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!

The original Great Wall of China

Up and down the trek goes, through and around the bushes and trees
the real Great Wall of China
Climb up the hill completed – let the adventure begin!
The original Great Wall of China
We found a gecko!
The original Great Wall of China
The ruins of a watchtower
The original Great Wall of China
Tower still has some rooms and hallways left intact
The original Great Wall of China
This was once a beautiful tower
The original Great Wall of China
Rare flat section of the wall as normally the wall goes more or less up and down the hill and not so much on flat top
The original Great Wall of China
The path in the middle of the wall
The original Great Wall of China
Destination well known. On the background the end of the touristic section
The original Great Wall of China
Some parts were pretty steep and steps up to 2ft (60cm) tall
The original Great Wall of China
The vegetation is quite thick
The original Great Wall of China
Hello there, hard to tell we are still on the wall!
The original Great Wall of China
The end of the touristic section below us
The original Great Wall of China
The end of the road for us as the wall has collapsed and blocked for visitors here…
The original Great Wall of China
The part we were not able to access due to poor condition

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!”

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