D1: Gubeikou-Jinshanling
The driver and the guide will pick you up at 8:30 am from your hotel and then we drive to Gubeikou section of Great Wall, which is located at the town of Gubeikou in Miyun District of Beijing. Gubeikou is about 130kms (80miles) northeast of Beijing and driving there takes almost 2.5 hours.
The town of Gubeikou served as the northern gate of Beijing in ancient times. Therefore it was quite important both strategically and militarily and numerous wars happened here in history when minority groups from the northern part of China tried to invade Beijing. The most recent war happening at Gubeikou was in the year of 1933 when the Japanese troops tried to invade Beijing. On the over 40-kilometer-long Great Wall in Gubeikou area, there were 172 beacon towers, 16 passes in the mountains, 3 water passes over the river and 6 military bases, some of which are still preserved very well nowadays.
Today we will walk for about 10 kilometers (6miles) and the whole trek will take almost 5 hours. When arriving at the village near Gubeikou Great Wall, we will walk to the wall and it is quite easy, as the mountain there is not so high. From the wall you will be able to see how the wall winds on the mountain ridges to the faraway Jinshanling and Simatai areas. Most parts at Gubeikou section of Great Wall have not been renovated but not so difficult to hike.
Today you will also pass a military area where it is not allowed to walk on the wall, therefore you need to get off the wall and trek for about one and half hours on the mountain path before you return to the wall. After walking back to the Great Wall again, we arrive at Jinshanling and it is then much easier to walk. We hike for another half an hour and take some photos before going down the mountains to our hotel. Tonight we stay overnight at Jinshan Hotel, which is located at the entrance of Jinshanling Great Wall Scenic Spot.
D2: Hike at Wohushan Section of Great Wall, drive to Jiankou
After breakfast we drive for about 15 minutes to Wohushan Great Wall, which is also located at the town of Gubeikou. Today’s hike is much shorter but more difficult, as the mountain here is quite high and steep.
Wohushan in Chinese means Crouching Tiger, and this mountain looks like a big tiger protecting the town of Gubeikou, hence the name. Today’s hike will last about 2 hours, during which we sometimes walk on the Great Wall and sometimes on the mountain path along the wall. Most parts of this section have not yet been restored. When reaching the top, which is about 900 meters above sea level, you will be able to have a very good view of the faraway Jinshanling and Simatai sections of Great Wall as well as the Chaohe River, the villagers’ houses and the railway station at the town of Gubeikou. After taking some photos we walk down through a mountain path to the parking lot. Then we drive for about one hour to a restaurant at Miyun District of Beijing and have lunch. We will drive directly to the hotel at Jiankou after lunch and stay there tonight.
D3: Jiankou-Mutianyu
After breakfast we drive to a village near Jiankou Great Wall. It takes about half an hour and we will drive on the winding mountain road. You will be amazed by the views on your two sides and you will see the real and beautiful countryside of north China.
From the village at the bottom of the Great Wall it takes about one hour to get to the top, which has a height of about 1,000 meters (3000feet) above sea level. Zhengbeilou, which is the name of the tower at the top, is a nice place to take photos of the view. You will see the authentic and wild wall constructed on the curvaceous and breathtaking mountain ridges. It is hard to imagine how much hard work and efforts it took the ancient Chinese people to build this part of wall.
From Zhengbeilou we are going to hike to Mutianyu section of Great Wall and it takes about two hours, during which you will trek on the old and original wall where numerous trees and plants are scattered around because of a long history and no restoration during the past 300 years. There are also lots of wild fruit trees growing on the two sides in the mountains, such as chestnut, walnut and apple trees, which attract a lot of squirrels. If you are lucky enough, you can see some squirrels looking for food on the Great wall.
When arriving at Mutianyu section, the view is totally different. First of all, this part has been renovated and it is much easier to walk here compared with the last part. Secondly you are already on the highest part of Mutianyu and during the rest of the hiking you will walk always down. In the end you have the option of walking, taking the cable car or the toboggan down to the parking lot of Mutianyu. Taking toboggan is a lot of fun and therefore is strongly recommended. After meeting the driver we go directly back to your hotel in Beijing.
