Reviews

Most Inspirational Moment

The highlight was undoubtedly the sections at Jiankou and Panlongshan, really beautiful and well away from the crowds. They were also the most steep and challenging, but eminently doable if you have a reasonable level of fitness - you get to challenge yourself and work as a group.

Thoughts on Group Leader

Jack was lovely, he was helpful and considerate and looked after us really well. He sorted out little extras like a Kung Fu show, tea ceremony, paper cutting and even making dumplings at a homestay. He even arranged for us to have a Chinese massage in our hotel, which helped with our stiff legs!

Advice for Potential Travellers

There's lots to see in Beijing in the free time available and the subway is very easy to use (in English as a well as Chinese) so don't duplicate what you'll see on day 9. As a vegetarian I found the food better than I expected but not always very substantial. I was never hungry but ate a lot of cabbage, spinach or courgette with rice. By the last day of walking I felt quite tired and came back 1 kg lighter than I arrived. It's not a problem but do consider taking some protein bars, nuts etc. for a bit of a boost. Food at the Mutianyou homestay was the best with lots of good and varied veggie options. You won't be able to access Google, Twitter, BBC or the Guardian but we found that WhatsApp worked (though not for photos) and we managed to keep up with the news headlines as much as we wanted.

Suggestions

The itinerary didn't seem to match what we did - the distances were significantly shorter than indicated on a couple of days. We did the Xi'an extension and enjoyed seeing a contrasting city (which did feel quite different). The train ride there was fun and comfortable. Our guide Mrs Ling was informative and an interesting contrast to Jack. The Terracotta Army is well worth seeing but be prepared for some jostling by the crowds. We had a dumpling banquet at a very touristy place but the food was good - choose the veggie ones - they were very tasty and beautifully presented!

Most Inspirational Moment

Walk at Gubeiko and Juankou are great!

Thoughts on Group Leader

Jack: touristy leader, good English, does not follow itinerary - lunch is more important than hike.

Advice for Potential Travellers

Do not go on this trip if you want an all off the beaten holiday. Day 2-3-7 are a real disappointment. There is no real experience of local life in villages. Hikes are often just strolls and much shorter than stated in the itinerary.

Most Inspirational Moment

The Great Wall of China is truly amazing. Approximately 90% of the time we were on the less touristy sections of the wall with our group being the only people on the wall. To have one of the wonders of the world all to yourself is something not many can say and was really special I thought. Even though walking along the restored sections was beneficial in understanding how the wall looked a few hundred years ago - or in 'Mulan' - I really enjoyed walking along the original/unrestored parts as it gave you a sense of the history regarding the wall but also the people who worked/served on it.

Thoughts on Group Leader

Jerry!!! This was my third exodus trip and like all Exodus guides I have met, Jerry clearly loved his country as he was very passionate and knowledgeable about all things Chinese ranging from culture, food, history and language. Jerry had a good sense of humour which ensured a positive group atmosphere throughout.

Advice for Potential Travellers

Don't be fooled by the distances listed in the trip notes. It may look as if the distances are quite short if you are a keen walker, however the constant up and down of - at times steep - steps in almost constant 30+ heat and 90% humidity ensured it is challenging even for one who may consider themselves very fit. I took a pair of walking boots and trail-running trainers, my advice to future travellers is to take a pair of trainers with good grip because on the one two occasions I wore my boots they were too warm meaning I wore my trail-running trainers for the rest of the time. Also you will need trainers with good grip because the wall is very steep in places and on the one day we had rain the wall was also very slippy! General travel advice, be prepared for plenty of sticky rice and practise using chopsticks before you go if you are afraid of looking like an amateur.

Suggestions

Excellent trip and recommend it to anyone. Even though the trip is mainly about the Great Wall of China, going inside the Forbidden City and walking across Tiananmen Square was memorable as was going to a Taoist temple and seeing all of the offerings given to the Jade Emperor whilst attempting Tai Chi on the Wall!

Most Inspirational Moment

Walking the various sections of the wall and getting to shake hands and get a signed book from the person who discovered the Terracotta warriors.

Thoughts on Group Leader

Passionate and knowledgeable about his country. Tried his very best to make sure the group enjoyed the trip.

Advice for Potential Travellers

Do the Terracotta extension as you see a more authentic China than Bejieng. Xi-an is much cheaper £3-£4 for huge meal and drink and overnight train journey is certainly an experience. You can get away with shorts on the walks and certainly only need summer walking boots but ensure they have good grip as some sections of the wall are steep. Only take very light waterproofs, Chinese just use umbrellas. Practice using chop sticks before you go.

Suggestions

Most Inspirational Moment

The whole of the wall was more amazing than we imagined but particularly the 28 Towers walk.

Thoughts on Group Leader

Alan was outstanding.....really knowledgeable, enthusiastic and organised. Nothing ever seemed to be a problem or too much trouble as he just sorted things out.

Advice for Potential Travellers

Take toilet roll and hand gel as not always available. Download VPN before you go if you want to access internet as some sites are blocked.

Most Inspirational Moment

Standing on a hilltop and seeing the great wall stretching out for miles over mountain peaks that look so steep that you'd think they would be impossible to climb let alone build a wall over.

Thoughts on Group Leader

Our leader in Beijing was Alan, he really was excellent. Nothing was too much trouble for him, on numerous occasions he went out of his way to help us, I really can't praise him enough. Our guide in Xi'an was Chris, he was OK, nothing more than that.

Advice for Potential Travellers

Having done a number of treks with Exodus don't underestimate the physical challenge that this trip offers. Don't be fooled by the distances in the trip notes, it is very up and down with hundreds and hundreds of steps. When we were there the weather was very hot and that also played a part.

Suggestions

Really enjoyed walking the Great wall and China is a fascinating country to visit.

Most Inspirational Moment

Being on the less touristy parts of the Wall.

Thoughts on Group Leader

Jerry is clearly a lovely guy and a more than adequate tour leader. I think if our group had been more evenly matched re fitness he would have been perfect. However, I believe he was too nice to actually deal with some of the issues on our trek and tried to please everyone but thereby actually not pleasing a significant number of the group. We had our trekking time severely curtailed by a combination of local reasons and a disparity in the speed between the fastest and slowest members of our group but this was not discussed properly with the group and conflicting reasons were given.

Advice for Potential Travellers

Do not underestimate the unrelenting steepness of the Wall trekking. Be prepared for a lot of "wasted" time away from the Wall due to where the restaurants are etc. It would be much better if picnic lunches were provided most days so that time on the Wall could be maximised. Be brave enough to question how the group kitty is used! Our bus driver ended up being tipped a huge amount (the balance of the kitty) due to our guide leader asking in front of the bus driver if it was ok to give him the balance of the kitty - strangely none of us felt that we could object! But we were all wondering why the balance of the kitty was not redistributed to us after a sensible tip taken for the bus driver.

Suggestions

The itinerary and execution of this trip could be improved by a few simple changes: 1. Packed lunches so that time on the Wall is not rushed 2. Two guides every day so that all members of the group could take as long as they wished on the Wall whether that being walking slowly or taking time to take photographs. 3. More information given about the Wall on a daily basis rather than just the last day 4. Changes to itinerary should always be fully discussed and explained with the group in advance

Most Inspirational Moment

Walking the Wall in the quiet sections was spectacular as it weaved its way into the distance over undulating hills with forts on top for as far as you could see. Feeling like we had it all to ourselves most days.

Thoughts on Group Leader

Outstanding. Fluent English, infectious enthusiasm and love of China, friendly approachable personality, ability to assess the trekking ability of all of the tour participants and make adjustments to the walks as appropriate, which in most cases for our group was to seek acceptance from all to walk further than the Tour Notes suggested. He was funny, extremely helpful, organised things to do in the evenings if you wanted to participate like Chinese dumpling making and watching and participating in Chinese paper cutting. He also had a good line in English jokes once he knew the group was open to such banter.

Advice for Potential Travellers

Do the Xi'an extension and walk or cycle the full 14km of the city wall. It is in fantastic condition and affords great panoramic views of the old city inside the wall. For me it was just as good to do as seeing the Terracotta warriors, which I suggest you get to by 9am as the hordes descended by 9:30 and made for a more stressful viewing experience!

Suggestions

Don't be put off by the long winded Chinese Visa Application process. if you are open minded your experience on this tour in China will pay you back many fold. Go!

Most Inspirational Moment

Walking the Great Wall in the mountains with hardly anyone else in sight. Great opportunity for silent meditation whilst walking.

Thoughts on Group Leader

Jerry was fantastic. Knowledgeable, funny, energetic and an amazing, last-minute organiser despite difficulties caused by a large Beijing conference.

Advice for Potential Travellers

If you only consider yourself moderately fit, I would recommend doing a bit of training before the holiday to avoid stiff legs in the morning. Parts of the wall are exceptionally steep, both up and down, and the trip involves walking for 6 consecutive days. And if you go in April, be prepared for all weathers - we had freezing temperatures and sleet one day.

Suggestions

If you're hesitating - don't. Just do it. I just wish it had been longer. Also, for those fellow GFs - the food was fabulous and the dishes containing wheat were few. I don't eat Chinese in the UK but the food on this trip was nothing like the UK offerings and was really nice - and lots of it.

Most Inspirational Moment

Seeing the mass of people on Tienanmen Square on a public holiday

Thoughts on Group Leader

Enthusiastic and Knowledgeable