Polish walkers Slawek Such, Pawel Kaczmarczyk and Andrew Ulidowski prepare for the start of the first walk of the Sixth Beijing International Mountain Walking Festival. Tang Yue / China Daily

Want to get away from Beijing's traditional tourist attractions and do something different? Then why not try the Beijing International Mountain Walking Festival, an increasingly popular choice among those who like to take a break from the frenzied pace of big-city life.

"If they have visited all the famous places like the Great Wall, the Forbidden City and the Summer Palace, I suggest they walk with the natives here. It's real fun," said 33-year-old Polish engineer Pawel Kaczmarczyk.

The festival consists of seven events held over the summer and autumn in the western district of Mentougou.

Kaczmarczyk, who is visiting the capital on a business trip, took part in the first walk, held along a 10-km route at Menchenghu Park on April 18. Other events will include a grueling 100-km challenge in September. The final walk is scheduled for the following month.

Kaczmarczyk's enthusiasm for the festival is shared by his colleague and compatriot, Andrew Ulidowski.

"I like it more than the famous places," said the 44-year-old project manager from Krakow. "Back in my home country, I also enjoy going to the countryside. Here, there are a lot of mountains near Beijing, so people can get away and relax a little. Also, the air is cleaner than in the city."

Ulidowski finished sixth in one of the events at last year's festival. He added, "We'd love to come back again."

The schedule and routes are designed to allow participants to enjoy natural beauty and visit cultural attractions such as ancient villages and temples and historic sites.

A third Polish walker, Slawek Such, has visited Beijing for two to three weeks at two-month intervals for the past four years.

"I go to one of the parks in Beijing quite often and see many people doing exercises, even the elderly, which is not very common in Europe," said the 36-year-old engineer.

"I am very happy to see ordinary Chinese people exercising so actively, and I feel very lucky to be part of it."

The opening event, the least challenging of the year, took place along the route of the Yongdinghe River and attracted 3,500 walkers, including many families.

One group set out 25 km away from the starting line. Instead of driving or taking public transportation, 33 students and teachers from the Beijing 101 Middle School Cycling Club cycled from the school to Menchenghu Park.

"To be honest, it was not a big deal for the teachers and students," said English teacher Li Yan, 34, who has been the club's captain since 2003. "We once rode to Baiyangdian in Hebei province, which is 300 km away.

"Teachers and students enjoy getting away from the city and riding to distant places. It is a good opportunity to relax and talk to each other."

The club was founded in 2000, and its membership includes more than 50 teachers and hundreds of students. It organizes a dozen trips each year.

Apart from the cycling group, the school, which is in Yuanmingyuan Park, or the Old Summer Palace, also has clubs for long-distance running and long-distance walking.

The festival's organizing committee, in partnership with the environmental organization WildAid, has chosen the slogan "March for Elephants" for this year's festival to promote the idea of protecting wild animals.

"I like the campaign," said Ulidowski. "A lot of people around the world are trying to benefit from killing elephants to sell the ivory. It is great to be part of efforts to stop this."

The annual festival is being held for the sixth time and has been organized jointly by the Mentougou District Government, Beijing Sports Bureau, Beijing Sports Federation and Beijing NGO Association for International Exchanges.

tangyue@chinadaily.com.cn