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Crossing China with Navo Tours -our experience- Waste of Money!!! Crossing China with Navo Tours -our experience- Waste of Money!!!
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  #1  
Old 16 Nov 2016
Sid Sid is offline
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Originally Posted by KaFoomaN View Post
We recently employed Navo as a guide to self drive across China, from recommendations of other travelers who had used them and assured us that they were the best and most professional company for a crossing. Yes they are also one of the most expensive ($5,000AUD for a 5 day crossing!), but you pay for their 'expertise'. We paid for their service because we knew the rest of our trip (through Russia) was going to be stressful and with their 'expertise' organising and guiding, it would take a huge stress out for us.


In conclusion we urge fellow travelers to reconsider using Navo and seek out other means of crossing China. Using NAVO has almost ruined our entire journey, meant that we have had to abandon our goal of driving from Asia to Europe, almost broken us financially and added more stress to our trip than can be imagined.

**These are just a few of the horrible experiences we endured whilst using Navo - there is alot more but unfortunately it will turn this post into an essay!**
Thanks a ton for the warning. I had been in touch with these guys for our planned ride from Bangalore to central Asia/Mongolia via China. But I have decided to skip China altogether - ridiculous cost which I cant afford and now reading your experience tells me that I made the right decision.
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Old 16 Nov 2016
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"Guide" means having done a three-year tourist guide certificate course at a third-tier university, while all the time never learning basic life skills. I taught some of them English for a couple of years. "Guide" means NEVER asking for directions or help because that means losing face in front of the whole world. Guides never admit to anything negative. "Guides" never wear spectacles because they can't afford them so they can't see what you are pointing at across the valley.

We did a couple of long trips by train taking along a student as a guide and that was more than bad enough and we soon learned that it was a lot less hassles to figure it all out for ourselves. Trouble is they have got you by the short and curlies - same as Burma and possibly Thailand and Laos. Their country, their rules.
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Old 16 Nov 2016
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Very interesting, thanks for the post. I crossed China with a group in 2008 and have to say that even in the absence of the problems you encountered, it was an unpleasant experience--for a group of about 15 riders we had a rigid convoy with guides front and rear and could not stop when/where we wanted, for photos or anything else. I felt like a prisoner.

China is a fascinating country and when/if it becomes easier to travel there I'd go back in a heartbeat; but until then I have absolutely zero interest and can't recommend it to anyone that likes riding a motorcycle...
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Old 17 Nov 2016
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Having lived there for a couple of years and travelled around extensively by bus and train, taking that experience into the overlanding context, I would be leaving the large fee in my pocket, leaving my vehicle at the border and doing a luxury tourist trap tour that would show me more and cost less.
Obviously not possible if you need to get through china to complete your trip, but given the current hassles in Thailand, Myanmar and maybe Laos and prohibitions in Vietnam, that may not be possible forever anyway.
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