Third Pole
Third Pole
4.5
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This full-day tour to Qingcheng Mountain and the Dujiangyan Irrigation System will allow you to enjoy a day away from the hustle and bustle of Chengdu and enjoy the natural beauty of Sichuan province.
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Most Recent: Reviews ordered by most recent publish date in descending order.
Detailed Reviews: Reviews ordered by recency and descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as wait time, length of visit, general tips, and location information.
4.5
19 reviews
Excellent
13
Very good
5
Average
0
Poor
0
Terrible
1
Elvinaooi
Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia105 contributions
Oct 2016 • Friends
My experience with 3rdpoletour was that of trip planning for my relatives and friends to Chengdu & Jiuzhaigou for 8 days. Jim Pel was the senior trip advisor that responded to my online request. I was helping to plan a private tour for 8 adults.
I drafted a trip itinerary with help from recommendations on trip advisor as well as the groups' travel requests but Jim Pel offered some great suggestion for the trip and assured me that he will make the trip memorable.
Throughout the planning stage which started some 5 months prior to the trip, Jim Pel has been very responsive and prompt in his follow up. When the group arrived in China, Jim Pel remained in touch with them making sure that all arrangements were made accordingly.
The group was extremely impressed with Eddie - the guide assigned for their trip. Eddie is professional, thoughtful, caring, sincere, friendly, responsible, courteous, helpful and provides great service to make sure that everyone in the group is well taken care of. He is also proficient in English and Spanish. Together with the friendly driver Rong Jie, both of them made the trip enjoyable eventhough it was a tiring trip with lots of traveling in between.
Overall my relatives and her group are very satisfied with the high service quality and professionalism provided by 3rdpoletour and Eddie.
I drafted a trip itinerary with help from recommendations on trip advisor as well as the groups' travel requests but Jim Pel offered some great suggestion for the trip and assured me that he will make the trip memorable.
Throughout the planning stage which started some 5 months prior to the trip, Jim Pel has been very responsive and prompt in his follow up. When the group arrived in China, Jim Pel remained in touch with them making sure that all arrangements were made accordingly.
The group was extremely impressed with Eddie - the guide assigned for their trip. Eddie is professional, thoughtful, caring, sincere, friendly, responsible, courteous, helpful and provides great service to make sure that everyone in the group is well taken care of. He is also proficient in English and Spanish. Together with the friendly driver Rong Jie, both of them made the trip enjoyable eventhough it was a tiring trip with lots of traveling in between.
Overall my relatives and her group are very satisfied with the high service quality and professionalism provided by 3rdpoletour and Eddie.
Written October 26, 2016
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
squirrelpops
Singapore, Singapore18 contributions
May 2016 • Solo
Hi, I booked a 3 days Jiuzhaigou + Huanglong tour via Tibet Travel and Jim was very helpful in assisting me with recommendations as well as flight suggestions to complement my trip. The local guide was knowledgeable and told us stories about the tribes and attractions throughout our 2 days and I was throughly impressed. Would recommend this company for tour to any travelers keen to visit China.
Written May 11, 2016
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
jamesaawrighter
Perth, Australia4 contributions
Jun 2015 • Family
Our family was just back from a 6 days Chengdu/Jiuzhaigou vacation with 3rdpoletour.com. I can't recommend this company enough! It was a fabulous tour and we were so delighted with the service we received. Sophie was our travel consultant, during the communication; she was always prompt and professional, trying her best to provide us as much information as she could. Everything went smoothly from start to finish. Sending the deposit via Western Union was a new experience for me, but that seemed to be norm for China, and it turned out 3rdpoletour is completely trustworthy, so there is nothing to worry about if that concerns you.
Jiuzhaigou national park was really one of the most beautiful places on Earth! It is even more stunning than the photos we found on the internet. The only thing that detracted from the experience was the crowded tourists because of the weekend. Fortunately, our tour guide, Summer, was really competent and informative, adjusted the tour itinerary to avoid the crowds for much of the time. Walking was a good way to get away from the crowds. Summer really made the experience memorable.
Overall, everyone working for 3rdpoletour was very friendly, punctual, and knowledgeable; everything went above and beyond what I ever could have imagined. We had a great time with them. Many thanks.
Jiuzhaigou national park was really one of the most beautiful places on Earth! It is even more stunning than the photos we found on the internet. The only thing that detracted from the experience was the crowded tourists because of the weekend. Fortunately, our tour guide, Summer, was really competent and informative, adjusted the tour itinerary to avoid the crowds for much of the time. Walking was a good way to get away from the crowds. Summer really made the experience memorable.
Overall, everyone working for 3rdpoletour was very friendly, punctual, and knowledgeable; everything went above and beyond what I ever could have imagined. We had a great time with them. Many thanks.
Written June 29, 2015
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
kristyteh
Singapore3 contributions
Jun 2018 • Friends
We had opted for the 7 days tour to yala highpass with 3rd Pole Tour (3PT) . This is not our first trek in China nor our first trek off Chengdu, however this is the most expensive one. The price is not a concerned if it is well planned and enjoyable. It was far from it. 3 months ahead, we were quoted two prices, one with guide from Chengdu the other is the guide join us from kangding (which is cheaper). Driver will be provided for both prices. We paid for guide from kangding since we are familar with Chengdu. After paying for it, the company staff said she made a mistake as she is new, the driver and guide is the same person so we had to top up and so we did. The staff didn't touch base with us even though we are due to arrive that week so I contacted them to check what items we have to bring. They replied promptly but I was surprised to see sleeping bags in the items to bring. The staff refer me to the information on the contract that I have signed as well as past emails. I highlighted to them that both the contracts and emails state that sleeping bags are included and that's when they said they made a mistake AGAIN. They decided to honour it but had I not emailed them before the trek we would have gone to the mountain without sleeping bags as the guide only meet us that morning we are leaving for the mountains. They also did not communicate with the guide who ask us for the rental money of the sleeping bags (we didn't pay him). We ask him to check with 3PT and that's when we realised that pole does not do such treks and they outsource to other companies. This guide that we have is doing this part time, he has other businesses which is why he was on the phone (calls and text) every other minute, EVEN when he was driving! When he was not on the phone he dozed off at the wheels.. not kidding. We had to wake him up or talked to him many times. When we started the trek he left us to walk on our own as he hang behind to chat on his phone. He joined us when there's no more reception. Ironically we were doing fine until he joined us and took us to a wrong route which we had to backtrack. Many other bad jincidents with him in the mountains but I want to highlight the worst part. When we reached campsite on second day he told us he is going go down the mountain so that he can collect his car to meet us next morning. He left us with the horseman. Next morning, due to the snow he was caught in a jam and didn't meet us at the designated point. We didn't know as there is no recep so we were in the cold waiting like a fool for hours. Some workers nearby took us in, gave us fire and food. The horseman had to leave, ask us for money (which should be paid by the guide) and he asked one of my friends to trek further down to get reception to call the guide. What we didnt know is that there are no reception for at least 30mins car ride away. When we found out we were worried for our friend but thankfully we managed to PAY the workers to send us to the nearest town and pick my friend along the way. The guide met up with us 7hrs after the agreed pick up time, though apologetic but didn't refund us the money for the rented car ride (he did refund the horseman money). It is of no fault of his that he got caught in the snow jam ( really heavy snow), however which guide will leave their clients on the mountains? Why wasn't his car arranged to be driven to our pick up point like all trek companies?
The guide is clearly not prepared for this trip nor interested. 3PT has poor communication with the guide and does not seem to be experienced with outdoor trek. It could have been a disaster for us and we got through with some luck.
The guide is clearly not prepared for this trip nor interested. 3PT has poor communication with the guide and does not seem to be experienced with outdoor trek. It could have been a disaster for us and we got through with some luck.
Written June 26, 2018
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Fiona T
14 contributions
Oct 2015 • Friends
We did a 4 day private tour to Huanglong and Jiuzhaigou National park. I initially had reservations because there were little reviews from Trip Advisor for Third Pole as a company but Carrie was great and responsive through emails that we took the risk and booked with them. Glad we did it. Alex, our English speaking guide went to extra efforts to ensure we had a great time. He was not only our local guide but communcator, photographer and much more. He is intelligent, very knowledgeable, friendly and has fluent English.
I loved the Huanglong area with it's unique natural formation of colorful pools. The weather was perfect too. Jiuzhaigou National park was also nice but the crowd during mid October was a little overwhelming for my liking.
I loved the Huanglong area with it's unique natural formation of colorful pools. The weather was perfect too. Jiuzhaigou National park was also nice but the crowd during mid October was a little overwhelming for my liking.
Written October 21, 2015
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
L A
Manchester, United Kingdom18 contributions
Apr 2017 • Solo
Winnie is a fantastic guide. She picked me up promptly from my hostel. Gave me loads of interesting information about Chengdu and about the culinary aspects to that region. She was so friendly and charming. The cooking class was a private lesson where I learned 5 dishes. The teacher was a lovely lady who was very good at instruction and showing me how to make the various elements. Winnie was on hand to translate and also gave helpful tips. We then all ate the lunch I had cooked. After Winnie took me to a local market and showed and told me more interesting food. I highly recommend this activity and Winnie as a guide.
Written May 1, 2017
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Irble
Singapore, Singapore10 contributions
Sep 2015 • Friends
In planning our trip to China, I found several tour agencies online and emailed them my requirements.
Very quickly, i received a response from 3rd Pole Tour's Ivan. Amongst the numerous replies I received from the different agencies, Ivan's was the one that impressed me the most.
Not only was he always prompt in his response, Ivan was the only one (out of the numerous tour companies that I had emailed to) who made suggestions to my original itinerary to ensure that we got the most out of our trip. I greatly appreciate his effort for that.
Ivan was also detailed and took into account our concerns.
Although I did not managed to join 3rd Pole Tour on a trip eventually due to other reasons (nothing to do with them), I have been convinced that I would certainly like to take a trip with this company and its staff one day.
Very quickly, i received a response from 3rd Pole Tour's Ivan. Amongst the numerous replies I received from the different agencies, Ivan's was the one that impressed me the most.
Not only was he always prompt in his response, Ivan was the only one (out of the numerous tour companies that I had emailed to) who made suggestions to my original itinerary to ensure that we got the most out of our trip. I greatly appreciate his effort for that.
Ivan was also detailed and took into account our concerns.
Although I did not managed to join 3rd Pole Tour on a trip eventually due to other reasons (nothing to do with them), I have been convinced that I would certainly like to take a trip with this company and its staff one day.
Written September 22, 2015
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Neil
14 contributions
Nov 2019
It was indeed an awesome week spent with my girlfriend, her mom, my sister and I together with a surprise visit from my girlfriend's siblings and in-laws. We were a total of 9 in the group and everything was well-planned and coordinated by the main contact person David. He's one awesome guy who's quite fluent in english and is trying to learn other languages, as well. He coordinated everything with me, up to the last detail. Highly-recommended.
Also, Jiuzhaigou was one of my dream places to visit before. Two years ago, an earthquake strike the province which forced them to close the park down. I was quite sad about this, but when I knew it opened last September, I immediately decided to propose to my girlfriend there and surprise her during our visit to China. We had a meeting in Guangzhou then flew to Chengdu then took an 8 hour bus to Jiuzhaigou with some Panda Visit in the middle.
Admittedly, the bus rides were long, but the views of Jiuzhaigou and Huanglong were worth it.
Also, expect the food to be average, and mainland chinese people pushing people around the bus in Jiuzhaigou park.
Also, Jiuzhaigou was one of my dream places to visit before. Two years ago, an earthquake strike the province which forced them to close the park down. I was quite sad about this, but when I knew it opened last September, I immediately decided to propose to my girlfriend there and surprise her during our visit to China. We had a meeting in Guangzhou then flew to Chengdu then took an 8 hour bus to Jiuzhaigou with some Panda Visit in the middle.
Admittedly, the bus rides were long, but the views of Jiuzhaigou and Huanglong were worth it.
Also, expect the food to be average, and mainland chinese people pushing people around the bus in Jiuzhaigou park.
Written November 24, 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Cpha
1 contribution
Nov 2019 • Friends
From when we booked the tour to when we visited Jiuzhaigou and Huanglong David and Zhang have provided excellent service. Both have gone above and beyond to make sure we have the best experience possible. We had a great time and I highly recommend this tour company for any visit to Sichuan.
Written November 16, 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Elyuvar
Voluntown, CT2 contributions
Apr 2018 • Couples
Exploring a possibility to arrange an in-depth customized travel to some major sites along the Silk Road, I came across the website of the ThirdPole Tours and contacted the tour consultant Sara Zhou. Sara's thoughtful consideration of our interests, her expert knowledge of the regional specifics and her efficient correspondence allowed us to quickly come up with a highly meaningful itinerary. The schedule was intensive yet well paced and manageable. We obtained Chinese visa easily with the help of the officially issued itinerary that Sara sent us via email. We then paid for all the services online through the ThirdPole Tours website and off we went. In two weeks we visited Xian, Jiayuguan, ruins of Khara-Khoto (the Black City) - once the capital of the state of the Tanguts; we then went to Dunhuang to see world-famous Mogao Buddhist grottoes, then to Turpan with Bezeklik grottoes and other important sites, then to Kuqa with its also numerous and unique Buddhist grottoes, then to Urumqi with its famous Silk Road Museum, etc. and returned to the US via Beijing. All arrangements were just perfect - this refers to the flight connections, train connections, hired cars, and all accommodations. Above all, at every place we were taken around by extremely helpful, highly knowledgeable and caring local guides. The trip had it all - more than two thousand years of cultural history, extraordinary art preserved in situ, magnificent nature of the desert, the mountains and the lush gardens, local colorful traditions still alive, and much, much more. The richest experience ever facilitated by excellent organization!
Written May 4, 2018
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Hi, I would like to know how to contact this tour agency? Email? Phone? Are they legit?
I tried emailing them twice but were not delivered for some reason.
Thank you.
Written February 9, 2019
Hi everyone, I've read that the park provided shuttle bus inside Jiuzhaigou is crowded and often there is long queue and wait to board the bus. If we were to join a private tour by Third Pole, would we get priority in boarding the shuttle bus? I'm trying to understand the advantage of going with a tour like Third Pole instead of touring it on one's own, since inside the park there is only park-provided shuttle bus, and for us, we understand and speak Chinese. Thanks! - Karen
Written July 16, 2017
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