Four-day Great Wall Trekking Adventure around Beijing
Route 4D: Beijing-Jinshanling-Gubeikou-Simatai West-Jiankou-Jiankou-Mutianyu (with camping inside the watchtower)

Day 1: Beijing-Jinshanling-Gubeikou (L+D, 4-5 hours of hiking)

 

Your English-speaking guide will pick you up from your hotel at about 9:00 am. From there we’ll make the drive to Gubeikou, which should take about 3 hours. At Gubeikou, we’ll get started on our trek. The Gubeikou Great Wall occupies a strategically important location, which is difficult to access. Situated between Shanhaiguan Pass and Juyongguan Pass, and about 62 miles to Beijing, it is the bastion protecting the northern gateway to the capital.

There are 14 beacon towers, 143 watchtowers, 16 strategic pass, three citadels and many other military constructions. Many of them are famous cultural relics, such as the Big Flower Beacon Tower of the Northern Qi Dynasty, Fairy Tower, General Tower, and the dominant Wangjing Tower. We’ll hike until we reach the landmark of the General Tower. We will have lunch on the wall, and the countryside in front of us will provide the perfect backdrop. We’ll continue on to Jinshanling in the afternoon. We’ll then stop by a farmer’s house and yard in Panlongshan (Simatai West) to do some traditional Chinese activities –such as paper artistry, working on a grain-mill and grain-picking. We’ll sleep in the courtyard of the farmer’s home..

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Day 2: Panlongshan/West Simatai  to Jinshanling (B+L+D, 3-4 hours of hiking) 

After breakfast, we’ll hike starting from Panlongshan (the Second Valley or called West Simatai) for about 3 hours. This afternoon, you'll watch the sunset while walking along the Wall as well as finally being able to camp in one of Jinshanling’s watchtowers!

Before it gets dark, we'll go up to the mountain and sleep overnight in a watch tower.  We'll prepare the necessary camping facilities such as sleeping bags so you don't have to bring anything but yourself. If you prefer sleeping in a local hostel or a farmer's house, you certainly can without extra charge. However, in the winter, we'll only overnight in a local hotel for safety reasons, because the temperature on the Great Wall is usually 10 degree Celsius lower than it is on the ground.

Following our day of hiking on the Great Wall we'll take you to have a gorgeous Chinese countryside- style dinner at Mr. Duan's Restaurant. Mr. Duan is a famous Great Wall photographer and is the winner of several national photographing competitions. His wife (middle in the left photo) and her niece will cook traditional Chinese dishes and dumpling for you. Mrs. Duan will serve you Kong Pao Chicken, Stewed beef and potato, Green Pepper and Pork, Fried Tofu in Spicy Sauce, Fried Egg Tomato, Sweet and Sour Chicken, and lots of vegetables (great for vegetarians), and soup. She changes her menu daily, so you may have different dishes from the above. What's more important is that all the vegetables she uses are planted in her yard, so it is organic and fresh!  Rice and Chinese dumpling are also fresh and of genuine local flavor.  Beer and other drinks are free! 

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Day 3: Jiankou Adventure (B+L+D, 3-4 hours of hiking)

After waking up in the morning we will begin our drive to the Jiankou Great Wall, which should take around 3 hours or so. In order to hike on Jiankou, first we have to climb up a path for about 30-40 minutes (2km) to reach it. Our hike today will take about 2.5 hours and will cover 4km. Jiankou is translated as 'Arrow Nock' in English, for the shape of the mountain is like an arrow, with the collapsed ridge opening as its arrow nock.  The Jiankou section is known for its ruggedness and wild beauty, and you will be in awe of the marvelous views it affords. As soon as we reach Jiankou we will see a deserted watchtower that gives you a panoramic view of the entire valley. In the early morning the view is priceless with its morning fog. This section of the wall is not well known by tourists, although if you see a picture of the Great Wall from exotic traveling magazines, chances are it is from Jiankou. This is the pinnacle of exotic Great Wall scenery.

This part of the wall is often empty, so you will have some peace and serenity on your hike today. Our hike will begin in earnest from the watchtower known as “Defending General”, and over the course of our trek we will pass through seven to eight different watchtowers. Over the next two hours we will be moving from west to east.  As we trek we’ll be able to see “Ying Feng Dao Yang” so named because this watchtower was erected on the highest peak in the area, and eagles and hawks often perch on it. Although the majestic wall is slowly being conquered by small trees and brambles, but the view from the top is still stunning!  Other landmarks will include the “Beijing Knot “ and the “Heavenly Ladder”, but we will not be able to scale these peaks as they are not accessible due to its toughness and dangerous footing.  The toughest challenge that this hike presents is a portion known as the “38 Steps”, where the Wall vastly increases in steepness, to the point that it is near 70 degrees! It is due to this feature that we advise those with heart problems or a phobia of heights not to go on this trip.  The rest of the hike is mostly smooth sailing.

We’ll end today’s hike at “Jiankou”, or “Creek Pass” in English, which although pronounced the same as the Great Wall section, has a different meaning in Chinese and is composed of different characters. At “Jiankou” we’ll scale down the wall, which, like the walk to get on, should take roughly 30 minutes (2km). Once we descend from the Great Wall we will spend the night at a farmer’s inn. The farmer’s family will prepare for you a dinner of traditional Chinese dishes. Be sure to get a good night’s sleep, for tomorrow we descend the wall again at Zhengbeilou, where we will eventually cross over into the Great Wall at Mutianyu.

Optional Camping on the Great Wall Tonight

Spend the night under the stars on the Great Wall for an Optional Camping on the Great Wall additional fee of USD89/person.

You have the unique opportunity to camp in a watchtower at Jiankou tonight! You'll be able to spend the night on the Great Wall under the glow of the stars. Our local supplier, who owns a local restaurant and inn, will carry the tent and sleeping pads for you and place them in the watchtower. This will takes about 40 minutes, as he has to reach the Great Wall by climbing a mountain path from his restaurant at the foot of the mountain. He will also cook for you a BBQ dinner, which will include Chinese wheat buns or pancakes, kebabs (beef, pork or chicken), vegetables, photo chips, and fruits, along with two bottles of local beers, spirits and other colas. While he is setting up your camping equipment and making your meals, please make sure to let him know your gratitude for all of his hard and dedicated work!

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Day 4: Jiankou-Mutianyu-Beijing (B+L, 4-5 hours of hiking)

Our hiking will end on a high note as we will be visiting hikers’ most favorite section of the Great Wall. After an early morning wake-up we will once again climb up to the Jiankou Great Wall, where we will hike for about 2 hours.

From Jiankou we will cross over onto Mutianyu, a section of the wall that has been largely restored. Although it has gotten a face-lift, it avoids the army of tourists that plague Badaling. Mutianyu offers some breathtaking views of the valley and wall below, and if you look to your right you’ll see a large sign engraved in the side of the mountain encouraging you to “Cherish the teachings of Chairman Mao”. Mutianyu has also become popular for visiting foreign leaders and celebrities (former U.S. President Clinton visited Mutianyu on one of his trips to China).

You can hike down to the parking lot, take a cable car, or take a toboggan ride (highly recommended, and lots of fun!) down to meet our driver. We’ll then drive back to your hotel in Beijing, ending your tour.

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