CHINA

Great Wall of China ChINA TRIP GRAD: Medium DATES: October 2018 DURATION: 10 Days

The Great Wall of China is one of the greatest won- in Gansu in the west, via the nine provinces or cit- ders of the world, was listed as a World Heritage ies in northern China, including Liaoning, , by UNESCO in 1987. Just like a gigantic dragon, , Tianjin, Shanxi, Shaanxi, Inner Mongo- it winds up and down across deserts, grasslands, lia, Ningxia and Gansu. It is often compared to a mountains and plateaus, stretching approximately huge dragon winding up and down in the mountains, 13,170 miles (21,196 kilometers) from East to West of grassland and deserts. China. The Great Wall of China is a place that is on many With a history of more than 2,000 years, some of people’s bucketlists, not only to see the wall, but the sections are now in ruins or have disappeared. also the atomsphere, culture and sites that you seen However, it is still one of the most appealing at- on your trek. tractions all around the world owing to its archi- tectural grandeur and historical significance. The Great Wall was built for defensive purposes, especially to stop attack from the North of China. The history of the Great Wall is said to start from PAYMENT OPTIONS the Spring and Autumn Periods when seven powerful Deposit - £200 states appeared at the same time. In order to de- fend themselves, they all built walls and stationed Full Payment £2100.00 troops on the borders. At that time, the total length Land Only £1500.00 of the wall had already reached 3,107 miles, be- longing to different states. Monthly

Enjoying the fame of “Wan Li Chang Cheng”, the main 20 Monthly structure of today’s Great Wall starts from Hushan Payments £105.00 in Liaoning in the east and ends at Jiayuguan Pass

www.thebucketlistcompany.co.uk I [email protected] ITINERARY DAY I - Depart UK and fly to DAY 9 - We will visit Tian- Beijing anmen Square and Forbidden City, then tour Beijing’s old DAY 2 - residential quarters where Arrive in Beijing you can feel the old culture of this part of vanishing old DAY 3 - Hike (10km/6 town called Hutong in Chi- miles, 5 hours) nese. DAY 10- Depart back to the UK. DAY 4 - Huang- huacheng-Xishuyu- (6km/4 miles, 5 hours) DAY 5- Huang- huacheng-Xishuyu- (6km/4 miles, 5 hours)

DAY 6 - Gubeikou- Jinshan- ling (10km/6 miles, 5 hours) DAY 7- Panlongshan to Huangyaguan (6km/4 miles, 5 hours) DAY 8 - We will drive back to Beijing, stop for photos at Olympic Village with Bird Nest and Water Cube on the way back. Then go to tour the Royal Summer Palace.

www.thebucketlistcompany.co.uk I [email protected] GENERAL INFORMATION

EXPEDITION COST All accommodation is included as well as TRANSIT STOPS a11 flights and transfers; internal air When booking group flights we endeav- tax; all meals; any permits and entry fees our to find the best flights that match to any regions and sites visited as part our itinerary. There are often no di- of the itinerary. Expedition Insurance, rect flights to our destination, so do Group Equipment, Safety Equipment. Also be prepared for transit stops; bring a included is your own Expedition manager good book or chat to your fellow ex- and 24 UK Operations and emergency cover plorers! Airlines that do offer direct whilst you are in country. flights rarely offer competitive rates for groups. Please remember that the Experienced the Bucket List Company main purpose of our trips is to be rea- leaders are also included, along with a sonably priced. local support crew of local guides, and cooks. The tour cost does not include CULTURAL DIFFERENCES AND FOREIGN personal equipment, entry visa, tips for TRAVEL local crew, or personal spending money. Everyone wants to travel to have new experiences and our trips are no dif- FLIGHT INFORMATION ferent. We will let you have new ex- Group flights leave from London Heathrow periences that will push you out of or Gatwick and are booked through Wexas your comfort zone. This is all part of Travel Ltd under ATOL licence 2873. By the challenge you are signing up for. travelling with The Bucket List Company The main things you will need to bring your finances are protected. with you to gain the most out of your trip are a sense of adventure and a Our itineraries are always based on cur- sense of humour, with these in tow you rent flight schedules and are therefore will have a brilliant trip. subject to change by the airline. ACCOMMODATION We will be staying in either hotels, hostels, tents or huts depending on the finalised itinerary.

FOOD All meals are included from when we get to our camp and depart the camp to head home. GENERAL INFORMATION

DIETARY REQUIREMENTS Being vegetarian or having other dietary requirements is not usu- ally a problem provided you let us know well in advance. If you know there are plenty of, foods you can- not eat you may wish to bring extra snacks from home so you can top up your energy supply. PASSPORT, VISA aND VACCINATIONS British nationals need a visa to enter mainland China, but not Hong Kong or Macao. For mainland China, you must get a visa prior to arriv- al, including for Hainan Island. For details of entry requirements to China contact the nearest Chi- nese Embassy or Consulate in good time before your proposed trip. Your passport should be valid for at least 6 months from the date of your visa application. If you have less than 6 months’ validity on your passport, but have a valid visa, you should be able to en- ter China for the duration of that visa. Yellow Fever vaccination is re- quired for travellers who are ar- riving from, or have transited through, countries with risk of yellow fever transmission. CLOTHING EQUIPMENT We know what you need! Therefore

our equipment list will mean that you will be perfectly attired and outfitted for your whole trip and well under baggage allowance. We find most people already have in their possession what is necessary for a trekking trip and very little else in the way of specialised equipment is required. LUGGAGE If you need help and support on what to buy please contact us. We can also sell you the kit you require through our extensive network of suppliers.

WEATHER In China, a vast land spanning many degrees of latitude with complicated terrain, climate varies radically. China has a variety of temperature and rainfall zones, including continental monsoon areas. In winter most areas become cold and dry, in summer hot and rainy. GENERAL INFORMATION

FITNESS AND SAFETY make sure they have the correct skills Safety is our major concern with any and personality to give you the expe- trip we run. All of the guides are chosen rience of a lifetime. You will be in safe for their extensive international expe- hands with one of our leaders. Our lead- rience. They each have at least 10 years ers are UK based and love what they do. running expeditions around the world. The leader will also be supported by an All have first aid qualifications of the in-country team of guides and crew, the highest standard including at least one in-country team are also English speak- medic on each trip. ing. We carry an extensive First Aid kit and All of our leaders/Staff are also sup- Satellite phones with us at all times. ported by our UK 24 Hour support Hub. There are no special requirements for The office is manned with a team that this trip, except a huge sense of adven- are on hand 24 hours a day to liase with ture. There are no restrictions pro- leaders, Insurance companies and our on viding you are in reasonable physical call doctors. This is our essential con- shape. Medical forms will be handed out tact point for every trip. in the booking packs for you to let us know of any medical conditions or al- TIPS FOR LOCAL CREW lergies you have. Although this is not compulsory if you feel you have been looked after well, it TRAINiNG WEEKEND is a nice gesture to tip the local crew You will have a training weekend with a and guides. Your leader will collect any difference, you will find out more de- tips given and distribute them fairly tails once you have booked!! amongst your in country crew. TRIP SUPPORT Your trip will be lead by an experienced member of the Bucket List Company. Our leaders are selected and trained by us to GENERAL INFORMATION

DOSSIERS CARi3ON Oi:FSETTiNG Once we have received your booking form you We encourage all our customers to will be issued with your expedition dossier, offset emissions connected with their this will give you the following informa- trip. You can offset at any time in the tion; lead-up to departure by visiting Cli- mate Care. • Detailed Itinerary • Kit List FREEBIES| • Training Guide All team members will get a T-shirt and • Medical information DVD -With all of our trips we film on • Expedition Training Weekend information the go. When we are back in the UK the footage and photos are edited together to create a short film of your memo- ries of your trip included within the package, and hopefully we can all get together again for the premier of the film!!

CHINA The Great Wall of China

Rock And Rapid Adventures Hacche Mill, South Molton Devon EX36 3NA

Phone: 01769 309007 E-mail: [email protected] Website. www.thebucketlistcompany.co.uk