FAQ

Do I need a Chinese Visa? How do I get a visa for China?

Almost all countries need a valid visa to enter China unless you are from a few countries in Asia.  Getting a tourist visa is fairly easy for most passports as you don't need an invitation, which is required for business or working visas. The usual tourist single-entry visa is valid for a visit of 30 days and must be used within three months of the date of issue. A double-entry tourist visa must be used within six months of the date of issue. It is possible to secure a tourist visa for up to 90 days for citizens of some countries. If you are from Canada and the USA you can get a ten year multitude entry visa but USA visas are more expensive then most countries at around $140.

You can get the visa by applying to an embassy or consulate in your home country or while traveling abroad. It normally takes 4 working days to process unless you pay a larger fee.  You can also pay a private company to get the visa for you for a fee.

More info here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Visa_policy_of_China

What is the weather like and what is best time of year to do these tours?

It generally begins to rain in most of these areas in spring and through the summer and begins to lower in fall into the winter.  Although winter has little rain, it is too cold for most of the tours.  Fall is probably the best time for most tours but spring and summer can decent too. Although it rains more at that time its usually just for a short time of day.  The West Sichuan tours are nice in the summer but it’s too hot for the Taiwan tour.  Taiwan is best in spring or fall.

What is included in the tours?

The standard tours include a support vehicle and a profession and knowledgeable tour guide.  It will include the hotels, the majority of lunch and dinners unless it is a break day. Water and tickets to certain areas on trips are included too.  However, we also have custom tours so if there are things you want or don’t want included we can cater your trip to your own desires and budget.

Will elevation be a problem for me?

Our west Sichuan tours are indeed quite high in some areas reaching over 4000 meters.  If you have any problems with elevation you might want to consider our South Sichuan or Yunnan yours which are lower (around 3000 meters) or our towns around Chengdu or Taiwan which is less than 1000 meters.  Symptoms of altitude sickness can occur as low as 1500 meters but more commonly occurs at 2400 meters.

For more info look here

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Altitude_sickness

Are these tours family friendly?

There’s no problem with bringing your family for a tour.  We can cater the trip to accommodate the children.

What is the best longer tours?

The best tour is probably the nine day West Sichuan tour. Here you can see amazing mountains canyons, Tibetan temples, monasteries, and great views.   The longer South Sichuan and Yunnan trip are also amazing and diverse and the Taiwan is the best trip if you like a mountain and coastal trip.

What are the best shorter tours?

Most of the shorter tours are out of Chengdu in Sichuan province. There are plenty of nice things in Chengdu like old parts of town, seeing the Panda Park or getting out for a couple days to see some mountains, ancient towns or hot springs.

Is it dangerous to bike in China?

We don’t think China is more dangerous then other places but there is definitely a different driving pattern then western countries.  Like anywhere its possible there could be an accident but we don’t think its higher then anywhere else. Many of the areas have a shoulder but not all of them.  The drivers in China are used to cyclists, horses, trackers, pedestrians etc so it is a little chaotic at times but they are more aware of the many surprises that often arise.

Do I need any shots or immunizations to travel to China?

Yes, some vaccines are recommended or required for China. The CDC and WHO recommend the following vaccines for China: typhoid, hepatitis A, hepatitis B, rabies, Japanese encephalitis, polio, and influenza.

What is the electricity voltage in China? Is the electricity the same as in North America?

No, the electrical voltage in China is different. Electricity in China is at 220 Volts. You should pack an adapter if you decide to bring any type of electronics with you during the trip. Most Chinese electrical outlets use a two or three prong plug that does not fit with the North American type.

Do I need travel insurance?

While China is a very safe country with relatively low crime, it pays to be prepared.  We only have basic insurance to cover our guests.  For the best health insurance its best to get your own travel insurance.  Most are pretty inexpensive and worth it.

Credit cards, ATM and money issues:

In China it’s popular to use cash, but recently electronic payments through popular apps wechat and Alibaba have become popular. You should be able to use your ATM cards at most atm machines in China or you can convert your money in the airport or banks in the cities you arrive to as well.  Mastercard, Visa, Union pay and many others are very common in China.

How are the hotels and cost in China?

Like anywhere else, hotels vary from 1 star to five so you get what you pay for.  The lower end hotels can be as cheap as ten dollars and the more expensive ones could be hundreds of dollars. Most of our tours try to get you the best hotels but because the areas are so remote its not easy to get a 5 star hotel. Many are closer to 3 or 4 star hotels, with the exception of Taiwan which is more high end. Most of the nicer hotels have western style toilets but some of the lower end or older hotels have squat toilets. We try to avoid any hotel with squat toilets on our tours. The nicer hotels are clean.  The only other problem is that local guests are often quite noisy.  We try to always get our rooms in the back of the hotel away from the roads because of the beeping and street noise.

How is the food in this part of China?

In Sichuan and Yunnan the food is generally pretty spicy, but you can ask to not have spice put on.  The areas of western Sichuan which are Tibetan is not really spicy at all unless you ask for it.

If I am a vegetarian, vegan or have special diet requirements will I have a problem in China or on your tours?

We will try to arrange all of our meals so that we meet our customers’ demands.  China has a large variety of cuisine so it should not be a problem in most circumstances.

Will my phone work in China?

You would have to contact your service provider to get an international plan and the price and plan will vary. Its probably much cheaper to get  a sim card in China which would only cost you about $20 for a couple weeks where an international plan might cost you $20 a day.

Will the pollution affect my travels in China?

While many of the larger cities in China can be very polluted, our tours take you away from this and to pristine areas with clean air.  The only exception is our day tours in Chengdu.  Chengdu can get quite polluted, but is at its worst in winter when it’s usually too cold to do tours. If you are biking in these cities or polluted areas it’s recommended to use a face mask.  Chengdu is not that bad in in other seasons, especially if your only here in the short term.