Yangtze River Cruises

We thoroughly enjoyed our two busy weeks in China, encompassing everything from the futuristic architecture of Shanghai to the beautiful and evocative Forbidden City in Beijing, taking in the Terracotta Warriors, pandas, pagodas and the Great Wall on the way. Our tour also included a fascinating 5 day cruise along the Yangtze river visiting the very impressive feat of engineering which is the Three Gorges Dam contrasting with the timeless beauty of the three gorges themselves. We saw everything along the river from huge coal barges to tiny sampans and junks; from the massive conurbation of Chongqing to ancient and isolated Taoist monasteries.

We were very well looked after by our tour escort who accompanied us the whole way and by knowledgeable local guides, fluent in English. China is a country of huge contrasts and it is changing rapidly. We would unequivocally recommend this trip, the only caveat would be it is not really for people with mobility problems. There is a fair amount of walking involved and to access some sites there may be a considerable number of steps. We saw and learnt a great deal in our 13 days and had many new experiences from trying Tai Chi to the challenge of a 15 dumpling banquet. We even learnt some Mandarin!

We have recently returned from China and had a fabulous time. The organisation of the Viking holiday was second to none. The hotels (with the exception of The Golden Flower Xian, which was tired and not up the the standard of the rest of the hotels) were super and the ship, Viking Century Emerald was perfect.The staff were attentive and efficient and made the holiday more personalised.

If we had any criticism, it would be that there wasnt enough free time built in, except on the ship, to explore the areas independently, and to shop, which is how we have previously holidayed. As this was only our second cruise experience, both being river cruises, Nile and Yangtze, we were not disappointed, but still not sure if cruising on a larger vessel would be for us.

I would certainly reccommend this cruise as an ideal way to see the main sites of interest in China, staying in luxury with all excursions included and managed by someone else. Everything ran smoothly and all needs were catered for. Well done Viking.

Our yangtze cruise was part of a once in a lifetime holiday exploring China which is truly awe inspiring and way surpassed anything we imagined it would be. The cruise itself was breathtaking; the Three Gorges are majestic, fascinating andbeautifuland the boat trip along shennong stream shouldnt be missed if only for the greater connection to peace and nature. The visit to the Three Gorges dam is interesting and the view from the top stunning. Going through the five locks takesjust overfour hours, so take the time to relax. Fengdu is well worth the visit. We didnt see anything that came close in terms of unusual interest - it really is the strangest and atmospheric place but far too many people in such a small place, all crowding round to see everything and possibly not quite long enough for me. Trainers or safe shoes are a must - theres a bit of climbing at Fengdu but theres always the cable car if you cant face the climb!

We were incredibly lucky with the weather, raining only on the day we boarded and part of the next day -the rest was warm and sunny - mid september is a great time to go - it is worth taking a light raincoat/anorak - you do need it. We anticipated mosquitoes by the army but never even got bitten. Clothes need to be casual with at least one smart outfit for the evening if you are inclined to dance and join in the planned festivities which are quite sweet. Chinese food, even on board the cruise, is a bit of an aquired taste. Its not like the takeaways or restaurants in the west - quite different and as a vegetarian, I found it a bit of a challenge although on some days, so did the meat eaters. But if you are going to travel, you have to be nothing if not adventurous!