Trekking the Great Wall of China with 13 Women

09 Aug Trekking the Great Wall of China with 13 Women

We love international travel! We do it not only to see new things and meet new people. But also to enrich our understanding of the world and humanity, our place in it. Trekking through new places helps us see new things and meet new people.

For the past three years, I’ve been taking women trekking and adventure seeking and this year we went to China. The adventure to China was carefully planned and curated. A 10-week training program put in place to ensure that everyone was well prepared for the adventure. The 12-day trip saw 12 women plus myself visit Beijing, trek The Great Wall of China for six days and then on to Hong Kong for a couple of days of luxury at the Langham Hotel before heading back home.

In China we had a Chinese English speaking guide Gary. He greeted us at the airport and helped us navigate through the streets of Beijing. Gary showed us the best places to shop for a bargain, introduced us to traditional Chinese cuisine and made sure we were safe. We ate well with local delicacy of Peking duck, Chinese dumplings and congee. Tiananmen Square, The Forbidden City, The Drum Tower, The Bell Tower and the Hutongs were key sights we saw.

Gary became our walking leader on The Great Wall of China. We spent six days trekking both restored sections of the wall and more remote unrestored sections. The country is large with vast mountain ranges. So many views that the only word that we said after a strenuous climb was WOW. We stayed in villages in farm/guest houses along the way and ate like a local, practiced in Tai Chi and learnt how to make our own dumplings.

After mainland China we went onto Hong Kong for a couple of luxurious nights staying at the Langham Hotel to rest, recover and experience the delights of an uber modern city.

It was an amazing experience and while it was physically challenging, it was a triumphant feeling of making it to the top of each climb and was an invaluable lesson of self-awareness.

Whats Next?

Next on the list of adventures is Japan!