Reviews

A great hike and a small taste of China that leaves you wanting more.

I enjoy hiking and love the Far East for its culture so this trip was a good choice when comparing length, cost, activities and travel involved. The majority of the time was spent hiking the Great Wall (6 days).

A worry I had before setting off were that it could be quite monotonous spending all your time walking on a wall but I was pleasantly surprised to find that each day and usually multiple times during the same day the terrain would vary from fresh reconstructed parts of the wall to sections that were ruins and had not been touched for hundreds of years. The constant ups and down, with some sections being *very* steep, some minor scrambly sections, areas that looked to have a sheer drop to one side and also not really knowing what was coming next as you headed around a corner or over a ridge made for a fantastic hike.

The scenery was amazing, seeing the Wall snaking over the beautiful mountain ridges for miles into the distance leaves you in awe of the sheer scale of its size and human effort that went into building it. The apricot trees were blossoming and the skies were blue for most of the trip.

Walking the untouched areas meant that for the majority of the trip we were the only group walking the wall which added to the experience and lessens that feeling of “being a tourist”. One day we did walk a beautiful but touristy part of the wall that was fairly packed with visitors but this was a nice experience, especially the huge groups of local school children who wanted to practice their English skills with us and take selfies with members of our group.

At the homestays the local families were friendly and welcoming and the food provided was outstanding, and quite different to the usual fried Chinese food you may be used to in the UK.

Our final day was spent in Beijing, visiting Tiananmen Square and the Forbidden City which is a worthwhile experience and along the way we attempted Tai Chi, visited a Taoist shrine, saw a Kung Fu and an acrobatics show as well as some shopping in town. This was just a small taster of the China experience and it did leave me wanting to visit other parts of that vast country at some point.

I’ve been on a few Exodus tours and I’ve been fortunate once again to have shared this one with an extremely friendly, kind and funny group of people that made the trip all the more enjoyable.

Even better than expected...

We chose this trip as something that was a bit more special than just trekking in Europe, where we would also be in a completely different culture. It exceeded our expectations in just about every way. There are a number of reasons for that. Firstly, the Wall is simply incredible (in the true meaning of the word). Whenever the Wall headed up some impossibly steep ridge, the question “How did they manage to build this bit?” was immediately followed by the question “Why?”. Secondly, we had really good weather with only a few hours of cloud/drizzle on the whole trip. Thirdly, this was one of the best groups I’ve been part of and finally, the trip leader Jerry was excellent. So I know we were lucky, bad weather and limited views would definitely detract from the experience.

Great Wall trip-can not recommend enough!

Travelled alone on the trip, met some incredible people and shared some phenomenal walks! Exodus made real effort to give us the full China experience, rural walks and tourist excursions. Already booked my next trip!

Great Wall, great tour

Walking the Great Wall is a great tour with a good mix of activities. I go on theses trips to do some good trekking, but it is also nice to see the important tourist sites in Beijing. What is nice about this itinerary is that you do Beijing, spend time away and then finish in Beijing giving you a nice balance and not spending too much time in the big city. The guesthouses are a unique experience and are run by the nicest people I have ever come across. I highly recommend the Xi’an extension as the Terracotta Warriors are a must see, and Xi’an itself is very different with a lot of charm and character.

Walking the great wall

Before going on the trip the highlight was for me of course the wall and the scenic views but this all changed and the whole experience was the people I was travelling with the teamwork and friendships I made.. has left a positive impact on me and at the moment all I can think about is the next trip.

Great experience!

A very enjoyable itinerary to see sections of the Great Wall that are free from the tourist crowds. As stated in the Trip Notes, there are a number of sections where you need to be careful walking and/or which may be unpleasant for those suffering from vertigo. However, in a few (not all) situations it was possible to detour around certain sections.

The trip also included visits to some of the restored sections of the Wall. The section near Gubeikou (last two days) had spectacular views and few other tourists.

I also did the Xi’an Extension, which was a quick but enjoyable trip to Xi’an, mainly to see the Terracotta Warriors. It would have been nice to have an extra day in Xi’an so something worth considering.

I enjoyed the food throughout the trip but it is worthwhile to note that most of the meals (particularly at the guest houses) is served communal style with a number of different dishes served to the table – meals are not ordered individually and the dishes served are to be shared amongst the group.

Walking the Great Wall

Great trip with some stunning sights however, various aspects were not up the the usual excellent Exodus standard. Safety in various places on the wall could have been improved by having another guide at the back of the group. A member of the party was asked to do this which was unfair, this was a position for Exodus to fill. Fortunately, we had a fantastic group and no one was left behind on their own. Goodness only knows what would have happened in the event of a mishap, having only one guide who was ahead and seldom waited for people to catch up.

Also, the itinerary was changed, which Exodus reserves the right to do, but we were given no explanation and very vague information on the following days walks.

The city tour was a huge disappointment as our guide gave us very little time to take pictures and did not wait for the whole group before giving information or issuing instructions.

Walking The Great Wall

My first Exodus trip into a country I didn’t know and with people I didn’t know. – I am already looking to book my next one. The Great Wall was amazing, with spectacular and breathtaking views. The walking was great, well planned and everyone done it at there own pace, no harassment to hurry, although there was some steep and challenging sections, I am not a seasoned walker and I managed them without too much effort. Our group of 15 got along great, fun-loving, witty, sociable with interesting lives, this group of people helped make this trip unforgettable. The hotels were all good and the food second to none, except maybe the sandwich for the one packed breakfast we had (don’t believe the stories of being offered dog and scorpions).The Xian extension was really worthwhile, not only to see the terracotta warriors, but also to experience the sights and sounds of this lovely city and the food market also overnight train from Beijing to Xian.

Walking the Great Wall

Was my first ever solo trip and I can’t wait to book my next one. If you’re in two minds about doing it STOP! Book now. You won’t regret it!

Walking the Great Wall

A brilliant trip. The Great Wall was amazing, with spectacular and breathtaking views. The trekking was great, being well paced, as well as having some steep and challenging sections. The Xian extension was really worthwhile, not only to see the teracotta warriors, but also to experience the sights and sounds of this lovely city.