Chinese overland tour operators?
 

Does anyone have any recommendations for Chinese travel agents operating self-drive/ride overland trips in China? We are trying to identify an honest and reliable operator to organise the paperwork and guide necessary(?) for our China trip this summer. We're not having much luck and time is getting short.

Basically, we are aware of the necessities and high costs and we are also aware that, since 2013, guides are not strictly necessary unless you are visiting sensitive areas. However, whatever the official line is, we have given up on the idea of finding an agent who will actually handle 'independent' touring. Laura Pattara's recommendation of Ricardo Tomas Herrera and his China Tierra de Aventura company came to nought, as he has not responded to any emails for months and another UK-based operator running tours recommended Navo Tours, who, equally, seem impossible to communicate with.

Does anyone have contact/website details for a reliable operator?

Several friends of ours have used Navo, most were positive.

Hi ,

Did you contact China Overland already? I also know that some have contact with Voyage Tibet.
Both seem to be reliable.
Good luck!
Greetzz
Lilian

Many thanks for those suggestions. China Overland certainly seems to have the most attractive and well-presented website. I want to go. Now! :w00t:

I've sent two emails to Navo, detailing our itinerary and dates and asking for a quote, only for them to be bounced back with the following error message:
However, one of their agents can clearly see that I have tried to send a message, because he has responded twice with a completely irrelevant and long-winded reply, introducing his company and inviting us to look at the website. I've emailed him back on his personal address with another copy of the itinerary, details, etc., but all I get back is a similar error message.

I can't deal with people who are so difficult to communicate with.

In the meantime, I think we have found a work around in joining an organised tour. It's expensive and it means a change of route, but we will see so much more of China and will have the security of a group. Judging from some of the exorbitant quotes given to other travellers on these boards, it may be that we wouldn't have saved very much at all, trying to go it alone.

China Tour
 

Hi

mrsroynie,

Who have you been dealing with in organising your tour through China? I am in the process of info gathering on the same topic. Perhaps you can PM me. What border crossings are you planning?

Thanks

Dave

??????? Looking for secret solutions????:thumbdown:

same question
 

I posted a similar question and have just seen your thread! We have been in touch with both NAVO and China Overland. At the moment Navo seems cheaper and I have never had any problem with communicating the person I'm dealing with is Bing. and he/she has been extremely helpful so i think you may have been unlucky
When are you planning on going and which route are you taking?

Reading between the lines on the HUBB and other forums, we quickly came to the conclusion that there is no such thing as 'cheap' when it comes to overland travel in China, so were easily persuaded to ditch our original ideas in favour of joining Globebusters' Ace to Ace tour for the Chinese section of their/our ride.

True, it will probably be costing us substantially more than it would have to travel independently, but since none of the agents we contacted got back to us with a quote - probably because they weren't interested in our itinerary - we have no way of making a comparison. Since the whole object is to ride from "Inagh to China" (the two place names rhyme, in case you were wondering), we couldn't risk failure, so were very fortunate to be in a position to take advantage of Globebusters' tour, both financially and because our dates and itineraries just happened to coincide with theirs. :thumbup1:

Now instead of entering China from Mongolia for a short ride from the border to Beijing and back, we will be riding the whole way from West to East, adding a whole new dimension to the trip. We're only two months away from our departure now, and can't wait to get going.

Let's see about ACE-CAFE Beijing as they closed for an extended "renovation period" just last month and usually a solid sign they (food + beverage operations / entertainment venues) are done and close for good in China.

They opened AC Beijing during 2013 in the 798-751 ArtDistrict of Beijing and that place was just shocking in terms of crappy food and very lousy customer service. They wouldn't even let motorbikes park in front of the joint....

They (AC-BJ) have absolute nothing in common with places like the Ace-Cafe UK or Deus Cafe Sydney....
As China always works in mysterious ways, who knows ~ they might have a new investor and / or switched management and finally get the AC concept right before the tour arrives in Beijing... nuff said'....

Hi! What are you planning?

I will enter from Western India on August Septembers 2015 and looking for the cheapest option... any ideas?

txs!@

I too have been in touch with Bing at Navo Tour regarding Kyrgyzstan to Nepal in June/July 2016....

Bing is extremely responsive and provides all sorts of good information.

Alas, the person 'responding' to my bounced emails is called Leo Zhang and he simply sends the same message introducing his company over and over ... Not sure what's going wrong as, clearly, the content of my emails has not been transmitted. Anyway, can't afford to waste any more time on them.

Might want to try Bing at bing.liang@navo-tour.com.

Your post made me laugh. Sounds like Ace Cafe Beijing has/had quite a lot in common with the Ace Cafe London. A motorcycling icon it may be, but good food and customer service are something else altogether (though they do, at least, let you park).

My understanding of the situation is that they are indeed undergoing some sort of major refurbishment and the Globebusters' arrival in Beijing is scheduled to coincide with their reopening. If they don't reopen, I won't be crying into my cornflakes.

No thanks, we're sorted.