Wild and Wonderful Great Wall Hiking
Make your dream of hiking the Great Wall come true by discovering the most popular hiking sections in 3 days. The wild Great Wall sections at Jiankou and Gubeikou display the original, unrestored bricks and stones of the Wall, which vary in wholeness from tower to tower.
The Mutianyu section is a reflection of the restoration work carried out in the early 1980s. The Jinshanling section will impress you with its rugged, verdant, and picturesque scenery of hardy original towers and its authentically restored glory.
This 3-day hiking tour from Jiankou to Jinshanling will allow you to see both wild and restored sections of the Great Wall.
Tour 'Wow' Points
Conquer the Most Challenging and Majestic Section of the Great Wall at Jiankou
The Jiankou section of the Great Wall is renowned for its majesty and steepness. You will hike the east part, which was left untouched for centuries.
Explore the Most Rural and Wild Section of the Great Wall at Gubeikou
The Gubeikou section of the Great Wall is bleaker and less elevated, but it gives you a sweeping sense of what it would have been like in its original glory. Enjoy having the wall to yourself during the hike as there are no crowds and often no-one else in sight on the Wall.
Hike the Most Photogenic Section of the Great Wall at Jinshanling
The Great Wall at Jinshanling has the most beautiful natural and manmade scenery. You will get a wider variety of shots than you can at any other section of the Wall. Many professional Great Wall photos are taken at this section.
Enjoy an Overnight Stay in Beautiful Gubei Water Town
After hiking in the daytime, relax your body in a hot spring, take a leisurely boat ride on Duck Lake, or appreciate stunning night views of the town and Great Wall above from the balcony of your hotel room.
Discover real reviews of Highlights Travel Family's best-rated service across trusted platforms.
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An amazing experience in Beijing !
We had a wonderful time visiting the Beijing Zoo and the Great Wall with our guide Paul! He was exceptionally kind and knowledgeable and took exceptionally good care of us. We enjoyed conversing with him and learning about life in Beijing as well as the history of the Great Wall. He was also helpful in finding us food to fit my dietary needs which I appreciated. Everything about our trip has been smooth and we had such good fun. I would absolutely recommend China Highlights and Paul for their professionalism! more
Sep 2024, Ann-Marie M@E2527CAannmariem
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Family Fun Beijing!
Great experience with China Highlights!!! Great sightseeing, wonderful people! Thank-you Selinda (Tour guide) for a wonderful time! more
Sep 2024, DSD
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Guide Olivia
Olivia was an excellent and thoughtful guide. Would highly recommend. H as d an excellent trip to Beijing in September 2024 more
Sep 2024, RupertL
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Itinerary Quick Look
Here is a suggested itinerary. We are happy to customize a tour according to your interests.
In the morning, your private guide will be waiting for you in your hotel lobby at around 8am.
It takes about 2½ hours to drive to Xizhazi Village, which is at the foot of the Great Wall at Jiankou. Start in Xizhazi Village and hike for about 1 hour to reach the Wall. From there you will hike eastward to the restored Great Wall section at Mutianyu.
There will be a sharp contrast when you arrive at the Mutianyu section, which has a restored wall and towers.
Descend from the Wall, enjoy your lunch at a restaurant near Mutianyu. Then you will be transferred to beautiful Gubei Water Town and stay there overnight.
Your day will start at about 9am and you will spend about 5 hours hiking on the wall. This is a long day but the walk is leisurely compared with the hike from Jiankou to Mutianyu.
The scenery at Gubeikou is not as spectacular as it is at Jinshanling or Simatai but this section is more interesting historically.
After 2 hours of hiking on the Gubeikou section of the Great Wall, you will need to descend from the wall to avoid a nearby military area. Walking along a path through cornfields for 1½ hours, you will reach the Wall again at the Jinshanling section.
Lunch is at a restaurant near Jinshanling. Then transfer to Gubei Water Town again for the overnight stay.
Start your trip at about 8am with a 30-minute drive to the Great Wall at Jinshanling.
At this time of day, there are usually no other tourists on the wall, so you will have the Wall to yourself. It takes about 3 hours to hike from Jinshanling to Simatai West, the junction of the Jinshanling and Simatai sections.
This section has breathtaking views and offers stunning photo opportunities that vary with the seasons. As this section is half-restored, you can see both the unrepaired ancient watchtowers and a restored section of the Wall during the hike.
After having a lunch at the foot of Jinshanling, your guide and driver will accompany you back to Beijing.
Hotel Selection
—the Icing on the Cake
Boutique hotels are recommended to enrich your travel experience.
Price includes: