Hiking the Great Wall

The Dallas Morning News today took a look at a six-day walking tour of the Great Wall offered by a Canadian-based tour company called World Expedition. The hike includes the popular Mutianyu section as well as the less-visited Simatai section. In between hiking, you get to visit local families. The tour looks like a fun, unique experience.

Along with Machu Picchu, the Great Wall is one of the best world wonders for hikers. Of course, both can be enjoyed by less physically fit travelers, but there is a certain sense of accomplishment that goes along with these more adventurous endeavors.

Having been to the Simatai section of the Great Wall in May, I have to say it's pretty magnificent how it clings to the mountain slopes. The fact that it's only modestly restored and not teeming with other tourists are two other big pluses. While I was thinking of doing the trek to the Jinshanling section, I decided against, instead traversing the steep eastern section of the wall – still a very exhilarating experience. While this is a great section to visit, it's best for physically travelers who aren't afraid of heights. You can take a ski lift half way up to reach the Wall, but you'll have to work for the rest of it.

With the Olympics coming up, there's sure to be plenty more articles out there on the Great Wall and other Chinese wonders that I'll cover. For now, take a look at the Great Wall section of my website.