Our trips to China aim to get under its skin and give an authentic taste of its true colours. As a foreign visitor not knowing the language or being experienced in its culture, China can be a daunting and inaccessible place. We remove the barriers and get you mingling with the locals for the ultimate travel experience. This is our only trip where we use three guides, one of which is Rainne Zhang our Chinese translator and another being our most experienced tour leader Marcus McAdam, who, for five years, previously lived and worked as a photographer in China.
We eat in local restaurants or with local families, travel on public trains, and visit remote villages to witness the real China. We visit iconic places such as the Great Wall, but we stay on a remote and photogenic section which is closed to the public. This means we have the place to ourselves - perfect for people-free photos.
We start and end our trips our trips in key international hubs such as Beijing, Shanghai or Hong Kong. This not only makes it easy to travel from anywhere in the world, but also opens up the option to extend your stay by exploring one of these vibrant and charismatic cities in more detail.
Here’s a sample of the places we visit and what our previous Charms of China customers have to say….
“I came home from the trip having had an experience that will stay with me forever. We were promised a real Chinese experience by going off the beaten tourist route and that is exactly what we got. I have so many amazing memories of the places we visited and the local people we met along the way - interactions that wouldn't have happened on a normal tour.” - Lynn, 2015
“I never in my wildest dreams thought I would ever visit China and really thought I would be nervous on this trip but I totally enjoyed every second. The whole trip was amazing. Everything was well catered for and it was great to experience the luxury of our hotel in Beijing to the not so luxurious farmhouse at the Great Wall. I loved the overnight train journey as well. It was great to have “time” at all the places and not hurry around.” - Adele, 2015
"The area of the Great Wall we visited far exceded my expectations. We had the whole place to ourselves which is just what you want when you are trying to photograph it" - Gordon, 2015
We regularly stop to photograph the locals in the rural villages we visit.
"The accommodation was more luxurious than we expected, the food was really exotic, the scenery was mind-boggling and we can’ think of a single thing that would have made it more perfect." - Carolyn, 2019
'I loved the contrast between the luxury hotel in Beijing and the rustic farmhouse we stayed at the Great Wall. I loved the overnight train journey too. It was great to have quality time in each location and not have to hurry around' - Adele, 2015
The only thing to expect in China is the unexpected. Wildlife is not a major feature of our China trips, but the monekys of Zhangjiajie are too photogenic to ignore.
"Zhangjiajie is absolutely amazing. It just has that wow factor that is difficult to describe" - Lynn, 2015
"The Charms of China photo tour was one of the best-run experiences we’ve ever had. It took us a while to get used to the fact that we could totally relax and not have to worry about anything at all. All of the WWE staff went out of their way to make sure nothing was left to chance and we all had the trip of a lifetime." - Carolyn, 2019
"Not having been to China before, it was an amazing experience - a complete assualt on the senses" - Julia, 2016
Class of 2016.
"The personal attention you pay to customers is greatly appreciated. And the variety of photo locations covered a wide range of locations and lifestyles, which is great for customers like myself who may only visit certain countries once in their lifetimes." - Lori, 2019
“Getting off the usual tourist routes ensured a truly authentic experience.” - Sharron, 2016
"The interaction with the local people is the one thing I shall remember most about this trip" - Elaine, 2016
The class of 2019.
Click below to watch a short video of our 2015 trip...