Bike Aways

Trip Payment and Booking Conditions for Guangdong and the Kaiping Diaolou AKA – The Watch Tower Way

Link back to Guangdong and the Kaiping Diaolou

Please email bruce@bikeaways.com to check availability  and confirm booking dates.

Tour Price
RMB 3,500 per person

Single Supplement is RMB 450 subject to room availability.
Please pay a 10 perecnt deposit ( RMB 350) to secure your place – in whichever currency best suits you. See bank options below.

The Tour Price Includes

  • Transfers to and from Kaiping High Speed Rail Station (or bus station)
  • Two nights twin-share accommodation
  • Bicycle hire, with bikes selected to suit your height
  • Local guide and Bike Aways tour leader
  • Two days of guided cycling
  • Entrance fees as specified in the itinerary
  • All meals from Saturday morning through to Sunday lunch, as specified in the itinerary

The Tour Price Does Not Include

  • Transport to or from Kaiping (for example, the train from Hong Kong)
  • Travel insurance
  • Alcoholic beverages
  • Personal expenses

Single Supplement: RMB 900

Transport, Train Tickets and Accompanied Travel from Hong Kong

Participants may travel independently from Hong Kong, Shenzhen, Guangzhou, or elsewhere in China.

Bike Aways is happy to provide advice regarding train and bus options and organise a pick-up from the station when you get there.

For those wanting to travel together, we offer a 5:00 pm meet-up at Hong Kong West Kowloon Station, particularly helpful for first-time visitors navigating the Chinese high-speed rail system.

We allow a full hour to clear Hong Kong and Mainland China immigration and security before boarding. We therefore aim for the 6:00 pm train from Hong Kong West Kowloon, changing at Guangzhou South and arriving at Kaiping South at around 8:30 pm. The official guidance says these procedures normally take around 30–45 minutes, with extra time recommended for passport holders and busy periods, so the one-hour allowance is sensible.  

The return journey is simpler, with a direct late-afternoon train from Kaiping South to Hong Kong West Kowloon, arriving in Hong Kong at around 8:00 pm.

Train tickets are not included in the tour price and are at the traveller’s own expense. Second-class fares are approximately RMB 290 each way.

China high-speed rail tickets generally go on sale 15 days before departure. Tickets can be purchased at railway stations, including Hong Kong West Kowloon Station, or booked online. The 15-day booking window is confirmed by the Hong Kong High Speed Rail operator.  

Travellers are welcome to purchase their own train tickets. Alternatively, Bike Aways can purchase tickets on their behalf. Where Bike Aways arranges the tickets, the amount charged will be the ticket price plus a 10% booking and administration fee.

If Bike Aways is booking your ticket, you will need to send us the details page of your passport or Mainland Travel Permit. As with airline tickets, the name and ID details on a train booking must match your travel document. The same identification document used to purchase the ticket is also used for boarding.  

If suitable train tickets are not available, we will switch to the cross-border bus service as an alternative. The journey takes a little longer, with a later arrival in Kaiping.

Booking and Payment

A 10% deposit (RMB 350 per person) is required to confirm your booking and reserve your place.

The remaining balance is due 30 days before departure.

Bookings made within 30 days of departure require payment in full at the time of booking.

If the balance is not received by the due date, Bike Aways reserves the right to treat the booking as cancelled and offer the place to another traveller.

Payment Details

Please pay into any of the following accounts and email a screenshot of your payment record so that we can keep track of your booking.

Payments may be made in RMB, HKD or AUD. If paying in HKD or AUD, please use the current mid-market exchange rate on the day of payment to calculate the equivalent of the RMB amount due.

Hong Kong – Hang Seng Bank
Account Name: Bruce E Foreman
Account No.: 395201718668
Branch No.: 024
SWIFT Code: HASEHKHH

Australia – Commonwealth Bank
Account Name: Bruce Foreman
BSB: 062295
Account No.: 637680

Wise
Bruce Foreman
⁠Pay Bike Aways via Wise

Wise generally offers a very competitive exchange rate and low fees and can usually be used for direct currency transfers.

Cancellation and Refunds

The 10% booking deposit is non-refundable.

More than 30 days before departure:
Any amount paid above the 10% booking deposit will be refunded, less any unrecoverable costs already incurred on the traveller’s behalf.

Between 14 and 30 days before departure:
50% of the total tour price will be refunded.

Less than 14 days before departure:
No refund will normally be available unless a replacement participant can be found.

Where a traveller is unable to attend, Bike Aways will make reasonable efforts to allow the booking to be transferred to another suitable participant.

Cancellation by Bike Aways

Bike Aways reserves the right to cancel a departure if minimum participant numbers are not reached, or where circumstances beyond our reasonable control make it unsafe or impractical to operate the trip.

If Bike Aways cancels a trip before departure, travellers will receive a full refund of tour payments made to Bike Aways, unless an alternative departure or arrangement is mutually agreed.

Bike Aways is not responsible for costs associated with independent travel arrangements, including train or air tickets, accommodation or other services booked separately by the traveller. Travellers are therefore encouraged to use flexible or refundable arrangements where practical and to maintain appropriate travel insurance.

Booking Conditions

Helmets

A bicycle helmet must be worn by all cyclists while riding a bicycle on the tour.

Itineraries

Bike Aways reserves the right to change advertised itineraries before or during a tour where necessary in the interests of safety, health, local conditions, transport changes, natural events, weather, or other circumstances beyond our reasonable control.

The tour leader or guide has the right to make any necessary changes to the itinerary for these reasons.

Any traveller who does not comply with such changes or with reasonable instructions from the tour leader or guide may be deemed to have left the tour and will no longer be under the care of Bike Aways or its operators.

Insurance

Each traveller must obtain and maintain their own comprehensive travel insurance for the duration of the trip.

This insurance must cover cycling activities, overseas medical and hospital expenses, and emergency evacuation or repatriation where necessary.

Travellers are responsible for ensuring that their policy is suitable for this trip and for providing their insurance and emergency contact details on the booking form before departure.

Health and Fitness

Travellers are responsible for ensuring that they are sufficiently fit and healthy to participate in the trip.

Before departure, travellers should advise Bike Aways of any medical condition, medication, allergy, injury or other circumstance that could materially affect their ability to participate safely or which may be relevant in the event of an emergency.

Bicycles and Equipment

Bicycle hire is included in the tour price.

Bike Aways is responsible for normal wear and tear and mechanical issues arising through normal use. Travellers may be responsible for the cost of loss or damage to bicycles or other equipment resulting from negligence, misuse or failure to follow reasonable instructions.

Personal Responsibility and Risk

Cycling tours involve inherent risks. These may include, but are not limited to, traffic conditions, road surfaces, weather, remoteness, mechanical issues, rider error, and limited access to medical assistance in some areas.

Each traveller is responsible for assessing their own fitness, skill level and ability to participate safely in the tour.

By booking and joining the trip, travellers acknowledge that they understand the nature of this style of travel and accept the personal risks involved.

Travellers agree to ride responsibly, comply with local laws, and follow the reasonable instructions of the tour leader, guides and support staff at all times.

Bike Aways and its guides, leaders and support staff do not accept responsibility for loss, injury, illness, damage, accident, delay or inconvenience arising from circumstances beyond their reasonable control, or from a traveller’s failure to follow instructions, act responsibly or obtain suitable insurance.

Acceptance of Conditions

Payment of the booking deposit or full tour price confirms that the traveller has read, understood and agreed to these booking conditions.

Bike Aways

Australia
26 Sylvia Pl
Frenchs Forest NSW 2086
Australia

Hong Kong
1F 30 Ta Ha Tun Ha Wai
Sai Kung, New Territories
Hong Kong

+852 9578 4162
bruce@bikeaways.com
⁠Bike Aways

Link back to Guangdong and the Kaiping Diaolou