Solo Woman in China
 

I’m travelling to China for 2 weeks this summer and was planning on joining a group tour but can’t find anything that includes where I want to go during the time I have available (I’m on a budget and have already been to Beijing and Hong Kong so don’t want to spend my limited time and money there).

I’m therefore thinking of going it alone (I am a single woman travelling alone) and thought I’d post my plans here for your thoughts. My current plan is:

Shanghai (2 days),
Xian (2 days)
Chengdu (4 days, incl. Jiuzhaigou)
Chongqing (2 days)
Yangzee River Cruise (3 days)
Shanghai (final day)

I’m a little concerned that I’m missing the Yunnan component (Kunming/Guizhou area) but am not sure what I’d give up to include that part of the country. Any ideas?

Thoughts? Can you recommend a particular route if this one sounds bad? Is this itinerary feasible and safe for a woman travelling alone? Can anyone recommend a travel agent (preferably US-based) who can help me plan this trip from here – or should I follow the guidebooks and book internal flights and trains after I arrive?

I'd definitely book most things in the country--it's significantly cheaper and easy enough to do, even if through your hotel or hostel. (Speaking of which, Sim's Cozy Guesthouse in Chengdu is a great choice for inexpensive lodging there.)

From many accounts that I've read, you might want to cut the Yangtze River Cruise in order to go to Yunnan; it seems to be one of those things that people either love or hate, but I got a little stir-crazy at the thought of spending three days on it.

If you're not already subscribed to the Oriental List (emails and great source for asking specific questions about China) I highly recommend it: http://www.hmssurprise.org/wa.cgi?SU...ental-list&A=1

My account of a solo female in China is here: http://www.hmssurprise.org/wa.cgi?SU...ental-list&A=1 It includes Chengdu and Xi'an.

Happy planning!

I too would vote for Yunan over the Yangtze cruise, and probably over Chongqing as well. You could actually see the much more spectacular Tiger Leaping (Yangtze) Gorge if you did that.

I've found China to be very safe. I did detect a young girl trying to steal from my daypack in Hangzhou during the National Day crowds on my last trip, but I think it was totally an isolated incident. Part of the TR for my (solo female) trip in china is at www.wilhelmswords.com/rtw2004 and also includes Xi'an and Chengdu.

Take a phrase book with Chinese characters, not just pinyin, and a guidebook with place names in characters as well as English. And don't leave your hotel without the card that has their name and a little map.

Kunming is a pleasant city, altho not important. If you were going there partly to see the Stone Forest, it has to be one of the silliest tourist sites ever & really is a goofy attempt to get you into their high pressure tea ceremony (buy,buy,buy). Yunnan is most treasured for Lijiang and environs. Normally, u would go thru K'ming to get to Lijiang. That is where Tiger Leaping is, altho on your schedule, that could be a challenge to fit in. But the old town and vicinity of Lijiang is one of the great places in China. I think a solo woman would have no problem - I met several on a couple of trips and they were well pleased with everything.

I agree with the suggestion to drop the river cruise and Chongqing. You wrote Yunan component (Kunming/Guizhou area), need to clarify that Yunan is a province with Kunming as its capital, Lijiang and Tiger Leaping Gorge are wonderful scenic places in Yunan. Guizhou is another province. Guilin is the capital of Guangxi province with the beautiful green karst mountains and the nearby Yangshuo among the peaceful rivers.

Small correction. Capital of Guangxi is Nanning, not Guilin.

As for Lijiang, most visitors enjoy it. But some also find it too catered for tourists. Lots of western-style bars and cafes. Also, Han Chinese are replacing the local Naxis inside the old town Lijiang, who itself was largely rebuilt after the earthquake of 1996.

Two further corrections:

Yunnan is spelled with two 'n's, being made from 云 (Yún, clouds) and 南 (Nán, south).

And the right link for Amy's trip report is this one:

http://www.fodors.com/community/asia...s-in-china.cfm

Peter N-H

rkkwan and Peter -- appreciate your corrections.

met -- Since this is a return trip to China, what are your expectations?

Shanghainese, good question. I'm returning as part of a longer Asia trip and what I'd really like is to get out of the big cities and see the side of China that we don't usually see - either on our first, short business trips to the region or through media representations of China in the US.