Aug 26, 2024
Family hike on Great Wall with amazing views - We had such an amazing hike with Peter, who was an excellent guide. He tailed everything to our family’s needs as we were travelling with our 3 kids ages 10 and 14. Peter shared so much interesting facts and history and was so friendly and engaging with the children. The hike itself was breathtaking with views of the ancient Great Wall winding through forests and mountains. I cannot recommend highly enough
Review provided by Tripadvisor
May 23, 2022
Incredible Great Wall tours with the best guide - I participated to several private tours with French friends and our guide James, as I am living in Beijing for four years now. Without James, we would never had the opportunity to explore non restored parts of Geat Wall. We followed him in beautiful wild scenery, sometimes challenging, far from the boring public crowded sections of the Wall. Each tour with James was magic, fun and friendly. I would have done even more tours if Covid had not hit the Country. I highly recommand our guide James, and I Thanks him so much for sharing HIS Great Wall with us !
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Nov 20, 2020
Best part of my trip to Beijing - I took a solo trip to Beijing in November and booked a private hiking tour. My guide James was super nice, knowledgeable, and helpful, and the hike was spectacular! We were the only ones on the wall the entire time. After the hike we had a delicious lunch at a local inn and the private driver dropped me back off at my hotel. Next time I’m in Beijing I’ll be booking another tour and asking for James as my guide!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Jan 24, 2020
Authentic Great Wall Private Tour Without All The Tourists - I am so glad I booked this trip, eventhough it is more expensive than other things offered. A friend who lived in Beijing recommended this section of the wall as an 'off the beaten track' alternative to really get a sense of the wall without the tourism.
First point you need to be fit, and in my opinion need hiking boots, the terrain is challenging on both the reconstructed and unreconstructed parts, it is very steep but my guide Jack provided crampons ( for the snowy sections) and a walking pole. He is extremely experienced and patient and was excellent company. He has a great sense of humour. We had quite a few laughs along the trek.
Second point is you wont believe how incredible the view is from all angles and NO ONE ELSE in your photos. Its a miracle! It felt authentic and calm.
The meal at the end is abundant and excellent.
A good safe driver ( which can be hit and miss in China) . Well worth the investment.
Xie Xie to Jack for making my last day in Beijing one I'll never forget.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Nov 25, 2019
Best activity in Beijing - nothing even close - This was the highlight of our trip to Beijing. We spent 4 hours hiking on the Great Wall listening to Peter (our guide) detail all the history. Peter was a great guide. Apart from knowing the trek, he kept the pace reasonable, took breaks so we could enjoy the view, and was great with the camera.
We had the entire section of wall all to ourselves. There were literally no other tourists. The peace and quiet while on the wall were a stark contrast to the hordes of tourists at the Forbidden City.
Lunch at the end of the hike was fantastic. Family style Chinese food at a local restaurant - yes please. Peter made some great noodle and main dish recommendations.
This tour was the best, but I feel that people reading need to know about the following before booking:
This is a real hike - my Fitbit measured 7 miles - and it is a lot of elevation change. You don’t need to be in great shape but just understand that this is not a leisurely stroll in the park. See the pics below.
Dress appropriately - don’t show up in the wrong attire. Follow the directions that the tour operator has posted - especially when it comes to foot wear and clothes.
Take all the water your tour guide offers. I thought to myself “hey no big deal, just one bottle will be fine” Wrong. Take as many as you can carry.
Bring a backpack.
Do not bring kids below the age 12.
With that said I would recommend this tour over any other tour in Beijing. This tour is worth twice what we paid. 5 stars. Peter was the best!!!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Sep 5, 2019
Amazing Tour - We had James as our tour guide and he was amazing. We were really not prepared with proper hiking boots and clothing and James really helped us along the way. He has completed this trek many times so is very knowledgeable and has a very caring nature.
We were picked up at our hotel right on time and the car was very clean and our driver was great. We felt safe in the car the whole trip.
Once we arrived at the starting point, there was quite a lot of bush to walk through. It’s not an easy walk up but once again, James was great and really helped us get through it. Once you get to the top you realise that all the hard work was worth it because the views are spectacular. We walked along sections of the Great Wall that have not been repaired and we pretty much had the Wall to ourselves the whole time as we only passed one other person on the Wall toward the end of the trek.
James provided much appreciated assistance, water and snacks along the way. We were also provided with certificates of completion which was a nice touch.
After completing the trek, James took us to a cafe for lunch and we still talk about the lunch as being the best food that we have had so far on the holiday.
If you are after a really special memorable day then I highly recommend James and this tour.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Sep 4, 2019
Great Wall Tour - Our time on the wall with James was great! He was very supportive, let us take our time, very knowledgeable about history. We went to lunch in the most gorgeous restaurant after our hike and he picked out the best food. I would highly recommend this tour. It is a but difficult so it would be wise to have hiking experience especially up hill
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Aug 7, 2019
Bucket list experience - James is best at his job. Know the trek so well, the view got better and better. He even had ice cold water for us in his backpack! We did not prepare for this trek. No proper shoes, but he manage to guide us thru. Not easy since it was slippery wet from rain. Lunch provided after the trek super delicious too! The most worth of money for an experience i ever pay. This is trully a gem
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Jul 27, 2019
Walking the Great Wall with a great guide - We had a wonderful experience with Miko hiking the Great Wall. He was not only an expert on the history of the wall and Beijing, he was able to guide us on the best way to navigate the hike. Despite a terribly hot day, he went above and beyond to make it a great day. Highly recommend!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Jun 1, 2019
Highly Recommended! - Unforgettable experience. James was a great guide. Highly recommend if you are considering a trip to The Great Wall.
Review provided by Tripadvisor