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!

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.

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.

We have just returned from an excellent trip, Japan Uncovered. Blessed by outstanding weather, and in cherry blossom season this trip covered all the major sites that we most wanted to see in Japan. Our guide, Mina, was fabulous. Patient, knowledgeable and with a great sense of humour. Her English was excellent. Our group of 27 included English, Irish and Australian participants. A few of us had food requests and allergies which Mina took time to understand and to ensure that the restaurants were aware of.
Before embarking on a trip such as this though, I would urge people to do their homework. This is a trip designed to cover as many peoples interests as possible. Therefore, there will be occasions when you like certain activities more than others. This is not a personalised trip. This also applies to the food. Sometimes you will eat at fairly high end restaurants and sometimes the equivalent of a cafe. The food is predominantly Japanese because that is what people eat in Japan! I am not a huge fan of Japanese food but I tried everything and I was never hungry. The days are long and there is often quite a bit of walking. So when it is stated that a good level of fitness is required, that is what they mean. On the first day we walked over 20,000 steps as well as travelling by coach and boat; and recovering from jet lag. English is not widely spoken but with a smile and a sense of humour most things can be communicated. We were happy with all of the hotels that we stayed in but Japanese hotel rooms tend to be small and rather warm. There often isn’t a bar to relax in, in the evenings but the vending machines are excellent.
We will definitely be keeping our eyes peeled for other Wendy Wu tours but I think that this one will be hard to beat both in terms of cost and the amount of Japan that we were able to see. Just a couple of thousand photos to go through now.

The tour itself was excellent but the hotels and the majority of the food was of the fast take away variety. For the price ,especially as food in S Korea is quite cheap, I expected , better quality meals.
I have recently returned from a Scenic New Zealand trip where both the food and accommodation was of a much higher standard
The Taiwan extension was good with an excellent hotel in SunMoon Lake
We used Wendy Wu for this holiday as there are few U.K. holiday companies who arrange tours to Korea/Taiwan . . Not sure if I'd travel with Wendy Wu if other tour operators such as Scenic covered the area
The guides in both Korea & Taiwan were excellent and relevant information and new when to keep quiet

We had a great time and the concept of group tours was new. In hindsight we should have spent some time at the welcome meal for people to introduce themselves.
For our taste there were too many “western style dinners”, particularly as they were of low quality. We loved the Japanese food and realized that it must have been a challenge to serve 27 people quickly.
The schedule was kept to, despite some folks returning late to meeting points, there was no contingency for this,
Our tour leader did an amazing job juggling the schedule and some special requests.

Utterly Superb. I've wanted to visit India for many years - was planning on 2020 but we all know what happened then! - so finally got around to booking. I expected India to be a complete assault on the senses and it delivered in spades. Colourful, noisy, fast moving, in your face and unlike any country I've ever visited. It was a little bit crazy in the best possible way - I loved the sights, sounds, colours, the smells (OK not so much those of Indian Train toilets LOL). I don't think I'll ever quite get used to cows ambling along wherever they please ... including the middle of the road but thats just part of the local colour.

This was my second Wendy Wu Tour - I came back as the first was superb in every way and this one delivered again. Thats twice now that WW has knocked it out of the park. Ive just booked another tour for 2025 to Japan.

1) The itinerary was comprehensive and varied - the pace a little relentless at times as we crammed in as much as possible but worth it totally. We visted all the major "bucket list" sights of Northern Indian from New & Old Delhi (such a contrast), to Taj Mahal and Agra (Taj is every bit as magnificent as imagined), Varanasi (the 5 am start to see the sunrise and Ghats on Ganges was well worth it to see such an incredible site), the Khajuraho (with the Kama Sutra carvings) temples, the night, time jeep ride and magnificent sights of Jaipur, the very macho military city of Jodphur complete with jet fighter fly-overs and the magnificent hotel, the lakes and water palaces of Udaipur and the Tigers at Ranthambore and the superb Shergarh Hotel. Wall to wall palaces, forts, temples, rickshaw rides, Tuk Tuk, jeep rides, coaches, flights and train - you name it we did it.
2) The National guide Vishal was an ever smiling guy who sorted out any minor issues along the way and was a fountain of knowledge on his country as well as being very proud of it and eager to share with visitors. The local guides and coach drivers/assistants were also excellent but special mention has to be given to the superb driving of the cool, calm Mr Singh who Id trust to drive me anywhere and the ever smiling assistant Krishna.
3) The Hotels were all of very good quality - two of which where utterly superb in Jodphur and Ranthambore. The Udaipur Hotel had issues - which the hotel did sort out rapidly but they shouldn't have needed to have the issues pointed out... the other hotels didnt.
4) Food was plentiful and good quality. Generally I would have liked it spicier as I like my food hot and flavourful but appreciate that the hotels and restaurants needed to cater for the wide range of palates of the group. Shergarh was very accommodating in making mine spicier when I asked.
5) Excellent value for money - a lot of bang for the buck.
6) An absolutely superb group of people to travel with - 28 of us from various parts of the UK, Ireland, some Aussies and Kiwis. Everyone seemed to get on really well and the WhatsApp group set up by our guide Vishal was great for sharing photos, schedules etc. The group I travelled with made an already amazing holiday into an incredible experience I will never forget.
Absolutely no hesitation in recommending Wendy Wu Tours - Ive already booked my third tour for 2025!

Inspiring India was just that. A great tour incorporating temples, tombs, royal palaces, fortresses,& incredible monuments. We experienced many modes of transport including tuk tuks, boat, canter, bike tuk tuk & planes. We had great food and made great friendships. Hotels good quality and had an experienced & knowledgeable tour guide. We took part in a fun Holi festival and went on tiger safari. We saw lots of wildlife & animals literally in the wild.
And we finished off with the iconic Taj Mahal. Awesome.
Yes, I was inspired and yes I would highly recommend Wendy Wu Tours - every time.

Our guide Vish was amazing. He took excellent care of us and frequently went above and beyond what was expected in order to give us the best and most authentic experience. In addition to the well known tourist attractions our tour included many off the beaten track places which gave us a feel of the real India.
My only minor criticism/suggestion for future tours would be to factor in a little more free time to allow guests to catch their breath/enjoy a relaxing few hours. I understand that Wendy Wu wants guests to experience as much of the country as possible in a limited time but the full on nature can be exhausting at times