Small Group Discovery Great Wall Hiking (3 days), Beijing, China Hiking & Trekking

Great Wall hiking at Jiankou

Trip code: GWGA31
Trip length: 3 days
hiking route: Jiankou, Mutianyu, Gubeikou, Jinshanling and Simatai West
Meeting time: 08:00 on Day 1
Meeting point: McDonald's at Oriental Kenzo, 48 Dongzhimenwai Dajie. 东直门外大街东方银座麦当劳
Meeting directions: Dongzhimen Station, subway line 2, Exit C. Turn right after getting out of the shopping mall. We will place a Great Wall Hiking logo in front of our van, and our guide will wear a blue Great Wall Hiking T-shirt or jacket.
Finishing time: 16:00 on Day 3
Finishing point: Foot massage place at Sanlitun三里屯
Hiking duration: 5 hours on Day 1, 5 hours on Day 2, 3 hours on Day 3
Physical rating: ★★★★★
Departure: Monday, March to November

Highlights:
Wild Great Wall at Jiankou, Gubeikou and Simatai West
Restored Great Wall at Mutianyu and Jinshanling
Local farmer's accommodation & home-made local food
Hotpot lunch
Foot massage
Small group of maximum of 8 travelers

Included:
1. air-con vehicle with experienced driver
2. personal English-speaking hiking tour guide
3. entrance fees for sections of the Great Wall
4. 2 nights twin-shared accommodation at local guesthouses near the Great Wall
5. unlimited bottled water; meals as listed in the itinerary
6. a certificate of completion for hiking on the Great Wall of China

Not included:
1. travel insurance
2. cable car, chairlift, toboggan (slideway) or any other additional local facilities
3. personal expenses
4. tipping of hiking guide/driver recommended on good service on a 2:1 ratio separately

What to take:
comfortable shoes or boots, water, snacks, sunscreen, sun-glasses, pocket knife, first aid kit, lip balm, cap

Notes:
1. You will hike the Wall from A to B every day and your belongings will go with the can/van directly to the accommodation, and you need a day pack to carry water, snacks and other stuff.
2. Travel insurance is optional and is the sole responsibility of travellers. It is strongly encouraged to have coverage of injury or accident.
3. There is no toilet along the path on the Wall. There are toilets at the entrance of Jiankou, Mutianyu, Gubeikou, Jinshanling and Simatai, otherwise be prepared to commune with nature. Please prepare before hiking and always carry toilet paper by yourself.
4. Unlimited bottled waters are stored in our car/van.
5. We will bring trekking poles in our car/van and please tell your guide if you need one.
6. Since this trip will go through jungles and bushes, then long pants with zip-off legs will be the best in summer time and shorts are not recommended.
7. You will be followed by local farmers when starting the hike on Day 3. The farmers will give you help along the way, as a reward they will sell some souvenirs. If you don't like this, you have to say NO firmly at the beginning (MAYBE LATER does not work in Chinese culture) or just ignore them and not speak a word with them; otherwise they can be persistent and follow you all the way on the Wall.
8. It's recommended to prepare some snacks before your departure from Beijing.
9. As responsible travelers, we 'take nothing but photos, leave nothing but footprint'.

Great Wall hiking at Jinshanling

Jiankou to Mutianyu offers a wonderfully satisfying experience of the Wall. It has superb scenery, dense vegetation and many fine watch-towers in an excellent restored section which is about six meters broad. The brickwork is elaborate, with crenellations on both sides and finely curved eaves on some watch-tower roofs. There are decorative gables with animal statues, and tablets bearing calligraphy above some entrances. The first one hour is going straight up and reaches the wall, and then hikes the unrestored towers. The wild Wall to the west is the original Ming Dynasty with fine stonework, and there are almost no other people. You will be rewarded when you approach Zhengbeilou Tower, where you will have a breathtaking view of Jiankou section. There will be a sharp contrast when you arrive at Mutianyu section with the restored wall and towers.

We will provide you with water and snacks and you need a day pack to carry these stuff. We will stay at a traditional local farmer's courtyard guesthouse at Gubeikou village which played important role in the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644 AD) to defend the capital. The accommodation is twin-shared. There are 2 shared toilets and showers. We have chance to walk around the village and try home-made local farmer's food.
Meals: picnic lunch, dinner
Accommodation: local farmer's guesthouse at Gubeikou village
Day 2 Gubeikou-Jinshanling (5 hrs, 10km hiking)
Get up at 8 am and finish breakfast by 9:00 am and then start the hike today. It will take about 5 hours hiking on the wall. This is a long but leisure day. We will come back to Gubeikou village again after the hike.

Gubeikou, along with the passes at Shanhaiguan and Juyongguan, was a key strategic target in military campaigns since ancient times. Protecting these three passes was considered vital for keeping Beijing safe from the Mongolian nomads. This is a flat valley further to the west, one of vital importance since it connected the Mongolian Plateau to the north with the vast fertile plains of north China. The vistas of the sinuous Wall snaking its way over the ridges of the Yanshan are breathtaking.

After 2 hrs hiking on the wall of Gubeikou section, we have to get off the wall to avoid a military area nearby. Going through the path in the field for 1.5 hrs, and then we will come back to the wall again at the Jinshanling section.

Meals: breakfast, picnic lunch, dinner
Accommodation: local farmer's guesthouse at Gubeikou village

Day 3 Jinshanling-Simatai West (3 hrs, 5 km hiking)
We will drive to Jinshanling in 20 minutes after a typical farmer's breakfast, and start the hike at 8am. It's the right time to produce amazing photographs. At this time there are usually no other tourists on the wall, you have the wall to yourself. It will take about 3 hours hiking on the wall. We will get off the wall at Kylin Tower, and cannot walk to Simatai East direction due to the closure of Simatai Great Wall.
This section offers arguably the finest hiking anywhere on the Great Wall. It is extremely photogenic, with over 15 watch-towers, and steep gradients that give constantly changing perspectives and wide, open views. There is fascinating variety in the watchtowers here. Some have two storeys, others three. Some have flat roofs, others rounded and others again are pitched with upturned eaves. This section of the wall is wild, ruined, preserved and original. On a clear day, it is difficult to fail to take good photographs here.
We will organize a unique Hotpot lunch when back to the city. Hotpot is originally from Sichuan Province and now is popular all over China. You can choose Plain or Spicy one as you like. This is also a good opportunity to practice your chopstick skills. After lunch you will refresh your tired feet with a traditional reflexology foot massage. This is sure to leave you completely relaxed after this active adventure on the Great Wall of China. Our guide will leave after organizing the massage and you will head to your hotel on your own afterward.
Meals: breakfast, lunch

Great Wall hiking at Jiankou

USD 395 per adult (13 years above)
USD 275 per child (6-12 years)