Great Wall Adventure Club · Since 2003

Made for you.
Made to remember.

Hike across centuries. Change your perspective.

The official home of China’s premier Great Wall adventure club.

History beneath your boots

Hike the Great Wall—from the sea to the mountains.

The Great Wall changes from one valley to the next. At unrestored sections, old masonry follows rough mountain ridges; elsewhere, repaired steps and towers make the defensive architecture easier to explore. Your guide helps explain those differences as you walk.

For a coastal beginning, consider Old Dragon’s Head at Shanhaiguan, where the Ming Great Wall meets the Bohai Sea. Longer routes connect this landmark with passes and mountain sections inland, revealing how the defenses adapted to very different settings.

Explore Great Wall Treks from the Sea

Old Dragon’s Head at Shanhaiguan, where the Ming Great Wall meets the Bohai Sea at sunrise

Why book with us

A Great Wall specialist trusted since 2003

The best route is the one that fits your time, interests and walking ability. We explain the terrain and travel involved so you can choose your Great Wall experience with a clear picture of the day ahead.

Since our beginnings in Beijing in 2003, we have built journeys around local route knowledge and practical coordination. Guides, drivers and the team behind each departure work together to keep the itinerary coherent from pickup to return.

Our past guests and projects include Google, British Airways, NASA, NBC Olympics and 19 Kids and Counting. That experience with varied groups also informs the way we plan for couples, families and independent travelers.

With headquarters in the United States and long-established roots in China, our team helps connect your travel plans with the people and arrangements on the ground.

Media & Press · Read our coverage →

Choose your adventure

Energizing walks

A day on the Wall, a night beneath the stars, or a three- to four-day escape. Find the style that suits your time and interests.

Hikers holding the Great Wall Adventure Club flag beside a historic watchtower

1-Day

Day Walks

Spend a day walking between historic towers, with transport from Beijing.

Explore Great Wall hiking tours →

Jinshanling watchtower silhouetted beneath vivid golden and blue skies

1-Day

Sunset & Sunrise Walks

Choose first light or a sunset walk, with time to enjoy the changing colors over the Wall.

Explore sunset walks →Explore sunrise walks →

Camping tents beside a Great Wall watchtower at dusk

Signature Experience2-Day

2D/1N Hiking & Camping

Stay beyond the day visit, with an arranged campsite and a second morning outdoors.

Explore Great Wall camping tours →

Shared departures

Group Hiking & Camping

Meet fellow travelers and compare shared hiking and overnight departures for your travel dates.

Explore group adventures →

Three hikers on the Great Wall above a lake and green mountain ridges

3-Day

3D/2N Hikes

Use a long weekend to explore several sections and the connections between them.

Explore 3-day great wall treks →

Two hikers standing on historic Great Wall steps beside rocky green hills

4-Day

4D/3N Hikes

Choose four days of mountain walking, village stays or a coastal starting point.

Explore 4-day great wall treks →

More days. More discovery.

Full-on extended treks

Spend five to twelve days exploring more of the Wall’s landscapes, historic defenses and nearby communities.

Start here · Find your trip ↗

Not sure which Great Wall hike is for you?

Tell us who’s going and we’ll point you to the right trip from our 60+ routes.

Three travelers enjoying the Great Wall with watchtowers across green mountain ridges

Your starting point

A classic first Great Wall hike

Gubeikou & Jinshanling

Walk from Gubeikou to Jinshanling for wide mountain views and distinctive watchtowers. Gubeikou is 100% original and unrestored; Jinshanling retains its original Wall, with repairs to preserve it.

Best for active first-time visitors. Expect uneven steps and uphill sections. Cirque du Soleil visited here in 2019.

Explore this trip ↗Help me choose →

Prefer a gentler visit? Explore private Mutianyu tours.

Showing a recommendation for: See the Real Great Wall.

100 Nights of a Lifetime by Stephanie Vermillion, published by National Geographic — Stephanie Vermillion · National Geographic

Our Great Wall camping experience, in print

100 Nights of a Lifetime

The World’s Ultimate Adventures After Dark

Our Great Wall camping experience is featured in 100 Nights of a Lifetime, written by travel journalist and photographer Stephanie Vermillion and published by National Geographic.

Historic watchtowers, mountain silhouettes and the quiet anticipation of sunrise. Discover a different side of the Wall when you stay beyond the day visit.

Discover the book ↗Explore Great Wall camping →

Restored scan of The New York Times Travel page featuring The Wall, Our Way — Restored archival scan · The New York Times Travel · July 28, 2013

Featured in The New York Times · 2013

The Great Wall, Our Way

By Jeannie Ralston · July 26, 2013

Writer Jeannie Ralston and her family hiked from Gubeikou to Jinshanling with Great Wall Adventure Club, covering about six miles on the first day. Guide Joe Zhang explained the Ming-era history along the way: Gubeikou guarded a key route to the capital, its 40-plus watchtowers stand close together, and the walls remain largely in their original state with only spot repairs, unlike the heavily restored sections at Badaling with their metal handrails. They saw a maker’s mark still visible on a brick after nearly 500 years, a gap left by cannon fire in 1933, and a stretch still used as an army compound boundary that cannot be climbed, so they walked below it. They met only two other hiking groups all day, ending at the better-preserved Jinshanling section.

Explore the NYT story →

Editorial summary of a historical travel feature, not a quotation or current endorsement. The original article may require a subscription.