After a business trip, I decided at short notice to book a tour to the Great Wall together with two colleagues. The booking went smoothly via email and WeChat. It was a great trip that I can highly recommend. Our guide Joe picked us up at the hotel in the morning and after a two-hour drive we arrived at the starting point. We were very lucky with our guide. Joe's English is excellent and already in the car he answered all our questions about China, the culture, life and of course the Great Wall. After the driver dropped us off, we walked a short distance up the mountain to reach the wall. From there we followed the wall for about 8 km and experienced many different parts with varying degrees of steepness, obstacles, towers and of course excellent views. We only encountered a dozen other people on the entire tour. This wild section is therefore perfect for those who want to experience the Great Wall away from mass tourism. After the hike, Joe took us to a local farm where we enjoyed an excellent lunch. All in all, this day will remain in our memories forever. Thank you Joe for this wonderful experience!
My husband and I had a wonderful time hiking the Great Wall with our guide Tim. The hike was beautiful and moderately challenging. I enjoyed experiencing both the ruins and the renovated sections of the wall. Hiking through ruins is a very unique experience. The slide down to the bottom was a great way to end our hike! Tim did a great job getting in touch with me before the trip, and our driver was excellent as well.
From my research of the Jiankou section of the wall, I knew I couldn't miss the spectacular highlights of Heaven's Ladder, Eagles Fly Upward and Beijing Knot. Untouched Great Wall recommended that we hike from Jiankou eastward towards Huanghuacheng which is the more dramatic and adventurous route than the opposite direction towards Mutianyu. Some videos online of this section are daunting but I'd say anyone with a bit of nerve and decent fitness could do this comfortably! So beware of being unnecessarily put off. Untouched Great Wall organised a bespoke experience that accommodated our plans and exceeded all of our expectations! Tim was an extremely informative, fun, easy going and conscientious guide - he provided the more thrilling and daring hike we were looking for but always gave responsible guidance for our safety. For those relying on English language for the tour, Tim's was very accomplished, as was the quick and super clear email correspondence from Untouched. The tour was unforgettable and we wouldn't hesitate to book this again or to take another tour with Untouched to see another part of the wall!
The hike was amazing and certainly the highlight of my visit to Beijing! The opportunity to see the Great Wall both in its "wild" and restored states is great. Also, if you would like to be able to admire the views without the crowds of tourists trying to take selfies around you, this is the way to go. The organization was flawless and both the driver and the guide (Wei/Ivy) were excellent. Because of the traffic, gentle pace on the trail and plenty of time spent on appreciating the views, the trip took longer than expected but they were both fine with it. The walk itself is mildly demanding but suitable shoes are essential. To finish off, the lunch was also fantastic. In summary - I really recommend this trip!
Starting from the tour organization, Joe will do anything to help you out! He’s kind and always available. The day I spend with Tim, my local guide, was a blast! Tim is polite, highly educated, willing to engage in insightful conversations, and an impressive English speaker! A deep dive into the Chinese culture. Regarding the hike, I don’t think the description provided actually meets the excursion intensity honestly. An average fit person can easily manage it in less than 2h.