Review of 1 Day Tour : Great Wall and Ming Tombs by Gareth

Excellent value for money and guide provided a high level of service. It was great to get to the Great Wall before the crowds. Whether this was luck or judgement I do not know. However, it made our visit infinitely better than it would have done if we had been 30-40 minutes later as the numbers visiting the wall dramatically increased. We were able to take photos and walk stretches of the wall with minimal impact from other visitors. The experience that we were able to have was so much better than it might otherwise have been. I would have accepted an even earlier start if it meant avoiding the crowds; this should be a selling point for the tour if not already promoted. The side trips to the 'selling' sites (Jade Factory, Tea House and Chinese Medicine) were interesting and entertaining. I also noted that tourists from the Cruise Ships also visited the same 'selling' sites; even though they were on much more expensive tours. One possible disappointment was that I found out subsequently we could possibly have seen at the Ming tombs but did not. However, I cannot be certain of this.