conquering a part of the original great wall near beijing, china
Our first trip to the Great Wall of China was memorable despite the not-so-great weather – I was just happy to set food on that wall for I had wanted to see the place as long as I could remember. Now, this second hike certainly was more fun and authentic, as this section of the wall was deserted and pretty much in original condition (although an iron railing that runs at some parts of the steeper sections had been added) in comparison to the two touristic sections we could observe from a distance.
This section of the wall is sort of “private”, meaning that it’s within the grounds of an eclectic luxury hotel, the Commune by the Great Wall. The hotel looks after this section of the wall and the only entrance to it is from within its grounds. Therefore no tourist groups to be found here!
The distance we covered might not have been so great, but the weather was gorgeous, it was peaceful and we only saw two other people on our way there. This was more of an adventure (although a bit scary at times while sliding down and climbing up with small kids). We sat down to admire the views, observed the plants and the little animals we saw, and of course had a snack in the end to celebrate our little adventures. A great success of a hike!
My review of the Great Wall hike by the Commune of the Great Wall (near Badaling, Beijing): Excellent
“Great Wall is such a unique destination and as it consists of so many sections built over the centuries, different sections have a lot of offer. This “private” section of the wall accessed from the Commune by the Great Wall is not very long, but it is a fun and rewarding one and suits also for smaller kids (as long as you look after them for the wall has crumbled in many places and one can slip or fall down).
Take your time – we spent three hours on this section- smell the flowers, observe the little critters, enjoy your snack and the quiet surroundings & beautiful views. The sunset is also beautiful, but do remember to take a torch with you as it will get dark quickly and walking down the slippery hill in the dark won’t be easy. This was our first “wild” wall trek and we will definitely work to find other spots as inspiring as this one!”