Walking The Great Wall of China

Our Clients’ Reviews

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Average Review Rating: from 56 reviews.

Kerry-Ann Thompson
WALKING THE GREAT WALL

Written April 2010
This was my first trip with Exodus and such like adventure and I absolutely loved it! The walking, the views, the experience, the group - all exceeded my expectations! The trip does what is says on the tin - there is a lot of walking along the Great Wall, but it is fantastic. Covering so many different sections keeps it interesting along with the local guides and Danny (group leader) offering plenty of history and information. I got an insight into China and would love to go back to learn a few more chinese phrases, explore more...
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What was the most inspirational moment of your trip?
All of the trip was very memorable for me. Highlights include:
walking along remote sections of the wall with nobody else around us
the varying terrain - a bit of a challenge at times
being able to enjoy the walk, views, company of fellow travellers etc - the schedule wasn't pressured
fantastic views for miles ahead
staying in local homestays during the trip
eating an Easter Egg when reaching the top of a Watchtower on Easter Sunday
albeit painful, getting a chinese massage
successfully eating with chopsticks and surviving a shot of Rice Wine!
What did you think of your group leader?
Danny Mao was a great group leader. He is incredibly knowlegeable and clearly enjoyed sharing history and information with us. He takes his role seriously but is equally laid back, fun and good company. He has a sense of adventure, many interests and was happy to share those with us and an insight into his life in China.
Do you have any advice for potential travellers?
I sought a mountain of advice before i went away, perhaps too much. You really need to find what's right for you and do so when travelling. For novices, key advice would be:
take plenty of tissues, antibacterial wipes/spray
take cereal bars / snack bars (the food was acceptable and there was plenty, but if you're a snacker like me, pack some!)
water was available to purchase ( approx 50p for 2 bottles) every day, so don't pack water filters and attachments etc like i did
take approx £200 spending money. I only purchased a few souvenirs and attended both shows (approx £36), Great Wall Wine (red wine) varied between approx £6 - £24 a bottle, with local and extra tips etc - it goes quickly.
take a walking pole. I'm not a big user at home when walking, but i found it did come in handy.
take a sleeping bag. I didn't & layered up quite a bit. In April it gets quite chilly at night time, so an extra layer would have been welcome. Even if you don't experience the cold, it may make the sometimes hard beds more comfortable.
include cold/flu tablets and throat sweets in your first aid pack! I packed Boots Pharmacy with me and would have been able to deal with the most awful of ailments. Unfortunately I got a cold but didn't have a tune or lemsip in sight!
Is there anything else you would like to add?
We didn't visit the school that i had read about and checked out about before departure. I got the sense this is less likely to happen and will not be included in future trips. I gave the gifts i bought to some local children, but perhaps check before buying and packing items.
The time on the bus was far less that i expected. It was great to drive past different sections of the wall and through villages etc along the way. The worst bit was (trying) to drive through Beijing on Friday rush hour - not great!
Get used to climbing steps and uneven terrain. Having been quite unfit, I prepared for this trip and it paid off. It's not the most difficult of walks, but some sections are uneven, wobbly etc or play on your thighs a bit! The pace was good throughout. We are apparently the fastest group ever to complete sections of the wall - ok, so for 2010 so far ;)!
The food was varied at each sitting, but did become repetitive after a while e.g. tofu, spongy tofu, smoked tofu.... Danny was receptive to some of our requests and managed those as best he could. I'm pleased to have tried local foods etc but it is not very exciting.
Use your group leader, they have a wealth of local knowledge e.g. we dined together on the free days and went to restaurants that i'm sure we would have walked past.
Barter in the local market - it's great to get a bargain!
Overall though - it was great!
Carl Arrowsmith

WALKING THE GREAT WALL

Written April 2010
Excellent trip with great guides that was an excellent introduction to China the great wall and culture.
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What was the most inspirational moment of your trip?
Walking the great wall was just fantastic, the sights, the inclines and especially getting to the top and then finding the wall went even high for even better views was just wonderful. The selection of food at each meal and hospitality were great, plenty of selection for everyone (even us fussy eaters).
What did you think of your group leader?
Danny (who for some reason I kept calling Tommy) was friendly and all around brilliant guy, he went to extra efforts to provide us with extra food "western" foods for breakfast, lots of tea supplies and treats. His knowledge was good and he'd be able to advise on all aspects of the trip and places to go in free time.
Do you have any advice for potential travellers?
Don't go to tea shops in Beijing, especially with people that want to "learn/improve english" it may turn out rather expensive for a single cup of tea!
Unplug the water heaters in the bathrooms before you have a shower (they plug into ordinary sockets), prevents getting electrocuted like I did.
Is there anything else you would like to add?
You'll enjoy this trip, anyone relatively fit that takes a walk or two a week will be fine. I'd extend the Beijing part of your trip for a day or two to fit in the summer Palace. Travel on the underground is excellent and signs are in English, only around 20p a trip and £2.50 to the airport for those not on the group flight.
Moira Hankinson

WALKING THE GREAT WALL

Written April 2010
A great trip - Walking the Wall is an amazing experience, particularly the more remote lengths where we were about the only people there, and you could see it snaking over the ridges for miles ahead and behind. Danny Mao was an excellent guide, to the walking and in helping us to understand something about this very different culture. It was great getting away from the tourist lengths of the wall, and seeing more remote rural China - although some accommodation was, of necessity, fairly basic and, in early April, very cold.
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What was the most inspirational moment of your trip?
The day after an evening thunderstorm, when the air was clear and you could see for miles, past the great ridges of Simatei, to the Wall climbing a distant snow-capped mountain.
What did you think of your group leader?
Danny Mao was excellent - self-effacing but very able. He made sure that all the range of abilities had a great walking experience; gave us digestible chunks of the history of the Wall, always in context; had worked very hard at making sure that we had proper local food, but without anything that we'd have found repellent; addressed any problems calmly; fortunately managed to avoid being the classic Chinese 'tour guide' (of whom we saw plenty in Beijing) - no endless spiels, follow-my-leader flags and the like. Several of the group got upgrades at the Dong Fang in Beijing, probably due to Danny; he was proud of his country, and appeared pleased to help us understand it a bit more.
Do you have any advice for potential travellers?
It was very cold in early April - ice on the north sides of the valleys and in the village streets. The unheated hostels (for 3 nights) were cold; we had to have our meals wearing outdoor kit, sleep in freezing cold beds (one hostel did have electric blankets). Take warm layers, wincyette pyjamas, socks to sleep in, probably a sleeping bag and, ideally, someone to keep the bed warm for when you come back from a trip across the yard to the loo in the middle of the night.
Also - 'challenging' in the trip notes does mean what it says - some of the lengths of wall are in very poor condition, with, effectively, rock-climbing and perpetually very steep ups and downs.
Is there anything else you would like to add?
The Forbidden City in Beijing is a 'must see', but preferably not with our given Beijing guide (Danny handed us over at the gates). We had the classic long-winded, too fast, too tedious, too long-in-one-spot guide-speak. It's very, very crowded - every Chinese person wants to see it. It would have been better to get there the minute it opens, and be let loose to wander and marvel.
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!
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.
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.
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.