operators had booked, and there were no other meals made available for me. That was a bad start and a bad finish to the holiday. Imagine flying for over 14 hours on both journeys and going without any food at all. This is a major let down. What saved the day was Ruby in China who negotiated for at least a chicken or beef dish to be served on the table.
2. The tour guide in Hong Kong could not change the meal arrangement in the restaurant because his office told him that a change of food would incur additional charges, and this would not be met by Wendy Tour. So again, I went without food for yet another day, despite the fact that the tour operators had been told beforehand that I don't eat pork. There were fish, chicken, beef etc being served to the other tables and yet I couldn't have any. I would have paid for it except my card would not work and I didn't have any cash on me to pay for another meal.
3. My wife and I paid over £10k for this trip and yet we were expected to pay additionally for some of the daily tours termed as 'optional'. They amounted to an extra £1k which we should have been informed of from the outset and not released after in the itinerary after we had made the payment. We believe they should have been included in the overall price, and not be misled into thinking that everything was booked, lock stock and barrel. When we opted out of any of the 'optional' tours, we had to find our own meals locally, when in fairness all meals were supposed to be provided every day. When people elect not to take part in the 'optional' tours, the guide should have made arrangements for us to go and dine locally elsewhere since we had already paid for it in the overall package.
4. We were priced the same as everyone else who booked early, but we were led to believe that those who booked at the end nearer the time of the holiday paid much less than us. This is totally unfair. There should be one price for all or at least make a concessionary price for everyone from the outset.
5. We were charged one price for all the site visits irrespective of age, but half of the group including me were over 70 and consequently were not charged any entrance fee. We believe the charges that were billed to us initially should be refunded back to us accordingly.
6. Lastly, we learnt that BA offered free upgrade to Wendy Tours for its passengers on the flight from UK to China. A few of us in the group received upgrade to Business Class or Economy Plus and it would be interesting to find out what criteria were used to select the passengers who qualified for the upgrade. We were certainly not the ones to be offered any upgrade. At the airport, we had to pay an extra £400 each (total £800) for the 2 of us to be upgraded on our outboard flight; and couldn't get any upgrade on the flight from Hong Kong.

We are looking at taking another tour; this time to India, but we are not too sure if we should tempt fate again with Wendy Tours.

The time to get to Siem Reap was very long. Then the following day we had a very long unexpected bust trip to get to the ship.. our time on the Mekong Victoria was very enjoyable. The tours were very good. It was a bit scary at times getting ashore and to the area we were visiting. Thankfully the crew were there to help us. A safe hand wasn’t far away! Having a morning and an afternoon tour was a great advantage in the heat, a break until 2.30 was great.
The staff on the ship were a credit to company. Always welcoming and remembered the drinks passengers liked. Nothing was too much for the passengers.
The included tours were interesting, it was great to see the culture, history and industry of the countries . Enjoyed the variety of meals. Having to travel 3+ hours to Ho Chi Minh airport was again unexpected. Having four days at Phu Quoc was a good opportunity to relax and chill after the busy cruise. Overall we had a great holiday. .

My first time with Wendy Wu and it was everything I expected. All connections went smoothly, communication was good and the guides were knowledgeable and attentive. The hotels were comfortable and varied from opulent to rustic and homely. Always clean and comfortable, toiletries and towels provided. Breakfasts plentiful in choice with some unexpected dishes (beef casserole!), Hercules porridge (delicious) and usual cold meats, eggs, pastries, fruit, etc. Meals were astounding with plenty of salads, soups, meat and veg followed by fruit, sweets or small cakes. Large portions as well. All the restaurants were quirky from decoration to opulence which was great. The coach was comfortable, water supplied in plenty. Frequent stops. Some roads bumpy but that is to be expected. The scenery in Kyrgyzstan was amazing and the view to a world of long ago nomadic lifestyle was refreshing. The animal market at Karakol was amazing as was the eagle demonstration. Uzbekistan - more modern, with specific buildings of beauty in every city. We learnt about the history of the area - fascinating; the workmanship of ceramics and textiles was beautiful; the walking tours were not too long and we always had some time to relax in the late afternoon. I had wanted to visit this area for a number of years and was not disappointed. Highly recommended.

Price included visas, all meals, tours and excellent tour guides. A whistle-stop tour but packed with visits and energised with superb food and accommodation

Great tours with Wendy Wu. Our guides Sam (Japan) and Mimi (South Korea) were outstanding. We would definitely recommend these tours.
One thing we were disappointed with was the number of meals that catered to western tastes rather than showing us local cuisine.

This is not a holiday, it is an interesting, educational, cultural experience!
On 6th April 2024 we became part of” Ivy’s family “of fourteen. Four English, one New Zealander and the rest Australian (4 singles and 5 couples), a great combination. Due to jet lag we decided to fly to Beijing two days before the tour started-good idea.
Very few people had any English at all, even in the hotels. They did use translation app’s, to varying degrees of success. Downloading your own before you get to China is a good idea (wish we had).
Ivy, our national tour guide was with us throughout the 26 days. How she got us all from Beijing to Shanghai via three domestic flights (enormous airports with very tight security), three train journeys (gigantic stations) and all the tours without losing anyone was a mystery to us all. She made us all feel safe in an environment alien to ours. Forests of sky-high, tower blocks as far as you could see, cars, bikes, scooters and people everywhere. You couldn’t read anything or communicate.
When we arrived in a place we were met by a local guide, so had two looking after us most of the time.
Food was ordered for us by the local guides and Ivy depending on the area we were in and any group likes and dislikes of food. All dishes were put on a lazy Susan (always plenty, you won’t starve) for everyone to try. We practised with chopsticks before going- good idea, some restaurants provided full cutlery, some hunted round for forks and one had to give extra little china spoons (normally for soup) only thing they had apart from chopsticks!
On this trip you don’t need a scarf for temples or clothes for sleeping overnight on a train. You need layers as temperatures differ. A cotton cardigan was the most useful item. Thin plastic mac, sunhat, lipsil, sun block, mosquito repellent in some areas and a good pair of trainers.
All the hotels had toilet paper. Just remember to take some with you when out and about as few public loos (which are abundant and free) have paper. Some have paper you collect before going into the cubicle. Look out for disabled toilet or potty toilet or pedestal, otherwise you’re in the squat!
We averaged 12,000 steps a day (ranging from 6,000 to 19,000) at a moderate pace. Not all due to the tour, we preferred to walk round rather than sit with a coffee during free time.
Go on every optional shows/tour they offer, as they were all exceptional experiences!
Goggle and WhatsApp (blocked in China) TV in English if you’re lucky. Free Wi-Fi in most hotels.
Thank you to all the Wendy Wu staff for all your excellent organisation. All the local guides (especially Max and Bell) who introduced us to their home areas. Our very special thanks to Ivy.