Great Wall of China at Simatai, near Beijing, north-east China
The Great Wall is without doubt the best known and most spectacular of the many attractions across the vast country of China. It stretches for thousands of miles from the Pacific coast across the north of the country to the Gobi desert, and has stood for over two thousand years. Whilst much of it is in bad shape, there are enough sections intact to provide many hiking opportunities, with shorter and longer routes. However, it does run through remote mountainous territory, so getting to it can present difficulties, unless you go to the most popular section at Badaling, close to Beijing. Unfortunately this has the reputation of a tourist trap. We decided to go to a little further, to Simatai, which we were told was less crowded and more authentic.
- I'll remember most the long climb and the dramatic views from the watch towers.
- The best bit was the sensation of being up there on this ancient and mighty wall, looking out over the mountains of China
- The worst bit was the long coach journey - then breaking down on the way back!
- The funniest aspect was the haggling for t-shirts afterwards
- I hadn't expected that it would be so difficult to get to the Wall, with few options to stay overnight
- A word of warning therefore - plan where you are going to go beforehand
- Another warning - the climb is very steep in places and could cause dizziness
- But if you go to China make sure you visit the Wall!
Contributed by Andrew Llanwarne
Also see Mike Sellar's story of a walk on a nearby section>
Key Facts
| Location | Simatai, 110 km (66 miles) north-east of Beijing |
| Date walked | June 2005 |
| Walk type | High hills and mountain hikes |
| Difficulty | Requires lots of stamina if climbing all the way, but a cable car can be used to go most of the way up |
| Distance | 6km |
| Height climbed | 500m |
| Time taken | 2 hrs 30 mins |
| Map used | None |
| Walk source info | Lonely Planet guide and speaking to people |
| Getting there | nearly 4 hours by no 12 bus from Xuanwumen bus station, Beijing (weekends). |
| Places to stay | Plenty of places in Beijing - harder to find anywhere close to the Wall, but new building could be for a hotel |
| Other features | Tour buses easy to find in Beijing, but they concentrate on the Badaling section 70km NW of Beijing. |
| Disabled access | No |
