Walking the Great Wall of China is often a traveller’s bucket list. Choosing the right season to walk the wall makes it more special, as you do not have to deal with lots of tourists.
And, unless you are an adventure junkie, we’d recommend staying away from the unrestored section. It might just be your biggest adrenalin rush or your first panic attack.
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Book VIATOR for your Great Wall of China experience
When visiting Beijing, a trip to the Mutianyu Great Wall of China is easily made with Viator.
Whether you want to spend most of the day walking between the Towers, add a lunch stop, or visit another attraction, Viator has other options to suit your available time and budget.
Just click below to find out the various tours that are available.
Mutianyu Great Wall of China
Our group was collected at 8:30 a.m. for the bus ride to the Mutianyu Section of the Great Wall, two hours from central Beijing.
The first thing we noticed was the bus driver’s accent. His Northern Chinese accent sounded like he was from Cornwall, England, and his accent seemed to roll the R’s.
We needed to organise food and drinks because we would spend most of the day walking the Great Wall. Our guide mentioned we could organise it at Subway.
Does he mean the metro?
And surprise, Subway has a franchise near the entrance to Mutianyu.
So, in the middle of nowhere, we could organise a foot-long sub to take with us on our trek to the Great Wall. It’s classic.
Where to Start Your Climb of the Great Wall
Organising our lunch was the easiest part of our Great Wall experience. To get to the wall, you have to pay an entrance fee, and then you have two options:
- Climb the 423 steps up through the forest to Tower 8 or
- Take the CableCar
Yes, you guessed it, we decided to walk up. It was now 11.15 am.
And at Tower 8 you can then decide to walk to Tower 20 or Tower 1.
We chose to walk to Tower 20 and assess whether we would climb into No Man’s Land.
The Chinese government has walled off the entrance after Tower 20 as it is in disrepair, and they make it very clear that you walk it at your own risk.
Views from the Great Wall are Amazing
These views are amazing, incredible, and jaw-stopping. You can expect them as you walk the Great Wall, which meanders along the skyline.
Imagine that the towers at the various points along the Great Wall are where 2 million soldiers would eat and sleep while guarding the Great Wall.
But even more surprising was how few people were on the Great Wall at the end of May.
At various points along the way, we met no one.
Walking the Wild Wall in No Man’s Land
The climb to Tower 20 was steep. Going up, up, up where some sections were so steep with steps, you certainly knew where your calf muscles were.
After reaching Tower 20, we decided to go into No Man’s Land to Tower 23 and have lunch.
And yes, the wall kept going upwards as we climbed to Tower 23.
At Tower 23, the Great Wall became overgrown and broken, with the steps wobbling underfoot. No wonder they call this part ‘The Wild Wall’.
We considered our sons’ and our safety, so we decided to head back down, stop for lunch, and then walk back to Tower 1.
Having Fun on the Great Wall of China
Tower 19
On our return from No Man’s Land, we met the American group of our tour at Tower 19. They were getting ready to perform a music video. As you do on the Great Wall of China?
They invited us to join in the fun, so we did. Maybe it’s now on YouTube?
It’s one way to entertain the other walkers on the Great Wall and enjoy the whole experience.
Tower 8
We continued our walk back to Tower 8, where we saw a photo shoot of a Chinese couple in traditional dress.
Terry was enthralled (probably by the red fishnet stockings and red stilettos) and started taking photos, too.
The photographer then approached Terry and asked if he could photograph him taking photos of the couple. He wanted Terry to appear in his photos and didn’t mind his bright orange shirt.
Then, the man of the couple handed Terry his headdress so Terry could have some photos with the lady. It certainly made his day.
Tower 6
As we approached Tower 6, we were just in time to hear the start of the song “Happy Anniversary,” sung to the same tune as “Happy Birthday.”
Of course, we sang to wish the couple a Happy Anniversary. An Indian couple celebrating 23 years of marriage with their family wanted to celebrate the occasion of the Great Wall of China.
How fantastic are people’s bucket list dreams?
We congratulated the couple, asked for a photo, and then were presented with a delicious anniversary cake.
Who would have thought The Great Wall would be this enthralling?
Tower 1
Congratulations finished; we continued our walk down to the Zhengguantai Pass.
Check out the photo above to see the steepness of some sections of the Great Wall.
Zhengguantai Pass is where the Generals organised the troops and enjoyed better living conditions than those in the Towers.
Up, up, up to Tower 1, and the steps are enormous, cut from massive hunks of rocks, so if you are short, you almost need a leg up.
Our achievement: We completed the Great Wall of China, climbing 423 steps up and down, 30,000 steps in total, and ascending the equivalent of 305 flights of stairs.
Phew. What a day.
We returned to the meeting point just as the heavens opened and the rain descended on us.
Homestay near the Great Wall of China
A Freezing Cold Night at Jiankou … but the alcohol helped.
At 4.30 pm, the bus arrived to take us to our next destination, Jiankou, for our homestay accommodation.
The area is rural and very basic.
Our accommodation looked like it had been roughly put together with modern materials. There were no doors at the end of the hallways. With the rain and temperature falling, we were all feeling the cold.
The large dining area also had no doors. Luckily, some Chinese white liquor materialised to warm the bodies after our sumptuous Chinese dishes for the evening meal.
Luckily, Terry had spied an oil column heater, so they secretly led it out the door and carried it up the stairs to our room. Even the owner’s little dog started to follow him as he was cold.
The bedroom became so toasty and warm later in the evening. We discovered that there were electric blankets on the bed, so we encouraged the American girls to use them only because they saw the heater going past their room to ours.
Walking the Wild Great Wall of China at Jiankou
Our homestay breakfast was odd. It consisted of a plate of round wine biscuits, two chopped-up bananas, some apple pieces, and puff rice biscuits.
Thankfully, the cold fried egg (a staple item in Asia), fried rice, and a vegetable pancake appeared.
Carb-loaded, we were ready for our 3-hour trek to an unrestored part of the Great Wall.
The climb up took us through the bush, clambering at times over rocks and tree roots as we ascended the half-hour to the wall. Here, we again encountered amazing views of the valley and the wall.
Our host, Mr Chow, accompanied the group on the trek, wearing a suit jacket, soft shoes, and a pack of cigarettes.
Heaven’s Ladder, and a scary climb
The goal this morning was to ascend Heaven’s Ladder.
But first, we had to navigate along the unrestored Great Wall, which was intact in some areas but not others.
This section of the Great Wall is called the “Wild Wall” and is not open to the public.
This means the Chinese government is not responsible if you are injured while climbing this wall section.
But really, how bad can it be? We would soon find out!
“Heaven’s Ladder” is an adrenaline rush with steep, almost vertical, narrow steps. It is a true testament to those men who built it. Now, we have to climb it.
With the steps so narrow and the ascent vertical, Heaven’s Ladder gets its name.
The climb is more akin to rock climbing, with Terry reminding us to ensure we have three contact points.
The ascent goes relatively quickly as long as you focus on each step. “Don’t look down, Terry.”
Finally, we reach the top of the ladder; now we need to get up on top of the old Tower.
Thankfully, someone has stacked some old bricks and rocks on each other. It’s not steady, and it’s a long way down on the other side.
But we make it atop the tower for great views and a selfie photo.
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And Climbing Back Down?
Take deep breaths as we need to focus on going down. Do we descend frontwards or backwards?
We descend back down the ladder, Maura spotting for us. Then, turn halfway to descend frontwards through the narrow part of the ladder to the bottom.
Phew, we both feel amazed and question, “did we just do that?”
What an adrenaline rush.
After completing Heaven’s Ladder, our group walked back via the bush path to the Guesthouse, where we boarded the 3-hour bus back to Beijing.
That afternoon, we left the hotel to view the only remaining section of the Beijing City Wall. As the modern city expanded, the rest of the wall was demolished.
What a fantastic experience to spend two days on the Great Wall of China.
Our next stop is Shaolin Monastery, home of Kung Fu, on our tour of China.