Yangtze River Tours in September 2025

I really appreciate all the excellent services that have been provided by the local travel expert . The whole tour was extremely well organised and offered so much more than we expected with all the interesting side trips and things to see and do each day. We loved everything but we especially liked the Pandas at Chengdu, the Shennv Stream excursion on the Yangtze River Cruise and seeing Guilin and Yungshou. It was also an interesting experience to have lunch at a local apartment in Xi'an. We will be recommending your company whenever we talk about our holiday.

We had a fantastic experience in China led admirably by Alan Liu. We saw so much of both modern and traditional China....such contrasts. We gained great insight into Chinese history and the Chinese view of their place in the world today. We were always on the go...so much to see and do. There was hardly a dull moment....the third train trip the exception. That was not great but apart from that all the travel arrangements,accommodation, activities (optional and included ) were excellent. We went on public buses, private buses, the bullet train,metro, internal flight and the three overnight train trips. It is such a large country and the sheer scale of things is hard to take in. We also had relaxing times on the cruise and in the water town near Shanghai to name a few. The gorges are spectacular but the food on he boat is just ok. The rooms are very good though.

This tour is simply a stunning way to experience all aspects of life in China! From historic Beijing, to the more cosmopolitan Shanghai, with so many more unexpected surprises in between. Guide book recommendations such as The Great Wall, Tiananmen square, the Terracotta warriors, pandas in Chengdu and bustling Shanghai are all experienced and do not disappoint. However, so many more positive experiences add to the varied nature of the tour. Cycling around the enormous city walls in Xian - breathtaking, seeing the Terracotta warriors in situ - amazing, watching the sunset from the 119th floor of the Shanghai tower - fantastic, while the rugged landscape of Yangshuo is simply stunning and a world away from the hustle and bustle of the enormous but fascinating cities. However, the sense of not knowing what to expect also led to some amazing, unexpected destinations, such as the Muslim quarter in Xian, and the water town in Huanlongxi (neither of which we would have visited without a local guide and both of which were bustling and vibrant - great fun to be a part of!). Equally, the fascination of the Chinese around foreign tourists - embrace the photo opportunities - it's like being a celebrity! Some of the transfers between destinations can be long, and at times tiring, but offer a fantastic opportunity to view the varied landscape which China has to offer. A couple of hours on a coach, or several hours on a train, can fly by as you sit back and admire the changing scenery. A great way to travel, where you get to see so much more. Not to mention the Yangtse river cruise - a few days at a slower pace, with breath-taking views and travelling in comfort. An unexpected bonus. Embracing every moment is a must for this tour. The overnight trains are a unique experience but offer a great opportunity to engage with fellow travellers - many of whom are welcoming and eager to practice their English. Equally, seize the opportunity to eat out and sample the local delicacies - you will quickly find out just how much of it you can stomach, although more conventional meals can be found and are far tastier than back home. In a nutshell - the long flights are associated jetlag are a small price to pay for the wonderful experiences you will encounter!

Wow! This trip was an assault on the senses from day one! Started off stressfully we arrived in Bejing on time but our luggage was still in Dubai! Well done Emitates and Exodus we were reunited within 12 hours (note: always take spare pants in hand luggage) China was amazing redefining our preconceptions from day one! Bejing; old town, Forbidden Palace, Summer Palace etc. Jane our guide was Wonderwoman, fantastic knowledge, super organised and a sense of humour. We asked if we could fit in a visit to the Olympic stadium: no problem, we were walking round the 'Birdsnest' the following afternoon. The Great Wall was a highlight and tobogganing down was certainly different. This trip cannot be described as leisurely, if you want to see the best of this fantastic country we need to be prepared for a frantic itinerary. Thank you for the advice Exodus, pack lightly and make sure you can carry your own luggage with ease. Loved the pandas and visiting the Terracotta Army. I must admit as a person who would never consider a cruising holiday and who considers the Isle of Wight ferry tiresome I was not looking forward to the Yangstse river cruise; I was pleasantly surprised the scenery of the 3 gorges was breathtaking, the relative rest of 3 days, was a chance to recharge batteries and the dam a marvel of engineering. Superlatives are far to many to mention, the tour finished in Shanghai where again Jane our guide was brilliant suggesting we visited the Tower on arrival since clouds were forecast the following day - wow! Awesome views across the city as the sunset fron 532m. I have no hesitation in recommending this trip to all if you want to see China warts and all. It was well organised, accommodation was as described, guide was fantastic. Try everything and go on every optional tour you will not regret it ( one visit to a Chinese Opera is enough for any sane person)

This trip was all that was described to a "T". For only one exception and that was the stairs at some of the rail stations that did not have elevators, my expectation was much lower than what actually existed, so my advice would be pack very lightly and ensure that you can carry your luggage up and down those many stairs. Yes they prepared us for stairs, .....but not how many !! I was a solo female over 60 so did struggle sometimes and I am reasonably fit. Nevertheless the trip overall was excellent, and the experience on the sleeper trains was lets say "different", but at the very least, you are seeing life as the Chinese people live it and after all, isn't that what we travel for.

The whole trip from start to finish was an experience well worth taking. Of course there were a few things which perhaps in hindsight could have been improved upon, particularly the overnight sleeper train journeys. We would have much preferred to have paid a little extra to have used the bullet train or even an extra flight wherever possible in order to have had more time to carry out sightseeing and avoid the arduous journeys. However, apart from that the holiday which was well organised by Exodus and superbly led by our tour guide, Alan Liu, (Hongbin Liu), who was absolutely brilliant. When you are on holiday, no matter who you go with, the face of the company is represented by the Tour Leader and in our instance this was Alan Liu. If we were to go back to China we would go on the understanding that the tour would again be led by Alan. He was extremely informative, funny, very well organised and knew his subject matter well. He ensured that we were at a particular venue or place at the right time so as to avoid the crowds and get the best views and this was particularly the case when we visited the Panda sanctuary at Chengdu where he timed it to perfection and we saw the Pandas at their liveliest and just before the main crowds arrived. Exodus would be so much poorer without the services of that man.