Your fundraising and training is about to pay off as the big day has finally arrived. Wave goodbye to family and friends and board your overnight flight to Beijing, where your challenge begins.
Ni Hao, welcome to China!
Your local Charity Challenge guide will be on hand at the airport to welcome you and organise your road transfer to the first night's accommodation. In the evening, you will gather together for a trek briefing and inaugural team dinner to prepare for your incredible adventure.
Accommodation: Lodge
Today, after a short group warm up, your trek on the wall will begin. After just a few kilometres, you will leave behind the tourists and reach an original section of the wall. Its steep, crumbling staircases will provide a fitting introduction to the enormity of the challenge ahead. Be sure to count the watchtowers as you pass through them and take time to look back and see what you have achieved. Tonight, you will get the chance to rest your weary legs at the lodge before getting a good night’s sleep.
Accommodation: Lodge
This is the longest day of the challenge so get ready to push yourself to the limits! Today you will take on the demanding Gubeikou section of the wall, which begins with a steady climb on uneven ground, past several time-worn watchtowers. Gubeikou was once the site of incessant warfare and was heavily guarded leading to an interesting variety of defence structures. This part of the wall offers fantastic panoramic views over rural China so be sure to have your camera to hand. A short transfer at the end of the day will take you to your lodge where a delicious evening meal will await you.
Accommodation: Lodge
Today follows the Mutianyu section of the wall and will see you taking on the "Heavenly Staircase".
You will begin the day with a steep climb up towards the first watchtower on this section before following this along to the Heavenly Staircase. Once at the top, you can bask in the glory of the truly breath-taking scenery around you and take advantage of being on one of the quieter sections of the wall. Given the number of stairs and the scale of the climb, today will test even the fittest of legs. After leaving the wall, you will head back to the lodge with a sense of achievement, after successfully completing one of the more demanding days of the trip.
Accommodation: Lodge
Challenging yet unforgettable, the Huanghuacheng section is one of the most exciting parts of the wall.
From the small village of Xishuiyu, you will take a trail through thick forest to reach the entry point onto the wall. Overgrown, undulating and steep in places, today's section boasts a spectacular backdrop of the surrounding mountains, the Xishuiyu Reservoir and the Little West Lake. You will need to take care today as this unrestored section can often be loose under foot. Once you have soaked up the view, you will head down for your transfer to your overnight accommodation and enjoy a well-earned drink.
Accommodation: Lodge
Today’s trek will take you to the best preserved and most complete section of the wall. With classic views of the wall winding its way over the hills and into the distance, there will be plenty of perfect photo opportunities along the way. After conquering the final watchtower of the day, it will be time to leave this impressive fortification behind you and head back to Beijing. Once settled back in the capital, you will enjoy an evening meal with your fellow trekkers and new-found friends.
Accommodation: Hotel
With the hard work done, it will be time to relax and enjoy some of the cultural highlights of China's historic capital, Beijing.
Today’s city tour of Beijing includes a visit to Tiantan Park and the Temple of Heaven, where you can join the locals as they enjoy a morning of Tai Chi, Mah Jong and their own unique version of ‘Strictly Come Dancing’! An opportunity for some shopping at the local market is followed by a tour around Tiananmen Square and the magnificent Forbidden City, before a final group dinner of traditional Peking Duck or a vegetarian alternative.
Accommodation: Hotel
It’s time to bid a fond farewell to China and make your way to the airport for your morning flight home. Filled with a profound sense of pride and a wish that the adventure could continue, you will return home armed with stories and memories that will last a lifetime...or at least until the next challenge.
BELIEVE >> ACHIEVE >> INSPIRE
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