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Only ever having done one "group" vacation in my life and being put off by the negativity of a number of people in that group, I was reluctant to travel in a group again. The lure of China and walking on the Great Wall was to strong though and I decided to take a chance. I needn’t have worried. I guess this type of holiday is bound to attract likeminded people and it was them and the guide that made what was always going to be a good vacation into a great vacation. I wouldn’t have changed anything. My only regret is not having opted for the "Xian" extension.
All of the walks on the wall were fantastic. Eating (life) scorpions very different. The food was great (apart from afore mentioned scorpions). The Chinese people..... so friendly and genuine. I hate to admit it, but one the many highlights was a spontaneous evening of drinking Chinese firewater after we finished the last walk.
Kevin, our guide, couldn't have been better.
Take the extension!
What made this holiday amazing was the delicious food, the lovely local people, the attentive, enthusiastic and charismatic tour leader, the beautiful views, the sense of achievement at the end of every walking day, thoroughly fun fellow travel companions and Firewater! I would do it all again in a heartbeat!
Every walking day when we were about to descend from the wall, looking back at the long distance we had just covered and knowing without a doubt that the sweat and [small amount of] blood (look out for hidden lose stones!) was totally worth it all. Then looking out in front and seeing the wall continue over the mountains ahead and realising there is still so much left to discover.
Kevin is a genuinely lovely and attentive leader. He is very knowledgable and answered all the questions we posed. He was very accommodating and when someone asked whether noodles was a popular dish in China as we hadn't seen any being eaten yet, we had it at our meal the next day! Nothing was a problem for him and he was always cheerful.
As you've probably read in previous reviews, take toilet paper/wet wipes! Most toilets (often of the squatting variety) had no paper, including the bathrooms in accomdation. I took snacks, but actually it was unnecessary as we got plenty to eat at meals and Kevin bought us fruit to eat during the trip. Take a towel.The walkng mostly involves steep ascents and descents (and a lot of stairs). Parts of it is challenging, but after a couple of days of walking you get used to it all. Often there were options for people cut the walk short should they feel like they have walked enough already. Also, should you for any reason not want to walk on any of the days, then this wasn't a problem either. Don't let the thought of not being fit enough put you off! There were plenty of breaks. Coffee-lovers take instant coffee, there's always hot water available at mealtimes.You will have to wear long trousers at least once because of long vegetation on the paths (including some stingy nettles). It's worth having a long sleeved top with you in your bag when you will be walking through the vegetation as some people were all scratched up. I benefited a lot from zip off trousers. Take an alarm clock, there are plenty of early starts! If you can't use chopsticks, then take a fork and spoon (often there were none available). Don't worry about not fitting into the group. There were plenty of solo travellers in our group. These types of holidays are pretty self-selective, wanting to walk the Great Wall of China already gives you something in common with the others. Further, eating together, walking together and Firewater will help bond friendships quickly!
One of the best trips I have ever done where you literally get away from the crowds (for a few days at least). Wonderful scenary coupled with being part of the local communities. Great fun – and very cheap beer!
Going for an early morning run along a derelict part of the Great Wall with the sunrise just above the horizon. Absolute bliss. No-one around and absolutely beautiful views. Sitting on the wall, with only the group around, having just climbed up hundreds of steps to get there eating the lunch that a local has brought up all the way from the village for us.
Jerry (or We We) was excellent. He, like so many other Exodus tour leaders, always put first the group and their wishes. He was great fun and so passionate about his job and China.
Not necessarily a trip for the faint hearted. Once you have started on a section of the wall in the morning, with only one exception, can you go back. Sometimes a bit of clambering / climbing is required. A number of people were going on to do other extensions, and if you have never been to China before, this trip is quite limited in what you will see (Beijing and lots of walls).Dont expect to be going on a shopping frenzy - commercial tourism certainly hasnt reached some of the places you will go to.
This fantastic 10 day hiking tour was simply a superb way of experiencing one of the worlds most glorious wonders. It offered us the unique opportunity of hiking the wall in remote areas away from crowded tourist spots and enabled us to enjoy stunning panoramic vistas and revel in everyday life in the villages we encountered. We also had the added bonus of hiking the preserved busier sections "out of tourist hours" i.e. early morning or evening, which as a result meant that we virtually had the wall to ourselves. This tour was excellently balanced with included excursions such as visits to The Qing Tombs, museums and temples of local villages and the wonderful sights of Beijing. A must for any walking/hiking enthusiast 😀
Without a doubt the most inspirational moment for me on this trip was when half our group summed up the energy to hike back up onto a preserved section of the wall to witness a stunning sunset. Being, literally the only people on this section it truely was my highlight of the tour.
I cannot speak highly enough of our fantastic group leader 'Kevin'. His manner, humour, passion, enthusiasm, knowledge and professionalism can only be described as being second to none. Kevin epitomised everything that you could possible desire from a top clas group leader. He possessed a wealth of information and we thoroughly enjoyed his "Blah, Blah" :-D
You gotta do this trip :-D
Brilliant off the main tourist route hiking with an entertaining and informative guide
Just the sheer scale of the wall and its setting in extraordinary scenery. It was great to be able to dip in and out of the group - to be on your own to soak in the experience and the view and then to connect and share with others. We had a great mix of people, maybe we were lucky but I prefer to see it as a tribute to Exodus's marketing. The group really bonded - previous experience of group trips suggests this makes all the difference.
Jerry - can't praise him enough. He was knowledgeable and free with his insight and always went the extra mile to make sure we were all happy, even giving up his own free time to arrange extras for us. Perhaps the greatest compliment I can give him is that everything seemed to go very smoothly (except when the driver lost his way!), and I'm sure a lot of work had to go in to make it seem so. He also kept a weather eye open for our safety, which was needed given the sometimes almost treacherous nature of the terrain.
There's some steep slopes and iffy sections of the wall to be hiked, don't contemplate if you have dodgy knees or if you aren't at least reasonably fit.The food throughout was excellent - better probably in the rural areas where it was freshly cooked and delicious. No one on our trip suffered from tummy troubles - to my knowledge anyway! That said, if you are a coffee drinker some sachets may be a good idea.
A great trip with a great bunch of people and a truly awesome guide. This was certainly an interesting and fun filled holiday. A great mix of walking, culture, good food and great company. Our guide Kevin was superb and made the holiday really special by taking such great care of us.
Hiking the un-renovated parts of the wall pretty much alone. We had the Wall to ourselves on several of our hiking days.
Kevin was fantastic. He took great care of us and was extremely flexible, changing the schedule to suit our needs. His foremost objective was to ensure that we all had the best possible holiday and he succeeded here without a doubt. He was also great company and has an outstanding sense of humour.
Don't underestimate the challenge, we walked up thousands and thousands of steps, harder work than your ususal hike. Come prepared for very hot weather if you're booking this for the summer months. The heat was even more challenging than the steps on some days. A sun hat is a must.
This trip was (in the words of our Group Leader, Jerry Wei Wei) "bloody AMAZING" I have never done anything like this before and it exceeded all my expectations. I did it for a local charity and I found the whole experience very emotional and life changing. The group of people I was with were wonderful and we all bonded really well making it an even better experience.
The most inspirational moment of my trip was when I got my charity banner out and took a photo with me and my group Leader, Jerry - I have worked so hard to raise money and awareness for this charity and it was an overwhelming emotional experience and very rewarding. The scenery was sensational and breathtaking and we really had such great weather and fantastic views.
Ah well what can I say about our guide/ group leader - Jerry Wei Wei. A local from BeiJing he was amazing and really made our trip!! His english was outstanding and he had so much knowledge that he shared with us. Nothing seemed too much trouble and he looked after us with patience and humour! He was lovely - we all wanted to take him home with us!! What made the trip really exceptional was that Jerry actually showed us the real China - we interacted with the local chinese people in the home stays and Jerry took us to the most wonderful local Chinese Restaurants! This was brilliant.I had a problem with my eye and Jerry helped me to sort it out which I really appreciated!! It was great to have everything arranged and sorted and to know that we were in a safe environment which took away all the worries so we could just enjoy the whole experience.
I would actually say that, although the trip notes say moderate, I think the walking is a bit more challenging so people need to be prepared for this. Take toilet rolls and wet wipes!!
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.
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.
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.
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.
One of the best holidays for location we have ever done. The People were friendly and our guide looked after us. We we lucky with the weather and our fellow travelers were a great bunch.
To trek on the great wall of china with like minded people and to constantly think "how the heck did they build it up and down these steep hills".To meet friendly locals and be looked after in our guest houses.
Kevin went over and above his duties as a group leader. He gave up his spare time to look after us when we were ill towards the end of our holiday. We had an extra week in Beijing and he was always at the end of a phone if we needed him (we did'nt but his offer of help was there and it made us feel comfortable knowing that). He had a vast knowladge of the history and geography of the areas we visited. He was always polite, helpful and willing to put himself out. His language skills were excellent and so was his sense of humour.
Don't skimp on rain gear. On the one day it did rain my lightweight Gore Tex jacket and trousers could not cope with the downpour. Take plenty of your own countries pills and potions. We both got man/woman flu and ran out of paracetamol and ibuprofen. The local pharmacies tend not to speak english that's where a great guide comes in handy but the local meds tend to be herbal and if you do manage to buy western meds we found them to be under dosed. Paracetamol came in 250mg not the usual 500mg.The food was excellant and catered for meat eaters and vegiterians.Only drink bottled water which is readilly available everywhere you go. We took a thin sleeping bag that you could open up and use as a blanket. We used it twice.Some matteresses are a bit on the hard side but I found them comfortable.Rather than take pens/pencils to give the kids. I took football cards but ended up giving them to the driver as there did not seem to be lots of kids about.The walking is challenging but we did not find it too hard. Plenty of ups and downs. The routes are safe. Mud paths can be slippy after and in the rain so take a pair of trekking poles with you. They are helpfull on the up and down parts to help on the knees. Just in case take a knee brace with you. I wore mine and it certainly helped.
A great trip which will live long in the memory. Walking was really good, but on some days over too quickly which left quite a bit of free time in afternoons. Fine in Beijing, but a lot less to do out in the country.
Being the only group on the stunning Jinshangling section at 10am on a sunny morning before the tour groups arrived from Beijing. The views were spectacular, and the relative solitude was a great benefit of staying so close to the wall overnight. It felt like we had the whole wall to ourselves.
Our guide Kevin was excellent and a credit to his trade. Thoroughly professional in every way, he was also great company and did a fantastic job of organising everything for the group. He was also extremely knowledgable about the country, wall & Beijing and had an answer for any question that was directed at him!
Pack clothes for all seasons. It was pleasantly warm during the day, but got very cold at night out in the country. Don't change your money at the airport, as the commission is exorbitant. There are plenty of banks in Beijing which give far better rates. Make sure you have plenty of chopstick practice before you go. It makes mealtimes a far less complicated experience!
