Wild Great Wall Hiking Trip |
Hiking on the original sections of the Great Wall for 6 days can be a really stimulating highlight of one's life, and here is the chance: we depart from Beijing to North-eastern mountains, and the hiking route is from Gubeikou to Jinshanling, then proceed to Simatai where we'll climb over the mountain to the outer side of the Greatwall to visit the villages there. Total hiking hour on the wall and on the mountain trails are each about 15 hours. We'll walk on the un-repaired quiet wild walls. The views of the Wall snaking over the precipitous mountain ridges into the far distance are memorable. Sometimes you feel like soldiers matching to the battle to meet the unknown fates. Lucky for us, the final stop is a serene garden by the foot of the wall where we'll celebrate our accomplishment by gala dinner and firework party. Weather permitting, we can camp along the wall and have picnic lunches and buffer breakfasts/dinners in the open air; guesthouses and villagers' homes are other options. |
Time: All year round (best time from April to October)
Day-by-Day Itinerary:
*** We are always happy to design a custom trip just for you; If you find anything in our following itinerary that interests you or you have done your own researches, simply write your ideas in our online "book a tour" form or email us at "justin@gopinkchina.com". We'll reply with price quote. |
Days 1-2: Beijing - Gubeikou ¨C Jinshanling
On the first day, we will take bus and drive to near the start of the trek in a place called Bailong Tan, and rest in a hotel. For the next day, our starting point of the hike, Gubeikou, is 125 kilometers away from Beijing proper. It has long been a town of military significance and an important passage to the capital city. The Yanshan Range winds from east to west and is cut off at Gubeikou, forming a natural narrow pass here. We walk along the wall, which does have a path but is very overgrown with bushes and trees. We occasionally leave the wall to pass through small villages, skirting around an area of the wall to which access is restricted. This day is relatively demanding with about seven hours trekking. We will arrive at Jinshanling.
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Days 3: Jinshanling ¨C Simatai
The hiking from Jinshanling to Simatai is about 12km passing 30 watch towers and takes about 4 hours. Some parts are renovated but most are original. The Great Wall at Simatai is famous for being both slightly perilous and absolutely marvelous. It is 19 km long with 35 watch towers. This is a most authentic and fascinating part of the wall and has been listed by UNESCO as one of the most important cultural relics in the world. For wearied hikers, Simatai has cable-cars to assist.
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Days 4-6:
Simatai ¨C Ganfang village - Lingxiu Garden Hotel - Beijing
We will climb up to the highest tower of Simatai; this is a serious mountain climbing with a comparatively easy descent to a nearby village Ganfang on the outer side of the wall. There we will enjoy the company of the local children in the school and camp on their campus grounds. The next day we will trek on a smooth trail on small hill pastures to reach the end of our adventure: the serene Lingxiu Garden Hotel by a beautiful reservoir. We'll totally relax with gala dinners, karaoke party and fireworks. On the last day we will have an easy walk to the bus pickup point, stopping briefly on the way for some quiet private moment of ¡°meditation¡±, before the bus ride to take us back in Beijing for a triumphant celebration party!
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