Hiking the Great Wall of China
Replies: 7 - Last Post: Jan 3, 2013 1:56 AM Last Post By: AliceCCC
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Hiking the Great Wall of China
Hi,I am thinking about taking a trip to China next year and thought it would be a good idea to begin the trip with a challenge - hike the Great Wall!
As I will most probably be travelling alone I would be interested in joining a group where we would all do the hike together. I know there are lots of charity hikes you can do but you are expected to raise a substantial amount of money to go and I don't think that would be possible. Does anyone know of any organised groups I could join that wouldn't be too expensive? Also I would consider doing part of the hike alone or finding someone on a travel site that might like to join me, in which case would I need some kind of permit to enter the Great Wall?
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Check out these guys: http://www.backpackingchina.com/detail.aspx?id=6You need to be in reasonable shape for long hikes as this is all stairs. Google photos of the Wall.
You can also find additional info here: http://www.greatwallforum.com/
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If you're interested in day hikes to some of the less visited parts of the Wall near Beijing, also consider the Beijing Hikers http://www.beijinghikers.com/v2/upcoming-hikes/I've never walked with them, but I've heard good things. They organize frequent hikes of 2-5 hours in length in the mountains around town (not including the hour+ it takes to get out of town). They have a bus and the prices are reasonable (~300-400 RMB).
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The portion between Simatai and Jingshanling can easily be done as a day trip from Beijing...I did it in roughly 4 hours,not hard but definitely not very easy!Take lots of water and some food with you.7
Hello,There are many group tours in Beijing and it is much cheaper than private tour.
And for the hiking tour of the Great Wall, Simatai to JInshanling is OK for a day's hiking tour. And I know absolutechinatours.com can do this tour. And it seems that they have details for this tour on their website. You can have a look.
If you also want to see attractions i the city center, you can go by yourself. To Forbidden City, Tiananmen Sqaure, Temple of Heaven or Summer Palace. It is easy for you to do the tour yourself and will be cheaper to hire a private car or guide. Firstly, you should do some research before visiting. In these places, i think you can find many people who can speak English. Many tourists there, and many guide will also be there.
Good luck.
