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Tour Code : TCW
The journey is provided by
Exodus Adventure Travels
Destinations : China
Tour Starts : Beijing
Tour Ends : Beijing
Group Size : 5 - 16
Ages : 16+
Activity :
9 days from
ON REQUEST

Overview

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.

Highlights
  • Trek alongside mountains on lesser-visited parts of the wall
  • Experience rural life first hand in little villages
  • Guided tour or Beijing's 'hutongs', Tiananmen Square & the Forbidden City
  • Possibility to add Terracotta Warrior extension
Key Information
  • 5 nights basic hotels and 3 nights standard hotel
  • 6 days point-to-point walking with full porterage
  • Group normally 4 to 16 plus tour leader and local staff. Min. age 16 yrs
  • Low altitude; maximum 1044m, average 600m
  • Travel by private minibus
  • Free transfers for any flight
Included
  • All breakfasts, 6 lunches and 6 dinners included
  • All accommodation
  • All transport and listed activities
  • Tour leader throughout
  • Flights from London (if booking incl. flights)
  • Arrival & departure transfers
Not included
  • Travel insurance Single accommodation (available on request) Chinese Visa - GBP201 with Travcour or GBP151 plus GBP18 special delivery direct with embassy Vaccinations

Itinerary

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Important Information

The trip destination
  • 5 nights basic hotels and 3 nights standard hotel
  • 6 days point-to-point walking with full porterage
  • Group normally 4 to 16 plus tour leader and local staff. Min. age 16 yrs
  • Low altitude; maximum 1044m, average 600m
  • Travel by private minibus
  • Free transfers for any flight
Food
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 are well catered for but please inform us before departure of any special dietary requests. Please note that in China the availability of certain specialized products for restricted diets, e.g. gluten-free or dairy-free, is minimal or non-existent and we strongly recommend you bring these specialized dietary items from home. Strict vegetarians may find the diet rather limited to stir fried vegetables and eggs as all the soups are made with meat stock.
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.

Is this trip for you?

This trip is classified as grade 4 - moderate/challenging. 6 days walking, 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 as outlined in the Walking & Trekking Brochure 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 5 nights in varying basic hotels and 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.

Prices / Dates

By accepting our offer in writing, you/you confirm that our terms and conditions have both been read and understood and that cancellation fees may apply if the trip is cancelled.

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We will get back to you with an offer on the requested trip / package within 48 hours. All offers are non-binding and are usually valid for 7 days. Please note that reserved services can be canceled within these 7 days and that price may change until a final order is received.

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