Guangzhou Travel Forum

Hi, i am of to guangzhou in november 08 with my husband and his 17 year old daughter (end of year 12 holiday) and i would like any advice on what to see and where to stay. I am interested in seeing the xiangjian safari park and i was windering if they have facilities for holiday makers who are not driving to the park to either hire a car there or do they have transoport available to drive tourists around the park. I read on the internet that this is a better place to see pandas rather than at the guangzhou zoo????? My husband has left the sightseeing itinery up to me. All help and advice on what to see would be appreciated. We are also going to Beijing and Hong Kong so if any one can advise on these areas as well it would also be appreciated

There are two pandas in Guangzhou zoo, but they sleep during the day. I guess that's a panda thing. There are two younger ones in Ocean Park in HK, which is probably all round a better place to go. I don't know about the safari park because I've never been. I think there are buses...

Anything else you want to know about, ask here or VT mail direct. Can't guarantee to answer them all though. Just be a bit more specific about what interests you.

There are buses but why not get a package to the Safari and the nearby circus including transportation arrangement.

I went to the Guangzhou zoo. There were plenty of animals to see though they were poorly housed in cages.

Other places in Guangzhou I would recommend is to visit White Swan Hotel, especially at night, the view of Pearl river is nice. The YeuXiu Garden. The Sun Yat Sen Memorial and there is a famous clan temple. Shopping at Tianhe Mall.

If you have time, recommend going to Shenzhen which is an hour away by highway for the Windows of the World theme park (all continents), Splendid China (in miniature) and Cultural Folks Village (all the minority tribes).

I think zoos in China generally house their animals in very poor (unenlightened) accommodation. GZ is no better nor no worse than others I have visited. The big cats for instance have about 4 metres of frontage, which they pace ceaselessly. Got to be about the oldest elephant I've ever seen. May have been rescued from somewhere - it has big holes in its face where the tusks used to be. You can see daylight through.

I think the circuses (at least the ones I've seen) are equally unreconstructed, with bears riding bicycles, tigers jumping through flaming hoops, etc.

The changlong (also advertised as Chimelong) amusement park is said to be a good day out.

GZ is not really much of a tourist city. You can take an evening cruise on the Pearl River, with or without a meal.

If you're going on to HK, then yes, visit Shenzhen - you can later on walk across the border there. Happy Kingdom is at least as good as Disney. It also has a great swimming area with waves, so take your cozzies. Window on the World is OK too, but it's mostly looking rather than doing. Trouble is the Eiffel Tower gets in every photo! You can swim there too, also snow-boarding, kind of. Splendid China is similar, but only China, not the whole world.

At a short distance from Guangzhou are several hot springs:
Qingxin/Qingyuan, Conghua and others.

Photos:
GZ http://www.flickr.com/photos/john37perry/sets/72157594406835711/
SZ http://www.flickr.com/photos/john37perry/sets/72157600193007776/