Sleeping and Hiking on the Great Wall

• 
• Add to wish list

Gubeikou, Jinshanling and Simatai are connected together, and offers a spectacular experience for hiking on the Great Wall of China. Moreover, we will sleep on the Great Wall and enjoy the sunset and sunrise without disturbance of crowds. Imagine what you will get? A true lifetime experience on Great Wall of China.

Day 1 Beijing-Gubeikou-Jinshanling (6 hrs, 12km hiking)
Pick you up at your hotel in Beijing at 8 am and drive to Gubeikou (2 hrs). You will start the hiking on the Great Wall around 10 am, and it will take about 6 hours hiking on the Great Wall. This is a long but leisurely day.

Gubeikou, along with the passes at Shanhaiguan and Juyongguan, was a key strategic target in military campaigns since ancient times. Protecting these three passes was considered vital for keeping Beijing safe from the Mongolian nomads. This is a flat valley further to the west, one of vital importance since it connected the Mongolian Plateau to the north with the vast fertile plains of north China. The vistas of the sinuous Wall snaking its way over the ridges of the Yanshan are breathtaking. Hiking this route is a fantastic way to experience the culture and history of this amazing place.

After 3 hrs hiking on the Great Wall of Gubeikou section, we have to get off the wall to avoid a military area nearby. Going through the path in the field for 1.5 hrs, and then we will come back to the wall again on the Jinshanling section. We will watch the sunset and then off the wall to have fresh Chinese dishes in a local farmer’s kitchen.

After dinner our guide will take us back up to the watchtower on the Great Wall where we will spend the night. Take what you will need for the hiking on the Great Wall in the next morning as we will not come back before the hiking. The rest of luggage will be locked in our vehicle and be driven straight to Simatai in the next day. You can take your own blanket sheet though we provide clean sleeping bags.

Meals: picnic lunch, dinner

Day 2 Jinshanling-Simatai West (2/5 hrs, 5/10 km hiking)
Wake up and enjoy breakfast on the Great Wall as the sun rises around you. It’s the right time to produce amazing photographs. At this time there are usually no other tourists on the Great Wall, you have the Great Wall to yourself. After breakfast we will continue the hiking on the Great Wall, and it will take about 2 hours hiking on the wall.

This section offers arguably the finest hiking anywhere on the Great Wall. It is extremely photogenic, with over 15 watch-towers, and steep gradients that give constantly changing perspectives and wide, open views. There is fascinating variety in the watch-towers here. Some have two storeys, others three. Some have flat roofs, others rounded and others again are pitched with upturned eaves. This section of the wall are wild, ruined, preserved and original. On a clear day, it is difficult to fail to take good photographs here.

When you see a lake and suspension bridge, it means it is the end of the hiking on the Great Wall. If you feel energetic, you can keep hiking on Simatai East section which is known for its steepness. This section will take up to 3 hours.

Flyingfox (zipline) is an option when you finish the hiking. We will have lunch including drinks in Kevin’s Kitchen & House, a local family-run restaurant.

On the way back into Beijing we drive by the Olympic venues and you stop to take photos. You will arrive at hotel at 4-6 pm.

Meals: breakfast, lunch