Off the Beaten Track

Trekking in

ChinaChina is vast, says Robert Seymour, and its vastness

means it’s an ideal spot for an adventure holiday, especially
if you like being part of the landscape.

C
hina is big news. The
Olympics are just around
the corner, the country’s
economy is storming
onwards and a series of
exhibitions celebrating its
creative energy has brought Chinese culture
to the UK in a big way. But the attractions
of China are wellknown to those who like
to get off the main tourist trail and make a
trail for themselves.
I first visited China 20 years ago when
there were very few independent travellers
wandering around the country and the cur-
rency system for foreigners was extremely
strange. China was just starting to become
used to visitors getting there, and getting
around, under their own steam and to be
honest it was a struggle to do anything
(although the memory of the delicious
Beijing Duck I had in the capital will stay
with me forever). Well worth the effort, but
still a struggle. Today, the tourist industry
has come on leaps and bounds but, partly
because the country is simply so enormous,
there is still plenty to see off the beaten
track. And one of the best ways of seeing it

The Travel & Leisure Magazine 45

 is by trekking through it.

Teri’s
Of course to walk through it, you have to
get to it first and you might want to consider
travelling along part of the magical – and
often spectacularly dusty - old Silk Road first
of all. Dragoman (www.dragoman.com)
has a pretty adventurous 11-week trip from
Top
St Petersburg to Beijing (or the other way
round) which also takes in Russia,
Tips
Kazakhstan, and Mongolia where you stay
with Mongolian horsemen and sleep in a
yurt. While hiking is a great way to enjoy China,
In China itself, most hikers are understand- you’ll find plenty of opportunites to
ably drawn to the snaking Great Wall (which exchange your boots for bicycles which is
is also a particularly popular spot for the the speediest way of travelling in rural
increasing numbers of people who are hiking areas but which also gives you the option
for charity – Kuoni has considerable experi- of stopping off wherever you fancy. Expect
ence with these types of trips to China over to share your road with animals as well as
the last five years and for more information other cyclists. For more information try
go to www.challengeforcharity.co.uk). www.bikechina.com and the Chinese-
One of the finest stretches is actually not a based www.odysseycycling.com
hugely long one, the four hour route from
Jinshanling to Simatai (Jinshanling is 87
miles outside Beijing, Simatai is 75). Because
Jinshanling is just that bit further away from
Beijing than other more accessible sections of
the wall it’s not so busy and well off the main
tourist route, although it’s not entirely desert-
ed. The beauty of this hike is that you get to
see the wall both in its repaired and its pretty
original state - conditions do start to deterio-
rate pretty soon and the trail is often rocky,
frequently steep, and features lots of loose
bricks. But there are marvellous views and
numerous watchtowers along its many ridges.
The wall follows the mountainous con-
tours up and down, sometimes on flagstones,
often through forested areas. Along some operators often arrange accommodation. walnut orchards and scrubland. Among the
stretches it’s semi-ruined and simply Staying in one of these outposts is a great many operators including the Great Wall on
unwalkable and you will need to walk along- way to get a real feel for what life in China is their trips is World Expeditions
side the wall instead on dirt paths. There are like and as well as the wall you’ll also get the (www.worldexpeditions.com). Their main
numerous villages along the route where chance to hike through agricultural terraces, trip is a seven-day hike, including camping
in two-person tents with toilet tents and
equipment provided, but you need a good
sleeping bag and mat.
What else to see But there’s obviously more to China than
There’s so much to see in China that it’s best on a first visit to do the must-sees and the Great Wall. Exodus (www.exodus.co.uk)
then come back for further visits.The Great Wall and the strange landscapes of for example venture into the Yunnan region in
Guilin/Yanghsuo are mentioned above but you should certainly not miss: the south west of the country, home to many
● The Forbidden City – vast, impressive but surprisingly easy to wander around. And of the country’s ethnic groups including the
while you’re in the city, the Summer Palace too. colourfully-dressed Naxi and Yi peoples. This
● Xi’an – the terracotta warriors are a must but also think about cycling around its is also where you can enjoy the sight of the
walls. mighty Yangtze and the incredible Tiger-leap-
● Kunming – the stone forest is a remarkable geological sight, similar to the ing Gorge as well as visit the relaxing town of
landscape around Guilin/Yangshuo. Dali. Their Yunnan Explorer tour takes in the
● Kashgar – once a key city on the old Silk Route, it still retains much of the ancient atmospherically titled Black Dragon Pool and
colourful atmosphere Jade Dragon Mountain. If you’re really keen,
it’s possible to hike the whole length of the

46 The Travel & Leisure Magazine

The Travel & Leisure Magazine 47
 Gorge as there is a well-marked path which is The locally-based Active China alpine tundra, with stops to bathe in hot
used daily by locals. As you’d expect, the (www.activechina.com) in Kunming also springs and the chance to explore some of the
views are amazing and you’ll find accommo- run trips into north west Yunnan's Deqen last remaining old growth forests in China.
dation fairly easily along the route. It’s best to county including the mighty Mount Kawa Also popular with the backpacking
keep to the lower route because of rockslide Karpo. They offer expedition hikes through crowd for more than 20 years is the area
hazards on the upper road. the region’s semi-tropical landscape, high around Guilin and Yangshuo which has
some astonishing tall karst mountain cenery.
If you don’t fancy trekking every day, a river
cruise along the Li River is a popular way
More info of enjoying the mountains here. This is also
The idea of travelling in China can be a bit daunting and an expert operator can a very popular spot for rock climbers as
certainly make things a lot easier for you. On many camping/trekking trips, vehicles Yangshuo is fast becoming the adventure
will take the group to the start of the trek and carry all your luggage, food and water capital of China. It’s also the first place I
between stops, while you keep a small backpack full of essentials with you during the tried eating snake (yep, tastes like chicken).
day. Not all the best hiking areas are lushly
But independent travel is certainly very possible indeed, although it’s a good idea to forested. For those with a particularly deter-
take a really decent guidebook such as Lonely Planet’s and to try and learn a few mined streak, there is always the Taklamakan
words of Mandarin which will go down very well. Desert, rather alarmingly though not alto-
Although there are dozens of airports around the country, most visitors come via gether wrongly known as the Desert of
Hong Kong, Shanghai or Beijing. British Airways (www.britishairways.com) and Death. Taklamakan is in the Zinjiang region
Virgin Atlantic (www.virgin-atlantic.com) are among carriers to China.The national and at more than 270,000 km square is one
airline is Air China (www.airchina.co.uk).You could also consider the new of the largest sand-only deserts in the world.
Butterfly Bus service (www.butterflybus.co.uk) which is a 16-day overland bus It’s on the old silk routes mentioned above
trip from London to Xinjiang province. Alternatively consider the Trans-Siberain and has been inhabited for thousands of
railway or even take a slow boat to China from Japan or Korea. years, to which the well-preserved mummies
Getting around China can be quite an experience in itself. Long distance buses are which archaeologists continue to dig up tes-
plentiful and good value, but the trains are an excellent alternative. One of the most tify. Shangrila Adventure (www.shangrila-
memorable travel experiences of my life was a two day train trip from Beijing to Hong adventure.com) are among specialist oper-
Kong on which I enjoyed watching the country drift past the window, actually used my ators who provide treks to the area and offer
phrase book to make a genuine conversation, and shared several meals with my fellow a week-long trip through 150km of the
compartment travellers. In the major cities, it’s easy to hail a cab but keep an eye on desert, entering the desert from the oasis sta-
the meter… The best way to get around is, of course, by bike. tion of Hotan Prefecture.
Because China is so huge, it’s very hard to generalise about the weather but as a Whichever area you pick, however stren-
rough guideline, spring and autumn will offer more stunning views, winter is likely to uous your trip, always bear in mind the
be snowier and so more dangerous (especially on the Great Wall), summer likely to words of Confucious who said: “It does not
be hotter. matter how slowly you go as long as you do
not stop.” TL

48 The Travel & Leisure Magazine

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The Travel & Leisure Magazine 49