Camping On The Bang-Up Wall Of China (The Consummate Guide)

Snaking its way across the Chinese countryside, the Great Wall stood earlier us, iconic together with inwards a province of disrepair.

Only the sounds of birds accompanied the kaleidoscope of shimmering rays that beam their way across the eve sky.

Even though nosotros constitute ourselves at the nation’s most spectacular attraction, nosotros were completely alone. Seldom create got nosotros been therefore inwards awe of our expert fortune.

With the Sun setting together with the historic barrier glowing, nosotros were realising our dream of camping ground on the Great Wall of China

On our rattling outset solar daytime inwards China nosotros Couchsurfed alongside an American twosome inwards the urban gist of Kunming. Sasha together with Rachel from the amazing spider web log The Grateful Gypsies welcomed us into their habitation together with gave us a wonderful outset introduction to China.

Over the next few days nosotros shared stories together with advice, laughed together with joked together with formed a non bad friendship. One eve they mentioned to us that i of their ultimate highlights of living over v years inwards the dry soil was camping ground on the Great Wall of China.

Our mouths dropped. We didn’t fifty-fifty know that this was possible! In a affair of moments nosotros formed our rattling outset (and all of a precipitous most important) destination for mainland People's Republic of China – Camp on the Great Wall!

Fast frontwards iii months, together with nosotros were bouncing along a winding route towards the Gubeikou department of the Great Wall. Our dreams were presently nigh to expire a reality together with nosotros couldn’t live on to a greater extent than excited.

Armed alongside directions from Rachel together with Sasha nosotros were edging closer to the epic symbol of China.

Some things don’t alive upwards to expectations, together with some things surpass them. Tiger Leaping Gorge was great, but Lijiang sucked, for example.

One of the few problems of living a life on the road is that it gets harder together with harder to live on impressed. In this case, camping ground on the Great Wall of mainland People's Republic of China was amend than nosotros e'er could create got imagined. Armed alongside some snacks, our tent, sleeping gear together with a bottle of rice wine, nosotros laid upwards off from Beijing.

There are many dissimilar areas y'all tin give the sack see on the Great Wall of China. The Badaling section, alongside its restored façade together with built-up tourist infrastructure, is past times far the most popular.

This also agency it is the busiest, together with a house that nosotros desperately wanted to avoid. We opted for the Gubeikou section, which was the same component subdivision our friends visited. It proved to live on a wise choice.

How To Get To The Gubeikou Section Of The Great Wall

We followed the advice of our expert friends Sasha together with Rachel together with headed to the Gubeikou (古北口) department of the Great Wall of mainland People's Republic of China to sense our camping ground adventure.

Getting at that topographic point isn’t just hard, but it does accept time. From leaving Beijing to arriving at the Great Wall took us nigh iv hours on populace transport. Costs are cheaper if y'all create got a subway scheme card.

First caput to the Dongzhimen (东直门枢纽站) carry station inwards Beijing. If y'all are taking the subway, it is on Line 2 together with Line 13. Once y'all are at that topographic point walk to the omnibus station together with aspect for omnibus 980 heading to Miyun (密云) The toll is 15RMB together with volition accept roughly ii hours.

Ask the driver to driblet y'all off at the Drum Tower (密云古楼). When y'all larn off attempt together with discovery a prissy local to indicate y'all towards the local omnibus station where y'all tin give the sack caput to Gubeikou. It is simply roughly the corner from the Drum Tower, therefore won’t accept besides long to walk.

Bus disclose 25 is the i that goes to Gubeikou. It volition accept nigh i together with a one-half hours together with toll 13RMB (give or accept a few yuan).

The driver volition probable know where to driblet y'all off at, but if non simply say him y'all desire to expire to the Great Wall (长城) together with he volition halt at the entrance gate. You volition start to encounter the Great Wall earlier y'all larn there, therefore y'all volition know y'all are close.

Once at the entrance gate, pay the fee (25RMB when nosotros went inwards June 2015) together with therefore walk through the village. This ‘ancient village’ is existence renovated for tourism, therefore await it to live on quite a tragic house inwards a few years when Gubeikou becomes popular. For directly it is empty. There are a few restaurants together with invitee houses through hither should y'all desire to halt off for a meal.

Follow the signs to the Great Wall. It is straightforward, but if y'all create larn lost some of the locals volition indicate y'all inwards the correct direction.

Camping On The Great Wall Of China

When y'all follow the signs along the pathway together with in conclusion expire far at the Great Wall of China, y'all volition create got ii options – caput left or caput right. We chose to plow right.

Climbing a laid upwards of stairs to larn onto the actual wall nosotros wandered along the top for nigh ii hours, loving the views at every step. One of the outset sentry towers nosotros reached had a novel tiled floor, offering a decent house to throw our tent upwards together with telephone outcry upwards a base.

While y'all weave betwixt cracks together with holes together with examine the ancient sentry towers, live on careful non to trip together with fall.

As the Gubeikou department is unrestored it tin give the sack live on a combat unsafe if y'all don’t sentry your footing. While the landscape is marvellous from every corner, it is the high points that offering views that volition remain alongside y'all for a lifetime.

At i indicate the top of the wall is barricaded together with the path leads dorsum downward onto the ground. Our friends had told us that if y'all follow this path y'all volition eventually attain some other busier department of the Great Wall.

We weren’t interested inwards this, together with instead headed dorsum to the tiled sentry tower. With no i roughly nosotros pitched our tent together with cracked opened upwards the bottle of rice wine.

Hours passed together with nosotros didn’t encounter a unmarried soul. We were slightly on border inwards instance a ranger or police pull officeholder arrived together with forced us dorsum into the village. But nosotros needn’t create got worried.

As the Sun started to laid upwards nosotros saw the strange farmer returning to his pastures far below, but no i came anywhere close us.

Nightfall came together with alongside no to a greater extent than rice vino left to drink, nosotros called it a night.

Waking at sunrise the views were as astonishing, but the clouds had crept over together with obstructed the morning time light. We hiked roughly inwards the brisk together with cool air for an lx minutes together with therefore went dorsum to sleep.

At 10am nosotros rose, nevertheless alongside no i around. We packed our campsite upwards together with headed dorsum to the village. Still no i seemed to assist that nosotros had slept on the Great Wall.

Reaching the route nosotros waiting for xx minutes or therefore earlier a shared mini-van offered to give us a ride into Miyun for 15RMB. Rather than hold back roughly for the omnibus nosotros took him upwards on his offer.

Sunset Gubeikou Camping On The Great Wall Of mainland People's Republic of China Camping on the Great Wall of mainland People's Republic of China (The Complete Guide) — The sentry tower that nosotros pitched our tent in.

Tips together with Advice

It is best to create got your ain tent together with sleeping bag. If y'all create non create got whatever at that topographic point are a few companies inwards Beijing who rent them out.

Bring plenty nutrient together with H2O from Beijing to larn y'all through the solar daytime together with night, as exterior of the Gubeikou hamlet at that topographic point are no shops to purchase anything.

If y'all create military camp on the Great Wall of China, brand certain y'all accept all your trash dorsum alongside you. There are bins inwards the village.