Best Part of the Great Wall
Mar 19th, 2007, 06:26 AM
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Best Part of the Great Wall
My husband & I are visiting the Great Wall for the 1st time and we would like to know which part is the best (we'll be there at the end of Nov '07 and hope to allocate a 1/2 day to seeing the wall.
Thanks.
Thanks.
Mar 20th, 2007, 10:52 AM
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We did the Great Wall as part of a 12-day tour last September. Like most bus tours we visited the Badaling section. This is well presevered and very touristy with hawkers everywhere but it was still amazing. (I actually didn't mind the hawkers as we got great stuff cheap)
If we ever go back I will do the walk betwen two other sections that is not preserved and is said to be more difficult but worth it. I can't remember the names but the threads are here so do I search and you'll find them.
If we ever go back I will do the walk betwen two other sections that is not preserved and is said to be more difficult but worth it. I can't remember the names but the threads are here so do I search and you'll find them.
Mar 20th, 2007, 01:13 PM
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Hi
We went to the Simatai section in March a few years back. Here is a trip report with pictures and links: http://gardkarlsen.com/china_beijing.htm . Simatai was amazing and there were not that many people there...the view was breathtaking.
Regards
Gard
http://gardkarlsen.com - trip reports and pictures
We went to the Simatai section in March a few years back. Here is a trip report with pictures and links: http://gardkarlsen.com/china_beijing.htm . Simatai was amazing and there were not that many people there...the view was breathtaking.
Regards
Gard
http://gardkarlsen.com - trip reports and pictures
Mar 20th, 2007, 03:02 PM
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Where to,
Below is an excerpt from a Fodor’s report I did in 2005 entitled “Great Wall Sleepover and Mongolia.”
You do not have to sleep over on this part of The Great Wall to enjoy it.
This link contains pix from the whole trip, but all the Jin Shan Ling section of The Wall photos are first.
http://www.kodakgallery.com/I.jsp?c=...&y=-14izls
I also have a CNN article on this part of The Wall. The link to the article no longer works. For copyright reasons, I don’t want to post the whole thing here, but if you email me, I’ll send the article.
"...By afternoon we were ready for our overnight adventure on The Great Wall, which started with a 3-hour drive out of Beijing and included one minor fender bender en route. Upon arrival at Jin Shan Ling (or Jinshanling), as that section of the Wall is known, Cindy and the driver bid us farewell to stay overnight in the village. We started our ascent to our overnight watchtower on The Wall with the wife of the husband and wife team who oversaw the sleep-on-The-Wall operation. She led us up recently made steps for about 20 minutes until we reached a point where we could enter The Wall. The next 20 minute’s climb to our watchtower destination was far more interesting because we were actually walking ON the ancient Wall.
Eventually we reached our watchtower accommodations and met the husband of the husband and wife caretakers of The Wall. He offered us a variety of snacks and beverages. For the remainder of the late afternoon and early evening we became acquainted with The Wall, hiking from tower to tower and enjoying the view. After watching the sunset, a delicious dinner was delivered (true Chinese takeout!) and we dined on plastic furniture atop the tower. A table with a view!
A mat and sleeping bag were provided for each of us and we could sleep most anywhere in a couple of watchtowers, which were covered and protected from rain. (No rain for us fortunately.) Two of us opted for the second story of one of the watchtowers, which was open to the stars. For the remainder of the trip I was reminded of that wonderful experience under the stars by numerous itchy bug bites. The next morning I got up at 4:15 am to hike on The Wall before the heat and humidity became overwhelming. Doing tai chi on The Great Wall at sunrise seemed fitting. There were miles of uninterrupted wall that could be viewed and hiked in solitude. Some of it was crumbling, but much was in excellent condition. I was quite comfortable hiking alone because even with my poor sense of direction, I knew I couldn’t get lost on a wall that goes only forward and backward. A breakfast of ramen noodles was delivered about 7:00 am.
Other than the 3 other people that joined me overnight on The Wall, and the caretaker and his wife, we never saw another person.
There are no toilet or water facilities, but bottled water and other beverages are free of charge. There are sections where you can descend the wall and reach the ground when nature calls. Flashlights are provided.
My travel agent summed it up when he described the overnight at Jin Shan Ling as a “World Class!” Indeed it was!
We departed The Wall in the morning and drove back to Beijing to spend the rest of the day at the Forbidden City. By night I was exhausted and needed a good night’s sleep to be ready for Mongolia!"
Good luck with your Great Wall visit.
Below is an excerpt from a Fodor’s report I did in 2005 entitled “Great Wall Sleepover and Mongolia.”
You do not have to sleep over on this part of The Great Wall to enjoy it.
This link contains pix from the whole trip, but all the Jin Shan Ling section of The Wall photos are first.
http://www.kodakgallery.com/I.jsp?c=...&y=-14izls
I also have a CNN article on this part of The Wall. The link to the article no longer works. For copyright reasons, I don’t want to post the whole thing here, but if you email me, I’ll send the article.
"...By afternoon we were ready for our overnight adventure on The Great Wall, which started with a 3-hour drive out of Beijing and included one minor fender bender en route. Upon arrival at Jin Shan Ling (or Jinshanling), as that section of the Wall is known, Cindy and the driver bid us farewell to stay overnight in the village. We started our ascent to our overnight watchtower on The Wall with the wife of the husband and wife team who oversaw the sleep-on-The-Wall operation. She led us up recently made steps for about 20 minutes until we reached a point where we could enter The Wall. The next 20 minute’s climb to our watchtower destination was far more interesting because we were actually walking ON the ancient Wall.
Eventually we reached our watchtower accommodations and met the husband of the husband and wife caretakers of The Wall. He offered us a variety of snacks and beverages. For the remainder of the late afternoon and early evening we became acquainted with The Wall, hiking from tower to tower and enjoying the view. After watching the sunset, a delicious dinner was delivered (true Chinese takeout!) and we dined on plastic furniture atop the tower. A table with a view!
A mat and sleeping bag were provided for each of us and we could sleep most anywhere in a couple of watchtowers, which were covered and protected from rain. (No rain for us fortunately.) Two of us opted for the second story of one of the watchtowers, which was open to the stars. For the remainder of the trip I was reminded of that wonderful experience under the stars by numerous itchy bug bites. The next morning I got up at 4:15 am to hike on The Wall before the heat and humidity became overwhelming. Doing tai chi on The Great Wall at sunrise seemed fitting. There were miles of uninterrupted wall that could be viewed and hiked in solitude. Some of it was crumbling, but much was in excellent condition. I was quite comfortable hiking alone because even with my poor sense of direction, I knew I couldn’t get lost on a wall that goes only forward and backward. A breakfast of ramen noodles was delivered about 7:00 am.
Other than the 3 other people that joined me overnight on The Wall, and the caretaker and his wife, we never saw another person.
There are no toilet or water facilities, but bottled water and other beverages are free of charge. There are sections where you can descend the wall and reach the ground when nature calls. Flashlights are provided.
My travel agent summed it up when he described the overnight at Jin Shan Ling as a “World Class!” Indeed it was!
We departed The Wall in the morning and drove back to Beijing to spend the rest of the day at the Forbidden City. By night I was exhausted and needed a good night’s sleep to be ready for Mongolia!"
Good luck with your Great Wall visit.
Mar 20th, 2007, 03:03 PM
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Apr 3rd, 2007, 02:04 AM
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We went to the wall yesterday. We had a taxi drop us at Jinshaling and pick us up in Simatai. It's a 10k walk -- pretty steep and totally unrestored. We saw 3 hawkers (who left us alone after 1 "Bu" (no), and NOT ONE TOURIST. It took us 4 hours but we spent an hour walking the restored section of Jinshaling. It took exactly 3 hours from the top of the cable car to the parking lot of Simatai where our driver was waiting. We took our time and had a picnic lunch in a guard tower. It was FABULOUS (although my thighs are killing me today! LOL).
Apr 5th, 2007, 06:39 AM
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the Badaling part is the most famous,Chairman Mao said those who did not come to Great wall is not real hero.it means Badaling.
but there are a lot of tourist sthere,and it is repaired many times.
Mutianyu part is original ,and few travellers there with beautiful scenery.
Simatai is also original and beautiful but it is far away, and very steep and a little dangerous .
it depends on your interest to choose.
but there are a lot of tourist sthere,and it is repaired many times.
Mutianyu part is original ,and few travellers there with beautiful scenery.
Simatai is also original and beautiful but it is far away, and very steep and a little dangerous .
it depends on your interest to choose.
Apr 15th, 2007, 08:49 PM
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I went to Mutianyu a few weeks ago with a car and driver. I was pleasantly surprised about how few tourists were there in the first part of the day. I recommend going early in the morning for this reason. You can walk or take a chair lift to the top; walking, chair lift, or toboggan are the options for going down aftger your visit. I chose the toboggan and it was quite an experience, especially since I got stguck several times and had to be "rescued" when my toboggan would not budge! It is not at all scary but rather fun. Mutianyu was an excellent choice for me and I recommend it highly.
