Frequently Asked Questions
1. How do I book this trip?
2. Do I need a visa to enter China?
3. What inoculations should I get before visiting China?
4. How do I get to the starting city? How do I return home?
5. How strenuous is this trip? What are the effects of high altitude?
6. What types of meals are served on this trip? Can you accommodate allergies and food preferences?
7. Who is the Tour Guide?
8. What types of vehicles are used and how much driving is involved? What are the roads like?
9. What do we need to carry ourselves? Is there luggage assistance?
10. Are tips included?
11. When is the best time to visit?
12. What if I would like to extend my stay in China?
13. What is included/excluded in the tour cost?
14. What is the deposit/payment deadline?
15. What kinds of emergency procedures are in place?
16. Do I need travel insurance?
17. What if WildChina cancels the trip prior to departure?
1. How do I book this trip?
Please book the trip by clicking ‘Book Now’ on the web-site. The site will take you to an inquiry form where you will be required to fill in your preferred trip and personal information.
Before submission, please read and agree to our reservation and cancelation policy. It will normally take us 48 hours (2 working days) to process your inquiry. Departure is subject to guide and hotel availability. A WildChina travel consultant will contact you via email on availability and next steps.
If you have any questions, please contact us at collection@wildchina.com
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2. How do I get a visa? What kind of visa should I get?
Nearly all foreign visitors to China require a tourist visa (L Visa).
Travelers must apply for a tourist visa in person at any Chinese Embassy or Consulate. If the traveler cannot go in person, a traveler’s representative must visit the embassy on behalf of the traveler to submit the application; in some countries such as the United States, this can include representatives from third party visa service companies, such as Zierer Visa Service, http://www.zvs.com/home.aspx?login=57381 (applications and instructions can be downloaded online using this link, or call toll free at 1-866-788-1100 and mention WildChina account #57381 for preferred pricing.)
Typically, it takes about 5-7 business days to process the visa. Please note that the requirements change from time to time without notice and requirements may differ depending on nationality.
Please visit your country’s Chinese Embassy website for visa forms and specific requirements for tourist visa applications. Visa applications should usually be submitted at least 60 days prior to departure. Visas are valid for 1 to 3 months of travel.
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3. What inoculations should I get before visiting China?
In general, no vaccinations are required. You are advised to consult www.cdc.gov. Please also contact your local international travel clinic for information regarding inoculations and other relevant health-related information.
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4. How do I get to the starting city? How do I return home?
You are suggested to fly to Shanghai, which is the major international gateway. You may also start the trip in Suzhou. Please note that Suzhou doesn’t have a local airport. You have to travel to Suzhou by train or by coach bus.
To ensure you do not miss any portions of your program, please arrive in Shanghai before 2 pm, and in Suzhou before 4 pm.
When depart, you will fly out from Hangzhou Xiaoshan International Airport.
| Airport Code | Arrival/Departure Time |
| Arrival | Shanghai Hongqiao Airport (SHA) | Before 2 pm |
Departure
| Hangzhou Xiaoshan Airport (HGH) | Anytime |
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5.How strenuous is this trip?
This journey is considered moderate touring and moderate hiking. Our itinerary includes full days of activities, which start early in the morning and end in the evening. We take hikes of up to 1-2 hours and our longest drive is 2 hour long on paved roads.
For guests with physical difficulties, many places in Shangri-La are not fully accessible. It is strongly recommended that persons requiring assistance be accompanied by a companion who is capable of and totally responsible for providing assistance. Neither WildChina nor its suppliers may physically lift or assist Guests onto transportation vehicles.
For more information, please consult your doctor.
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6. What types of meals are included? Can you accommodate allergies and food preferences?
Typically, breakfast consist of a buffet with Western and Chinese options.
Lunch and dinner are usually at local restaurants which showcase local cuisine. Lunches and dinners usually include entrées, meat, vegetables, rice, and fruit. During the journey, we enjoy one meal at a local family in Hangzhou tea plantation. The cuisine is of a country homemade style, featuring some tea themed local dishes.
In order to offer you and your family and friends the chance to choose restaurants and eat amongst yourselves, there are a few meals that are not included in the itinerary when in large gateway cities. Please see itineraries for details.
While some of our meals may be somewhat different from that which many guests are accustomed to, WildChina believes in offering the opportunity to experience this vital aspect of ethnic minority culture. Western meals can be arranged in Suzhou, Wuzhen and Hangzhou upon request when booking this trip.
WildChina provides ample bottled water, tea and snacks throughout the journey.
WildChina provides vegetarian options at every meal. WildChina will make a reasonable effort to accommodate special dietary needs at an additional charge where necessary. Unfortunately, we may not be able to accommodate all special dietary needs requested, including a guarantee that food is prepared in a nut-free environment. Please consult our travel consultants in advance of your departure to advise us of your needs.
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7. Who is the Tour Guide?
The true face and heroes of WildChina, our guides have been rigorously selected for their combination of client servicing, local knowledge, and likeable personalities.
Our guides and drivers are paid fairly and are not allowed to engage in activities that involve kick-backs. Hence, we do not take guests to shops or choose tourist restaurants.
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8. What types of vehicles are used and how much driving is involved? What are the roads like?
Depending on group size, we travel in well-maintained, air-conditioned sedans or vans. All vehicles are driven by experienced local drivers and are air-conditioned. Our journey includes most of drives of averagely 2 hours one location to another on well maintained, paved roads. The way to Luxiang village in Dongshan, however, can be unpaved and bumpy due to ongoing road construction.
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9. What do we need to carry ourselves? Is there luggage assistance?
Luggage assistance is included for all parts of this journey. For all hikes, we recommend guests bring a small daypack to carry one bottle of water and personal items (e.g. camera, extra layer or two of clothing, parka, hat, sunglasses, extra pair of socks, sunscreen, etc.). WildChina staff will supply additional water.
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10. Are tips included?
We realize that tipping is a sensitive subject for all travelers. While tips are widely accepted, we would like to stress that this is at your own personal discretion.
While everyone is recommended to tip based on services rendered, our clients often ask we provide some basic guidelines. The main guide may often receive the following discretionary tip of 20-30 USD per day per group, if services are rendered timely and professionally. Tips can be paid in USD, RMB or your local currency.
Some outstanding guides receive twice or three times as much depending on service quality and also the size of the group.
The driver may sometimes receive a tip of around 50% to 70% of what the guide receives.
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11. When is the best time to visit?
The best times to take this journey are autumn and spring when the climate is most comfortable. It is hot and humid in summer, and cold in winter.
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12. What if I would like to extend my stay in China?
Trips of the WildChina Collection are non-customized. However, if you would like to extend your stay, please feel free to contact us and we will refer you to our consultants, who can assist in booking additional nights at the hotel or developing a customized trip.
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13. What is included / excluded in the tour cost?
A detailed outline of price inclusions and exclusions can be found on the Dates and Rates tab.
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14. What is the payment deadline?
Please see the Dates and Rates tab.
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15. What kind of emergency procedures are in place?
All WildChina travelers must purchase through WildChina an International SOS (an AEA company) Service Plan, which provides for emergency evacuation to the nearest medical facility of international standards. The plan costs US$30, which will be added to your final payment. This is mandatory unless travelers can proof their current insurance covers SOS international evacuation insurance. Please note: this is NOT medical insurance.
All WildChina travelers are also required to provide a copy of their medical insurance card prior to trip departure.
In the event of a medical emergency, WildChina’s first call of action would be to contact the International SOS 24-hour center, where doctors would instruct our staff on appropriate next steps, which may include rest, a visit to a SOS-recommended hospital, or, in extreme cases, evacuation.
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16. Do I need travel insurance?
We highly encourage travelers to purchase travel insurance, including coverage of trip cancellation.
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17. What if WildChina Collection cancels the trip prior to departure?
WildChina Collection reserves the right to cancel a trip at any time prior to its commencement for any reason, including, when in our opinion, the safety and the quality of the trip would be compromised. If we cancel the trip prior to its commencement, we will attempt to re-book you on a separate date, or refund in full your land package price. If you did not book airfare through us, we will reimburse you for reasonable airline cancellation charges (subject to proof), provided you have exercised best efforts to mitigate such charges / fees.
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For additional information, please contact us at collection@wildchina.com.
