| Help with China Itinerary | |
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| Mar 3, 2010 00:13 |   |
 | Hi there everyone, This site is a godsend! :) Anyway, I'm currently planning to do a trip in China and the places which I want to see are -- Guangzhou, Hongkong, Macau, Xi'an, Zhang Jia Jie, Guilin, Yang Shuo, and the attractions around Yunnan. I will fly in from Singapore, so I'll probably start from Guangzhou or Hongkong, to take advantage of the budget flights route. I would appreciate your suggestions to help me organise this itinerary to make it cost & time efficient! My current idea is Singapore - Hongkong - Macau - Guangzhou - Yang Shuo - Guilin - Zhang Jia Jie - Xi'an - Kunming & surroundings - down south overland into Vietnam. Is this a good idea? I would love to hear recommendations on any of the above locations & tips on getting from 1 location to the other as well. Thank you! :) |
| Mar 3, 2010 04:03 | #1 |
| Hi Warazzi, Welcome to the site. My quick glance of your itinerary suggests to me that you're heading a very long way "out" just for Zhangjiajie... I know it's a beautiful spot (I want to head there myself!), but similar karst/limestone pinnacles abound in Yangshuo, and your time might be better spent further exploring Yunnan for example. Unless of course, you have time and/or money (to fly) in abundance... I am but a lowly budget traveller myself! It would be helpful if you could give us an idea of how long you have to spend in China? Also, I'm guessing you're into natural landscapes, but if you can offer help on what you enjoy when travelling, we can give you better recommendations. Ellyse, one of the China-gurus here, will surely ask you for the above info before replying ! Have a great trip, LC |
| Mar 5, 2010 01:33 | #2 |
| I don't think it's a reasonablt itinerary!'coz Guangxi is near to Yuannan,my suggestion is: SIngapore to HK or Guangzhou and then to Xi'an--Zhangjiajie--Yunnan and surroundings--Yangshuo and Guilin to Nanning to VN I thinks it's a better way! |
| Mar 5, 2010 11:00 | #3 |
| hihi Thanks for replying! You're right, I'm more interested in the scenic and historical spots. Xi'an was added into the plan as my partner insisted on it & i'm not complaining as I'm a history buff too. Zhangjiajie is another one on the high priority list after the Avatar blockbuster. Haha. I'm planning to spend about 3 weeks in China in June. I'm not fussy about activities, and I've visited China at least 4 times, but it was always with the family on those dreaded family-style tour packages. So being able to explore & experience China freely is what I'm looking forward to. Also, I heard that it's the best to travel the south via train, but I'm willing to pay for flights for transfers which are of longer distances. e.g. HK or Guangzhou to Xi'an. So far the suggested route by California (THANKS!! :) is SIngapore to HK or Guangzhou and then to Xi'an--Zhangjiajie--Yunnan and surroundings--Yangshuo and Guilin to Nanning to VN ... This sounds like it makes sense too. I guess I'll need air transfers from Xian to Zhangjiajie. And what about from Zhangjiajie to Yunnan? |
| Mar 23, 2010 13:04 | #4 |
| Good call LemonCactus, I certainly agree with you about Zhangjiajie being rather "out of the way" and that I certainly ask for extra information! I could spend 2 weeks in Yunnan province alone and still have more to see. I've spent about a total of 4-5 weeks in Yunnan province so far, on 2 separate trips! Personally I would really skip Zhangjiajie and just go for Yunnan province. No need to leave Guilin/Yangshuo till the last. There're 2 overland border crossings between mainland China and Vietnam, one in Guangxi province and the other in Yunnan province. There's no need to detour all the way like that just to go via the Guangxi border crossing. Can you afford to skip Zhangjiajie? If so, I'll try to reorder your itinerary (plus transport options) to make more sense. You can email me directly at yahoo.com|ellyse99 and put "TravelChinaGuide" and your own username (eg Warazzi) in the subject line so that I know who you are. |
| Mar 24, 2010 00:34 | #5 |
| hi, thanks for your reply. :) I've since re-organised my itinerary - SG - HK - Macau (daytrip) - Xi'an - Zhang Jia Jie - Guilin - Yangshuo - Nanning - Hanoi... thank you all for your suggestions. I do agree that it is out of the way, but i would really love to see it. I've gone to Yunnan before, and i thought it was really beautiful, which why I originally planned to including it in my trip so i can share it with my travel mate who hasn't visited china at all. I thought I'll probably go back to Yunnan another time when i have sufficient time to see the northern part eg. Shangri-la & then proceed into Tibet. So i thought if zhangjiajie isn't going to take an obscene amount of trouble, then i should go for it. But is it worth my time & effort now that Yunnan is off the itinerary? Also, for now i have problems finding out which is best way to travel from Xi'an to Zhangjiajie and then from this place to Guilin & Yangshuo. It seems like i might need the help of a local travel agency to help. what do you think? :) |
| Mar 24, 2010 00:51 | #6 |
| You said that you have 3 weeks. Is that the total time for mainland China plus Hong Kong and Macau? Or does that also have to include time in Hanoi? I might be able to help with the travel logistics. You can email me as per the details above. |
| Mar 25, 2010 10:42 | #7 |
| I visited Zhiangjiajie last summer and we flew in from Chongqing and took the train out to Guilin/Yangshuo. I thought your itinerary was reasonable with ZJJ in the mix but too many places for just three weeks and Xi'an puts a spanner in the work as far as going the long way around. You could take in the old town of Fenghuang instead. It is a bus trip from ZJJ Hard to get train tickets out of ZJJ becaus they are reserved for tour groups, but if you need a contact I have one. Certainly worth the visit after AVATA, the scenery is nothing like Giulin (sorry LC but it's so different) better to get off the beaten track and stay overnight in the villages. It's not as easy to get around so travel light and you can manage with your gear. have a good trip have a look at this website for good maps http://www.maps-of-china.net/ |
| Mar 25, 2010 11:21 | #8 |
| Jabarootoo, how does Huangshan compare to Zhangjiajie? I presume you've been to both. Also, what's AVATA? |
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