Reviews

Most Inspirational Moment

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.

Thoughts on Group Leader

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.  

Advice for Potential Travellers

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.

Most Inspirational Moment

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.

Thoughts on Group Leader

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!

Advice for Potential Travellers

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! 

Most Inspirational Moment

Being able to walk the wall in your own time/pace.  Take it all in and enjoy the scenery!!!!

Thoughts on Group Leader

Kevin was a fantastic tour leader, always trying to accommodate everyone as best as possible. He's easily one of the best tour leader I had with Exodus.

Advice for Potential Travellers

Take a sleeping bag liner, a travel towel and spare toilet paper. Unless you're travelling in the summer, take a long base layer with you, just in case it gets cold at night. If you're into landscape photography, this is a fantastic opportunity to take some unique pictures, take a ND Grad filter with you - the light can be quite harsh (something I didn't expect). I didn't have one and now I wish I did.

Most Inspirational Moment

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. 

Thoughts on 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.

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. 

Most Inspirational Moment

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.

Thoughts on 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.

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!

Most Inspirational Moment

Every day was inspirational for me, i've always wanted to go Great Wall when i first saw it on telly as a kid, can't believe i've done it. The view is so breath taking, everyday was a different section of the wall and different scenery. The people/family running the guest house are lovely and friendly. Food is great out there, so many choices.

Thoughts on Group Leader

Group leader Danny was brill, always smiling and joking around, very approachable, deserves a big raise!!!A trip well planned out and not just a group leader but was apart of our team.

Advice for Potential Travellers

Take a plastic knife with you for when you stay in guest house, spreading peanut butter on toast with a chopstick was another experience  but a great laugh.

Thoughts on 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!

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.

Most Inspirational Moment

Every day was special-but the walk from Gubeiko to Jinshangling along an airy ridge was the best walking day for me.

Thoughts on 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!

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.

Advice for Potential Travellers

Bring trekking poles: while the trip notes listed them as "optional," I was very glad I'd brought mine, and used them every day.  Both strict vegetarians and die-hard carnivores would do well to bring along some extra nibbles-- for, while we were served relatively little meat, the village cooks tended to be skilled at making a little go a long way (and so the same bits and bobs tended to show up in a variety of dishes).