The toboggan slide at Mutianyu offers a thrilling descent. Photo: IC

When Deng Weixiong decided to go for a hike at Mutianyu Great Wall in Huairou district, he only wanted to get away from the crowds. But a couple hours into the hike, he found himself sliding downhill from the Great Wall in a specially made toboggan.

"I wasn't expecting to get on the slide. That turned out to be a pleasant surprise," Deng said.

Deng is not the only one who feels this way. Tourists as well as local Beijingers are discovering the Great Wall in many different ways. People not only can climb the wall at Badaling, but have a few options to explore and have fun at the Wall.

The Mutianyu slide stretches from the control tower of the Wall to the foot of the hill, a total of 1,580 meters. The slide is made from stainless steel and winds down the hillside like a snake, with protective rails on both sides, Deng said. People who go on the slide sit on a cart with a hand-controlled brake on the front.

It took Deng about five minutes to slide all the way down. It was a creative and interesting way to see the Great Wall, he said, since he was able to maintain the speed of the toboggan at a comfortable rate.

Visitors who prefer to put their trust in vehicles have the option of seeing the Great Wall from the side of a motorcycle. Gael Thoreau, the founder of Beijing Sideways, a company that offers sidecar tours, said his customers usually want a different tour of the countryside.

"Those people have already seen the city. They'd like to see something different," he said.

A typical sidecar tour takes all day and costs 2,000 yuan ($328). Tourists depart from downtown around 9 am and return by 6:30 pm. Along the way, they enjoy a two-hour drive to wild sections of the Wall in Miyun county or Huairou district.

"We don't go to touristy spots," Thoreau said. "We also don't want the group to get too big, so we keep it to a maximum of maybe 10 people."

The sidecar tour runs from mid-March to mid-November, and is especially popular in the summertime. They have taken tourists as young as 3 years old and as old as 80.

The Beijing Capital Helicopter Company also  offers sightseeing tours for those who wish to see the Great Wall from a different angle.

Pang Rui, the marketing director of the company, said that three types of trips are offered: a 15-minute flight over the Badaling Great Wall, a 30-minute flight over the Wall and Yeyahu Wetland Park, or a customized trip for a negotiated price.

Visitors can sit next to the helicopter pilot and choose to fly over the Wall at any time of day, even during sunrise or sunset.

"We have both domestic and international visitors for this program, but admittedly more international ones than domestic. They are still getting to know the program," Pang said. "We receive about 60 to 150 guests per day in the summer, and almost none in the winter."

Such programs are lacking inside China, Pang said. Most tourists still only think about visiting the Badaling section of the Wall for a tour and nothing else. But Pang hopes such activities can become more popular in the future.