China Travel Forum

[Nancy]

I am considering taking a tour of the Yangtze River through Ritz Tours. The trip can be navigated either up or down stream
Any recommendations on whether to select up/down stream ? Why the selection.
Comments on the Ritz Tours Yangtze River tours?
I visited China during a September. Weather was great. Any other times of the year is suggested?

Thanks!

[Adam]

Short Answer- Neither.

We travelled the Yangtze 3 Gorges (lakes) in September 04. Of the entire time in China, it is the only part I would not go back to.
The scenery is good, but not great, Guilin Yangshuo is not far behind it, but gets better weather.
The River is filthy, ruining alot of Photo Opportunities.
The Ghost City is dull, the boatmen of the little gorge are alright.
Did I mention the weather? Unless you are lucky weather wise the gorges are rubbish (well, poor)
The Bridges are magnificent.
The enormity of the Dam project is a sight to see
I still wouldn't recommend it though, you could make better use of the time in Beijing, Xian, Shanghai, Chongqing and other places.
On most cruises if you travel downstream you get to see more in daylight, and get a better night's sleep if you are a poor traveller.

[Bill]

ritz is know for excessive shopping and substituting hotels at the last minute ... so be careful!