Grace Yang Like 0

My friend and I had Grace as our personal tour guide for a total of 6 days at the end of July 2014.
We were initially nervous because we had never hired a guide before, but all of our fears disappeared as soon as we met Grace. She has set the bar very high for future tour guides that I may hire. She was extremely welcoming, patient, honest and knowledgeable about Zhangjiajie.

We arrived to ZJJ after a frustrating, 12-hour flight delay... and were pleasantly greeted by Grace. She sang us a beautiful Maio Native People's song to welcome us. And even though we were late, we didn't have to skip any of the activities and sights on our itinerary. Grace made adjustments that allowed for us to see everything that we had wanted to, which was great.

She also knew that we had concerns about payment so we agreed to pay her the full amount half way through the trip. She happily agreed ~ she didn't push to get paid ASAP.

Her English is very good and she is very social, so if you feel like having some fun and casual conversation during your tour then she is happy to talk. But if you also just want a "guide", she does her job very well. Our tour consisted of 3 girls so we naturally chatted together everyday ~ it felt a lot like traveling with a friend actually.

Advantages:

- She knows ALOT about the history of Zhangjiajie

- She knows ALOT about the area so can walk you through less crowded routes

- She is extremely patient ~ If you take a break, then she'll just wait and take a break with you. If you want lots of pictures, she will take plenty for you.

Disadvantages"

- I guess the only downside was the $, but I would pay it again because we did more than I could have ever dreamed of on this trip. I couldn't have seen even half of the stuff that I did without her. So really, this isn't a disadvantage... merely a reality check. If you want to have a carefree time and see tons of stuff while in ZJJ, you gotta dish out some cash. Totally worth it! I even decided to tip Grace even though I was running out of money. That's how great my experience here was.

Anyways, we finished off our trip on day 6. She sang us another Maio song ~ the perfect parting gift.

Tour destination: 

- Baofeng lake, yellow drago cave, zhangjiajie grand canyon, golden whip stream, huangshizhai, dehang miao valley, fenghuang ancient city, tianmen mountain
(we stopped at additional places at some of these destinations but i can't remember them all)

My son and I used Grace in the Zhangjiajie area for four days in late May, 2014.  Grace was EXCELLENT and we would highly recommend her services.  And, like other reviewers have stated, please use a guide.  Very little English is spoken in this area and it would be difficult to navigate on your own.  Grace knows the area backwards and forwards and speaks English fluently.  We didn't have the best of weather and Grace offered suggestions on alternatives.  In a nutshell, use her services!!

Alan and Phillip Parrott

Columbus, Ohio  USA

My husband and I hired Grace for 2 days May 2014.  We are happy to give her a very positive review.  She was on time each day, willing to walk through the park as long as we were, tailored the tour to our interests and our ability (one hike through the mud was very fun), and modified where we went in response to the weather and the crowds.  She was knowledgeable about the park and willing to talk about life in China.  I would hire her again in a second.  Also, if you are considering not using a guide, use one.  You will see much more and get much more out of the park.  Transportation is confusing and there is very limited English.  Grace's English was quite good.

We've spend 6 days in Zhangjiajie and Fenghuang together with Grace, she's just a magnificent tour guide we've ever meet. She is really knowledgeable and went out of her way to accommodate us according to the weather condition, even the weather was poor, we had enjoyed the most beautiful scenery in Zhangjiajie,which remind us the scene of the amazing movie--Avatar. Over all, Grace has been the best tour guide we have ever had, besides, she got a very beautiful vioce to singing mountain songs! Zhangjiajie is so beautiful, if you visit China, you have to visit Zhangjiajie, if you visit Zhangjiajie, you should hire Grace and make you trip magnificent! Thanks Grace for making our tour so unforgettable!

Grace helped me navigate the Zhangjiajie area and even took me to areas that some might consider out of the way. She was nothing but pleasant and helpful the entire time. If you only speak English you absolutely have to hire her. She went to school for tourism management and speaks great English.

I was in Zhangjiajie 4 days and it rained 3 of those days leaving me with 1 day to visit the park and it was more than enough with her help. 

Other Bonuses:

- She can get you in without having to wait in line. Sometimes the line can take an hour or two to get in. Huge plus if you have limited time.

- She knows the park inside and out and can help you navigate it without any need for a tour map. The park map and signs are primarily in Chinese which can cause problems.

- She can tell you extremely interesting information about pretty much anything inside the park from why the mountains are formed the way they are to which mountains we used in scenes from Avatar.

- If your a solo traveler like I was, you have a friend to take your photo in key locations.

Thanks so much Grace for all your help and kindness. You made my trip to the park better than expected. Will remember it forever. Grace rocks.

Last weekend, Grace showed me around the parks of the Zhangjiajie area. She is fabulous! I had lots of questions before I arrived that she answered promptly and professionally via email. Her written and spoken English is the best of any native Chinese I have met. When I arrived in Zhangjiajie City, she was very helpful, organized, and cheerful - a perfect guide. The area is amazing, and I strongly recommend Grace to anyone who would like to see an absolutely stunning natural area.