Being an economic, political, and cultural powerhouse, Beijing needs very little introduction to most travelers. With a population of roughly 22 million it is also one of the largest cities in the world. If going to China there is also a good chance that this is where you would initially land, basing the start of your travels from here.
View out the Park Plaza Wangfujing hotel (Jeff Rottschafer)
Somewhat surprisingly, in spite of living nearly four years in the country, Beijing was not a city that I spent much time in at all, only using it as the occasional travel hub as I moved from place to place. This was almost entirely due to the fact that I lived in Lianyungang, a smallish (for China!) city of 4 million people, with terrible connections to much of the country. Beijing was either a hellish bus ride of around 11 hours, or a relatively expensive flight that never seemed to connect well with my time off. About to head out on the streets! (Jeff Rottschafer)Getting ready to bike! (Jeff Rottschafer)
Flash forward a few years, and now Lianyungang has high speed train connections, meaning that it only took us around 4 hours to get to the city! We arrived at our hotel in the Wangfujing district just in time to get lunch at a nearby Szechuan place. After filling up on delicious, spicy food we were taken to rent city bikes, which you simply unlocked with an app on your phone and our first real introduction to the city was as we rolled through it on two wheels! Through the Hutongs we go! (Jeff Rottschafer)
We rode not only past iconic landmarks such as Tiananmen Square and the Forbidden City, but also through the Hutongs, which quickly became my favorite part of the city. Hutongs, for those unfamiliar, are the narrow streets and alleys that seem to be everywhere around the center of the city. Not only is this a nice break from the bustle of the main streets, but it’s also a way to take a glimpse of Beijing of the past. While some of these alleys have become major tourist attractions, many remain quite quiet and retain much of their local feel. Our bike tour came to an end in pretty much the perfect way: enjoying a beer in the beautiful courtyard from one of the first breweries in Beijing! Great Leap Brewing Courtyard (Jeff Rottschafer)After bike comes beer (Jeff Rottschafer)
Adventure Life is always an excellent choice when planning complicated, extreme, or exotic vacations or expeditions. They provide friendly professional services and advice and are enthusiastic and encouraging in helping us to prepare and thoroughly enjoy our trip. They handle all the details which greatly reduces the stress of planning a difficult trip. I'm very impressed with Adventure Life and definitely recommend them to friends and family.
Scott Trochim
2 days ago
The response from Adventure Life to my first inquiry was prompt and promising. I worked with Jamie Broeckel, Trip Planner, via text, email, and phone calls- always extremely responsive and thorough with information and explaining the process to arrange a private tour for me to Malaysia Borneo. Within about week, the booking was complete and I made decisions because of Jamie's great customer service , friendly manner, and overall competence on behalf of the company's travel expertise. Now I have an itinerary, additional Trip Planner Assistants, several links for vital information for traveling to Maylasia, etc. Still many details for Sept. trip, but now the heavy lifting is done and I can enjoy the rest of the anticipation and research!! Thanks Jamie- you are amazing!!!!
Susan Campo
4 days ago
The trip was not only memorable for the amount of animals we saw but also for the people and accommodations at the two camps where we stayed. Our first guide, BK, was a wealth of information about the animals, landscape and down to the plants and what they were used for. Everyday out was a learning experience with him. All the people at the camps were gracious and the food was excellent.
Our second camp in the Okavanga was just as good as the first as far as the staff, accommodations, food and animals. After our experience at the first camp we amazed that the high quality remained the same. Our guide, G, made sure we were able to enjoy every experience including a rush through the bush to witness a cheetah and an ensuing hunt that he heard over his radio.
In both camps there were enough guides out that if they saw something the other guides were informed which helped in seeing as much as possible. It was also nice that the concessions were large enough that we did not have vehicles following each other throughout the day.
Normally there is always something in a trip of this length that we think could be improved upon but this is the rare case where we cannot think of anything. From the time we left the States to when we returned it was one of the most hassle free vacations we took.
Perhaps emphasizing the use of the laundry facilities at the camps would be useful because of the luggage restrictions would be the only thing I can think of as an improvement to future clients.
Kenneth Dropek
5 days ago
Mary was so pleasant and professional. She made sure all of our questions were answered.
