The Badaling section of the Great Wall could not be more different from the remote hikes of previous episodes. This is the most visited stretch of Wall, drawing tens of thousands of people daily, and the experience begins with long queues for buses and cable cars before finally spilling out into a crush of visitors at North Tower 6. From here, Andy and DJ battled the crowds up to North Tower 7, where progress was blocked, and then descended toward the central courtyard before looping onto the quieter south side. While the atmosphere on the north is carnival-like—with photos, performances, and a palpable sense of achievement—Badaling also offers moments of calm, especially away from the main gates.

Despite its touristy reputation, Badaling provides fascinating insights into how most visitors experience the Great Wall. With restored features, wide battlements, and easy access from Beijing, it has become a national symbol, echoed in Mao’s famous line that, “You can never be a hero until you’ve been to the Great Wall.” For DJ and Andy, the day still added up to a strenuous 9 km of walking across steep gradients, capped off with a fun toboggan ride down and even a stroll through a bear park. Though crowded and commercialized, Badaling is a must-see for first-timers, offering a vivid contrast to the wild, isolated sections of the Wall tackled elsewhere in the journey.