For the more adventurous at heart, spend two days hiking along a lesser-visited portion of the Great Wall. Start your hike at the Gubeikou section and hike west to Jinshanling. Parts of the wall are covered with vegetation, and you hike along a trail in some portions. Overnight at a hotel near the wall and hike the rest of the way to Simatai the next day. Enjoy breathtaking views on this active addition to any China trip!
Highlights
Admire Jinshanling, considered to be the most well-preserved section of the Great Wall
Spend two days hiking along a lesser-visited portion of the Great Wall
Relax in a comfortable hotel offering the closest location to the wall for hikers
Requires high-intensity physical efforts that push the limits of one's fitness. May include tours with multiple days in a row of strenuous physical activity or single requiring more than 7 hours of activity. Recommended for travelers maintaining a demanding fitness level.
Meet your guide this morning in your Beijing hotel lobby shortly after breakfast and drive 2.5 hours to Gubeikou, the starting point of today's trek. This section of the wall was originally built in 1378 to assist in China's defense of the Mongols from the North. Set amidst the Panlon (Hidden Dragon) and Woho (Crouching Tiger) Mountains, follow past Gubeikou's numerous watch towers and garrisons. Half way through, wind your way into a valley through several farms to bypass a military area, before rejoining the wall at the Jinshanling section. Named after the Jinshan Mountains it straddles, this section holds nearly 70 watchtowers built in different architectural styles. Look carefully as you hike and you may spot old poems and stories etched into the brick. The 5-6 hour trek concludes with your arrival and descent at Jinshanling's main gate and a short walk to the nearby hotel. This basic yet comfortable hotel offers the closest location to the wall for hikers.
Hiking Distance: 10-13 km (6-8.5 miles). Moderate to difficult with uphill & downhill trails.
Day 2: Jinshanling Great Wall, Return Beijing
1 Breakfast, 1 Lunch
Today, check out of your hotel and meet up at the gate to continue trekking on the wall where you left off the previous day. The Jinshanling section is considered by many scholars to be the most well-preserved section of the Great Wall as most of its original features remain intact. The first two hours of your 4-5 hour trek ascends along the Great Wall with impressive scenery on either side. Arrive to Dongkou at the eastern end of the Jinshanling Great Wall, and take a path downhill towards Simatai, a section of the wall that was blocked off from the Jinshanling section. Arrive at your vehicle in the parking lot and drive the hour and a half back to Beijing.
Hiking Distance: 8-10 km (4-6 miles). Moderate to difficult with steep uphill and downhill trails.
Dates & Prices
Per person starting at
Apologies for the inconvenience. Prices for not yet published. Below per person rate based on previous season. Contact us to confirm upcoming season pricing.
Prices for are estimated based on inflation. Contact us to confirm pricing and availability for your desired departure date.
$636
Notes
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Rates based on current exchange rate CNY/US dollars. Please contact us for exact quote in US dollars.
Initial deposit is 30% of Land Cost + Total Transportation Fare required at the time of confirmation of the reservation, and most travelers will call our office and pay the deposit with a credit card.
Final payment is due 70 days (10 weeks) prior to departure by bank transfer, check or credit card. All final payments by credit card may be subject to a surcharge and maximum of $20,000 charge
Our guide and driver were very good with their knowledge and were very helpful with our questions. It was a very pleasant visit that would have been impossible to do on our own. Hotels and restaurants were fantastic. The special places we got to go to, like the kitchens, were great. Enjoyed the entire trip!
Meyer Smolen
TrustScore 4.8 | 147 reviews
TrustScore 4.8 of 5
Based on 147 reviews on
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A wonderful 9 day tour of beautiful Costa Rica taking in breath taking scenery including the active Arenal Volcano to the stunning beaches of Manuel Antonio.
Adventure Life made a fantastic itinerary for us(we were a group of 4) Would highly reccomend them for getting it right!
Lovely hotels with breakfast included, bespoke trips in mostly private transfers, zip-lining and white water rafting adventures! This really was an amazing trip & one we will cherish forever!
Dawn Howes
6 hours ago
Mary Curry is very responsive to my emails and sends me the information I request very quickly.
Donna Benson
8 hours ago
We book a tour to Peru with them in May. Viewing from their website we didn’t realize that they are private tour company but after quoting the price, it seems reasonable for a private tour, let’s see how’s their service after our tour. The process of booking went smoothly except the payment part which need a bit of work. Need to improve better payment method and options.
LP
1 day ago
We have used Adventure Life Travel before and we where impressed with the outcome of their handling of our travel arrangements. So we are using them again on this vacation. Tilly has been very helpful and we put our complete confidence in her! We feel very comfortable using Adventure Life.
Jerry Hatley
1 day ago
Erin was responsive, knowledgeable, helpful, and ran through a few different choices with us. She got us a fabulous price on a trip, and made everything easy to do. And QUICK!!