China is known for its influential culture, its grand heritage and its vast land. Among these features, there is a unique wall that stretches on over 6000 km from one side of China to the other. I visited the Mutianyu section of the wall which is 1h30 minutes away by car from Beijing. Once there, it was quite a climb up but my highlight was the slide down!
City: Beijing, China
When thinking of historic sites with such legacy, I always think of a long history that comes with it. Sure, the Great Wall has a great history but the other story I feel like telling you is about the toboggan that takes people down from the top of the mountain.
The Mutianyu section of the Great Wall of China can be quite empty!
In the Mutianyu section of the wall, there are far less tourists than other sections like Balading. Therefore, I opted for a day trip from The Opposite House where I was staying in Beijing. It costs about 50 dollars including an English speaking guide, lunch and transport. It was totally worth it! The guide was in my hotel on time at 7 am. It was an early start but once in Mutianyu, I was glad it was that early. I was practically one of the first people to step foot in there.
The cable car and the toboggan!
At the bottom of the mountain, I had a choice: walk or take the cable car. I chose the latter giving that I wanted to enjoy the views from the cable car too. I paid 160 RMB for a round trip. At the top of the mountain, it was a foggy morning but visibility was still clear, I loved this section of the wall as it is renovated but there is a way to see original parts. There is a lot of climbing once in the wall and many big stairs to walk up and down.
Entrance to the toboggan!
What is mostly impressive when I was standing there is that many years ago, people built this wall. They managed to perfectly build it on top of the mountain and make it was long as 6000km. I really admire this and I realise at this point how important the wall is and how it deserves to be a truly world wonder!
I spent about 1 hour and half at the top of the wall but at some point, I was buzzing to go down because the cable car ticket is also valid for a slide down the toboggan.
The main gate to the cable car of Mutianyu Great Wall section.
The national animal of china, the panda.
Lunch time!
Chinese woman making pastries at the restaurant.
The toboggan takes people from the top to the bottom of the mountain and is well fabricated to make the experience an unforgettable one. I was provided with a sort of sledge. There is marking along the slide rail that shows what to do: tilt to the left, speed up, slow down, etc. Plus, there are safety instructions displayed in English before taking the slide down. The whole slide is over 1500 meters long so it’s a good 5 minutes of fun at least!
At the start, I took some speed but at some point I just stopped and couldn’t move any further. Luckily, along the path there are guides who told me to push using the toboggan’s edges.I pushed and I pushed but speed was dead. I was definitely doing something wrong but until now, I ignore what it was. I then went on focusing on speeding up rather than knowing what was wrong.
Enjoying the wall.
I found the right technique and I just caught speed. Even more than I expected… so I flew down like an eagle. The toboggan’s speed can reach up to 30 km/h! It was a fun! I was alone but I couldn’t help screaming, shouting and laughing on my own! All along this slide, I took some videos which I posted on Instagram. They can be seen on my Beijing highlights on instagram at omarinacitynearyou.
I definitely recommend visiting The Great Wall of China. And surely the Mutianyu section because it is far less touristy and the slide down will be a fun you will never forget!
Would you take the slide down the Great Wall of China?
Great information about climbing the Great Wall of China. I was feeling listening to a story while reading, Thanks for sharing this!
Thanks Joanne!