Day 1: Beijing - Jinshanling - campsite (4 hours, 7km hiking)
Pick you up at your Beijing hotel and drive 2.5 hours to Jinshanling. A 40-minute walking up will lead you to East-Five-Eye watchtower. You may take a few breaths before reaching the Wall, and will be rewarded by the breathtaking panoramic view of this amazing human constructions. Once standing on the top of the Wall, you could see Simatai, Jinshanling and Gubeikou in a clear day, what a spectacular view! We will walk mainly on brick steps at Jinshanling section and some of them are big. This section of the Wall is very popular among keen photographers for its intact watchtowers, beacon towers and other solid constructions. The steps rise up and down constantly and scenery is changing at every watchtower. Take a short break and some photos here, we will then walk westward. We will get through Shalingkou and Zhuanduokou and then off the Wall at West-Five-Eye watchtower. A half-hour walking downhill will come to a farmer’s house in the valley, where we will have a simple home-made dinner here due to limited supply of food materials in this isolated location. Basic shower is available in summer. Our host will lift up all camping gears to the campsite after dinner. We will go up to the campsite in 20 minutes. Torch is necessary to find your way at night. You have to go to toilet before ascending the Wall.

Camping gears: twin-shared tent, 1 sleeping bag, 1 rolling mat and 1 pillow per person

Meals: sandwiches lunch/dinner

Accommodation: camping by the Great Wall

Day 2: campsite - Gubeikou - Beijing (4 hours, 7km hiking)

Wake up by the Great Wall as the sun rises around you. It’s the right time to produce amazing photographs. At this time there are usually no other people on the wall, and you have the wall to yourself.We will come downhill to the farmerhouse for breakfast and bathroom.

We will walk on hilly path and then farmer field toward Gubeikou after breakfast for 1.5 hours. Coming back to the Wall again at 24-Eye Watchtower at Gubeikou, we could see the panoramic view of the Crouching Tiger Hill in a distance if weather permits. The rest of 2.5 hours’ walking on the Dragon Hill is relatively flat and easier. A lunch will be served in a local farmer restaurant. We will drive 2.5 hours back to Beijing.

Meals: breakfast/lunch

Jinshanling & Gubeikou Great Wall

Jinshanling is the name given to the wall situated on the Jinshan Mountains. Its earliest section was built in the 6th Century but most of what you see now also dates from the Ming Dynasty. The walkway along the top is paved with square bricks providing a level surface wide enough to construct batteries. Poems and tablet writings can be found here, left from the time General Qi Jiguang directed building of this section of the Great Wall. Barrier walls were built leading to the enemy to protect the towers. Some of the towers were storerooms for food, hay and weapons. 

In 1378 (the 11th year of Emperor Hongwu's reign in the Ming Dynasty), General Xu Da ordered this section of the Great Wall rebuilt. Gubeikou has probably seen more battles than any other parts of the Great wall, including some of the most famous in Chinese history. On the southern slope of Gubeikou stands a temple dedicated to Yang Ye, a famous Great Wall garrison general of the Song Dynasty. This is one of the oldest temples dedicated to this general in China. In WWII there’s fierce flighting between Chinese and Japanese armies for weeks, and a cemetery for some 300 Chinese soldiers is preserved close to the Wall.