IF YOU LIKE your World Heritage sites with plenty of snap-happy tourists, souvenir stalls and a Starbucks, then you’ll want to see the Great Wall of China at Badaling, its most convenient and popular spot, dubbed the Great Mall by expats in Beijing.
It’s hard to believe there’s a whole other Great Wall experience, one where you have miles of crumbling stone and silence to yourself, but if you’re willing to make the effort, that’s exactly what awaits you at Simatai, about 120km northeast of Beijing.
You book through your hotel or negotiate with a private taxi to take you about two and a half hours to the base of this lesser-known section of the wall. Stretching for more than five kilometres, and completely unrestored, it retains the grandeur of the Ming dynasty.
You can walk through deserted watchtowers and meet local farmers selling water. (You’ll need it.) This part is particularly steep, but you’ll be treated to incredible views from Watching Beijing Tower, considered the summit of the Simatai Great Wall.
For the more adventurous, the 10km hike from the nearby Jinshanling section to Simatai is hard work but worth every breathless minute.
If waking up to sunrise on the Great Wall is your idea of a good night out, then the China Guide company (thechinaguide.com) offers sleepovers on the wall or in a deserted watchtower. If you’d prefer a little more comfort (not much, mind), and want to meet a local family, then there are a few lodges and guest houses at the base of the wall here.
The best time to visit is autumn, after the heat of summer and before the freezing winter.
Do you know of a hidden gem? E-mail us at go@irishtimes.com