Great Wall One-day Hike from Simatai West to Jinshanling
(With Lunch)
TOUR
1AB:
Fascinating Variety in the Transition from Wild Wall to the
Rebuilt
Popularity Ranking: 
*Ranked by the quantity of signups of
all 1-day hiking routes.
Highlights
1. If you are looking for breathtaking
views with a relatively peaceful walk, then the Jinshanling-west
Simatai Great Wall hike is perfect for you.
2. On this hike you will get the best of
both Great Wall worlds, both majestically restored wall, as well as
wild and dramatic unrestored "Wild Wall," making the hike much more
interesting than others.
3. This part of the Great Wall is the venue for the annual Great
Wall international marathons.
4. Pick-up and drop-off from your Beijing
hotel is included!
5. Lunch after the hike is provided with country-style Chinese food.
Departure:
Our Great Wall hiking is a
private service. What this means is that you can hike on the Great
Wall at any time at your convenience. If you
would much rather be part of a group for
the experience for economic and social reasons,
we'll check to see if there are more signups for the same date as
your own. We'll keep you updated whenever there are more. If you
would like to keep your tour a private one, please let us know and
we'll assign you a guide and driver.
"This is just to say that
everything was so well planned, guides, drivers, hotels, Great Wall,
food, information (EVERYTHING!!!) .... just wonderful." - Pete
Jackson and family, New Zealand
For more testimonials, please click
here
 Great Wall Sunset
Hike G5 -
View
the magnificent sunset while you hike from Wild
Badaling
to Shixiguan Pass
Special sale price for just RMB349 (USD56.99).
No shopping stop!
Sign up
now! (Depart TUE, THU, SAT, SUN)
Detailed Hiking Itinerary: (6 kms/4 miles
on the mountain, 3 hours
of hiking)
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 Your
guide will meet you at our hotel between 8:30-9 am, and
by private minivan we will head to the Great Wall at
Jinshanling to start our
hike.
The Great Wall at
Jinshanling is one of the
best preserved parts of the Great Wall with many
original features. It got its name because it was built
on the Greater and Lesser Jinshan (‘Gold Mountain’)
Ranges. A tablet with the Chinese inscription for
Jinshanling Great Wall was set into this section. The
Jinshanling Great Wall has not been repaired since 1570.
It is a remote and relatively isolated section of the
Great Wall. As there are relatively few tourists at
Jinshanling Great Wall, it is a good place to explore on
foot. The Jinshanling Great Wall was initially built
from 1368 to 1389 in the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644), and
in 1567 and 1570 rebuilding of the Wall was mainly
directed by General Qi Jiguang (1528-1588). Poems and
tablet writings can be found on the Jinshanling Great
Wall left from the time when Qi Jiguang directed the
rebuilding of this section of the Great Wall.
There are more than 100 watch
towers along the Jinshanling
Great Wall. ‘Watching Beijing Tower’ is on the highest
point, from which you can see Beijing. The Jinshanling
Great Wall is second only to the Badaling Great Wall in
its completeness. After about 1.5-2 hours of hiking, we
will cross over into west Simatai.
While the eastern portion of
Simatai is closed due to government
 maintenance and
repairs, the western section of the Simatai Great Wall
is still open to hikers. The Simatai Great Wall is
separated into eastern and western halves by a valley,
with a rainbow-like chain bridge over the valley. The
hills in the west are sloping
gently, with 20 watchtowers remaining in good shape. The
Simatai section of the Great Wall is one of the few
sections to retain the original appearance of the Great
Wall. Incorporating a variety of characteristics of
other sections of the Great Wall, Simatai also displays
some unique features of its own. It is often described
with the following five words: perilous, dense, diverse,
artful, and peculiar.
After about 1-1.5 hours of hiking
in west Simatai, you will
descend down the Great Wall, where you will be met by
your driver. We’ll then drive back to Beijing, and you
will be dropped off back at your hotel in the early
evening.
When we finally reach the park at Jinshanling, we'll
stop by a local farmer's restaurant owned by Mr. Duan
Jiujun, the photographer of this Jinshanling photo. His
family will make delicious country-style meal for you
and may invite you to tour his small gallery after your
stomach becomes full. This restaurant is
certified by
Great Wall Adventure Club.
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Note: Please remember to bring your own snacks,
drinks, and lunch, as a meal will not be provided on this hike.
Stuff you should bring with you:
* Tough hiking boots, sunscreen and sunglasses
* Backpack, and snacks or energy/protein supplements you want to
have before lunch*
* Extra cash for driver/guide tips
* Don’t forget your camera!
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