By Jean & Bob Konopacz from Basel, Switzerland

We have been very impressed with the positive response and service we received from Great Wall Hiking.  We had googled hiking tours within days of our arrival in Beijing.  We were looking to book a ride and hike from Jinshanling to Simatai.  We were looking for a hike on the Great Wall that would be remote, rustic and challenging.

 

The first thing that drew me to the Great Wall Hiking site is that they offered to pick us up at our hotel at 8:00 am whereas the other sites offered a 6:00 am pickup, some of which we would need to get to a meeting point across town.  Great Wall Hiking offered convenience and a reasonable hour with our teenage kids.  The second thing that drew us to Great Wall Hiking is their graduated pricing per person.  The more people in your group, the price reduces per person.

When we emailed them on a Sunday afternoon expecting a Monday response, we were surprised to get a positive response within the hour.  We immediately put a deposit on a hike to take a mere five days from that time.

We continued to be impressed with Great Wall Hiking's service when we arrived in Beijing.  We returned from our first day of sightseeing to receive a message at our hotel from Lydia confirming all the details for our hike the following morning.  She confirmed every detail as well as answered our questions thoroughly.  The next morning both Lydia and our guide for the day, Ricky, showed up promptly at 8:00 am.  The lobby of our hotel was quite busy with lots of people going in and out.  I was wondering how I would find them. But Ricky was roaming the lobby holding a sign with my name on it.  He easily found us.  We had our introductions, and were handed out t-shirts and water bottles, both inclusive in our rate.  A van and driver were waiting for us at the door of our hotel.

The trip to Jinshanling is two hours long.  Ricky talked to us about the history of the Great Wall, showed us maps and basically told us what to expect on our hike.  He told us how to deal with local merchants and farmers.  We were fortunate to be blessed with perfect weather and blue sky.

On arrival at the gate to Jinshanling, our guides purchased our entrance tickets.  During the course of the four hour hike you will need three entrance tickets.  The first to the gate in Jinshanling, the second at our halfway point as we enter the Provence of Simatai, and lastly a ticket to cross the rope suspension bridge over the river near the end of the trip.  All three of these tickets were purchased by our guide and inclusie in our tour.  Before starting our hike our guides made sure we were sufficiently packed and had enough water.  Two bottles of water per person were included in our tour as well.  This was more than enough water during the cooler spring weather we hiked in.  I can see needing that amount or possibly more during the hot summer months.  I probably wouldn't recommend this hike during the height of summer.  Spring or fall coolness made for perfect hiking weather.  Lastly before our hike started, our guides made sure we all used the restrooms as there will be none found for the next four hours.

The beginning of the hike was quite steep as we had to climb up to the first guard tower.  I believe there is a cable car during the summer months so this beginning climb could be bypassed.  The cable car is not included in the tour.  Once on the Wall, the views were spectacular!  Our guides were great at pointing out several historic highlights that would have been missed by the casual hiker.  They pointed out the purpose of all the guardposts, explained the military structure at the time, how the posts were run, how many guards were housed in each one and how the guards were farmers during their off time in order to supply the post with food.  They pointed out military strategy, the reasons for side walls and arrow holes in the bricks.  We even learned about the era the bricks were made.  The bricks varied in era as we walked, explaining the years it took to complete this Wall.  All in all, our guides were very knowledgeable and interesting.  They were careful to spread this information out as we saw things.

At this point I must add a few personal finds.  This hike is very rustic.  You must look down often to make sure of your footing.  Quite often I had to remember to stop, look up, enjoy the view, take a photo and just breathe.  I also want to point out that this hike is not for those of you who are out of shape.  It is not a leisurely stroll.  My husband and I are in our mid-fifties and hike in Switzerland and the Alps often.  By the halfway point it was evident my knees were not holding up and my husbands feet hurt.  This is not just a four hour hike.  It is equivalent to a four hour stairmaster workout.  Our teenage kids and our guides were fine with the hike.  I found halfway that I needed a snack break.  I needed to really pace the rest of my hike in order to finish.  Our guides were patient and helpful, lending a guiding hand when needed to pull us up a wall.

The finale of the hike was the zip line over a river and down to the town.  This was not included in the tour.  There is a path down as well.  But the zip line was well worth the price of 35 rmb ($5.00) per person.  What a thrilling way to end the beautiful hike.  Our guides proceeded to direct us to a good restaurant for lunch and helped with the ordering of local dishes.

Our driver was waiting for us as we finished lunch.  We were awarded with certificates of completion of the hike.  We all were exhausted and slept as the driver drove us safely back to Beijing.  The last impressive sight was stopping at the Olympic Village and being able to take photos of the Bird Cage from the 2008 Olympics.

Our driver dropped us off at our hotel.  Our guides finalized our tour.  We were very happy with all the pleasant, efficient service we received from Great Wall Hiking.  We would highly recommend the company to anyone looking to book any of their offered services.

Trip attended: Highlight of Great Wall Hiking- One-day Jinshanling to Simatai West