Shrouded in mystery and history, the Great Wall is somewhere between 3,800 and 5,500 miles long and was rebuilt, extended and modified throughout over 2,000 years
This Summer I embarked on a once in a lifetime trip to hike across the 'abandoned' parts of the Great Wall for 5 days. This was something I wanted to do for as long as I can remember. Our tour guide, Mike, an English name given to him by his teacher many years ago, began explaining the history of the Dynasties that went to extreme lengths to build this wall and defend China from invaders.
Sunrise over the Great Wall of China is a truly breathtaking experience
When we first arrived at the base of the mountain leading up to the Great Wall, our tour group was presented with a nasty surprise. Because this section of the Great Wall is off the beaten track, there's no way of getting up there without a 5km up-hill hike through the jungle, whilst carrying all of our camping equipment and beating eaten alive by mosquitoes, but the reward was truly epic.
The Dragon's Spine
We setup camp in one of the old guard towers and began exploring the remains (it's pretty uncomfortable to sleep in a sleeping bag on a pile of rubble) and our tour guide began delving deeper into the mysteries surrounding it's history. It's quite a humbling experience realising you are walking around on a structure that was built over 2,000 years ago by the many Chinese ancestors that believed the wall would defend them from outsiders.
I imagined the guys who worked on building the Wall shaking their fists in dismay as the invaders entered, screaming, “All that work for nothing!!!”
As we continued on with our hike the following day and as tourists started to thin out, the Wall began so crumbled that tour group was forced to make a diversion into the jungle. After finding a way back onto the wall, our group was lost for words by the mountain ranges suddenly in our view. We spent the remainder of the hike whispering to each other in awe over the achievements of the millions of people who created this wall, which was so tiring to walk over for a few hours, let alone build the Wall for centuries on end to the tune of 4,000 miles.
After finishing our 5-day adventure, we made our way back to Beijing for one final day before heading back to the UK.
An adrenaline-filled ride on motorcycles through the streets of Beijing
Tiananmen square
The Great Wall experience did not disappoint. I'd recommend this to anyone with a sense of adventure, but make sure you pack some comfortable walking shoes and not flip flops like my friend Chris did!