When discussing Beijing or China itself, the Great Wall of China would naturally fall into the conversation. Whatever that is preserved of the Great Wall today is a result of the Ming Dynasty’s engineering efforts. One of the most ambitious construction projects taken on by any civilization back then, the history of the Great Wall is rather depressing, with billions who lost their lives to build the iconic attraction site. Well, placing the origins aside, everyone visits the Great Wall for a sole purpose: to marvel at the extraordinary beauty and magnificence of this UNESCO world heritage site. Here comes the important part: Trekking the entire Great Wall and covering all of its sections would be absolutely unrealistic for casual travellers. By far, only a man managed to do so but it took him two years to achieve that. It is also hard to believe that a traveller is going to make numerous trips to the Great Wall just to cover every section. Therefore, in order to facilitate a wiser and better trip, only a few selected best sections of the Great Wall will be listed. Also, those few sections are clustered near Beijing, thus the saying, “One needs to only drop by Beijing to see the Great Wall of China.”
Badaling
Badaling’s Great Wall section is hands down the most crowded and popular of all, a testament to its best-preserved status. The section’s military outpost is supposedly the highest point of the entire Great Wall, which also proves its strategic importance in defense against Genghis Khan and his Mongol army. Merely a two hours drive from urban Beijing, this section is known to have the most significant amount of development since its major restoration in 1957. Post-development facilities include a museum, a cable car system, restaurants, hotels and even a cinema. Almost at all times, tour groups can be seen marching in. For those with agoraphobia or simply dislike crowds, be sure to stay away from this particular section as fighting through waves of crowds is very much inevitable.
Mutianyu
Deemed as the longest fully-refurbished section and boasting a mesmerizing view of surrounding dense, prolific mountains and forests, Mutianyu’s Great Wall section ranks as the all-time favourite by foreigners. The section is blessed with a better overall architectural design than Badaling and exhibits all of the original-style watchtowers and fortresses. Fortunately, Mutianyu has fewer crowds, which makes the section much easier to navigate than the often-packed Badaling. For those seeking a “fast and furious” way of heading back to the ticket gate entrance, go try out the Mutianyu Toboggan roller coaster cart ride to descend in a wild, exhilarating manner.
Simatai
Known for its uneven and unscathed appearance, Simatai possesses a ton of characteristics that other Great Wall sections have, while boasting a few distinctive features of its own. Basically, the revamps were mainly about necessary reinforcements while the original facade of the section is still well-preserved for visitors to immerse themselves in the historical atmosphere.
While exploring Simatai’s Great Wall, tourists can be captivated by the gorgeous Yuanyang Hu aka. Mandarin Duck Lake and its nearby Gubei Water Town. The section’s wall is actually divided into eastern and western regions respectively by the Simatai Reservoir. The two regions are connected by a chain bridge. For a more thrilling experience, one can hop onto a zipline known as the ‘Flying Fox’, which zooms over the Mandarin Duck Lake for a rapid crossing style to Simatai’s West wall.
It is important to take note that the mountains in western Simatai have gentle slopes while eastern Simatai is riddled with/built along steep and perilous ridges. But treading along the eastern Simatai wall is surely worth the effort and risk due to its ‘Heavenly Ladder’ and ‘Sky Bridge’ - two of the steepest portions located at the top of the eastern wall - offering remarkable scenic views.
The overall diversity offered at Simitai is a real attractive factor as visitors have the luxury of options to choose from when planning to traverse Simatai’s Great Wall. Visitors can either cross the chain bridge, shoot for the zip-line, or utilize the boat at the reservoir.
Here comes the ultimate deal of this section: a night tour experience. Simitai is the only section to offer an enjoyable well-lit night walking experience on the Great Wall. One can also soak in the starry night time view of the countryside below the wall. Well, although Simatai is not the only Great Wall section to light-up at night, it is still arguably the best lit out there. The overall lighting is more elusive and refined as compared to Badaling. Being less crowded too, sums up to a charming night walk experience. When weariness starts to sink in, do not worry as there is an abundance of 5 star hotels awaiting customers to tuck in for the night.
JinShanLing
JinShanLing section is part of the popular 4 hours long great wall hiking route to Simatai. This section is deemed as one of the best-preserved parts of the Great Wall as it strikes a perfect balance between masterful recreation and untouched originality. Driving from urban Beijing to Jinshanling takes roughly 3 hours long, which is slightly further than the other recommended sections. While treading along the hiking route, visitors can discover true serenity coupled with views of the stunning up-and-down snaking directions of the wall. In addition to the tranquility and views, poems and tablet writings can also be found on the wall. Overall, JinShanLing’s Great Wall is more suited to solo travellers who are seeking a less crowded attraction with a somehow isolated and largely peaceful atmosphere.
Ultimately, it would be most ideal to pick only one section for exploration due to severe time constraints. Tourists should also assess their own personal fitness levels beforehand as it can be physically taxing after hours of trekking. Remember, it is still best to follow the advice given here and stick to the ‘one section a day rule’ for a perfect trip to the Great Wall of China.
