Review of 1 Day Tour: Mutianyu Great Wall and Ming Tomb by Kristin

Normally we are not tour people. The thought of milling around with 50 - 100 people all wearing the same colored hats is not appealing to us. We were wondering the best way to get to the Great Wall and the best place to access it when we can across this tour. We loved the itinerary. It was a small intimate group (6 of us). Tony our guide and Mr. Wong our driver were both tremendous. We started our at the Jade factory which was amazing. Seeing the Jade carving process was very interesting. Next we stopped off at the Ming Tombs and got a history lesson, as well as why you don't go forward through the arches and you never look back coming out of them. To find out why? Book this tour . . . it is worth every RMB or USD that you spend on it and more. We left the Ming Tombs and had a wonderful authentic Chinese lunch, where even our vegetarians were eating the chicken dishes. The food was wonderful and the family style dining experience was tremendous. We left there for an adventure on the Great Wall. We took the hike up to the cable car or tram and then enjoyed the GREAT WALL for several hours. We took the tabogons down from the top of the Great Wall, which was great fun. It was a small extra charge for the tram and tabogon but definitely worth it on both counts. After we left the Great Wall we had a scenic drive through the countryside, through the Olympic Villiage and to a silk factory. The silk factory was fantastic. We got to see the process, learn about the history of silk making and got some spectacular buys on silk. I highly recommend the silk comforters and pillows. A tremendous buy and fantastic quality. Overall the tour was incredible. We were told by our hotel that the itinerary was too busy and too many things to see. After taking this tour, I would emphatically say that the tour was GREAT and the hotel was wrong. We really enjoyed this tour, and especially our tour guide Tony, and our driver, Mr. Wong. I would highly recommend it. Lastly, and incredible value for the money. The final thing I would say is, do not go to Beijing without visiting 798 Art District. It was the only other thing we did which was as good as our Mutianyu tour.