Walking the Great Wall

Walk one of the seven wonders of the world

Stepping out across the peaceful semi-ruin of a section of the Great Wall is like walking in the footsteps of the past. Far from the tourist crowds we are able to get a great sense of the scale and majesty of this remarkable piece of engineering without rushing through in a big group. We trek along various contrasting sections of the wall, both dilapidated and rebuilt stretches. The old portions have a romantic feel, but the new ones may look odd to people who are used to seeing their ancient monuments in a poor state, though since the wall was constructed over a 2000 year period, the new sections are just a continuation of that process. We will get closer to day-to-day life in rural China before returning to Beijing, a city steeped in history yet plunging headlong into modernity.

Sustainability and Impact

As a certified B Corp, we’re on a mission to improve our social and environmental impact across all our adventures.

We do this through our innovative Thriving Nature, Thriving People plan.

This ‘nature positive’ approach is designed to help nature and communities thrive in harmony through practical solutions, such as reducing carbon and waste on our trips, supporting conservation projects through the Exodus Adventure Travels Foundation, and rewilding 100 square metres for every Exodus traveller.

Is this trip for you?

This trip is graded Activity Level 4 (Moderate & Challenging). For more information on our trip gradings please visit the Activity Level Guidelines page. If you have any queries about the difficulty of the trip please do not hesitate to contact us.  

There are six walking days, with full and half-day walks with vehicle support, and low altitude throughout; maximum 1044m.

Please note that the Chinese authorities can occasionally close off sections of the Great Wall at short notice, in which case your leader will try to offer an alternative walk.

We strongly recommend that you thoroughly read the Exodus grading system before booking this trip. You will need to be confident in your physical ability to attempt this trek.

Walking Conditions

Daily distances are not long but some sections are narrow and overgrown and there are some sections where you will need to use your hands. The wall has deteriorated due to earthquakes and heavy rain in recent years and some parts may vary from trek to trek. There are a couple of hilly days and most days will involve some up and down. Some of the restored areas have very steep steps and therefore may not be suitable for inexperienced walkers or those with a significant aversion to heights.

Parts of the wall we walk on are generally in good condition, between about 5 and 7 metres high and approx. 4 to 5 metres wide but a lot of sections can be steep, and are in poor condition with loose rocks and flagstones.

Accommodation

We spend five nights in basic guesthouses/homestays, as the sections of wall we visit are well away from tourist style hotels. You should be prepared for these conditions and bad roads on this trip in order to get away from the usual crowds in China.

Following a review of all our trips we have categorised this trip as generally not suitable for persons of reduced mobility. However if you are a regular traveller on such trips, please contact customer services to discuss the trip and your personal condition.

Vaccinations and Health

China

There are no required vaccinations. However, you may want to consider vaccinations for hepatitis A, polio, tetanus, typhoid, hepatitis B, Japanese encephalitis, rabies, tick-borne encephalitis and tuberculosis. Please confirm with your doctor or travel clinic. You will also need a yellow fever vaccination certificate if you’re arriving from a country with risk of yellow fever transmission or transiting for more than 12 hours through a country with risk of yellow fever transmission.

Additionally, if you’re visiting Hong Kong on your trip, please be aware that dengue fever is a known risk. This is a tropical viral disease spread by daytime biting mosquitoes. There is currently no vaccine or prophylaxis available; therefore the best form of prevention is to avoid being bitten: apply insect repellent and wear long-sleeved shirts and trousers.

Visa

China

Most nationalities require a visa to enter China, including holders of British, US, Canadian and Australian passports. This must be obtained prior to departure. Applicants aged between 14 and 70 are required to make an in-person visit to a Chinese visa application centre where biometric data is collected. 

The Chinese authorities require a letter of invitation, which Exodus will provide you with approximately eight weeks before the start of the trip. This details all your accommodation bookings. Along with this, you need to supply a copy of your flight details, which are on your invoice if you have booked directly through Exodus.

For further information on the process for British passport holders, please see here.  

Visa requirements often change and it is your responsibility to obtain any required visas for this trip. Therefore, we recommend that you check with the nearest embassy or consulate of your chosen destination(s), including any countries you may be transiting or transferring through. 

If you’re a UK citizen and would like assistance with obtaining visas, please call Travcour on 020 8543 1846 or visit their website: www.travcour-vls.com

Some governments provide guidance on what visas their citizens need. To help, we’ve gathered a selection of useful links below. 

• Australia: www.smartraveller.gov.au/destinations/asia/china 
• Canada: www.travel.gc.ca/destinations/china 
• United Kingdom: www.gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice/china/entry-requirements 
• USA: www.travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/international-travel/International-Travel-Country-Information-Pages/China.html 

Essential information: We must have a clear copy of the photo page of your passport. This is required to book certain ground services in China and your booking is not fully confirmed until it has been received. This must be emailed as an electronic scan to customerops@exodus.co.uk at least eight weeks prior to your trip. 

Food & Drink

All breakfasts, 6 lunches and 6 dinners are included. Food is cheap in China and you can avoid the spicier regional food if you wish. The cuisine on this trip is fantastically varied with lots of new flavours and ‘things’ to try.

Gastronomically the trip can be divided into two parts: ‘tourist hotels’ and ‘local hotels’. In tourist hotels the breakfast is normally a buffet, with a huge spread of Chinese and western food, including coffee, juice, breads, cakes, fruit, eggs, bacon and a wide variety of noodle and stir fried dishes. Dinners are normally taken in the hotel or local restaurants, serving rice with assorted vegetables, pork, fish, chicken and duck dishes with flavours roughly approximating those you would find in a Chinese restaurant in the UK. In the local hotels, breakfast includes rice porridge, dumplings, eggs, noodles, etc, however, we tend to augment this with fruit and cakes where available. Dinners are taken in local restaurants where the food is heavily flavoured with ginger, garlic bamboo shoots and chilli. Lunches are taken in local village restaurants and will normally consist of noodle soup or stir fried vegetable noodles. Expect an audience most lunches as the locals crowd around to watch the ‘big noses’ trying to master the use of chopsticks!

Vegetarians can be accommodated, though options are often quite limited. Vegans will find options are very limited. Not all food allergies and intolerances are well understood in China. Options that contain no gluten at all are very limited (soy sauce contains gluten and is very widely used). Peanut oil is also used widely.

Weather

The north of China has warm (25 deg C), quite humid summers, and cold dry winters. If you travel between June and August, it will be hot more or less everywhere, except in the mountains. Some rain must be expected, possibly heavy. If you travel in September/October, you will probably get less rain and the temperatures will be fairly warm (around 20 deg C) everywhere. The winter months in China are cold, so if travelling in March/April be prepared for temperatures to drop, below (10 deg C), at night, but with almost guaranteed dry sightseeing.

Weather Charts