One-day Lakeside Great Wall Biking, Cycling and Hiking
(followed by gourmet lunch)
TOUR 1D1: Lakeside Huanghuacheng to Xishuiyu - Half-day Biking and Half-day Hiking

At about 8:30am your English-speaking guide and driver will pick you up from your hotel, and you will be driven directly to the Xishuiyu Great Wall. In 1974 China built the Xishuiyu Reservoir, and when the water level rose, some low-lying sections of the wall were submerged under water. Seen from the dam of the reservoir, this stately sunken wall is still visible under the water’s smooth and glimmering surface. It is here where you will begin your bike ride. We'll let you start biking in a little-traffic country road surrounded by trees (the Great Wall itself here is not suitable for biking). You'll enjoy the breathtaking views when you ride through this road for about half of the way, and when you reach the Hunaghuacheng Great Wall, you'll start seeing the Great Wall in front of you laying down the mountains. The bike ride should last for about two hours.

After that, we'll pick you up and drive for about 20 minutes to have a gourmet Chinese country-style lunch at our approved Good Fortune Restaurant. Following lunch we’ll start the hiking portion of your tour by scaling up to the Hunaghuacheng Great Wall. At the Hunaghuacheng Great Wall, you should do at least four things.

First, you should take photos. Since the lake breaks this section of the Great Wall into three segments naturally, its uniqueness might surprise you. And the Huanghuacheng Reservoir lies here, shaped like a curved moon. Second, go visit the chestnut garden under the Great Wall, dating back to the Ming Dynasty. The ancient chestnut trees still grow very well. Third, climb up to the steepest section of the Hunaghuacheng Great Wall, Shibadeng. It is like a dragon, ready to fly into the blue sky. Fourth, look at Yaoziyu Castle. It was built during the Ming Dynasty, still well preserved. In the castle, there is an ancient Chinese scholar tree. It is said that touching it could bring you a blessing.

The highest point of the wall is a broken watchtower, and from there you will have a wide panoramic view of the whole valley. From this summit the Wall dives steeply downwards into the valley. The Gate is located at the bottom, an opening in the wall, which connects the Zhuangdaokou village (which we will pass into after a few hours) on the inside, with the still-well-preserved Yaoziyu Castle, built in the Ming Dynasty, on the outside. Over the top of the passageway is another watchtower where we will rest a short while before continuing on. On the inside of the gate you will notice three large characters carved in the stone, indicating the name of the village – ZhuangDaoKou. On the outside is written the name of the passageway - “ZhenNu Pass” - meaning “Defeat to Invaders”, a warning to potential attackers in ancient times.

After about 2.5 hours of Great Wall hiking we will meet up again at the Good Fortune restaurant, where you will be driven back to Beijing. You should arrive at your Beijing hotel at approximately 6:45pm.