WALKING THE GREAT WALL

Our Clients’ Reviews

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  Tracey Parrott

  WALKING THE GREAT WALL

  

  Written October 2009

  Walking the Great Wall was an excellent trip. In all there was 6 days trekking on the wall from the more derilict parts in rural areas that became more of a scramble and the touristy bits that were in perfect condition. Be prepared to work hard, the steep steps every day are physically challenging. The Homesteads are a mix of levels but they are part of the real cultural experience...be prepared for squat toilets - take plenty of tissues and wet wipes! There's 3 nights in Beijing at the end where you have the opportunity to explore and visit shows - the Acrobatics show and Kungfu Show are recommended at 180Yen each. There is little free time and the most money spent throughout the whole trip is in Beijing! If you like a drink in the evening and you're not partial to beer or rice wine take your own tipple with you on your travels once you leave Beijing. Danny Mao is a great guide and very in date with his local and historical knowledge. 

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  What was the most inspirational moment of your trip?

  Being in the remote rural areas and being he only group on the old parts of the wall.

  What did you think of your group leader?

  Danny Mao, only a young lad (under 30) was an excellent and fun guide/group leader with a wealth of local and historial knowledge.

  Do you have any advice for potential travellers?

  Take plenty of tissues and wet wipes for the rustic toilets! Take some emergency cereal bars for lunches.

  If you drink and wish to go to the shows in Beijing you need 200-300 pounds spending money!

  Is there anything else you would like to add?

  You do bus between wall locations so you do get rest between walk - trekking sticks help take pressure off your knees...they would be a worthwhile investment. (I didn't have any!) However, you need to get ones that can also be stowed away as sometimes you need your hands to climb areas of the wall!

   
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  Andrew Bryant

  We walked the Great Wall

  

  Written November 2008

   This trip does what it says on the tin.  If you're looking for a walking holiday with a focus on the wall, you won't go far wrong.  I found the walking moderately easy in terms of difficulty, however I do live close to the alps, and go hill walking most weekends.  If you've not done much hill walking or aren't particularly fit, I'd suggest some work in the gym or take to the hills to build up your step climbing stamina.   

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  What was the most inspirational moment of your trip?

  The time we spent away from the crowds, on some of the older parts of the wall and in the villages was great, and is recommended. 

  What did you think of your group leader?

  Kent was a good group-leader, however could have been a little more communicative in some cases. 

  Do you have any advice for potential travellers?

  I'd recommend the extension to Xi'An, which ensures that you get a good balance of both walking and history.  Without this, you do get a lot of driving and walking.

  Is there anything else you would like to add?

  Altitude gained on the walks varied between 200-450m, with distance from 2.5 to 10km (average 5-6 km) per day.

  Organization on the arrival day (before the Xi'An extension) wasn't as per the trip notes, probably because the group-leader didn't start until we got back from Xi'An.  I arrived at the hotel as advised, however the hotel wouldn't store my bag without a room number (which of course I didn't have because we were leaving for Xi'An later that night).  Taking a room for a few hours (at a half day price) solved this, and let me take a shower. 

   
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  Andrew Murray

  WALKING THE GREAT WALL

  

  Written April 2008

  It was worth going simply to see the Terracotta Army and the Great Wall, however their was a lot of spare time and a lot of travelling, I think with better planning you could either fit more in or shorten the holiday. 

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  What was the most inspirational moment of your trip?

  The Terracotta Army was a bit of a let down, it wasn't quite on the scale that I imagined and there was a lot of other tourists there.

   You couldn't help being struck by the wall however, seeing it snake off into the distance, and the incredible places that they built it, it was unbeleivable, and five days was enough to explore the different terrain it crossed together with experiencing the different states the wall was in from fully preserved to just a mound of earth surrounded by tell tale signs of stone.

  What did you think of your group leader?

  The group leader was fine, he did what he was there for and adapted our itinary well in consideration of the weather - it was too wet to camp.  He was also very patient with our western ways not being too compatible with chinese ways out in the country and several members of the group obviously not expecting it.  He was however always after our 'Western' views on China and was always on the defencive about his country, but he did explain the culture very well even if it was from a slightly bias point of view.

  Do you have any advice for potential travellers?

  I did the group extension.  This did not seem to be planned very well at all, with two of us just being dropped off at the hotel by the driver from the airport without us knowing where we were, what to do next, with the hotel not claiming to know anything about us!  After a lot of arguing with the hotel reception they did finally agree to store our luggage and change our money but we were then left to wander Beijing with no way of knowing where we were!  We were both glad we were both there as it would not have been a good experience if we'd been on our own.  It also turned out that the other two in our group were at the hotel all the time that afternoon without our knowledge!

  Is there anything else you would like to add?

  In summary, I'm glad I did it but I would not visit China again now.  The holiday was hard going, not physically but accomodation was hard going outside of the cities and the meals started to get to everyone after a while.  The walking, distance and time wise, was very easy for everyone and most wished it had been more challenging and longer as we spent a lot of time hanging around wondering what we were going spend our time doing, however most had also agreed they had walked enough of the wall by the end.  They were by no means easy walks though if you are someone that is not sure of your footing as there is a lot of scrabbling and walking next to shear drops.

   
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  SUZANNE HOCKING

  Great Wall, Great Holiday

  

  Written November 2007

  What was the most inspirational moment of your trip?

  To see the Great Wall up close and personal totally blew me away. Having read so much about it, it was beyond all my expectations. To be able to stand on parts of the wall that were hundreds of years old was truly amazing. We visited parts that were totally unspolit by tourists and parts of the wall that the regular tourist will never see. The Exodus trip was out of this world and really gave me a true insight into China so much so that im planning to go back again as soon as i can.

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  What did you think of your group leader?

  On the whole he was good, however there were some areas where i felt that he needed to provide us with more information. We as a group kept having to ask questions where i felt the information should have been provided. I will say that his choice of meals were exceptional and we had a different choice of foods every day so that i can not fault him on.

  Do you have any advice for potential travellers?

  Just to be warning about the basic toilet facilities. Bring toilet paper and alcohol wash as this is not easily obtained.

  Also the travelling within China was sometimes long and to be prepared for hours on the minibus.

  Is there anything else you would like to add?

  Only that i had a fantastic time and am glad to have travelled with Exodus again.