Walking the Great Wall

Most Inspirational Moment

The Jiankou "wild" section of the wall - up in the mountains, overgrown, and like something out of a fantasy film.

Thoughts on Group Leader

Stone was brilliant - knew his stuff, happy to share personal stories about living in China as well as history, folklore. So organised, we always knew what was going on, and was a real help with taxis etc in our free time. Was also great at making sure those in our group who had allergies were provided for when we had group meals. He taught us Mahjong too!

Advice for Potential Travellers

China is pretty much fully cashless - WeChat Pay or Alipay is used everywhere, so I'd recommend downloading these and familiarising yourself with them before you go! Getting an e-sim (I used Airalo) which allows you to get round the Great Firewall (so you can use apps like WhatsApp, Google, etc) is useful - the signal in the areas we visit is great. WiFi is also widely available, though this does restrict you to Chinese-approved sites. Bring a good pair of walking boots and expect there to be a lot of steps on the Great Wall.

Most Inspirational Moment

The best days were the 2 days along the Jingshanling and Gubeikou sections as it was challenging, wild and beautiful, and across 2 dynasties

Thoughts on Group Leader

Group Leader, Jerry, was very knowledgeable and informative, with a great sense of humour too. He organised the group well, and matched our expectations of accommodation through the holiday

Advice for Potential Travellers

This is a great trip for those who like walking, be it challenging in places, and appreciating the views whilst being in one of the 7 wonders. For those who struggle with vertigo they need to consider that sometimes there are high narrow paths in places

Most Inspirational Moment

Many of them, but knowing you are walking on history was a blast

Thoughts on Group Leader

Gerry was fantastic - informative and nothing too much trouble

Advice for Potential Travellers

It's in no way moderate to challenging. Moderate does not apply - rate it higher

Most Inspirational Moment

First glimpse of the wall when away from the tourist section - the views were endless. Climbing the spider man wall and some of the tougher sections that needed scrambling and a head for heights!

Thoughts on Group Leader

Our guide Jerry did an amazing job. He looked after all of us ; we were quite a mixed bunch of ages, backgrounds and fitness levels but he clearly wanted to make sure everyone had a good time, kept us safe and gave lots of insight into life in China for ordinary people as well as covering the historical story of the wall and the Forbidden City/Tiananmen Square.

Advice for Potential Travellers

Enjoy! As a group we were quite adventurous and it's worth having a go at all the tougher bits while you are there.

Suggestions

Personally we didn't feel we needed a sit down lunch every day and on the longer days would be happy to take a packed lunch and just keep going- we did this once and it worked well.

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.