Walking The Great Wall of China

Our Clients’ Reviews

Here at Exodus we thrive on feedback from our customers. It's the only way we can ensure our trips continue to be the best they can be. So, for the real tales, twists and turns of the trip you're interested in, look no further than the reviews from our previous travellers. Any feedback collected (Good or bad) from Exodus clients is posted straight onto our website - totally unedited. Read more...

Average Review Rating: from 53 reviews.

John McGeough

WALKING THE GREAT WALL

Written April 2012
A marvellous holiday, with over six days walking along the Great Wall, plus two days (three for some!) in Beijing. Suitable for “ramblers” as well as well as hardened trekkers. Plenty of opportunity to meet Chinese people away from the big cities. There were 13 people in our group and they were a great bunch. Every day was interesting, passing through small towns and villages. The walks were just right for me, not too long and not too short.
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What was the most inspirational moment of your trip?
Walking the length of Jinshanling on a fine, sunny day, and seeing the wall stretch out before us for mile after mile. Fantastic views along the way, great for taking photographs. I also ran into some fellow Brummies along the way (not really a highlight!)
Walking through a Chinese village, mostly seeing only the very elderly and the very young, finding the people there very friendly and hospitable.
Visiting the Temple of Heaven in Beijing, a beautiful park with fantastic buildings, flowers, greenery... dancers, musicians....the kind of place you do not want to leave.
What did you think of your group leader?
Kevin was top notch, a great organiser and very friendly. He went out of his way to help everyone and when weather threatened to disrupt our schedule he was very flexible. He made the trip very enjoyable. When a mystery bug struck our group he made great efforts to secure medicine and medical advice. Very knowledgeable about China, giving us tips about where to go and what to look out for when we went off exploring.
Do you have any advice for potential travellers?
Out in the villages it can get cold at night, certainly in April, so wrap up well. However the hotel in Beijing was very hot! At various times you will be accosted by people trying to sell souvenirs, always drive a hard bargain, start at least seventy five per cent below the asking price! Remember that to eat all the food offered to you is taken as a sign that you have not had enough to eat, so if you’ve had enough leave some food on your plate.
Look out for a "paper cuttings" shop at Jinshanling, if you go in you will be amazed.
Is there anything else you would like to add?
Apart from the wall, and the sights in Beijing, I enjoyed getting up early each morning and exploring the villages we stayed in. The people there, whatever they thought as I took photo after photo, were very polite and friendly. Some of us had an extra day in Beijing due to the late departure of our planes / trains. My last memory is of reading and relaxing with two fellow group members in the Temple of Heaven Park in Beijing, just a couple of hours before we were due to leave. They were going on to Xian, I was flying home. A gorgeous place, and lovely afternoon. Something I will not forget.
Susan Jennings

WALKING THE GREAT WALL

Written January 2012
I had a fantastic experience walking the wall. I cannot fault anything about the whole experience. From a great tour guide to great food and decent accommodation. I would do it again if I could.
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What was the most inspirational moment of your trip?
Getting to walk sections of the Great Wall was inspirational. Seeing the fantastic scenery and the amazing food!
What did you think of your group leader?
Our group leader Kevin was absolutely brilliant.
Do you have any advice for potential travellers?
Go with an open mind and be prepared to be part of a group. You wi have a brilliant time.
Is there anything else you would like to add?
Just that I had a fantastic holiday and would love to do it again some day.
YUEN LIE CHUNG

WALKING THE GREAT WALL

Written October 2011
A once in a life time trip for me, worth every penny, trip was well planned out, tour guide was brill in every way.
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What was the most inspirational moment of your trip?
Every day was inspirational for me, i've always wanted to go Great Wall when i first saw it on telly as a kid, can't believe i've done it. The view is so breath taking, everyday was a different section of the wall and different scenery. The people/family running the guest house are lovely and friendly. Food is great out there, so many choices.
What did you think of your group leader?
Group leader Danny was brill, always smiling and joking around, very approachable, deserves a big raise!!!A trip well planned out and not just a group leader but was apart of our team.
Do you have any advice for potential travellers?
Take a plastic knife with you for when you stay in guest house, spreading peanut butter on toast with a chopstick was another experience but a great laugh.
Is there anything else you would like to add?
If your thinking about doing this trip, don't think anymore, just book it, you won't regret it!!!
Louise Amandini

WALKING THE GREAT WALL

Written October 2011
6 different and interesting days/part days walking along the wall but not enough to do everyday. Beijing interesting historically if a little a smoggy! Terrocotta Army and X'ian a must do extension amazing.
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What was the most inspirational moment of your trip?
The Terracota Warriors and the history behind them was amazing. Well worth a visit. The Great Wall is an amazing unbelievable sight aswell and walking along it for 6 days did it justice and showed how variable it is especially the non rebuilt bits which were better than the main stream tourist parts.
What did you think of your group leader?
Made the trip "without sparkle" from your previous options. Slow to impart information and normally the group leader with Exodus is amazing and you learn loads about the country, unfortunately John gave little information out.
Do you have any advice for potential travellers?
Take wet wipes as our 1st homestay had no running water and take snacks as food a little unreliable!!
Take a good camera as sites worth a picture!!
If you go in October it's really cold at night in homestays, take warm clothes or layers as we were all very chilly, there was frost one night!
Is there anything else you would like to add?
Could have done better with food at homestays.
Elizabeth Cranfield

WALKING THE GREAT WALL

Written October 2011
An extremely enjoyable trek with fantastic views of the snaking wall and the surrounding autumnal mountainous countryside, contrasting with the crowds in Beijing. The variety of overnight stays added to the oberall enjoyment. Highly recommended.
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What was the most inspirational moment of your trip?
Clambering up the various 'one in one' parts of the wall. The sheer scale of the Great Wall. The support of fellow travellers. The shy red beaked blue magpies. Staying with local people so that we could se how they lived.
What did you think of your group leader?
Very friendly, making sure that everyone in the group was coping alright and knowledgeable about the route. However he could have told us more about the areas we were travelling through and the day ahead on the long bus journeys.
Do you have any advice for potential travellers?
Take warm clothing - and a sleeping bag if you feel the cold - for the evenings if travelling in the autumn. It gets cold after sun down and some of the overnight stays were not heated.
Is there anything else you would like to add?
October seemed an ideal time to go as the weather was warm during the day, rather than very hot, which made walkin much easier - and may be the reason why the walks were much shorter, timewise, than suggested in the trip notes. One also gets the benefit of the autumnal colours, and plenty of locally grown produce for meals. The Acrobats and Kung Fu shows were far more expensive than Exodus suggested.
Stephen Taylor

WALKING THE GREAT WALL

Written September 2011
One of the 7 Modern Wonders of the world-and easy to understand why.
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What was the most inspirational moment of your trip?
Every day was special-but the walk from Gubeiko to Jinshangling along an airy ridge was the best walking day for me.
What did you think of your group leader?
Danny Mao is a great tour leader. Always cheerful, helpful and knowledgable. Never intrusive but always there when you need him to be. Told us all about Chinese history to pass the time on the bus. Worth giving him a hefty bonus Exodus!
Do you have any advice for potential travellers?
The accomodation is pretty good even out in the country-obviously upgraded from some earler reviews. The food is excellent and there is lots of it. Practice with chopsticks before you go. The Wall is amazing, climbing over mountains and snaking away into the distance. Returning to see the sights of Beijing and then on to Xi'an and the Terracotta Army are pretty special experiences too, so increase your "wow" factor and do the extension.
Is there anything else you would like to add?
Great sights, great leader, great bunch of other walkers. Great holiday!
Sylvia Dorfman

WALKING THE GREAT WALL

Written September 2011
A good value trip incorporating nice places of interest.
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