Route map
Route illustration. Your guide will confirm the final trail, access and travel times before departure.
Detailed itinerary
Day 1 · Airport Transfer
Arrive in Beijing and meet the driver at the airport meeting point confirmed for your terminal. Transfer to the booked city hotel and take the rest of the day to settle in. The team provides the departure information for the coastal journey, including the pickup time and anything needed for the first hiking day.
Overnight: Holiday Inn Express or similar.
Day 2 · Beijing to Old Dragon's Head
Head east toward Old Dragon’s Head and Shanhaiguan. The coastal fortifications introduce the Wall as a defensive system shaped by sea and land together. Visit the pass and Great Wall Museum, then spend time in the old town after dinner. Allow approximately four hours for the drive from Beijing.
Meals: Breakfast, lunch, dinner. Overnight: Shanhaiguan Hotel or similar.
Day 3 · Jiaoshan Great Wall
Walk at Jiaoshan, where the coastal plain gives way to a rising mountain ridge. The route introduces more sustained climbs and increasingly weathered fortifications. Look back toward Shanhaiguan as you gain height. The plan also mentions the Dongjiakou area, and the confirmed program resolves the evening transfer and hotel location.
Walking distance: 9 km. Walking time: 4 hours. Meals: Breakfast, lunch, dinner. Overnight: Shanhaiguan Hotel or similar.
Day 4 · Dongjiakou Village
Continue through the Dongjiakou landscape, once part of the defenses protecting Shanhaiguan. The walking route combines surviving masonry with breaks where the steep terrain itself formed a barrier. Towers and village approaches give this day its particular character. After completing the hike, travel toward Huangyaguan for the overnight stay.
Walking distance: 10 km. Walking time: 4.5 hours. Meals: Breakfast, lunch, dinner. Overnight: Huangyaguan Hotel or similar.
Day 5 · East Qing Tombs to Huangyaguan
Visit the Eastern Qing Tombs and then Dule Temple. The change from ridge walking to imperial burial architecture and timber Buddhist buildings adds depth to the expedition. Explore the sites at a measured pace, with lunch between visits, before returning to the Huangyaguan base for another night.
Meals: Breakfast, lunch, dinner. Overnight: Huangyaguan Hotel or similar.
Day 6 · Peace Fort to Huangyaguan and Sky Ladder
Set out from Peace Fort toward the Sky Ladder at Huangyaguan. Watchtowers mark the approach to the steep staircase, which rises toward the higher defensive line. Your guide confirms how far the group can continue under the day’s conditions. The subsequent transfer and overnight base are specified in the final itinerary.
Walking distance: 8.5 km. Walking time: 4 hours. Meals: Breakfast, lunch, dinner. Overnight: Huangyaguan Hotel or similar.
Day 7 · West Simatai-Jinshanling
Walk the West Simatai–Jinshanling corridor, comparing rougher sections with the carefully repaired towers farther along the route. The planned distance leaves space for photography and architectural details rather than treating the day as a race. Spend the night at the permitted camp arranged for this stage of the expedition.
Walking distance: 8 km. Walking time: 3.5 hours. Meals: Breakfast, lunch, dinner. Overnight: Planned Great Wall camp, subject to permission.
Day 8 · Jinshanling to Gubeikou
Follow the route toward Gubeikou and its historic pass. The changing condition of the Wall is especially apparent as the walk moves away from the more developed Jinshanling area. Your guide explains the defensive purpose of the towers and the fighting that later took place here. Stay at the local accommodation named in the proposal.
Walking distance: 10 km. Walking time: 4.5 hours. Meals: Breakfast, lunch, dinner. Overnight: Miss-U-Much Hostel.
Day 9 · Jiankou
Explore Jiankou’s steep mountain setting on a carefully selected walking line. The appeal lies in the surviving structures, forested valleys and irregular ridges rather than a smooth restored walkway. Pause at suitable viewpoints and allow time for uneven footing. The day ends at a village inn, giving you a rest before tomorrow’s traverse.
Walking distance: 9 km. Walking time: 4 hours. Meals: Breakfast, lunch, dinner. Overnight: Laohe's Inn.
Day 10 · Jiankou to Mutianyu
Continue from the Jiankou area to restored Mutianyu. The route brings together rougher mountain defenses and a section where the tower network is easier to follow along repaired ramparts. Descend according to the agreed plan. A further camping night appears in the planned itinerary, with its actual location and permissions confirmed before travel.
Walking distance: 11 km. Walking time: 4 hours. Meals: Breakfast, lunch, dinner. Overnight: Planned Great Wall camp, subject to permission.
Day 11 · Huanghuacheng Lakeside
Walk the Huanghuacheng lakeside route, following the Wall and connecting paths above the reservoir. Changes in elevation reveal new angles on the water and wooded hills. Some low sections disappear toward the lake, creating a distinct finale to the hiking. Afterwards, return to the listed Beijing hotel.
Walking distance: 11 km. Walking time: 5 hours. Meals: Breakfast, lunch. Overnight: Holiday Inn Express or similar.
Day 12 · The Forbidden City and Cultural Ride
Conclude with the Forbidden City and the cultural ride or city activity detailed in your program. After many days along the frontier, the imperial capital provides a useful counterpoint to the mountain defenses. Lunch is included in the schedule. Confirm the evening hotel and any onward transfer separately from the sightseeing day.
Meals: Breakfast, lunch. Overnight: Holiday Inn Express or similar.
Planning your visit
The expedition includes arrival arrangements and Beijing sightseeing as well as hiking. Confirm terminal meeting points, palace tickets, rural lodging and campsites; the named properties are subject to availability.