Henan Reviews - What Our Customers Say about Luoyang, Shaolin Temple...

Hi Wonder,

That's just to let you know that we had perfect days. Everything's working out perfectly (and yes, we did see the Anyang museum)

No prob to skip the history museum, and we look forward to focus on the archeology museum.

Henan museum is fantastic.

The Xi'an Shaanxi Archaeology Museum is fantastic. There are simply too many great places in Xi'an, one could stay for 2 weeks and never be bored.

Cathy is a wonderful person, we are having a great time. Gulnur provided marvelous help, btw. Can't praise her enough. She looked up everything on our last day with her, phoned several people until she had reliable information.

Peter

Dear Leo,

I am sending you herewith a quick feedback and review first.

Destinations: Xian – Tongchuan -Mausoleum of Yellow Emperor – Hukou Waterfall of Yellow River – Wang Family Compound – Ancient city of Pingyao – Xingtai – Taiheng Mountains – Luoyang – Longmen Grottoes – Wangwu Mountain – Yuncheng – Xian

Dates: 19. May – 2. June 2024

Trip Type: Traveled as a Group of 8 (4 from Germany, 4 from Hong Kong)

Tour customized by: Leo

1) Our itinerary is complicated and unusual, with places which are not frequented by foreign tourists at all. We contacted a few travel agencies during the planning. China Discovery was the only one which responded quickly, co-operated very efficiently and organized the whole tour to our greatest satisfaction. Many thanks to our travel consultant Leo, who was always fast in answering my questions, ready to make suggestions and offer solutions. It was really a pleasure to work with him. With our experience this time I would have no hesitation in recommending China Discovery (operated through Bamboo International Travels Ltd. In Chengdu) to travelers interested in visiting China.

2) Bruce from Xian was our guide throughout the trip. He speaks excellent English, was very knowledgeable, helpful and attentive to our needs, also very patient in waiting and looking for those who didn’t stay with the group! He worked together well with the driver, navigated him on very difficult roads sometimes. We added extra spots of interest to the itinerary at short notice and both guide and driver were very cooperative regarding our requests. We did cover some adventurous stretches not foreseen in the itinerary. Thanks are due to them that the realization of our wishes was possible. Our tour bus traveled over 4 provinces. Leo made sure beforehand that everything went smoothly and it did.

3) All the hotels were of high standard. The one right next to the Hukou Waterfall, in the heart of ancient city Pingyao, in the middle of beautiful Wangwu Mountain are especially recommendable.

4) We ate very well, almost too much! The daily budget for meals (one meal daily was included in the tour price) could be less.

5) Reminder for travelers on trains: the check-in point at train stations is similar to those at airports. Make sure you do not have any sharp object in your hand luggage.

Thank you again for the wonderful trip! We will come back for your services next time.

With warm regards,

Helen (Germany, Hong Kong)

Hi Wonder

We had a very good 2 day tour with Joe. He was very helpful and knowledgeable. He did his best to make sure we were well taken care of.

Our travel consultant at China Discovery was very good too. He answered our questions promptly.

I highly recommend China Discovery.

Regards

Nyuk

Hello Rita,

Yes we are home safely after an enjoyable, busy 3 weeks travelling around China.

Thank you for putting together such an interesting tour. The time passed so quickly. Had we not been on a 3 week time line I would have added a rest day every 3-4 days. That would have been a good addition.

The hotels were all lovely. I liked those that had a bath best, because after an energetic day walking, one could soak the muscles and rest for a while.

We loved travelling in the trains. Thanks for organising the comfortable upgrades.

I am glad our guides met us at the stations & dropped us off though. The stations are huge and finding the right platform was made easier with the guides help.

We had minor problems.

1. Shanghai- There are 2 exits and we went to the wrong one. However we rang the guide and then we found one another.

2. Another, was when we missed the transit sign & walked the wrong way following the crowd. Fortunately Bruce noticed & helped us get to the right place so we could get the connecting train in time.

3. My seat was already taken on one of the trains. I was advised by the conductor to walk through the train to carriage 8, get off, and get on again. There were 2 trains joined together. I wasn’t sure if the train would wait for me as they only stop for a minute! Fortunately the staff were very helpful getting me off, and getting me on again. They seated me next to Bill.

The tourist attractions we visited were outstanding. Everything we saw was worthwhile. We loved the spectacular Stage Shows.

We loved the cruise. We made new friends, had a lot of shipboard fun. The concierge and other staff were lovely.

Our guides were friendly, helpful and really good company.

We are happy to see how well China is going with trains, stations , roads, housing. National Parks and environmental protection. Good job!

We would recommend your Tour Company should anyone ask . We were very happy with everything.

All being well, we will return to do the other half of the original trip.

Here are some happy photos from Our enjoyable time visiting China.

Yours sincerely.

Carol & Bill

Hi Evelyn.

We are leaving Beijing now.

We had a great time.

Peter and the driver were excellent.

Jonney

Dear Wonder,

In Datong we forgot to give a comment on the service there.

We were very satisfied with both. The driver was also very polite. May was an excellent guide with good English and knowledge of the history. Many thanks to her. She earns the number 5!

So far we are very happy with the trip.

Kind regards,

Urs and Ingrid

Dear Wonder,

you might WONDER that we put no claim on today’s hotel room. We are very happy, it’s one of the best hotel room with a wonderful view. Enjoy the evening.

Urs and Ingrid

Dear Wonder,

we checked in and the room is really GREAT.

Regards

Urs and Ingrid

Tracy

Yes, excellent. It was very well planned and I had full coverage to establish the itinerary

Sonia

Hi Evelyn.

Yes we are on the train now.

We really enjoyed Luoyang. I've always wanted to visit the Shaolin temple and really enjoyed the Kung Fu class.

Joe our guide was very good too.

The hotel room was great but the breakfast needs improvement. Joe made sure they supplied us with some extras for breakfast as there was not much variety.

Yes we really liked Datong as well thanks. The tour was informative and the attractions really interesting.

Jonney

Dear Wonder,

we had a great time here with a nice guide. She promised us, that her English will improve during the coming years.

Thanks and a good start into the coming week.

Regards

Urs and Ingrid

Dear Jack,

our 4 day trip to Henan with two days at Dongfeng/Mt. Songshan and two days at Luoyang was just great. It was our 5th trip with China Discovery Tours in three years and once again tailored perfectly to our ideas and interests. We could have stretched the program easily, there was so much to see, but had a rather limited time frame. The temple fair at Zhongyue Si and the peony festival at Luoyang were surprising extras. We had a very competent guide and driver who made an excellent planning avoiding crowds, tacking short-cuts and giving valuable advice.

Looking forward to our next trip with you,

best regards,

Johannes

Hello Leo,

Thank you very much for organising a wonderful China trip for us.

We thoroughly enjoyed the whole trip - Xian, Louyang and Beijing. We would not have such a memorable trip without the help of yourself and all 3 of our tour guides in each city. Everything went smoothly and well planned. All our guides (Jessie, Shane & Maggie) went above and beyond to give us the best experience. They introduced us to local food in each city which we completely love it. I will be going back to China again and definitely with the professional help of China Discovery team. I have already told my friends & family about how wonderful your team are. Highly recommend.

Busagorn

Hi Rita,

Attached some additional photos you can use.

Wee

Dear Wonder,

Should you be interested whether we arrived good, yes we did! We enjoyed the first week with Jack.

Regards

Urs and Ingrid

Hi Rita.

Today guide was very good. We had a good time today. also Lily was a very good guide too.

Akhilesh

Dear Wonder,

After returning from our magnificent and wonderful China tour I would like to share our impressions with you. If you want you can use our comments as testimonial for you as well.

My wife and me took on March/April (at this time the different sites are not overcrowded and the climate is comfortable too) a 21-day private tour through China (mainly in the South) organised by Wonder, China Discovery. Wonder is an ideal travel consultant. He is highly competent, absolutely professional and flexible. Exept one also the local tour guides and drivers were very engaged and trusty. For travelling within China we used mainly the very efficient, very fast, comfortable and very punctual high speed trains. The selection of hotels (location and comfort) was also good. So, we were able to carry out our tour, which was quite ambitious and strict for our age (71 years), well. Only under these conditions you can have a pleasant tour through China. We can highly recommend China Discovery and personally Wonder. - Antal from Hungary, April 2024

Information just for you. The best English skills among the local tour guides had Derek (Hangzhou), Vicky (Dali), Bruce (Xian), Lobsang (Shangri-La) and Lisa (Luoyang). Jenny (Kunming area) was not really good. For example on the first day we could reach and see the sunset at the rice fields only because of our initiative and pressure. Otherwise we would have missed it. Attached I send you a few photos, which you can use if you want.

Finally I have a request to you. Would you please send me a China map with our travel route marked? (Beijing - Shanghai - Huangshan - Guilin/Yangshuo - Kunming - Stone Forest - Yuanyang/Hani rice terraces - Jianshui - Dali - Lijiang - Leaping Tiger Gorge - Lhasa - Luoyang - Beijing). I hope it is possible and I thank you very much in advance.

Antal

Hi Leo.

Our trip was great. Both guides did a good job and we were very happy with the service.

Aaron

Hi Evelyn,

we thoroughly enjoyed the trip, and we’re so glad that we went with the China Discovery private tour. The tour quides weregreat, Jamie especially went above and beyond. Our favorite was the Great Wall, but they were all amazing.

Thank you so much

Maree

Hi Tracy,

Everything’s been great! Thanks for checking in ☺ I think I overdid my own itinerary. We’re exhausted everyday! It’s all been worthwhile; we’re loving every moment.

Tia

Hello Leo

I have just come back to Brisbane.

Thank you very much for organizing such an enjoyable trip for us. I have been to China many times, this is the best trip for me.

The hotels were very good (except for maybe 1). The food was excellent and the guides were very friendly, knowledgeable and patient with us.

The places the guides took us to were very interesting and beautiful...full of history.

I would like to say a special thank you to the guides who made our trip so enjoyable...

Joe - very knowledgeable, patient and looked after us very well.

Ben - helped us get porridge when a few of us were sick with food poisoning.

Frank - loved his humour and knowledge of Lanzhou. Also very helpful with helping us use the washing machine on the last day.

Sally - she is so helpful and made sure we were warm. Also very helpful in rearranging pour trains to Jiayuguan.

Aisha - very good knowledge about the places went and arranged good food for us.

Siddiq - very helpful, good sense of humor and we enjoyed his company very much.

Cathy is also very good and knowledgeable, very passionate about being a guide. She gave us good tips on how to go to the nearby market in Dunhuang and Turpan.

Once again, thank you very much Leo and thank you to China Discovery for such a memorable trip.

Adrian

Hi Rita,

We had some really good time with Suti, Lee and Shane. Ladies were very nice and helpful. Tours were well organized. Especially many thanks to Shane for using her car to pick us up from train station in Luoyang and to bring us back. I think taxi would be very confusing for us due to many reasons. Also, it seems best to recommend Ali Pay app for payments. I hope this helps.

Predrag

Hi Wonder,

Please do thank the guides and driver for an absolutely wonderful tour! Joe was so knowledgeable and Shane was just outstanding today. I felt so genuinely cared for. Thank you again for understanding and trying so hard to help with Erika's train etc. Really appreciate it!

Tina

Hello Rita,

The trip to Luoyang is great, our tour guide Joe is very friendly and helpful.

We are on our way back to Beijing,

Joy

Hi Leo,

I am quite happy with the Luoyang trip. Guide & Driver are all friendly & enthusiastic. Joe is professional & helpful.

I will come back (maybe in autumn) for the Yungang Grottoes. Once I fix my schedule, will ask for your help.

Thanks & Best Regards,

Listyani

Hi Jack,

It was awesome! You guys are very organized and Shirley and Mr. Wang were incredible! Thank you so much. I appreciate all of you.

Hi Wonder,

The trip to Xian and Luoyang was great. It helped us to know what to expect on the long trip and what to prepare. Excellent: drivers, guides & tours. The arrangements were efficient and timings good. We enjoyed the balance between tours and rest. The hotels were good. Only 1 disappointment: we could not keep the entry tickets to the Warriors. Kai explained the reason but I wish we had known. Those tickets were important souvenirs for us so we would have paid to avoid Kai having to use the ticket to claim the expense. Thoughts for the next trip: we will need the guides help to get food for the meals not catered for in the trip. For example, on the river cruise where can we buy food/snacks? Will there be a shop and restaurants on board? Will all the hotels have a kettle to boil water? And finally, could you tell me if any of the hotels have a swimming pool or gym facilities? These are not essential so it's ok if not but we will pack according.

Gillian

Hi Tracy!

Thanks for the excellent arrangement for our trip to Xian and Louyang.

I will gladly share some positive feedback on trip advisor, please send the link to secure I will give feedback on right place

Best regards Per

Hi Wendy,

So cool, so happy y’all could add it to the itinerary, very unique and amazing museum/archaeology site. It's a wonderful opportunity to see evidence of the Xia Dynasty's existence. Even for folks who aren't history teachers.

Dear Wing,

We have been wondering how the wonderful people we met are getting through this crisis. We are glad to hear that you are well. We hope that you and your family and friends can stay healthy.  

We are well and are living near our son and his family who can help us. My sister in California said that no one is allowed out of the house except for food shopping or something necessary in order to live. Last week 3.3 million people applied for unemployment benefits in our country. So many businesses are closed.  

We hope to travel again and will contact you when it is again possible to see other countries.

Sincerely,

Deborah and Steve

Lily,

You were definitely correct in getting us to leave China right away. We did not want to leave as we were really enjoying the trip you had arranged for us.But it was correct to leave.

I am now trying to claim part of our flight back to Canada. To make this claim could you please send me:

1) A letter stating that our trip was terminated on January 25 when we were in Tiger Leaping Gorge and the reason why ( Because of coronavirus and the towns of Lijiang and Dali our next two stops were being closed and other parts of China were going to close soon). So we were advised to end trip, get back to Shanghai and leave China immediately.

2) Letter should include both my husband's and my full name

3) Letter should include our itinerary number

4) Needs to be on official paper

5) Include your name and contact information

If you could send this as soon as possible, it would be appreciated.

Again thanks for getting us out of China and also for arranging a great trip.

Hello Wing,

Sorry the late response....see response in Italic below....

(1)  How do you like our tour arrangements and are you willing to recommend our service to your friends?

 The tour arrangement was perfect and I have already recommended to my friends, etc

(2)  Do you have some suggestions for us to improve our service?

 It is better and easier for us to provide survey feedback for the individual tour guide and driver online, right now it is paper based and sometimes we hold back comments knowing that the tour guide get to see the comments.

(3)  If you come to China again, would you like to use our service again?

 YES

Hi Yanny!

I must apologize for replying so late. I got so busy with work and kept forgetting to reply to you. Thank you for asking about our tour. We had a really nice time with Cheryl. And sure let me answer your questions. I hope its not too late yet.

1.How about your tour arrangements? 

Before the actual tour, we were in contact with the travel consultant Yanny He, who helped us customize the tour we wanted. She had to re do the itinerary several times since we had to keep changing our itinerary considering our budget and time constraints. Yanny was always cheerful to help.  Once we got to China, and once our tour started, everything was effortless as we were met in the train station. We had our own personal car service with guide and chauffeur. We were brought to the tourist spots and back to the hotel, until we were done with our tour and we were brought to the airport. Everything in the tour package agreed upon beforehand was what we given to us in the actual tour. 

2. Are you willing to recommend our service to those who would like to come to China ? 

Yes very much. And also it was the most affordable one we find, but also quality

3. Your general opinion on us?  

It was a good value for money and legitimate tour service. At first we were hesitant because there were many reviews of scams of different tour agencies. But this one was legitimate. 

4.  Would you like to share your tour with us? we will appreciate it if you would like to send some pics.

Our tour was in Henan--Longmen and Zhengzhou. It was around 4days. Our main goal was the Shaolin temple which had been my dream since I was a kid, after watching my first kungfu movie 

Win

Hi Riley,

You people really rock. Good service in Beijing and Luoyang. It was indeed a great tour for us. Thanks a ton.

Rita,

1. Is your travel consultant of our company fast enough to answer your E-mail and patient enough to answer your questions?

YES ,VERY FAST AND EFFICIENT, EVERY CHANGE AND EVERY REQUEST WAS PROMPTLY PLEASED

2. How do you comment your tour arrangements?

VERY GOOD HOTELS, GUIDE AND ARRANGEMENTS

3. Are you willing to recommend our service to your people who also have an interest to visit China?

YES ,I WILL RECOMEND, I AM IN THE SAME KIND OF BUSINESS,.AND I MEET MANY PEOPLE TRAVELLING LIKE ME

4. Your general opinion on us?

VERY GOOD, I WILL REFER TO YOU AGAIN SOON

5. Do you have any suggestions on improving our services?

LITTLE IMPROVEMENTS COULD BE MADE, MAYBE SUGGEST AHEAD OF THE TOURS OF AREA THAT SHOULD NOT BE MISSED IN THE CITIES WHERE WE ARE GOING, AND ASK WHAT IS THE MAIN INTEREST OF THE TRAVELLERS SUCH AS PHOTOGRAPHY OR HISTORY ETC.

Great Wall - Amazing Manmade Wonder

Comfortable Cruise Time on Li River

Local Fishman on Li River