Awesome guide, and such a fabulous experience - We had a fabulous day with Joe - a private tour of the Forbidden City, Lunch and then the Great Wall. Joe was so informative and interesting, with so many unique stories across the day and different sites. Getting around Beijing is quite challenging as a foreigner and Joe and his driver made it seamless.

Amazing Great Wall Tour with Joe - Joe took us on a tour that went over part of the wall that was almost entirely empty. We passed just a few groups on the walk, and covered over a mile of the wall. We started with a hike up to the wall, much more fun than just starting at an easy spot. Joe was so knowledgeable about the history of the wall, and was able to answer all our random Chinese cultural and historical questions. We had lunch on the way back to Beijing. Joe picked out 3 amazing dishes and the food was outstanding. I would recommend Joe to anyone looking for a private or group tour of the Wall. He picked us up at our hotel, and had water for the hike. He really thinks of everything!

Tailored Service - My mom and I booked the trip in August 2018. Our guide Tim met us at the hotel and we set off on time to the wall. Tim was very careful and caring towards us. He noticed that my mom was struggling up the wall and offered an easier route for her. (Please note that you have to be really fit to climb up to the wall!) I carried on with Tim while the driver took my mom to the last end point of the wall. During the hike, Tim followed my pace and was really encouraging even though I was struggling. He also told me many facts and features about the wall while climbing and during the breaks. He noticed that I didn’t have any mosquito repellant and offered me his. He also called the driver to ensure that my mom was alright at the end of the hike, which helped to ease my worries. At the end of the hike, we had a really tasty lunch at a local place and was sent back to the hotel. Would definitely go again after more physical training on my end!

Wonderful Great Wall visit with Joe - Joe took us to a part of the wall that was almost empty of other visitors. We passed a handful of locals who were walking the wall and maybe 5 other tourists. It was a vigorous hike up through old trails, then walked for an hour or so along the Wall with Joe telling us about the history, significance, and design. He was able to answer our questions and kept it interesting. On the trip back, the lunch was amazing. It was a local spot where Joe ordered (with a little input on what we would/wouldn't eat) and we tried a few different options. He was right on time to pick us up at the hotel. His van was clean and he had plenty of water for the hike. I would recommend Joe to anyone, and if I make it back to tour the Wall again, I will use him again.

Awesome Tour with Peter - Beautiful and lonely section of the Great Wall of China. This section is perfect if you want to take beautiful pictures without any further people. The environment with the lake and the mountains is just fantastic. At the beginning the section of the wall is unrestoriert and later it runs over to a restorierten part. Please notice, that the ascent is challenging at the beginning and you need to have a good basic fitness. To the procedure: A few days before the trip I had asked if it is possible to book the tour with sunset. The answer came quickly and was yes, so I was punctually picked up at 11a.m. at my hotel. The return was at around 7 p.m. It was the best decision to see the wall at sunset, because this atmosphere is even more special. Peter my guide for the day was great, very polite and courteous. He always looked that I was fine and answered all my questions. He has known a lot about the wall and also about China and its history in general. He is also a fantastic photographer and took great pictures of me on the wall, so I'll never forget that trip. If you book the tour alone it is expensive, but for my it was worth every penny and I can recommend it to 100%. Thanks to Peter and the Untouched Great Wall Hike :)

Fantastic guided hiking tour with Tim from the South! - We had an amazing, perfect in fact, hiking tour on the Great Wall with Tim from the South. The trip and the view itself is so good that it just has to be experienced! Tim is a great guide, he speaks fluent English, has great humor and lots of interesting knowledge about the Great Wall and it’s history. When in Beijing, this trip is a MUST!

Incredible Great wall with Tim - sensational hike. Tim was professional and very knowledgeable. He was able to not only conduct the trek but also answer questions. Great photo opps all the way. You need to have a certain minimum fitness but Tim wont rush you. He is very patient. All in all I had a great time.....

This was the "real thing", the true Great Wall - The hike would be worthwhile even without the Great Wall: nice mountains covered in chestnut tree forests. But, on top of that, the Great Wall with the expected scars from time. Not the "theme-park" wall from others places. Here, only us and a few local visitors. Very pleasant. In addition, all the explanations from the guide were excellent. Finally I understood how the Wall worked.

Joe Zhang is great! - I contacted Joe in January about my trip in late March to Beijing. I've always wanted to hike the Great Wall far away from the maddening crowd. I also wanted to visit he Summer Palace. Joe returned my email inquiry in less than 24 hours. He communicated clearly about what he can offer based upon my requests and offered a reasonable price to guide my teenage son and me for the day. Please remember that the fee that Joe charges as a private tour guide with a private driver in a clean vehicle is on a one on one basis. If you'd rather sightsee with a large group of strangers, travel in a big bus, eat at tourist restaurants, make obligatory stops at stores that have brokered a commission with the tour company, then Joe is not for you. Even prior to the start of the tour, my plans had a wrinkle. Three other members of my extended family wanted to meet me in Beijing and join the tour. Joe graciously made the accommodations and again came up with a reasonable price for the three stragglers. I give Joe an ambitious one day itinerary. As a result, we left for the Great Wall at Huanghuacheng at 6:00 am. Since the hotel restaurant wasn't opened for breakfast so early in the morning, I asked Joe to find us a place along the way that served breakfast. About 45 minutes into the trip we arrived in a village enroute to the Great Wall. Joe picked a hole in the wall for breakfast, which turned out to be the best meal I had in Beijing. The restaurant was along the main road of a village. There were locals breakfasting al fresco next to the street. Joe got us a table inside. We ordered yutiao (fried Chinese donuts), baos (little buns with meat fillings), tea eggs and la mian (pulled noodles in a tasty broth). The food were served hot and promptly. If Guy Fieri did an episode in Beijing, he would stop here. The food was that good! If you like your Chinese food like at Panda Express, please accept my condolences and don't stop here. After our breakfast we sped off to the Great Wall. The drive to the Wall was beautiful. I visited in spring and the peach trees were in full bloom. Little bits of pink and white were everywhere. Let a hundred flowers bloom. The Wall at Huanghuacheng runs along a lake. Words cannot describe the beauty and marvel of the moment. Joe took us on a hike along this portion. There were no other tourists there. Portions of the wall were crumbling, adding to the authenticity of the experience. We hiked for about a quarter of a mile, out of a four mile hike. One of the members of my party found it overly strenuous since the beginning hike was all up hill on stone rubble remnants of the Wall. Joe was understanding about her plight. I ended the hike and asked Joe to take us to the Mutianyu portion of the wall. Joe, the uber tour guide, cheerfully complied. Mutianyu was fun but it's a Disney version of the Great Wall. There were a fair amount of tourists there. We rode ski lifts up to the Wall. We then walked along the Wall itself for a half mile or so. Then we tobogganed down. There's even a large promotional photo of Michelle Obama taking the toboggan down. The Chinese haven't quite mastered Marketing 101. 😜 If you want to eat at Burger King, Subway, pay $10 for a cup of tea, buy a cute Panda headpiece or a t-shirt that says "I love BJ" (that's short for Beijing) at one of the kiosks lining the entrance to Mutianyu, it's all there for your convenience. I doubt we were there for more than two hours. Joe did a fantastic job explaining the history of the Wall. He suggested great locations to take photos. He pointed out numerous tidbits about various portion of the Walls that we would have missed if we walked the wall on our own. I'm glad I had a chance to see both the Great Wall at Huanghuacheng and then at Mutianyu. It's quite a contrast of the Wall and of China then and now. After Mutianyu we headed to lunch, which was included in the cost of the tour. I had specifically asked Joe to take us to a Chinese restaurant popular with the locals. He did not disappoint. We ate lunch at a two storied northern Chinese restaurant in Beijing without a single non-Asian in sight. Joe let us order whatever dishes and how ever many dishes we wanted. Everything was great except maybe the Mapo Tofu dish which was mouth numbing hot. After lunch we went to the Summer Palace. The Summer Palace is quite a sight to behold. In one word: spectacular. The only problem with our visit, we shared the experience with 50,000 plus other tourists. We cruised the lake at the Summer Palace and was able to enjoy the sights on a less crowded basis but we were then watching the palace and gardens filled with 50,000 visitors in sight. Urgh. Joe gave a masterful history behind the Summer Palace. He told us heart wrenching, fascinating accounts of palace intrigues at the Summer Palace. The Empress Dowager whom the palace was built is the Chinese equivalent of Lady Macbeth. I was surprised to learn that the completion of the Summer Palace occurred only in 1903. Joe Zhang is a top notch guide. During our drives to and from the various sites, he was very conversational. He readily answered many of our questions about contemporary and historical Chinese life. I even got a chance to quiz him about healthcare, education and taxation in modern China. If you want to hike the Great Wall or your Beijing with the best, go with Joe.