Good Guilin and Huang Shan tour companies?
Jun 7th, 2002 | 01:39 PM
#1
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Posts: n/a
Good Guilin and Huang Shan tour companies?
Hello,<BR><BR>I'm looking for a reputable tour company, preferably one that does group tours for both Guilin & Huangshan. I'm travelling alone for a week in September and want to join a couple of group tours. <BR><BR>If someone has heard of a group tour to Huangshan that is somewhat flexible on whether or not you take the cable car up or down, please let me know.<BR><BR>My travel agent has brochures for China Travel Service (which I believe is China's tour company) but I'm not sure how good they would be. If anyone has any opinions on CTS, please let me know.<BR><BR>Thanks in advance!<BR>Cathy<BR>
Aug 22nd, 2007 | 04:19 AM
#2
Joined: Apr 2003
Posts: 46
Likes: 0
Hi Cathy,
I just came back from China on Monday. I went to Huangshan and guilin/yangshuo.
In Huangshan, I had John from Huangshan Tour organizing it for me- email: [email protected]
He was really nice and arranged a perfect trip at a very last notice (i contacted him the day I was leaving for China). We had a driver and a guide and everything went very smooth and had a great, great time.
Huangshan was a nice surprise! Although it is always full of tourists, it is still possible to have some privacy and feel the beauty of the mountains. Doing the tour this way was not expensive at all, John has great prices. (if you write, tell him Silvina recommened him).
Also ask to visit the nearby towns. We went to 2. One a world heritage site and the place where the COuching Tigger movie was filmed. Both towns were amazing.
My only complain was that it was extremely hot all the time.
Re Guilin. I went there with my friend after huangshan. We went on our own (I believe you do not need any agency to arrange that) and you can perfectly book all tours right there. Now.. I do not know about you but this was my second trip to China and I was not really convinced whether to go to Guilin or not... I regret going.
Guilin itself was horrible. Really ugly place. A big favela.
Yangshuo is a bit better but very touristy and commercialized. Full of shops selling fakes and pizzas restaurants.
IT was the only time and place where I felt tourism has already ruined the place. Going down the river was not a nice experience because there were hundreds of boats, cruises, everywhere spoiling the view (and leaving trash).
Also here the locals feel there are so many tourists that it is ripe for abuse.
They are trying to ripe you off all the time. And everything here seems to be about who shouts more, pushes you more, etc. The most impolite people I've encountered in China was here.
So, if you go, stay at the Li River Retreat (just outside yanghsuo), the girls there are polite and know they way around. They can also book tours.
And if you go to Guilin, go to visit the Rice terraces. They are beautiful!
And if you want an alternative, consider going to Dali/Lijiang. There are tourists there but I think there is still some magic left.
Good luck!
I just came back from China on Monday. I went to Huangshan and guilin/yangshuo.
In Huangshan, I had John from Huangshan Tour organizing it for me- email: [email protected]
He was really nice and arranged a perfect trip at a very last notice (i contacted him the day I was leaving for China). We had a driver and a guide and everything went very smooth and had a great, great time.
Huangshan was a nice surprise! Although it is always full of tourists, it is still possible to have some privacy and feel the beauty of the mountains. Doing the tour this way was not expensive at all, John has great prices. (if you write, tell him Silvina recommened him).
Also ask to visit the nearby towns. We went to 2. One a world heritage site and the place where the COuching Tigger movie was filmed. Both towns were amazing.
My only complain was that it was extremely hot all the time.
Re Guilin. I went there with my friend after huangshan. We went on our own (I believe you do not need any agency to arrange that) and you can perfectly book all tours right there. Now.. I do not know about you but this was my second trip to China and I was not really convinced whether to go to Guilin or not... I regret going.
Guilin itself was horrible. Really ugly place. A big favela.
Yangshuo is a bit better but very touristy and commercialized. Full of shops selling fakes and pizzas restaurants.
IT was the only time and place where I felt tourism has already ruined the place. Going down the river was not a nice experience because there were hundreds of boats, cruises, everywhere spoiling the view (and leaving trash).
Also here the locals feel there are so many tourists that it is ripe for abuse.
They are trying to ripe you off all the time. And everything here seems to be about who shouts more, pushes you more, etc. The most impolite people I've encountered in China was here.
So, if you go, stay at the Li River Retreat (just outside yanghsuo), the girls there are polite and know they way around. They can also book tours.
And if you go to Guilin, go to visit the Rice terraces. They are beautiful!
And if you want an alternative, consider going to Dali/Lijiang. There are tourists there but I think there is still some magic left.
Good luck!
Aug 22nd, 2007 | 07:49 PM
#4
Joined: Sep 2006
Posts: 40
Likes: 0
Guilin Yangshuo where has the reputation of having the most beautiful landscape under heaven. It is a dream place for many tourists who want to see the real natural landscape and touch the countryside life.
Hilltops pop up from nowhere like trees in the forest and they are shaped like buns, camels, fishes, saw-teeth, horses, etc. It is a city you must visit or you will miss those beautiful landscape there. Rivers flow around like green silk ribbons while the hills reveal themselves as jade hair-pins. Guilin embraces great landscapes like green hills, clear waters, pretty rocks and fantastic caves.
I am from Guilin Yangshuo, I think you did not have good time here and say bad words here, the countryside of Yangshuo is very nice and worth visiting, the other choice is for Li River cruise sunrise, you will see breathtaking landscape at quite atmasphere.
Hilltops pop up from nowhere like trees in the forest and they are shaped like buns, camels, fishes, saw-teeth, horses, etc. It is a city you must visit or you will miss those beautiful landscape there. Rivers flow around like green silk ribbons while the hills reveal themselves as jade hair-pins. Guilin embraces great landscapes like green hills, clear waters, pretty rocks and fantastic caves.
I am from Guilin Yangshuo, I think you did not have good time here and say bad words here, the countryside of Yangshuo is very nice and worth visiting, the other choice is for Li River cruise sunrise, you will see breathtaking landscape at quite atmasphere.
Aug 28th, 2007 | 04:35 AM
#5
Joined: Apr 2003
Posts: 46
Likes: 0
Hi, I've spent 4 days in Huangshan area and 6 days in Yangshuo area.
I am afraid I do not fully agree with Jane Leo about Yangshuo. The place is beautiful but completely ruined by tourism and the lack of any sort of control. The place is polluted (read noise and dirt). There are hundreds of boats, ferries, legal and illegal in the water. Garbage everywhere. Plus the town itself is so westernized that it does not even look like CHina.
I've stayed at the HOMA hotel, the best in teh area, and the service was so appaling that after 3 days I left and moved to the Li River retreat.
Everywhere in Yanghsuo, I had to travel in conditions I have not travelled in China before (read very crowded and dangerous). And many people were constantly trying to ripe me off.... I know this was my personal experience and I could go on and on... but let me say this. This was my second time in China and I've been to over 70 countries, poor and rich, and Yangshuo is ruined by tourism. It may be cheap and yes, if you can ignore the hundreds of boats on the river, you may get a glimpse of the beauty it once was....
But there are many other places in China (inc huangshang) where you can experience beauty withouth having the feeling that the place is ruined.
I am afraid I do not fully agree with Jane Leo about Yangshuo. The place is beautiful but completely ruined by tourism and the lack of any sort of control. The place is polluted (read noise and dirt). There are hundreds of boats, ferries, legal and illegal in the water. Garbage everywhere. Plus the town itself is so westernized that it does not even look like CHina.
I've stayed at the HOMA hotel, the best in teh area, and the service was so appaling that after 3 days I left and moved to the Li River retreat.
Everywhere in Yanghsuo, I had to travel in conditions I have not travelled in China before (read very crowded and dangerous). And many people were constantly trying to ripe me off.... I know this was my personal experience and I could go on and on... but let me say this. This was my second time in China and I've been to over 70 countries, poor and rich, and Yangshuo is ruined by tourism. It may be cheap and yes, if you can ignore the hundreds of boats on the river, you may get a glimpse of the beauty it once was....
But there are many other places in China (inc huangshang) where you can experience beauty withouth having the feeling that the place is ruined.
Aug 28th, 2007 | 09:11 AM
#6
Joined: Jan 2005
Posts: 421
Likes: 0
I did the Huangshan tour with CTS - we booked this in Guangzhou. However, my husband is a native Cantonese speaker and so the tour we went on was with all Chinese people, from all over China and some other overseas Chinese. The tour was good and standard of accommodation not luxurious but fine. All meals etc were included. CTS is a very big organisation & should be fine. I think they can be expensive though with their tour prices when booked in europe.
