Gubeikou-Jinshanling Great Wall Hike

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Your tour guide and will pick you up anywhere in Beijing, probably between the times 7:30 - 8:30 am. We will drive directly to the Gubeikou Great Wall. The drive should take a little over 2.5 hours. 

Gubeikou occupies a strategically important location, which is difficult to access. Situated between Shanhaiguan Pass and Juyongguan Pass, and about 62 miles to Beijing, it is the bastion protecting the northern gateway to the capital. There are 14 beacon towers, 143 watchtowers, 16 strategic pass, three citadels, and many other military constructions. Many of them are famous cultural relics, such as the Big Flower Beacon Tower of the Northern Qi Dynasty, Fairy Tower, General Tower, and the dominant Wangjing Tower. 

Today we will hike for around 10km/6 miles. Gubeikou is entirely unrestored, covered with over 140 watchtowers, all differing in size and design. You will witness how the wall twists and winds along with the steep mountain ranges from the wall here. It is as dramatic a view on the Great Wall as you'll find. If the weather is clear, you will be able to see the shimmering blue lake of the Miyun Reservoir. 

Much of the hiking that we will do on Jinshanling today is relatively easier than Gubeikou, as the wall here is partially restored, and the surface is smoother. 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 different 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. Each tower has its legend. Legend has it that the stone bars used to build the Wangjinglou Tower were carried to the mountaintop by Er Lang Shen, the nephew of the Jade Emperor. The available tower was named to commemorate Wu Guihua, a heroine who sacrificed herself to resist the northern invader's invasion in the Ming Dynasty. The Black Tower and the Taochun Tower were christened to commemorate two girls, Heigu and Taochun, who made significant contributions to the construction of the Great Wall. 

In the end, we will l stop by a local farmer's restaurant nearby with a late lunch before we return to Beijing. You will arrive back at your hotel in the early evening.