Cable Car or Toboggan? Choosing Your Way Up the Great Wall
The Great Wall is mostly built on mountain tops. To save time and energy, most visitors take the scenic shuttle bus first. However, before you actually reach the wall itself, you must choose how to get up: Cable Car, Toboggan (Chairlift), or Walking.
🚶 The Walking Option: If you choose to walk, you will follow a series of stone steps for 30-40 minutes. This is quite physically demanding before you even start your hike on the wall.
Option 1: Toboggan & Chairlift
Located closer to the shuttle bus station, this is a popular choice for thrill-seekers. To go up, you use an open chairlift (about 5 minutes), and to come down, you take the toboggan slide.
Expert Tips:
- Who it's for: Mostly younger travelers. If you are afraid of heights or a bit timid, I do not recommend this.
- Age Rule: Visitors over 60 years old are not allowed to ride the toboggan. Although 60 is still very young, I’m not sure why they define the rule this way, but it is strictly enforced.
- The View: The stop point is slightly lower than the cable car station, so you see a bit less of the expansive wall, but the natural scenery is beautiful—especially in summer when both sides of the Wall are lush and green.
Option 2: Cable Car
To reach the cable car station, you need to continue walking uphill for another 5-10 minutes from the toboggan area. The cable car is much more comfortable and safe, taking about 5 minutes to reach the top.
Expert Tips:
- The Cabin: Each cabin holds up to 8 people. In peak season, they are usually full. Many people might not like being squeezed into a cabin with strangers. To avoid the awkwardness of eye contact, most people just turn their heads and look out the window to take photos!
- The View: The cable car takes you to a higher point on the Wall. From here, the panoramic views of the Great Wall are generally better for photography.
Important for Travelers with Limited Mobility
If you are using a wheelchair, the toboggan is definitely not an option; you must use the cable car.
However, be prepared: the 200 meters leading up to the cable car station is an uneven uphill path. This requires significant physical strength from the person pushing the wheelchair. Interestingly, you will often see a local villager dressed as a clown here. For a fee, he provides a service using a manual-electric hybrid cart to pull you up to the cable car station.
The Reality After the Cable Car: Once you exit the cable car, the wheelchair becomes virtually useless. You will still need to walk up some steps. Although there are designated wheelchair ramps, in my opinion, nobody can actually push a wheelchair up them. The slope is far too steep; even walking down them feels like you might lose control.
💡 Expert Better Alternative: For guests who truly cannot walk, I suggest visiting the Juyongguan section of the Great Wall instead. There, we can drive the car to within 100 meters of the brick wall, and a wheelchair can be pushed right up to the very first brick of the Great Wall.