Exploring the Great Wall of China at Mutianyu! Cherry Blossoms, Chair Lifts AND CHAOS??

We have finally made it to oneĀ 
of our biggest bucket list items. The Great Wall of China We’re currently travellingin China forĀ 
30 days, and so far we’ve already seenĀ Ā  a lot of beautiful and amazing sites hereĀ 
in China that have honestly blown us away But of course, the Great Wall of ChinaĀ 
is one of the seven wonders of the worldĀ Ā  and has been on our bucket list for soĀ 
long, so we are very excited to be here But not everything goes according toĀ 
plan for this trip to the Great Wall. “But we’re trying to askĀ 
like where are our tickets” We definitely learned a few things not to do soĀ Ā  if you’re watching this video as aĀ 
bit of a guide for your own travels,Ā Ā  we’ll share some of the mistakes that we made soĀ 
hopefully you can avoid those mistakes as well But we cannot wait to exploreĀ 
one of the world’s wonders,Ā Ā  and after 20 days of travelling inĀ 
China, we have finally made it here. “This view right here might be the top one” Good morning beautiful people today is suchĀ 
an exciting day we are finally after almostĀ Ā  3 weeks in China heading to the Great WallĀ 
and I am so excited we booked a tour forĀ Ā  this one well sort of a tour it’s kind of like aĀ 
self-guided tour basically we booked our ticketsĀ Ā  and transport to the wall but then once we getĀ 
there we’re on our own but then they’re goingĀ Ā  to bring us back to Beijing we did look intoĀ 
public transport getting there it just takesĀ Ā  too dang long weirdly they’re just meeting us atĀ 
exit G of this train station which could be likeĀ Ā  yeah literally could be anywhere so I’m hopingĀ 
they’ll see foreigners and be like you’re with usĀ Ā  okay follow me our tour guide has arrived right onĀ 
time oh yeah yes yes nice to meet you Cal nice toĀ Ā  meet you just a minute just a minute one minute soĀ 
he has come to collect us from the train stationĀ Ā  and I’m assuming we’re there’s a few buses parkedĀ 
up here so we’re going to probably jump on one ofĀ Ā  those you can get public transport to the wall asĀ 
well but it only leaves from Dongyan bus terminalĀ Ā  and that bus terminal is like 15 minutes byĀ 
public transport from where we’re staying inĀ Ā  Beijing and then it’s another 2 hours to theĀ 
wall and actually booking this transport wasĀ Ā  pretty much the same price so this was just wayĀ 
more convenient this will take us directly thereĀ Ā  and it’ll bring us directly back it’s only goingĀ 
to be an hour and a half and it was only a coupleĀ Ā  of subway stops from us so it was perfect allĀ 
right so this is going to be us for the next hourĀ Ā  and a half there’s actually four stops to pickĀ 
people up and I think we’re the second or third stop and the bout wall itself is very very hugeĀ 
so far the grid wall is the longest one and alsoĀ Ā  preserve most preserved sections becauseĀ 
boutique section is really huge and alsoĀ Ā  uh preserved very well uh is likeĀ 
the first built of 1404 600 yearsĀ Ā  ago and the Beijing government uhĀ 
used a special way to preserve itĀ Ā  uh 80% like it was we’ve been in this bus forĀ 
2 hours and 15 minutes actually over there is that it we also just realized that we kindĀ 
of made a mistake when we booked our ticketsĀ Ā  but it’s going to be okay it’s only going toĀ 
cost us an extra $60 it’s not the end of theĀ Ā  world we’ll explain to you about explain it toĀ 
you as we completely figure out if we did makeĀ Ā  up this thing yeah yeah let us confirm giveĀ 
you guys all the details because turns outĀ Ā  it’s actually kind of confusing who knewĀ 
i thought it was pretty straightforward that’s not it that’s it that’s it oh my god itĀ 
looks like we’re arriving in the car park and IĀ Ā  can see the Great Wall on the mountain right thereĀ 
i’m so excited finally arrived it’s 11:00 it’sĀ Ā  going to be Dream Prime tourist time we want toĀ 
eat where we want to eat we don’t want to eat withĀ Ā  you that’s it oh I know i know no you don’t haveĀ 
to eat with me you go with me to get a ticket i goĀ Ā  with me to get the ticket okay i’m so confused atĀ 
what’s going on so we’ve arrived at the park andĀ Ā  um he’s trying to get everyone to have lunchĀ 
at a restaurant that I’m assuming our guy makesĀ Ā  commission from which is totally fine i’m all forĀ 
that make the commission but we don’t want to eatĀ Ā  at that restaurant and we just want our ticketsĀ 
so we can go to the Great Wall but we’re tryingĀ Ā  to ask like where are our tickets like how do we IĀ 
need the ticket to get on the gondola to get up toĀ Ā  the Great Wall and he kind of just keeps going IĀ 
get the tickets I get the tickets i’m like “OkayĀ Ā  so can we have the tickets like we’ve paid youĀ 
for the tickets and we can’t really get them.”Ā Ā  And there’s obviously there’s a massive groupĀ 
so and he’s only one guy and it’s a whole busĀ Ā  load so he’s trying to organize everyone but heĀ 
specifically said to us on the bus I’ll buy theĀ Ā  tickets through me because otherwise when youĀ 
get there there’s a big line it’ll take longerĀ Ā  but kind of start to think that maybe we shouldĀ 
have just paid for the transport and got our ownĀ Ā  tickets when we arrived because this is takingĀ 
a really long time everything’s okay becauseĀ Ā  we got warm bubble tea okay after a littleĀ 
bit of confusion with our guy we managed toĀ Ā  grab some water and now we’re just waiting for ourĀ 
tickets the way that this tour was advertised wasĀ Ā  basically that it was going to be our transportĀ 
uh and our tickets but then once we arrived it’sĀ Ā  unguided so we just go do our own thing but it’sĀ 
not really what’s happening so it seems like ourĀ Ā  guide is actually purchasing our tickets on siteĀ 
and so now we’re having to wait for him to getĀ Ā  the tickets and we also have to wait for theĀ 
entire group of 20 people because some peopleĀ Ā  are going to eat some people aren’t going to eatĀ 
some people want to go up now we wanted to grabĀ Ā  a quick snack before we went up it’s like a wholeĀ 
thing so now it’s actually taking us longer thanĀ Ā  if we just paid for the shuttle bus and thenĀ 
bought the tickets on our own anyway so we’reĀ Ā  we thought we were doing the convenient option byĀ 
doing a group tour but it’s actually turned outĀ Ā  to be not as convenient is I just want to be thereĀ 
already i’m too impatient okay let’s go i I made aĀ Ā  mistake because uh but that’s crazy we would haveĀ 
waited an hour there maybe sorry sorry about thatĀ Ā  uh sorry sir you have I hope you can understandĀ 
me because we just thought the tickets wouldĀ Ā  have been pre purchase so that when we arrivedĀ 
the ticket is not there they have to be here iĀ Ā  grabbed the ticket for you that’s the ticket fromĀ 
so you want to go on the cable you have the youĀ Ā  have the the cable car ticket right okay okayĀ 
uh I recommend you go this way but it’s up toĀ Ā  you you can go this way you said we can do bothĀ 
oh yes yes because now less people just in caseĀ Ā  uh uh queue there but it’s up to you okay we don’tĀ 
need the the we have the ticket yeah the passportsĀ Ā  well just have passport yes yes the the cable cardĀ 
ticket or I could have bought these tickets hereĀ Ā  myself uh sometime here long we have we haveĀ 
that that’s okay our passports are the ticketsĀ Ā  we couldn’t say it so we could have just leftĀ 
we didn’t need to wait for him we have arrivedĀ Ā  so there’s two options when you get to the MianiĀ 
walk actually I think there’s three options one isĀ Ā  to hike up this very steep hill to the wall theĀ 
second option is to take the cable car that youĀ Ā  can see behind me this one it’s an extra 140 yuanĀ 
for a return ticket on the cable car and the thirdĀ Ā  option is to take a chair lift up and the funnestĀ 
part is that to come back down you can take a tobogen which is also 140 yuan on top of yourĀ 
entrance ticket so we have opted to do both weĀ Ā  didn’t mean to when we pre-booked the ticket IĀ 
actually pre-booked the cable car included butĀ Ā  it turns out the cable car is not the same asĀ 
the chairlift and I thought that it was so weĀ Ā  really wanted to take the tobogen down becauseĀ 
who can say that they’ve seen the Great Wall ofĀ Ā  China and toboggan down from it we will be ableĀ 
to say that by the end of this video so we didĀ Ā  have to pay the extra 140 y per person to do thatĀ 
which is like an extra 60 bucks to do both optionsĀ Ā  if we’d known that we probably would haveĀ 
just done the cha tobogen option but it wasĀ Ā  just our mistake so now looking on the brightĀ 
side we get to do both we get to see two partsĀ Ā  of the wall and one thing that I discoveredĀ 
is the cable path that where it goes has aĀ Ā  better view so there’s benefits to each oneĀ 
so now we just get to have all the benefits i’m so excited we got it you seeĀ 
it’s it’s luck turning around guys stay down now oh my god oh my gosh I’mĀ 
so excited so this that’s the actual wallĀ Ā  there the actual wall all right so Oh my godĀ 
love you seeing the Great Wall i’m so closeĀ Ā  to it like there is there’s the Great Wall ofĀ 
China oh my gosh those mountains are just Wow my mom We’re on the Great Wall of China suchĀ 
a bucket list bucket list wo that is steep andĀ Ā  big look at those mountains and in the distanceĀ 
over here there’s all these jagged mountains youĀ Ā  can see the wall running for like all the wayĀ 
to the furthest peak up there see the top wo maxim oh my god so there’s two sections of theĀ 
wall that you can visit from Beijing we are onĀ Ā  the Mutanu section and I’m pronouncing that wrongĀ 
the other section is called the Butterling sectionĀ Ā  and the reason that we chose this one is thatĀ 
this one apparently gets less tourist but it isĀ Ā  gaining in popularity so it’s definitely gettingĀ 
more and more crowded and secondly this wall hasĀ Ā  actually been preserved which means that this isĀ 
the actual ancient wall this section was builtĀ Ā  over 600 years ago and the Chinese governmentĀ 
actually used techniques to preserve it theĀ Ā  bedling wall however was rebuilt in the 80s andĀ 
is practically brand new so it’s not actually theĀ Ā  preserved wall they just recreated it so thisĀ 
one is I guess you could say more authentic umĀ Ā  because it is actually preserved and this sectionĀ 
is supposed to be one of the most beautiful withĀ Ā  the views and honestly the view over there wowĀ 
like it’s incredible this hills or these mountainsĀ Ā  I should say are dotted with cherry blossomsĀ 
and the white version of cherry blossoms i’mĀ Ā  not sure what they’re called but And then you canĀ 
just see the wall in the distance and it’s justĀ Ā  I’m literally hanging over the Great Wall of ChinaĀ 
right now i couldn’t be more happy i’m so excited watch towers ancient archers were in these watchtowers fightingĀ 
Genghask Khan and Ailla the Han maybe not theseĀ Ā  particular ones cuz I don’t know exactly whereĀ 
we are in relation to Mongolia but like oh wowĀ Ā  look at the view oh my gosh i’m just like aĀ 
kid like I’m It’s been a long time since we’veĀ Ā  been to something that we’ve traveled to that’sĀ 
gotten me this excited gosh it’s really steep inĀ Ā  some sections like this is going down like quite aĀ 
slope oh my god i feel like it just keeps gettingĀ Ā  prettier and prettier we’re like overwhelmed byĀ 
the amount of beauty surrounding us it’s such anĀ Ā  impressive site and there’s never dull moment onĀ 
the wall as in like you go down you go up there’sĀ Ā  watch towers there’s little mini steps there’sĀ 
cats so you very much entertain and we have beenĀ Ā  blessed with the weather as well we’re expectingĀ 
to be very cold we double rugged up and everythingĀ Ā  but the weather is perfect we have a few of theĀ 
little cherry blossoms and mountains like overĀ Ā  here they’re insane actually makes you wonder whyĀ 
they built the section of the wall here when likeĀ Ā  clearly the mountain would have done the jobĀ 
surely i don’t know so some fun facts for you iĀ Ā  wrote them down the concept of the Great Wall wasĀ 
actually built after the concept of Cheng ChongĀ Ā  which is Chinese for long wall and the first oneĀ 
was actually built by King Wu Lin around 300 BC aĀ Ā  very long time ago and basically he they alreadyĀ 
had fortifications that went around their townsĀ Ā  but he was constantly being attacked by peopleĀ 
from Mongolia so he built one really long wallĀ Ā  to stop them from coming over so then this conceptĀ 
of uh Cheng Chong was picked up by other kings andĀ Ā  other villages and they kind of built these longĀ 
walls then Emperor Chin who is in fact the sameĀ Ā  emperor who built the terra cotta warriors thatĀ 
we were at just a couple days ago he united allĀ Ā  of the different waring states of China and that’sĀ 
how he became the first emperor he took this ideaĀ Ā  of long walls and came up with the idea of theĀ 
Great Wall to span across the whole of China andĀ Ā  protect it now it wasn’t finished during hisĀ 
dynasty it was actually picked up and kind ofĀ Ā  dropped off by different dynasties over time butĀ 
in the end the Great Wall actually spanned 21,000Ā Ā  km that is just mindblowingly long 21,000 km isĀ 
the same distance from the North Pole to the South Pole those were my favorite interestingĀ 
facts about the Great Wall there’s likeĀ Ā  probably a million other things you could learnĀ 
but honestly it’s just impressive where they’veĀ Ā  built it considering the technologyĀ 
they had back in that day is insaneĀ Ā  like we are literally on top of a mountainĀ 
surrounded by mountains and then to think thatĀ Ā  it literally these walls were just built andĀ 
built and built all the way across China likeĀ Ā  it’s pretty insane oh my god this section look atĀ 
this this is where all of the cherry blossom treesĀ Ā  are that we’ve been looking at in the distanceĀ 
we finally made it to them and you can see theĀ Ā  wall like zigzagging wow so not only are we seeingĀ 
the beautiful Great Wall of China but we’re seeingĀ Ā  it during cherry blossom season and we’re justĀ 
walking by this section and there’s just theseĀ Ā  two blossoms right here honestly we’ve never takeĀ 
that many photos when we travel but being on theĀ Ā  Great Wall I feel like we’ve taken more photosĀ 
here than we’ve taken in the whole of China this is a steep one we’ve just madeĀ 
it to this super steep section andĀ Ā  I guess Max wants to go to the top ofĀ 
course always accept the challenge allĀ Ā  right so we’re going to climb thisĀ 
super steep section there’s quite aĀ Ā  lot of people doing it actually whichĀ 
is surprising the world be gathering selling beers this is no joke guys i would talkĀ 
but I’m breathing so heavy that IĀ Ā  can’t really get my words out oh myĀ 
god halfway oh no more 2/3 just over halfway oh my god no no no no no you got this that was cool wow wow very impressiveĀ 
well come dle because our program isĀ Ā  halfway there only yeah so the planĀ 
now is to go back take the cable carĀ Ā  down and take the chair lift up andĀ 
explore the other side of the wall okay so now it is time to go backĀ 
up but to a different section ofĀ Ā  the rain wall love it love it love it love it okay and in a different in a different methodĀ 
so just so you know if you want to go see theĀ Ā  section with the beautiful view and then walkĀ 
over here and take the tobogen down you just buyĀ Ā  a cable car one way to get up for 100 yuan and aĀ 
tobogen one way down for 100 yuan and you’ll saveĀ Ā  a little bit of money the Great Wall of China andĀ 
cable to bug you down that is epic go go go go go yeah I’m going to rush you out thatĀ 
was so funny go go go oh my god thisĀ Ā  takes the cake is Is that the bestĀ 
view of the wall we’ve had so farĀ Ā  thanks to this time of the year our three weeks soĀ 
far in China we’ve seen some absolutely gorgeousĀ Ā  view and I mean I can think of Delhi and Li JangĀ 
Chandu seeing of panda and all that but this viewĀ Ā  right here might be the top one that’s jugglingĀ 
i’m going to put one two three four five six maybe winning on life guys winning on life down there okay we’ve had our fill of the Great Wall ofĀ 
China we’ve been up here for many hours seenĀ Ā  a lot and the wind is starting to pick up andĀ 
get pretty chilly actually super chilly so nowĀ Ā  it’s time for the funnest part the part thatĀ 
we’ve actually really been looking forwardĀ Ā  to that’s getting that tobogen down w try toĀ 
wait as long as we can before someone behindĀ Ā  us comes to try and have as much space asĀ 
possible jaclyn and I just waited to haveĀ Ā  like a moment where we can think we don’tĀ 
have any slow poke in front of us so thatĀ Ā  we can we need some speed guys some adrenalineĀ 
push forward to go faster pull back brace okayĀ Ā  lead into the turn oh let’s go wait go okayĀ 
go okay oh wow you really have to pull it forward oh my god oh my god i went too fast i already caught on to people we’re going fast we’re going to runĀ 
into the people in front of us we’reĀ Ā  going too fast did we get in troubleĀ 
we got in trouble for going too fast go go go go go sorry woo now that was speed that was so much fun oh theĀ 
best way the best way to end the day oh my gosh oh god that was so much fun highly highlyĀ 
recommend it and obviously like you know goĀ Ā  so slow for safety and whatnot we boring we’ll sayĀ 
the right thing like you know be be calm but alsoĀ Ā  just make sure there’s no one in front of youĀ 
so you can get some speed and have a lot of fun enjoy your meal how do you say thatĀ 
chinese is it really nope oh let’s see

At last, we make it to China’s World Wonder! BUT, what’s a good adventure without a little bit of drama and adrenaline …

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Episode 292 | Beijing, China šŸ‡ØšŸ‡³

šŸŽ„ Filmed March 2025

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23 Comments

  1. You are smart to go to Mutianyu instead of Badaling, I was there, less tourists. Tour bus guide does get a commission that is normal. When I was there the cable car was not even built. So it was the cable chair for me.

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  3. Wow 1305 miles, sorry American here 🤭. Gosh and those steps didn’t look shallow 😮. Your legs will be hurting tomorrow. Massage chair will come in handy! šŸ˜…šŸ˜‚ā¤

  4. In China you normally purchase tickets physically at the entrance using the QR code. Don't abuse the poor tour guide because of your redneck ignorance to expect he is ready with your tickets for you to pick up. When in Rome do what the Romans do.

  5. WHAT’S your problem ā‰ļøā“ā“ā“ā—ļø

    CHINA šŸ‡ØšŸ‡³šŸ‡ØšŸ‡³ is a S!CK COuntry……WHO in World wanna Visit this 3rd_WOrld COuntry šŸ¤­šŸ¤­šŸ«£šŸ˜‡

  6. WHAT’S your Problem ā€¼ļøā‰ļøā“ā“ā“

    CHINAšŸ‡ØšŸ‡³šŸ‡ØšŸ‡³ is a 3rd_World ……WHAT’S SO……special ā€¼ļøā—ļøā‰ļø

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  9. So, you go up the great wall twice.

    First, you take the cable car to tower 14, then walk up to tower 23 (which has very steep stairs).

    Then you go back down to tower 14, then go back down the cable car.

    Second, you go up by chairlift to tower 6, then down again by toboggan cart.
    You guys enjoy everything there.

  10. Whenever i travel in China, i try as far as possible not to book any of such group tours. Grp tours, whether locally or travel abroad, means you have to accommodate others as well, not sticking to your own schedule. Most popular destinations arent that difficult to navigate on your own with a combination of long distance bus and/or high speed rail. Also the guide has to earn some commissions/kickbats by making you go to some shops you have no interest in. Of course it helps that i can read and speak Chinese but these days not a huge problen with translation apps. Also avoid taking photo with some street performance that might later request u to pay. So i just watch their still displayand not take photos with these buskers or whatever u call them. It also helps to get some info fr yr hotel/hostel info desk.

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  12. Well even the Chinese don’t like the tour groups 😢😢😢 but I know it would be difficult for you guys to do it without the group

  13. You go to East Gate MRT, Beijing and back of the bus station is a small bus station to 3 Great Wall scenic spots. Just choose one and buy the ticket to ride on the bus.

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