Great Wall of China walking holiday
| country: | China |
| location: | Great Wall |
| trip type: | Moderate walking holidays |
| departures: | 2010: 1 Apr, 3 Jun, 29 Jul, 12 Aug, 16 Sep, 14 Oct 2011: 21 Apr |
| price: | From £1269 - £1399 (11 days) including flights from the UK, from £699 - £749 excluding flights. Single supplement £115. |
| vouchers: | Gift vouchers can be used with this holiday |
the amazing things you'll be doing
Stepping out across the peaceful semi-ruin of a section of the Great Wall is like walking in the footsteps of the past. Far from the madding tourist crowds we are able to get a great sense of the scale and the majesty of this remarkable piece of engineering without rushing through in a big group. As we trek along various contrasting sections of the wall, we get closer to day-to-day life in rural China before returning to Beijing, a city steeped with history yet plunging headlong into modernisation.
day-by-day itinerary
| Day 1: | Depart London. |
| Day 2: | Arrive Beijing; Traditional Beijing Duck dinner. |
| Day 3: | Transfer to Mutian Yu and trek past watchtowers on the Great Wall then transfer to Jiankou. |
| Day 4: | Morning trek around Jiankou with its steep mountains and beautiful scenery: transfer to Gubeikou. |
| Day 5: | Trek along the wall near Gubeikou. |
| Day 6: | Trek past villages to Jinshanling. |
| Day 7: | Trek over mountain ridges from Jinshanling to Simatai, past ruined and restored watchtowers. |
| Day 8: | Drive to Taipingzhai and trek to Huangyaguan, overnight at farmer's house. |
| Day 9: | Visit the East Qing Tombs, transfer to Beijing. |
| Day 10: | Sightseeing tour of Beijing, including Tiananmen Square and the Forbidden City. |
| Day 11: | Fly to London. |
small group adventure holiday
Typically you will be sharing your experiences with between 4-20 like minded travellers (depending on the trip, operator and how many others are booked on the trip) and you'll have a group leader with you. Whether you are travelling alone or with friends its good value, and a great way to meet new people! While itineraries are pre-planned there is some flexibility and you'll have plenty of privacy. This trip will appeal to travellers of all ages who enjoy meeting new people as well as seeing new places. how this holiday makes a difference
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Community
As a part of our continued commitment to responsible tourism, we operate this trip in a way that aims to reduce impacts and to give as much back as possible to the local communities. This is a trekking trip which giving you the opportunity to really immerse yourself in the local areas and culture that you will visit along the way. We use local accommodation throughout this trip. These will range from family home stays to local farm houses to locally owned hotels. By staying in these types of accommodation we are assuring that you will be sampling local produce and your money will be staying tin the destinations that you visit. You will be given time to spend with the local families and farmers and learn of the very special culture and customs of these unique local communities. Some evenings will provide the opportunity for you to help the host family produce dinner, giving you a chance to learn some of the local culinary secrets. You will have local guides who will have intimate knowledge of the area, and we have worked closely with our operator to help train staff in all aspects of their jobs, including Responsible Tourism training. Your local leader will brief you on such issues as what to buy (and not to buy), how to behave, litter policy, drinking water and ways to limit your impact on the local environment. Environment As for ourselves, we have at our offices worked to reduce our carbon footprint through a reduction of energy use and energy conservation measures. We also actively try to reduce the waste produced by having active reduction and recycling policies in place. We run annual staff workshops on Responsible Tourism. Global warming is a reality and to help you make a difference by reducing the carbon dioxide that is produced when you travel we offer a chance to carbon balance your flights. We encourage all our clients to do this and do so for all our staff travel. Go on do your bit! |
Tourism can be good and bad for destinations & local people. We carefully screen every holiday against our criteria for responsible travel. 'Look behind the brochure' to find how each holiday makes a difference (see left). We don't claim to be perfect - there is no global accreditation - but we've led the way since 2001 and screened 1000's of holidays. We invite every traveller to write a review about their experiences and responsible tourism. This valuable feedback is sent to the people who run the holidays. We keep a very close eye on it and take off holidays that don't live up to our standards. |