Snow Day on the Great Wall!
What a dream come true! For the past three and a half years living in Asia the Great Wall has been in the back of my mind and on my bucket list. One of the Wonders of World, this treasure is more beautiful in person than your wildest dreams. Although we were there in the winter I could easily imagine it looking stunning in any season. If you do go in the winter though make sure you dress warmly! Did you know the Great Wall is so long that it needs to be viewed in sections? There are so many tour options available and the most popular part of the wall to visit is Badaling. However, a friend recommended we go to Mutianyu, which is less touristy but just as impressive. Some other sections are quite remote and wonderful to explore. But since they are further out from Beijing and our short time in China it was not an option!
On Tripadvisor there are lots of private tours offered and thus quite expensive. So we decided to book a group tour on Klook (not sponsored), which was way less expensive. I’m normally not someone who goes for tour groups but with such a tight schedule it saved a lot of time! Highly recommend this unless you want a more tailored itinerary or are traveling with a big group.
We woke up SUPER early for a 7:00 AM pickup time outside our hotel. Our tour included hotel pickup but for only a specific zone in central Beijing. We were driven to a central location where we boarded the bus with other tourists. Our tour guide, Michael was super nice and bilingual. The drive took approximately 1 hour and 30 minutes. Note that we were not allowed to eat on the bus despite it being so early in the morning (?!!) Ended up finishing my breakfast (a chocolate Starbucks muffin) on the Great Wall later that morning… If you take this tour make sure you eat breakfast BEFOREHAND!
There are several levels that take you up the wall with the highly touristy area with gift shops being at the bottom. The last leg up involves a short cable car ride with some seriously stunning views! We were quite lucky in that we managed to see the Great Wall covered in SNOW! It had snowed just the previous day so it looked incredible. Apparently it snows in Beijing only once a year so this was a special treat. The surrounding mountains themselves were also gorgeous and added to the splendor of the wall.
Mind you there were moments when it felt like I was skiing down the length of the wall. Some parts are so steep, with no friction (wore my running shoes), making it quite slippery. The way I survived was by walking like a penguin sideways very slowly… The incline leading to tower 12 is apparently the steepest! Unfortunately we couldn’t give it a shot because the slope leading to it was a giant slide.
Our tour also included a delicious lunch with plenty of dishes to go around (veg and chicken). Drinks were not included but you could purchase beer, tea, and soft drinks out of pocket. We brought bottled water from the hotel. We had approximately 3 hours at the wall, which was more than enough time to explore! Afterwards the tour bus dropped us off in the same location and since our package included pickup and drop off from our hotel our guide hailed us a prepaid taxi from the street. Super convenient.
This is an experience I will always cherish being completely overwhelmed by the immense beauty of something manmade! It is something special to contemplate what kind of human feat this required and attests to what a powerhouse China was in ancient times. Have you been to the Great Wall? How did you find it and which part of the wall did you choose to see?