Our second day in Beijing, we ventured to the Mutianyu section of the Great Wall about an hour and a half from central Beijing. This section is not as crowded and in a more rural, mountainous area. Brad teaches about the Great Wall in his sixth grade social studies class, so this was a thrill for him especially.
Most people opt to take the cable car up the mountain to the wall, but living in the Montana Rocky Mountains ourselves, we opted for the stairs….all 4,000+ of them going straight up. It took about 45 minutes, but luckily it was shaded on this hot, windy day. This is promoted as the most beautiful and best restored section of the wall, and it lived up to this. It was not at all crowded, and there are 23 towers relatively close together so you do get some shade. Our guide was full of information all along the way and was patient as we marveled at the vastness of the structure. Beyond what is open to the public, we could see the wall continuing for miles and miles across mountain ridges in both directions.
We mostly marveled at the sheer determination in the building of the wall so that the military could protect China from invaders, and then later protect trade routes. It has openings for soldiers to shoot arrows, and later cannons, when invaders approached. It is massive, and we were surprised to learn it was not built contiguously. Sections were built across the years based on where the rulers lived. Eventually sections were connected to make huge lengths of continuous protection for China. We also learned that it is referred to as the world’s largest cemetery, given the number of men who died building it, estimated at upwards of 400,000 over the many years of its construction. Many are buried right within the wall.
When we were done, we had the unique treat of taking a toboggan slide down! That was fun, and much faster than the climb up (like 5 minutes).
We definitely recommend putting this on your bucket list of things to see in China, and this Mutianyu section was amazing and worth the extra effort. Wear good walking shoes and a hat!
The agent had great response to questions and coordinated well to create an itinerary that met our expectations.
Bob Sunshine
1 day ago
Very responsive to all questions
Teresa Cardoso
2 days ago
Kelly and Rhenee were excellent to work with on planning our trip. The logistics all worked smoothly and everyone was friendly and on time. Our accommodations were very good, particularly the incredible Patagonia Camp in Torres del Paine! Our guides on every excursion were outstanding and made the hikes memorable! Overall we had a wonderful trip with incredible memories!
Scott Gibson
2 days ago
Adventure Life is definitely a first-class safari tour company, and our representative was Franny Friesz. First of all, she responded immediately after we contacted Adventure Life. We told Franny that we had never been on a safari, and she was more than eager to offer a mountain of information about the trip. She informed us fully about all the ups, downs, and all arounds! She even prepared a number of packages for us to review -- even after we made changes to the areas we wanted to explore. Friendly, helpful, professional, and extremely knowledgeable -- these words describe Franny, and what a wonderful trip she prepared! We couldn't have asked for better service than Franny of Adventure Life. We HIGHLY recommend her and her outstanding company! Bon Voyage!
Prima Burke
3 days ago
The staff at Adventure Life made planning my family's trip to the Galapagos Islands as easy as possible. They listened to what we were hoping to experience and made thoughtful suggestions about how to accomplish our vacation goals while meeting the needs of travelers ages 17-76! They patiently answered questions and follow up questions in the months leading up to the trip. They helped us trouble shoot and customize the trip in every way possible. The logistics involved in traveling from Boston to the Galapagos are innumerable. The Adventure Life staff helped us arrange every detail and the team they assembled in the Galapagos was tremendous. I have never done a trip this big before and after working with Adventure Life this time--would not hesitate one second in working with them again.