4-Day Great Wall Hiking Tour

After an early pick-up from your hotel, we will drive directly to the Gubeikou Section of the Great Wall, where our 2-day adventure will begin. The Great Wall was built to protect China from attacks from the north, but it was here, at the Gubeikou Pass, in 1541, that the Mongols, under the leadership of Altan Khan broke through, and set the suburbs of Beijing on fire. Then, inexplicably, he suddenly took his armies north again, sparing Beijing. If the weather is clear, we will be able to see our ultimate destination, the Wangjing Tower in the Simatai Section, many kilometers away. Today’s hike will take us to a military area along the Wall, which we must bypass. We will take a pleasant diversion through a friendly village, and then hike directly to the Jinshanling section of the Wall, where we will stop for the night. We will stay in a local hotel near the Wall. Or, if the weather is nice, we will camp at the bottom of the Great Wall!

Overnight at Jinshanling

If we sleep on the Wall, we will be up before sunrise to catch the sun throwing soft morning light onto the Wall itself, great for pictures! After breakfast, we will continue to hike eastward from Jinshanling toward the Simatai section of the Wall. Our hiking on Jinshanling stops at Wuyan tower where we could enjoy a good view of Simatai Great Wall and overlook the surrounding. Then we will down to meet our driver in the parking lot at the bottom of Jinshanling. Lunch in a local restaurant.

Then we will take a short drive to Wohushan section of the Great Wall for another 2 hours hiking. Wohushan (Crouching Tiger Mountain) Great Wall straddles on the rocky mountains of Wohushan— so named because two distinct peaks resemble a pair of tigers, one looks up and the other bends down. The Wall winds through Wohu Shan for 13.6 kilometers; along the way, 20 towers decked its spine. Our hike will cover part of them. This is the Wall which is not seen by tourists!

Overnight at Jiankou

Meal: Breakfast  

The Great Wall at Jiankou is located in the district of Huairou, about 80 kilometers north-east of Beijing. Your guide and driver will pick you up at your hotel and will drive you to a village called Xizhazhi at the bottom of the Jiankou Great Wall.

We will take a small mountain trail behind one of the villagers' houses straight up to the wall. This part takes about one hour, and it is not that easy, but it allows one can imagine how the invaders felt, creeping upwards in the fog, the huge wall emerging directly above them, the guards on duty still-unaware, having their tea. When we get to the top, you will find the effort worth it - there is a deserted watch-tower right where we emerge onto the Wall, from which you will have a panoramic view of the whole valley, of the Xizhazhi village below, and of the wall itself, snaking and disappearing over the mountain crest. This is a great place to catch your breath and take pictures.

The hike along the wall will take about 4 hours, and it is unlikely you will meet any other tourists along the way. Although the Wall follows the mountain crest, it is gently undulating and, although there are areas of disrepair to be navigated with care, it is fairly easy hiking. One highlight is the enemy observation tower known as, "Ying Fei 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, the view from the top is still stunning!

What's a change, emerging from the peaceful, authentic section of the Wall, so full of history, onto the restored portion of the Wall at Mutianyu, full of tourists!

Overnight at Mutianyu

Meal: Breakfast  

Drive to Huanghuacheng. After a short visit around the dam on Huanghuacheng Reservoir, we will start our hike westward to Xishuiyu. Although the climb is steep, there is a good trail alongside the Wall, and it only takes about half an hour to get to the watchtower on the cliff. Here is a great place from which to take photos, one of which must be of the moon-shaped reservoir far below. Then, after another half-an-hour hiking, we will reach the highest point in this area, on the pinnacle of which there is a broken watchtower. From this vantage point, you will have a nice sunny panoramic view of the whole wide valley, stretching even further toward the west.

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 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 watch tower 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.

From the valley we will hike westward again, climbing upwards along the broken Wall to our lunch spot, a tall cliff overlooking Xishuiyu Lake. From here, the view is amazing! You can see the broken Wall running directly into the lake, and beyond it, the endless mountain range. Unfortunately, from here on, the Wall is really too broken to traverse safely, so we will instead follow a pleasant mountain trail downwards into Xishuiyu Village, where our driver will be waiting to take us back to Beijing.

Meal: Breakfast