Compare Walking the Great Wall by Exodus Travels vs Gansu: Origins of the Silk Road Tour by WildChina
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 | 7 days |
| Price From | $ 1,860 | $ 2,550 |
| Price Per Day | $ 207 | $ 364 |
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| Trip Style | Small group tour | Private guided tour |
| Lodging Level | Standard | Standard |
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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 |
Situated along the legendary Silk Road, Gansu served as a crossroads for China and Central Asia. The temples, Buddhist art, and tombs left behind by travelers, merchants, and artists make Gansu one of the most culturally rich provinces in China. On this trip you'll stop for a bowl of famous Lanzhou noodle soup and show your satisfaction by slurping it down like a local. Float down the Yellow River in a traditional goatskin raft, explore mysterious grottoes filled with medieval Buddhist art, marvel at the iridescent Rainbow Mountains, and wander along the western edge of the Great Wall. |
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: Lanzhou
Meet your local WildChina guide at Lanzhou airport and transfer to your hotel in a private vehicle • If there's time, cruise down the Yellow River (the second longest river in China) on a traditional goat skin raft. This was the major form of transportation along the river until the first steel bridge was built in 1907
Day 2: Lanzhou – Zhangye
After breakfast, visit a local cooking school and learn the history behind the region's famous beef noodle soup
Learn the art of pulling noodles as thin as thread and then enjoy your own bowl of noodle soup for lunch
Take the high-speed train to Zhangye (3 hours) and drive to the Danxia land formation, more popularly known as the 'Rainbow Mountains'
Hike through five different "platforms" of height and explore the changing views
Get your camera ready for a sunset view over the colorful mountains.
Day 3: Zhangye
Start the day early and visit the 12th century Giant Buddha Temple, home to the largest clay Buddha in Asia and the only well-preserved Western Xia Royal Temple in China
Before entering the temple, practice water calligraphy or Chinese Kungfu (weather permitting) from a local master in the temple grounds
Continue your exploration of Zhangye's unique landscapes when you hike in Pingshanhu Grand Canyon
Day 4: Jiayuguan
Meet a local Yugu Minority family and learn about their way of life over a cup of tea. Visit the Matisi Grottoes (1-hour drive) one of the three most important Buddhist Grottoes in Gansu. The legend of Matisi (Horse Hoof Temple) can be traced back to the 4th century. Here you'll find Tibetan and Chinese cave art and the hoof print of the legendary flying horse who chose the mountains as a holy site
Hike or ride a horse through the surrounding pine forest to Linsong Waterfall (1 hour) • Enjoy a picnic lunch on the way
In the afternoon, drive to Jiayuguan City (3 hours)
Your guide will help you check into your hotel and the evening will be spent at your leisure
Day 5: Jiayuguan – Dunhuang
Visit Jiayuguan, the first pass on the western end of the Great Wall. The Jiayuguan Pass has been fully restored and is now the wall's best preserved fortress
Continue your drive to the Wei-Jin Dynasty Tombs and see underground murals dating back 1700 years
If Try your hand at stone painting - a traditional local craft that uses stones from the Gobi Desert
After lunch, drive to Dunhuang (4 hours), a fertile outpost close to where the Silk Road split into its southern and northern routes either side of the impassable Taklamakan Desert
Spend the evening exploring local night markets or enjoy dinner on the roof of your hotel
Day 6: Dunhuang
Start the day in the 'singing' Minsha Sand Dunes, named for the way they 'rumble' in the wind • Stop by Crescent Moon Lake, an oasis nestled in the desert • Enjoy a local lunch in the city's most famous food street
Visit the Mogao Grottoes, a complex of 492 grottoes representing the pinnacle of Chinese Buddhist art
The caves were created over the course of 1,000 years and were named a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1987
OPTIONAL: We'll arrange an expert in Chinese Buddhism to accompany you through caves not open to the general public
In the evening, visit a local artist's studio or head out on a foodie's adventure with your guide to Yue Quan Xiao Zhen Market.
Day 7: Departure
Watch the sunrise in the desert from the roof of your hotel • Enjoy a leisurely breakfast before transferring to the airport for your departure flight
