Ultimate Guide to Planning Great Wall Hiking Trips
A well planned Great Wall hike will be much safer and much more enjoyable so make sure that you take the time to plan your hike properly.
Unlike restored Badaling, Wild Great Wall remains “wild” with rugged and difficult terrain. The surfaces you are walking on would be more uneven than the paved or flat surfaces you usually find in your city.
Hiking Wild Great Wall isn’t at all a risky business if you know what you’re doing. It’s helpful if you know just how to plan a Great Wall hike, and how to take care of yourself in the wilder places in all possible circumstances.
Know Your Great Wall Hike and Your Terrain
The first thing to do to plan a Great Wall hike is to determine just how long you want to spend hiking. There is some difference in the planning requirements for 1 Day Hikes and 4 Day and 3 Night Hike.
Once you have decided on how long to spend on your Great Wall hike, the next step is to determine realistically just how far you can go in a day and what kind of terrain you can handle. (For most parts of the Great Wall in Beijing region, the terrain is rolling to hilly).
Plan for trip by reading the information of Great Wall you’re interested in on our website. Acquire information regarding safety and environmental issues before you go. From this you will be able to decide on your hiking route.
It’s also important to be very aware of weather of Great Wall. Research the Weather Patterns of Great Wall before the hike. Always check weather forecast reports for the days and know when is the best time to get started to lower the risk of serious problems. If you take Self-guided Great Wall Hiking Tour, pay attention to natural landmarks as you walk along to make sure you can find your way back if you’re lost.
Physical Preparation
Anyone who is physically active and fit will get the most out of the Great Wall hiking. However, if this business of hiking is really new to you take a walk in a park is most likely the best way to get started. Find a park that has some unpaved walking paths where you can get a feel of it.
The more walking you do, the easier hiking should be for you. All in all, make sure that you are choosing a route that you can handle and err on the side of caution, it is far better to find out that a route was too easy than too difficult.
Determine What to Bring
Determining what to bring with you can be a challenge, on the one hand you don’t want to forget something that you need. On the other hand you don’t want to carry more than you have to. You will need to decide what you really need and what you can do without.
In large part this will depend on how long you expect to be gone for. Clearly you need more equipment for a multiday hike than you do for a single day hike. For this part, you can check out another post: What Do I Need to Bring on Day Tours?
Never Go Hiking Alone
Hiking the Great Wall alone is not for the inexperienced for reasons of safety. You should always go with another person. If you get hurt you may need assistance. A hiking partner may help you if you happen to get lost, confused, or anxious. A hiking partner will be a simple hiking assistance. Make sure that somebody knows where you are going and how long you expect to be gone.
Hiking With Friends / Group
Hiking with friends or group first if you are inexperienced hiker. You can greatly reduce the chances of an injury, getting lost or being forced to spend a night in Wild Great Wall without adequate clothing or gear with friends or a group. You may have heard about someone being lost in Jiankou, or a hiking group having to be rescued in Jiankou in the past.
It’s wonderful that your friend can help you out when you don’t know what to do. If you’re a solo traveler and don’t have anyone to go with, maybe this “Find a Companion Service” we are offering will assist you. It is aimed at putting people in touch with other people who have similar Great Wall hiking & camping interests. Happy travels!
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