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Trek the Great Wall for your chosen charity!
China is a colossal nation of unrivalled history, incredible sights, and fascinating culture. Beijing, China’s capital city is a captivating city steeped in history. Beijing has served as the centre for the many different empires and cultures that have ruled China and is an imperial treasure trove and home to the Forbidden City and the Great Wall of China.
China’s most iconic sight is the Great Wall and you will experience different parts of it during your time in China. Stretching thousands of miles from the Yellow Sea to the Gobi Desert, over all sorts of dramatic landscapes, it is one of the world’s most impressive feats of engineering. Walking on this structure is the best way to appreciate both the wall itself and the magnificent scenery that it crosses.
This amazing trip will also take in the Temple of Heaven (fine example of Ming architecture), Tiananmen Square (the largest square in the world and the final resting place of Chairman Mao), Forbidden City (UNESCO World Heritage Site), Lama Temple (Tibetan Buddhist monasteries), Summer palace (former residence of many of the Qing emperors) and the Hutong district of Beijing.
Come and join us on an extraordinary adventure through this enchanting region on one or our experience paced tours.
Pledge to raise a minimum of £3,000 for the registered charity of your choice.
Pay a deposit to Charitable Travel of £99pp (if booking up to 31Mar21, and £350pp if booking from 01Apr21)
Set up a JustGiving fundraising page with the agreement of your chosen charity.
You must contact the charity and Charitable Travel requesting to fundraise in this way and we must receive approval from a responsible person at the charity.
Raise as much as you can through your fundraising page, with the money going direct to the charity. Provided you raise at least £2,300 by the deadline the charity will pay the balance of your trip on condition that you raise and pay the additional £700 within four weeks of your return from China.
If you don’t raise the minimum of £2,300 you may cancel and forfeit your deposit or pay the full balance of £2,200 to Charitable Travel to continue with the challenge. However do note that any donors who have so far donated will also need to be offered the chance to receive a refund of their donation. You will need to discuss this with your nominated charity.
Commit to the full payment of £2,299pp
Pay a deposit to Charitable Travel of £99pp (if booking up to 31Mar21, and £350pp if booking from 01Apr21)
Pay the balance of the trip cost, so £2,200, direct to Charitable Travel on the balance due date.
Generate as much sponsorship as you can for your chosen charity, they would be delighted.
Single supplement – £399
Flight upgrade prices – on request.
Extension trips to explore China – lots of options available.
Final payment deadline is 03/06/2022.
China visa and visa handling included for UK passport holders (worth £110pp)
Accommodations as described in the itinerary.
Private guide and driver in each destination as described in the itinerary.
Transfers, guiding, entrance fees and evening entertainment as described in the itinerary.
Meals as described in the itinerary.
International flights as described in the itinerary with associated taxes and charges.
Pledge to raise a minimum of £3,000 for the registered charity of your choice.
Pay a deposit to Charitable Travel of £99pp (if booking up to 31Mar21, and £350pp if booking from 01Apr21)
Set up a JustGiving fundraising page with the agreement of your chosen charity.
You must contact the charity and Charitable Travel requesting to fundraise in this way and we must receive approval from a responsible person at the charity.
Raise as much as you can through your fundraising page, with the money going direct to the charity. Provided you raise at least £2,300 by the deadline the charity will pay the balance of your trip on condition that you raise and pay the additional £700 within four weeks of your return from China.
If you don’t raise the minimum of £2,300 you may cancel and forfeit your deposit or pay the full balance of £2,200 to Charitable Travel to continue with the challenge. However do note that any donors who have so far donated will also need to be offered the chance to receive a refund of their donation. You will need to discuss this with your nominated charity.
Commit to the full payment of £2,299pp
Pay a deposit to Charitable Travel of £99pp (if booking up to 31Mar21, and £350pp if booking from 01Apr21)
Pay the balance of the trip cost, so £2,200, direct to Charitable Travel on the balance due date.
Generate as much sponsorship as you can for your chosen charity, they would be delighted.
Single supplement – £399
Flight upgrade prices – on request.
Extension trips to explore China – lots of options available.
Final payment deadline is 03/06/2022.
China visa and visa handling included for UK passport holders (worth £110pp).
Accommodations as described in the itinerary.
Private guide and driver in each destination as described in the itinerary.
Transfers, guiding, entrance fees and evening entertainment as described in the itinerary.
Meals as described in the itinerary.
International flights as described in the itinerary with associated taxes and charges.
International flights from London to Beijing.
British Airways
Heathrow - Beijing
Arrive in Beijing.
In the evening there will be a group welcome dinner and a briefing covering the exciting days ahead!
Hotel: Mercure Beijing Downtown - 4* or similar
Meals included: Dinner
Explore the Temple of Heaven, founded in the first half of the 15th century, is one of the best examples of Ming architecture and created as a place of worship for the Emperors, who would ask for prosperity, longevity and good harvest for the people. In its overall layout and that of its individual buildings, it symbolises the relationship between earth and heaven – the human world and God's world. The temple complex is located in extensive grounds containing pavilions, gardens and walkways and is a popular place for the local residents practising tai chi, dancing and playing badminton.
Today, your guide will take you to Tiananmen Square. Built under the guidance of Chairman Mao Zedong, Tiananmen Square is one of the largest public squares in the world, said to hold a capacity crowd of over one million. It houses not only the Monument to the People’s Heroes, it is also the final resting place of Chairman Mao himself in the Mausoleum of Mao Zedong.
Explore the Forbidden City which was originally constructed in the 15th century and consists of almost 1,000 buildings surrounded by defensive walls and a moat. Since 1987, the Forbidden City has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site and its palatial architectural style has been an influence on many imperial buildings throughout Asia.
Hotel: Mercure Beijing Downtown - 4* or similar
Physical walking rate: Easy 5 hours AM / easy 2 hours PM
Distance: varies during sightseeing
Meals included: breakfast, lunch, and dinner
This morning, you will be collected from your hotel and transferred to the Gubeikou section of the iconic Great Wall. Your trek today will take in the region of 5 hours through quieter areas, away from the crowds. On arrival at Gubeikou Watertown, drop your overnight bags at your accommodation before starting your hike with a short climb up to a broken tower. Head across to the General Tower, from where the views of Gubeikou Mountain will give you an understanding of the sheer scale of work required to originally build the wall amongst this stunning scenery. Spend the next hour gradually climbing pass several towers until you reach Window Tower 24.
The next part of the wall goes through a military area, so you will descend into the Spider Valley basin. The walk here is fairly flat and gentle, until you reach a longer hilly trail taking you back to the wall at Jinshanling West. After another short climb, you will reach West 5 Window Tower, from where you will be able to view the full length of the Spider Valley. Head over to nearby Simatai to explore the wall around Simatai West, before being collected by your car and transferred to Gubeikou Watertown for your overnight stay.
Hotel: Gubei Water Town Hotel
Physical walking rate: Easy 5-6 hours
Approx distance: 12km / 7.5 miles
Meals included: breakfast, lunch, and dinner
This morning spend some time exploring Gubeikou Watertown, before you are collected by your guide to start your shorter trek from Jinshangling to Simatai West. The track is well formed and easy to follow, but there are some places where you must walk on vertical steps, rugged terrain or through broken towers. Along the way you will pass through several famous towers: Black Tower, Lesser Jinshan Tower, Big Jinshan Tower. In total, the trek should take in the region of 3 hours to complete.
From the towers you will capture the true nature of the Jinshanling basin and Simatai, Gubeikou. You will keep walking until you reach the Tower 22, where you will come off the wall. Walk along the hilly trail to the parking lot takes around 40 minutes, where you will be picked up by your driver and returned to Beijing.
Hotel: Gubei Water Town Hotel
Physical walking rate: Moderate 4-5 hours
Approx distance: 8km / 5 miles
Meals included: breakfast, lunch, and dinner
Today, visit the Great Wall of China, the most iconic attraction in the country. The Jiankou section of the Great Wall, in which you will be visiting, is not only a photographer's paradise, it is also one of the wildest and most adventurous parts of the Wall. Away from the hustle and bustle of mass tourism, you will find an idyllic oasis of peace and wild romance. Here, you will walk four hours on the Wall amidst breath-taking scenery, where you will meet few other travellers. Many great spots for taking pictures will reward you for the strenuous hike.
Originally built under the first Emperor of China, Qin Shi Huang, The Great Wall of China is the country’s most iconic sight. Snaking through the northern countryside from the Gobi Desert in the west into the Bohai Sea in the east, the Great Wall of China is the longest wall in the world. The section you will visit with your local guide is Mutianyu, a section which is well restored and with good facilities but does not attract as many people as at some other locations. Be prepared for a stiff climb as your walk can sometimes resemble ascending a staircase. Alternatively, take the cable car up and down for panoramic views (tickets included).
Hotel: Brickyard Hotel on the foot of Mutianyu
Physical walking rate: Difficult 5-6 hours
Meals included: breakfast, lunch, and dinner
Today you will visit the Huanghuacheng section of the Great Wall. Huanghuacheng snakes through the hills about 40 miles from Beijing. Known to be particularly picturesque due to the lakes that dot the surrounding landscapes, this section of the wall is becoming known for its rewarding hiking opportunities. Building this section of the wall took the Ming Dynasty 188 years and is just partially restored today, so it is the perfect place to get an idea of the wall’s original structure. Climbs can be steep but conquering a pass not only instils a great feeling of pride, it also gives wonderful views over lakes and countryside.
Hotel: Mercure Beijing Downtown
Physical walking rate: Moderate 4-5 hours
Meals included: breakfast, lunch, and dinner
The Hutong districts of Beijing are the original residential areas of the city with old buildings lining narrow streets. Hutongs were designed to reflect the Chinese system of Feng Shui with four hutongs joining together to make a courtyard in the middle, known as Siheyuan.
Explore one of the hutongs by taking a leisurely stroll around the car-free alleyways soaking up the atmosphere of a time long past and watch for the local people shopping in the small stores, playing with their children or engrossed in a game of mah-jong.
Visit the Lama Temple. Officially known as the Yonghe Temple, it is one of the most important Tibetan Buddhist monasteries in the world. The monastery is a centre for the Gulug School (or Yellow Hat Sect) of Buddhism, which has as its head the abbot of the Ganden Monastery in Lhasa. Look out for the Maitreya Buddha statue in the Pavilion of Ten Thousand Happiness, which holds the Guinness World Record for the largest carving created from a single sandalwood tree.
Visit the Summer Palace, the largest and most well- reserved royal park in China with over 3,000 man-made ancient structures. The palace is the former residence of many of the Qing Emperors and hosts a stunning example of a Chinese garden and incorporates the Feng shui notion of ‘Mountain’ and ‘Water’. Join a boat ride across Kunming Lake (weather permitting) to the decorative marble boat from where you may return via the Long Corridor, one of the longest outdoor passageways in the world.
Hotel: Mercure Beijing Downtown
Meals included: breakfast, lunch, and dinner
Today, you will be met in your hotel lobby and transferred to the airport for your departure flight.
Flight details:
British Airways
Beijing - Heathrow
For the latest travel advice from the Foreign & Commonwealth Office including security, local laws and passports – click here
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