6-day Great Wall Trekking with Camping around Beijing
TOUR 6A: Wild Badaling-Huanghuacheng-Xishuiyu-Jiankou-Mutianyu-Gubeikou-Jinshanling-West Simatai
This program combines the nine most famous Great Wall hiking routes into an action-packed 6-day journey that shows you all aspects of the Great Wall. From rugged unrestored “Wild Wall” to restored brickwork and watchtowers to even underwater Great Wall, if you’ve been dreaming about experiencing the Great Wall, then this program will give you the most bang for the buck.
DETAILED TREK ITINERARY
Day 1: Shixiaguan-Badaling
Day 2: Huanghuacheng Lakeside
Day 2: Huanghuacheng Lakeside
Shixiaguan (Stone Gorge) Pass, 5km southwest of the Badaling section of the Great Wall. It is one of the most intact parts of the whole Great Wall. Despite severe damage, the winding wall set in the lofty mountains reveals its grandeur. The wall remains relatively untouched because of its strategic location. The pass was initially built in the reign of Ming Emperor Wanli(about 1600 AD), which was then a key pass guarded by a largen number of soldiers.
INCLUDED
Meals: B,L,D
Accommodation: Good Fortune Inn or camping on the Great Wall at Huanghuacheng
Day 2: Huanghuacheng Lakeside
Day 2: Huanghuacheng Lakeside
Day 2: Huanghuacheng Lakeside
Huanghuacheng is the only section that sits beside the lakes, so it is called Lakeside Great Wall. Since the lake breaks this section of the Great Wall into three segments naturally, its uniqueness might surprise you.
The Hanghuacheng Reservoir lies here, shaped like a curved moon. The Wall's highest point is a broken watchtower, and from there, you will have a complete panoramic view of the whole valley. From this summit, the Wall dives steeply downwards into the valley.
INCLUDED
Meals: B,L,D
Accommodation: Laohe's Inn at Jiankou
Day 3: Jiankou Trekking
Day 2: Huanghuacheng Lakeside
Day 4: Jiankou to Mutianyu
Jiankou is the part where the shape of the mountain looks like an arrow, with the collapsed ridge opening as its arrow nock. It is known for its ruggedness and wild beauty, and you will be in awe of the marvelous views it affords. As soon as we reach Jiankou, we will see a deserted watchtower that gives you a panoramic view of the entire valley. In the early morning, the view is priceless with its morning fog.
Once we descend from the Great Wall, we will spend the night at a farmer’s inn.
INCLUDED
Meals: B, L, D
Accommodation: Laohe's Inn
Day 4: Jiankou to Mutianyu
Day 5: Jinshanling to West Simatai
Day 4: Jiankou to Mutianyu
From Jiankou, we will cross over onto Mutianyu, a section of the Wall that has been largely rebuilt in the 1980s. Although it has gotten a face-lift, it avoids the army of tourists that plague Badaling. Mutianyu offers some breathtaking views of the valley and wall below, and if you look to your right, you’ll see a large sign engraved in the side of the mountain, encouraging you to “Cherish the teachings of Chairman Mao.” Mutianyu has also become famous for visiting foreign leaders and celebrities.
INCLUDED
Meals: B, L, D
Accommodation: Good Fortune Inn
Day 5: Jinshanling to West Simatai
Day 5: Jinshanling to West Simatai
Day 5: Jinshanling to West Simatai
Our hike will start from Simatai, and we will make our way west along the wall into Jinshanling. This is the classic Great Wall that hikers are very thrilled about. Wall enthusiasts have done. The Wall runs from deteriorated wild state to the restored in the end to allow hikers to compare the differences between the two wall status.
Tonight, we will camp on the Great Wall in an ancient watchtower.
INCLUDED
Meals: B, L, D
Accommodation: Camping on the Wall
Day 6: Gubeikou-Jinshanling
Day 5: Jinshanling to West Simatai
Day 5: Jinshanling to West Simatai
Gubeikou is mostly Wild Wall. It was first built during the Northern Qi Dynasty (550-557) and rebuilt in Ming Dynasty (1368-1644). There are 172 watchtowers, 14 beacon towers, 16 passes, 3 water passes, 3 barbarians, and 6 fortresses along it.
In 1933, the Chinese army fought against Japanese invasion troops at Gubeikou. In the four-month-long battles, over 5,000 Japanese soldiers and 9,000 Chinese soldiers died. You can see that Gubeikou is not merely a relic. It remained a battlefield in the modern world, although it got more smushed by Japanese airplane bombers.
We will return to Beijing in the late afternoon.
INCLUDED
Meals: B, L