The Great Wall
Description
- Length of trail 8,852 km, 5,500 miles
- Start of trail Jiayuguan
- End of trail Shanhaiguan
The Great Wall is China's world famous historic defensive megastructure built to keep out invaders from the north. Large parts of the Great Wall are no longer intact, and to make things more complicated, there is not one single continuous Great Wall. So how long is it? Measuring all the actual wall sections adds up to 6259 km. Including trenches and natural barriers (rivers, rocks, hills incorporated in the wall) the total length is just under 8852 km! Whichever you choose, hiking the full length, meaning from Jiayuguan in the west to Shanhaiguan on the Yellow Sea, will probably take up to 5 months.
Links
Facts
- trekkingvisions - The Great Wall
Concise information on 2-day trekking along the Great Wall.
Reports
- Great Wall Trek - China 2007
Website by Mark Scholinz hike along the Great Wall in 2007.
- Hiking China's Great Wall, National Geographic Adventure Magazine
National Geographic on Hiking the Great Wall.
- Walking the Wall
Report by Emma Nicholas and Brendan Fletcher of their thru-hike along the Great Wall in 2006-2007.
- Primal Journey | Tarka L’Herpiniere and Katie-Jane Cooper » Great Wall of China
Short report of a thru-hike along the Great Wall in 2007.
Guides and maps
Lodging
Organisations
Tour operators
GPS
Other
- The Great Wall of China - Pictures (Czech)
Pictures of the Great Wall from several trips; in summer, in winter, crowded Badaling part as well as abandoned parts.
Books
Netherlands
2003
- Wandelgids Explore the Great Wall (China) | Rucksack Readers |
- Aan de hand van een aantal wandelingen die beperkt worden beschreven, krijg je een goede kijk op de grootsheid van de Muur. Over de hele lengte verspreid een aantal tochten die niet al te lang zijn. Leuke gids om de muur op een originele manier te leren kennen. The Great Wall of China is the largest construction on earth, yet myths about it... Read more
Walking holidays
Netherlands
- WALKING THE GREAT WALL
- Stepping out across the peaceful semi-ruin of a section of the Great Wall is like walking in the footsteps of the past. Far from the madding tourist crowds we are able to get a great sense of the scale and the majesty of this remarkable piece of engineering without rushing through in a big group. As we trek along various contrasting sections of... Read more