Great Wall Camping and Overnight Hiking Tours

Compare the journeys

Decide how much walking you want

Our camping programs range from a shorter afternoon visit with a morning return to two substantial days on the trail. Gubeikou programs focus on old defenses and mountain ridges. Huanghuacheng introduces a lakeside setting, while longer combinations add Jinshanling, Jiankou or Mutianyu.

Understand the overnight arrangement

The camp location is confirmed for your departure. Staying near or on a permitted section of the Wall is subject to local rules, weather and access; it should not be assumed that every watchtower is available. Your booking lists the sleeping equipment, facilities and support provided.

Choose the travel style

A private camping tour can coordinate the walking days and vehicle around your group. A group-hike extension uses shared daytime services before a handover to local overnight support. Rail-based itineraries introduce a different balance of independence and assistance.

Give the experience enough time

Sunset, dinner, the move to camp and the next morning’s departure all need a workable schedule. We explain the sequence and any guesthouse alternative before booking. The linked programs show the differences between a simple overnight escape and a longer trek.

Our Exclusive Camping Locations: moon, stars, tents and people camping and sleeping at Gubeikou, Jinshanling and Jiankou. Only legal with Great Wall Adventure Club. Illustrated locations, not to scale.

Enjoy authentic Chinese cuisine at our camping centers

Three guests enjoying a Chinese meal at our camping center

Two hikers sharing freshly prepared Chinese dishes at our camping center

Guests enjoying a Chinese meal after their Great Wall hike

Three Camping Centers

Gubeikou

Our oldest camping base sits at the foot of the Great Wall in Gubeikou village. This countryside guesthouse offers standard guest rooms, bathrooms and showers, 24-hour hot water and a restaurant. You can leave your luggage here while you hike or camp.

If it rains, snows or thunderstorms occur, you’ll sleep in the guest rooms.

Jinshanling

Near Jinshanling’s East Gate, our newest camping base is a countryside guesthouse with standard guest rooms, bathrooms and showers, 24-hour hot water and a restaurant. You can store your luggage here while you explore the Wall.

If it rains, snows or thunderstorms occur, you’ll sleep in the guest rooms.

Jiankou

At the foot of the Jiankou Great Wall, our countryside guesthouse offers standard guest rooms, bathrooms and showers, 24-hour hot water and a restaurant. Leave your main luggage here and head out with just your daypack.

If it rains, snows or thunderstorms occur, you’ll sleep in the guest rooms.

2AKFour Great Wall Sections and Jiankou Camp
Explore Gubeikou, Jinshanling, Jiankou and Mutianyu on a two-day hiking and camping adventure.
If it rains, snows or thunderstorms occur, you’ll sleep in the guest rooms.
2ABGubeikou to West Simatai Overnight Trek
Hike from Gubeikou through Jinshanling, camp by the Wall and continue toward West Simatai after sunrise.
If it rains, snows or thunderstorms occur, you’ll sleep in the guest rooms.
2AAGubeikou, Jinshanling and Jiankou CampPRIVATE TRANSFER FROM BEIJING AND BACK
A two-day itinerary links Gubeikou and Jinshanling with a Jiankou overnight, putting two very different wild-Wall landscapes into one trip.
2ACGubeikou, Jinshanling and Mutianyu CampPRIVATE TRANSFER FROM BEIJING AND BACK
Pair the older Gubeikou and Jinshanling landscapes with a night outdoors and a second-day visit to Mutianyu.
Hike the historic Gubeikou and Jinshanling corridor, then change scenery for a lakeside camp at Huanghuacheng.
Start with the tower-lined Jinshanling–West Simatai hike and finish with a night and morning at the lakeside Huanghuacheng Wall.
2X1Imperial Beijing and Great Wall CampPRIVATE TRANSFER FROM BEIJING AND BACK
This two-day combination connects Beijing’s imperial core with a Great Wall night and a Jinshanling hike.
2BLakeside Camp and Jiankou to Mutianyu HikePRIVATE TRANSFER FROM BEIJING AND BACK
Begin beside the Huanghuacheng reservoir, camp near the Wall, then turn to Jiankou and Mutianyu for a very different second day.
2DCHuanghuacheng Lakeside Walk and CampPRIVATE TRANSFER FROM BEIJING AND BACK
An overnight centered on Huanghuacheng’s unusual meeting of Wall, ridge and lake.
2HBGubeikou and Jinshanling Beginner CampPRIVATE TRANSFER FROM BEIJING AND BACK
A gentler overnight that leaves more time for the views at Gubeikou and a measured Jinshanling walk the next morning.
A family-oriented two-day plan links Huanghuacheng’s lake views and camping with a Mutianyu visit.
2HCGubeikou Sunset and Sunrise CampPRIVATE TRANSFER FROM BEIJING AND BACK
Focus on one location: an afternoon Gubeikou walk, a Wall-side camp and sunrise on the ridge.
2JKJiankou Wild Wall Overnight CampPRIVATE TRANSFER FROM BEIJING AND BACK
For hikers drawn to Jiankou’s dramatic, broken mountain Wall, this overnight gives the area time beyond a rushed day visit.
2GC1West Simatai Hike and Gubeikou Camp
Share a Jinshanling-to-West-Simatai walk, then continue to Gubeikou for a separate overnight arrangement.
2GC2Jinshanling Hike and Gubeikou Camp
This listing presents the Jinshanling group hike and Gubeikou overnight combination with a flexible camping arrangement.
2TTrain, Hike & Watchtower Camp
Five two-day adventures with Gubeikou hiking, overnight camping and sunrise. Choose morning, afternoon, two hiking days or Water Town.
2TGubeikou Camping by Train
Reach Gubeikou by train and keep the overnight focused on its historic, less-developed Wall.

Featured in National Geographic

Great Wall Camping: One of the nights of a lifetime

100 Nights of a Lifetime

Our Great Wall camping experience is featured in 100 Nights of a Lifetime: The World’s Ultimate Adventures After Dark, published by National Geographic and written by travel journalist and photographer Stephanie Vermillion.

The book celebrates extraordinary experiences after dark. A night on the Great Wall brings you closer to that sense of adventure: historic watchtowers, mountain silhouettes, a sky full of stars and the quiet anticipation of sunrise.

Stephanie covers outdoor adventure, food, northern lights, wildlife conservation and global culture for publications including National Geographic, Outside, Travel & Leisure and AFAR.

Keep exploring

Explore more Great Wall camping trips or ask us to tailor a journey to your group.

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