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At 6:00 am you will be picked up from your hotel by your
English-speaking guide and driver. From there we will make
the approximate 2.5 hour drive to the Great Wall at
Jinshanling.
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.
Much of the hiking that we will do on Jinshanling today is
relatively easy. Jinshanling has five main passes and 67
watchtowers. Every 100 meters (328 feet), there is an enemy
tower each of which is about ten meters (33 feet) high.
Featuring various structures and having various functions,
those watchtowers are either one tiered or two-tiered. Among
them, the most celebrated are the Big and Small Jinshan
Watchtowers. The Wangjinglou Tower, the General Tower, the
Black Tower and the Taochun Tower are also must-sees on the
Jinshanling Great Wall.
We will take about 3 hours to explore and trek along the Jinshanling
Great Wall. Following our trek, we will stop at a local
restaurant where you will get to try refreshing and
authentic rural Chinese dishes. Following lunch, we will
drive back to Beijing,
Since this trip goes very far to Jinshanling and then
returns, and in order to ensure that guests spend enough
time touring Jinshanling, they will not drop off guests
at each place (hotels, primarily) after the group
returns to Beijing at
5 pm. Instead,
they'll drop everyone off at the Dongzhimen Subway
Station. Guests can take subways, buses or taxis to
return to their own hotel.
5 PM is Beijing's
rush hour. Dropping off guests at every locations would
be a very lengthy and painful experience for everyone
involved.
However, please keep in mind that they will still pick up
guests from every location in the morning from
6 AM.
Stuff to bring on your hike
*Tough shoes, sunscreen and sunglasses, and water
*Backpack, and snacks or energy/protein supplements you want to have before
lunch
*Extra cash for driver/guide tips
*Don’t forget your camera!
 Check
testimonials from former hikers and view their photos.
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