Compare Walking the Great Wall by Exodus Travels vs Villages of Southwest China by Audley Travel
Compare details and see what other travelers are saying.
| Trip |
5 | Excellent
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5 | Excellent
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| Duration | 9 days | 15 days |
| Price From | $ 1,860 | $ 7,115 |
| Price Per Day | $ 207 | $ 474 |
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| Trip Style | Small group tour | Private guided tour |
| Lodging Level | Standard | Standard |
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| Countries Visited | ||
| Cities and Attractions |
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| Flights & Transport | Ground transport included | Ground transport included |
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| Meals Included | 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. | N/A |
| Description |
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.Walk one of the seven wonders of the world |
Visit Tiger Leaping Gorge. Experience a side of China that few other visitors experience. |
Day 1 Arrive Beijing; free afternoon and Beijing duck dinner
Day 2 Drive to Huanghuacheng Great Wall section; afternoon begin trekking.
This morning we leave the capital and head into the countryside to the Great Wall, a 2-2.5 hour journey to the north west of the city. We reach the lesser-visited section at Huanghuacheng, which has an incredibly picturesque location by a lake. The name Huanhuacheng translates as ‘Yellow Flower City’, as during the summer the surrounding mountains are swathed in yellow as the local wild flowers come into bloom. The walk today is relatively challenging and with uneven topography, but the views are worth every effort! We will spend the night in a guesthouse close to this section of the wall. Accommodation: Fengfuyuan Guesthouse, Huanghuacheng (or similar)
Day 3 Morning trek at Mutianyu, passing many watchtowers.
Today we take a short drive (1-1.5 hours) to Mutianyu. At this lesser-visited section, the Wall is an impressive sight indeed, snaking off across mountains and valleys into the distance. As one of the best-preserved parts of the Great Wall, the Mutianyu section used to serve as the northern barrier defending the capital and the imperial tombs. There are 22 watchtowers (20 of which are open to the public) on this 2,250-metre-long section. After Mutianyu section, we transfer to Jiankou village to enjoy the hospitality of a local guesthouse. Accommodation: Mr Zhao Guesthouse at Jiankou (or similar)
Day 4 Trek at Jiankou's "Wild Wall"
The Jiankou wild wall section was built along a mountain edge and remains completely wild, with towers clinging impossibly to the steepest of ridges. Highlights of the day include “Spiderman Wall”, or “Sanshibadeng” in Chinese; an optional short vertical climb to the top of the wall for a panoramic view (those who are not a fan of climbing/heights can walk around and regroup at the viewpoint). This area is the most photographed section of the Great Wall due to the unique construction style combined with stunning scenery. We walk along this portion for approx. 4 km in the morning, returning to the guesthouse for lunch, then walking about another 4.5 km in the afternoon. We have the option of seeing sunset from the wall. Accommodation: Mr Zhao Guesthouse at Jiankou (or similar)
Day 5 Transfer to Jinshanling; Hike the Great Wall Jinshanling section.
Day 6 The most challenging walk today along the Gubeikou section
Today we hike from Zhuanduokou Tower along the Gubeikou section of the wall to Panlongshan. This portion keeps the original essence of the wall and will transport us back to the time of the Han Dynasty. We will pass many watchtowers until we reach the unique 24 Window Tower (three level tower). Accommodation: Yeshufang Guesthouse at Gubeikou (or similar)
Day 7 Panlongshan section of the Great Wall
We will walk from Panlongshan north gate to the main entrance. Following our walk along this part of the wall we’ll drive for about three hours back to Beijing. Accommodation: Dong Fang (or similar)
Day 8 Beijing city tour visiting hutongs, Tiananmen Square and the Forbidden City.
We take a morning walking tour of the city's hutongs (narrow alleys) to see what is left of old Beijing and its traditions. We also visit Tian’anmen Square; the largest in the world and able to hold over a million people. Later in the day, we visit the Forbidden City with its innumerable courtyards and temples. This evening, recommended optional activities include the amazing Beijing opera or a Kung Fu show, or you may prefer to opt for a foot reflexology treatment to sooth your weary feet! The leader will also arrange a farewell dinner (optional). Beijing is a fantastic place to explore at your own pace; if you wish to add on any additional time please speak to your sales consultant at the time of booking. Note Following the Covid-19 pandemic, maximum numbers of daily visitors to the Forbidden City have been significantly reduced, impacting availability of tickets. Our local team aim to secure tickets for the Forbidden City, but if unable to do so, we’ll visit the Ancestral Temple (used during the Ming and Qing Dynasties to offer sacrifices to ancestors, and architecturally quite similar to the Forbidden City) and the Summer Palace (a complex of lakes, gardens and palaces from the Qing dynasty) instead. You will be advised at the start of the trip if this change needs to be made. Accommodation: Dong Fang (or similar)
Day 9 End Beijing
Our trips ends today in Beijing after breakfast. Free departure transfers are available for all customers departing from either Beijing’s Capital airport (PEK) or Daxing airport (PKX). Transfers should be booked with your sales representative at least two weeks before the tour starts.
Day 1 : International outbound flight
Today you begin your journey by boarding your international outbound flight to Hong Kong.
Day 2 : Guilin
Arrive into Hong Kong and fly on to Guilin. There you'll be met and taken to your hotel.
Day 3 : Longji
Drive out to the village of Longji this morning, and spend time walking among the pretty rice terraces.
Day 4 : Zhaoxing
Leave Longji this morning for Chengyang, via Sanjiang. Explore nearby Chengyang with its spectacular wind and rain bridge this afternoon before continuing on to Zhaoxing.
Day 5 : Zhaoxing
Spend today walking between Tangan and your village of Zhaoxing: a leisurely day of easy walking, taking you through some picturesque villages and scenery.
Day 6 : Rongjiang
Continue heading deeper in to Guizhou today as you leave Zhaoxing for Rongjiang, stopping at the beautiful village of Basha near Congjiang.
Day 7 : Kaili
Leave Rongjiang this morning for Kaili, breaking the journey at the Miao villages of Langde and Paika - the latter famous for its musical instruments.
Day 8 : Lijiang
From Kaili, you'll be driven to Guiyang airport and fly to Lijiang, in Yunann province.
Day 9 : Lijiang
Spend the day exploring around Lijiang, including visiting local Naxi minority villages.
Day 10 : Lijiang
Explore Lijiang by yourselves today.
Day 11 : Shaxi
Drive to the village of Shaxi, with the afternoon to stroll around.
Day 12 : Dali
Continue onto Dali.
Day 13 : Dali
Spend the day exploring the old town of Dali.
Day 14 : International return flight
Fly to Hong Kong, via Kunming. From here you can catch your international return flight.
Day 15 : International return flight
Arrive home today to complete your journey.
