Walking the Great Wall

Customer Reviews

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  Natalie

  · April 24th, 2019
  The tour was absolutely incredible. Every day the hiking was so different and the wall incredible. The food was excellent. Accommodation is basic but that is all part of the experience.
  Trip date: April 2019
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  Alison

  · April 27th, 2018
  The trip exceeded expectations. Our guide in Beijing was exemplary and shared with us so many aspects about his culture and history. The range of activities was far reaching and the ability to appreciate two cities (we did the Xian extension) together with the rural aspects of China was appreciated.
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  Trip date: April 2018
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  Steph

  · April 15th, 2017
  Just back from hiking the Great Wall of China and it has been awesome. From start to finish Exodus and Jerry the local tour Manager have made sure everything was taken care of so we could enjoy this once in a lifetime trip, The weather early April was superb, crystal clear skies whilst hiking, great to stay in the local communities as well as experiencing Beijing,
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  Trip date: March 2017
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  Martin Gregory

  · November 7th, 2013
  This was a trip of a lifetime! Trekking the Great Wall was an amazing experience, led by a brilliant guide. Would highly recommend it!What was the most inspirational moment of your trip?Actually walking on the Great Wall is an incredible experience. You trek on various sections, so every day is different. It's challenging - more so than I expected! - but the scenery is breathtaking and you get a real sense of the scale of the wall. I loved the 'Spiderman' sections, where you're literally clambering up on your hands and knees, which all adds to the experience. If you like trekking, this trip is a must!I also did the Xi'an extension to see the terracotta warriors which was well worth it. Xi'an itself is a fascinating city full of hustle and bustle, and cycling round the old city walls is a great way to see it, as well as wandering the streets taking in the sights, sounds and smells.What did you think of your group leader?Jerry was our guide for Beijing and the wall and he was brilliant! Really passionate and enthusiastic, and he loves a joke! He took great care of us and made the trip even more special. He organised everything down to the smallest detail so we really didn't have to think for ourselves. Would love to have him on every trip!Do you have any advice for potential travellers?You do need to be reasonably fit to do this trip and have a good head for heights, but if you like a challenge without pushing yourself to extremes, this will suit you. Be prepared for some very basic conditions (I took a sleeping bag so always had clean bedding, plus it did get very cold on some nights), and if you don't like Chinese food, then take plenty of snacks as you'll be eating it for breakfast, lunch and dinner! (The food was excellent though!)Make sure you have a large memory card for your camera as you'll end up with hundreds of photos - every few steps the wall looks more breathtaking than where you've just come from, and you'll always be chasing that perfect picture!Is there anything else you would like to add?China has never been on my list of must-see places, but after this trip, I'm wishing I'd been sooner! It really is a fascinating country. All the people we met there were simply lovely and so hospitable. The food was great, Jerry was a star and I'll never forget the scenery from the wall and the sights and sounds of Beijing and Xi'an. If you're having any doubts about whether this trip is for you, take it from someone who wasn't fussed about going either and get it on your bucket list now!!
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  Trip date: November 2013
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  Iain Hooker

  · November 4th, 2012
  The days spent trekking were simply fantastic, drinking in the grandeur of the wall and spending the evenings in remote home stays getting a glimpse of what China looks like outside of the cities. As the trip takes you away from the main tourist areas so you get to enjoy the experience with your own thoughts. Also the food was absolutely brilliant - assuming you like spicy Chinese food! I normally tend towards independent travel, but I can
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  Trip date: November 2012
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  John McGeough

  · May 8th, 2012
  A marvellous holiday, with over six days walking along the Great Wall, plus two days (three for some!) in Beijing. Suitable for
  Trip date: May 2012
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  Elizabeth Cranfield

  · January 25th, 2012
  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.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.  
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  Trip date: January 2012
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  Louise Amandini

  · January 19th, 2012
  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.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.
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  Trip date: January 2012
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  Juliet Stagg

  · October 11th, 2011
  I will have some fabulous memories of the trip and the group. It was well organised and ran smoothly from start to finish, although parts were often not quite as good as I had expected. Overall it was a great experience, and travelling with Exodus is worthwhile and fun.What did you think of your group leader?Our group leader was diligent, thoughtful and well-meaning.  It was a shame that his spoken English wasn't stronger, as on a trip such as this, in such a different culture with such a rich history, it would have been great to have someone who understood our questions fully and even better, could explain things more spontaneously.  Nevertheless, our leader worked hard to cater for everyone and was very entertaining, and we think he liked us!Do you have any advice for potential travellers? Definitely take: - sleeping bag liner - walking polesDon't forget:  - a towel - good socks, blister plasters etc. - biscuits / emergency snacks! - insect repellent etc.Is there anything else you would like to add?This is a great trip if you enjoy walking, but beware that there's not as much involved each day as you may think.  Overall the trekking is not that hard-going; there are some steep or narrow parts, but these are largely towards the start of the trip and do not last for long.  There are also ways to accomodate these parts, although ultimately, not to avoid them, so do consider before you go.  I would have preferred there to have been a little more walking every day, as there's very little to do when you finish, particularly as meals are often very short affairs!  However a good group and team spirit sorts that out and you will have plenty of fun in the downtime.  The Trip Notes often implied that there would be more walking each day, with no obvious good reason given by our guide for cutting things short.  Overall though, you'll see much more and walk much more of the Wall than on other trips that are offered, and will probably feel completely drained one way or another at the end, so this is still a great activity trip.  The sightseeing at the end is also fantastic.  Brace yourselves for the mindboggling translation attempts on signs - and enjoy!
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  Trip date: October 2011
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  Stephen Taylor

  · October 7th, 2011
  One of the 7 Modern Wonders of the world-and easy to understand why. 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!
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  Trip date: October 2011