Hello, I'm looking to take my wife to China this spring. We're both in our 60s but fairly active travelers and would like to do some hiking/trekking. Debating whether to head to Tiger Leaping Gorge in addition to seeing major cities, Shanghai, Beijing, Hong Kong, etc..

We have traveled with Intrepid Travel (to Morocco and Vietnam) as well as Overseas Adventure Travel (to India). We enjoyed ourselves for the most part, but would like to try another travel company for this trip. My friend sent me the website for a company called Stride Travel - www.stridetravel.com. I entered my email for their 'private beta' whatever that means and received an email to look at their site. Seems like you can search trips across different tour companies.

Has anyone ever used sites like this and know exactly how they work? Do I still need to call the tour company to book? Any advice is welcome.

Many thanks,
Charles

Welcome to Fodors - you will want to re-post on the Asia forum . . . (assuming this is not a sneaky ad for stridetravel)

No, I wouldn't have anything to do with a company like this.

No need for a tour for these places -- and actually far better to go on your own.

I don’t usually follow the Asia forum so will answer here. I considered planning an independent trip to China in 2006 but found it too challenging not knowing the language. We were about the same age you are now, with similar interests. We ended up going with Peregrine tours and were very satisfied.The local guide ,who was with us the whole trip, was excellent. There were some small changes to our itinerary due to unforeseen circumstance but this was handled well and we had a true adventure.

Thanks all for your comments. I will definitely repost in Asia - thanks for the tip and no I am not advertising for Stride Travel.

Eliztravels: yes, that is exactly why I am considering traveling with a group again. I want to explore beyond the tourist attractions and figured it would be best to have a guide who knows the language, etc. Thanks for the tip on Peregrine.