My husband and I enjoyed our private hike from Jiankou to Mutianyu on January 25th. The weather during our trip was a bit chilly but you could not have asked for a clearer day. The sky was a crisp blue and although there was a bit a wind it wasn't unbearable. Peter our guide met us promptly in our hotel lobby and escorted us to the car. Peter was a great guide and extremely flexible throughout our hike. I got a bad head cold the last few days of our trip and was a bit concerned about the hiking. He lent me his hiking stick and also gave us a few short cuts to cut down on the intensity of the climb. I would recommend the Jiankou to Mutianyu trip because the scenery is incredible. I especially liked the unrestored portion of the wall, Jiankou. Another highlight was our nice warm coffee break and a great lunch. The lunch was actually warm chicken and rice which felt so nice on a chilly day.

If you are going to spend a bit extra $$ on something in China, the Great Wall trip is definitely worth it!

Original review on TripAdvisor32

Travel date: January 25, 2011
Clients: Sarah Phillips
Nationality: United States
Tour: Trail of Great Wall Hiking- One-day Jiankou to Mutianyu

We visited in Beijing in January, the coldest time of the year there. As such it was off-peak tourist season and only private tours (as opposed to big groups) were being organized to the wall. Of all the tour operators we emailed in advance, only Gary came back to us with a recommendation on an appropriate itinerary for a winter hike, and the suggestion that he check the weather forecast closer to the date for the best time to visit the wall. For his personalized advice and attention to detail, we decided to go with Gary. This turned out to be a fantastic decision.

As promised, Gary called our hotel room when we arrived in Beijing to confirm the hike and pick-up location. He also suggested that we shift our hiking date to Friday (7th Jan) as the weather would be good for a walk then. Initially after a couple of days in the bitterly cold Beijing winter (-10 celcius and very windy), we started to question the sanity of visiting the wall during this season. Amazingly however, the day turned out to be the ONLY non-windy and relatively warm day the week we were in Beijing. Gary's choice of hiking date was superb, and we were extremely thankful for it!!

Our guide and driver, Peter and Mr Gao, arrived early at our hotel lobby before our scheduled meeting of 8 am, and waited patiently as we ran across the road to grab a take-out coffee and breakfast. During the 2 hour drive, we found the private car very comfortable and the driving by Gao was safe & smooth, allowing us the chance to catch some sleep during the journey.

The hike itself was superb - Jinshanling was breathtakingly picturesque, with a very interesting history. I'll let the pictures do the talking:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/19383648@N06/sets/72157625827206014/

The last two photos in the Flickr set were of our lunch being cooked just before we descended from the Wall. Peter explained that this was Chinese military technology - and showed us how to use the chemical exothermic reaction to heat the food in the tray above. In fifteen minutes, we had a warm meal of rice which we enjoyed while sitting in the Qilin tower at the end of the Jinshanling section. Highly appreciated on a cold winter's day!

Peter was a fantastic guide, knowledgeable about the history of the Great Wall, willing to explain and address our questions, and a good conversationalist over a wide range of topics. He was generally relaxed and happy to keep pace with us. He was also very patient during the many occasions we stopped for photographs, several times pointing out scenic spots and volunteering to take our photo.The local villagers waiting for tourists at the base of the wall appeared to recognize him - and therefore did not trail us during the hike - which made our walk a very pleasant experience overall.

An added bonus on the way back was a visit to the Bird's Nest & Water Cube. Again Peter was knowledgeable and happy to take us around the park. He was also very patient as my architect husband took time to examine and appreciate the design of the buildings.

We would definitely go with Great Wall Hiking again - this company is highly recommended for its professionalism and quality of service!

Original review on TripAdvisor31

Travel date: January 7, 2011
Clients: Linda Lim
Nationality: Singapore
Tour: Highlight of Great Wall Hiking- One-day Simatai West to Jinshanling

Arrived in Beijing with no plans made to see the Great Wall, but knew we wanted to. After reading a bunch of Trip Advisor reviews and visiting a bunch of sites, we settled on Great Wall hiking and one other. I always reach out to these tour companies by email while travelling. Gary got back to me very quickly with the info I wanted, and payment via Paypal was safe and easy. He also advised the day I picked would be too cold and to move it to another day. With all that say, we booked!

The next day Gary emailed and said that another couple wanted to join us and if that was ok. He also mentioned that we would then pay the 4 person rate which would save us a bunch of money. First off I was happy he asked and gave the option, second off, I was happy for others to join us. He promptly refunded us the amount (in USD not Yuan).

The day of, we were picked up on time and welcomed with a bottle of water, which is always a nice touch. All of us slept on the way there, which made the early wake up not too bad. Once there, Peter warned us of the farmers that would aggressively try to sell stuff and how to deal with them.

Throughout the walk Peter let us go at our own pace, and encouraged us to take pictures and great spots. He also was more than willing to take a bunch for us, which was very helpful. His knowledge of the Wall went beyond the standard tidbits, and he was able to answer all of our questions no problem. Even when I asked about other Walls and the Terracotta Warriors, he knew his stuff.

At the end of the 3 hour trek (which we were very happy we picked over the 5) we stood at one of the highest points in a tower and sipped on hot water. You would be surprised how amazing that is when you are freezing your butt off!

On the way back we had a snack of bananas and porridge, again a nice touch. We visited the Olympic Villages which to me was actually the highlight. Again Peter was very knowledgeable and explained everything. He also helped negotiate a bargain and take pics.

All in all, a great experience. Other than the weather, it was perfect.

Original review on TripAdvisor29

Travel date: December 24, 2010
Clients: Deepak Anand
Nationality: Canada
Tour: Highlight of Great Wall Hiking- One-day Simatai West to Jinshanling

I just spent 3 wonderful days in China, hosted by Gary and Peter from Great Wall Hiking.

I have traveled all over the world and am rarely intimidated, however, as a single "Western" male in Beijing the only day I spent on my own I was constantly harrassed by women trying to sell me art or get me to buy them tea (HUGE SCAM...read about this on various chat boards) as well as many other attempting to provide me a guide/translator service. Again, a huge scam. The first rule in China...don't go anywhere with anyone and never, ever do business on the street.

Now, having said that, Gary, the owner of Great Wall is a small business man and a wonderful host. He is very quick to reply to all emails and went out of his way to ask what I wanted to see/do during my short trip and taylor made a schedule/price to suit my desires.

I spent two separate days hiking on the less visited sections of the Great Wall. Both days my guide, Peter, met me in my hotel lobby and our driver took us about a 2 hour drive out to the countryside. We used that time to talk about anything/everything I wanted, from culture to politics to sports. The automobile is a very clean, modern sedan and the driver was extremely professional, although his english is quite limited.

If you hike any of the "rugged" sections be advised this is quite a physical journey, literally climbing over rubble, through broken sections of wall and clinging to tree branches and stones in order not to fall. You'll also need to climb up a mountain to get to the wall, over 1km straight up a rugged cliff. I'm from the flat state of FL and this was just as much of an adventure as the Wall itself! I don't say this to frighten anyone, but we advised to hike the old sections, you should be in good physical shape and ready for some streneous exercise. I run marathons and was quite tired at the end of the day but would go again tomorrow if I had the chance.

I would also advise bringing a small backpack with your lunch/snacks and sunscreen. I was there in mid December which is usually quite cold in China, however the temperatue was between 40-50F and I took off my hat/gloves/jacket and put them in my bag shortly after we began. Again, this is quite a bit of exercise. In the summer I would imagine you would get quite sweaty.

On my last day, since I had no plans and was very tired of the "hassle" of the steet scammers, Gary arranged to take me around Beijing visiting several of the Palaces, the Zoo and a Hutang village. We used the public subway, the bus system and taxis. This was just as much fun as the tourist sites itself, as Gary took care of all the logistics, tickets and translation in addition to a very educational lecture everywere we went. The highlight of my day was lunch, when we visited a large food market and he was able to order exactly the things I wanted (I have special dietary needs due to a medical condition).

In short, these are honest businessmen who want to make sure you enjoy your time in China. There are NO sales gimmicks, no shopping (unless you specifically ask them to take you to a shop of your choosing to translate) and no additional fees of any kind. You pay the pre-negotiated price and that is all. You have to plan/think of nothing except enjoying your time in Beijing. You can pay via Paypal, in US Dollars or RMB. Your choice.

I can not say enough positive things about Great Wall Hiking. They will be my one and only phone call the next time I'm in China.

Original review on TripAdvisor28

Travel date: December 19-21, 2010
Clients: Eric Chilton
Nationality: United States
Tour: Highlight of Great Wall Hiking- One-day Simatai West to Jinshanling

We started about 45min outside of Beijing. Hiked up to the first guard tower and then went from guard tower to guard tower along the wall for about 3 hours. Note the part between guard towers is not flat so you're actually going up and down very steep crumbling staircases (but that's what makes it fun ;-) The views are absolutely amazing. I went in December and didn't think it too cold at all. Gary was very patient with our group - we kept stopping to take lots and lots of photos.

Gary also arranged a tour of Heavenly Temple, Tiananmen Square, and Forbidden City with Robert, who was very knowledgable and spoke great English.

Original review on TripAdvisor27

Travel date: December 20, 2010
Clients: Roxana Bradescu
Nationality: United States
Tour: Highlight of Great Wall Hiking- One-day Simatai West to Jinshanling

Had a really great time on this tour. The tour company had left all the itenerary information at our hotel for when we arrived which was nice. Our guide Lara was great. She answered all the questions we had and even brought snacks for us. Nothing bad to say at all. Definitely worth it and would do it again without hesitation!!

Original review on TripAdvisor26

Travel date: December 10, 2010
Clients: Stefan Gilmore & Amanda Congar
Nationality: United States
Tour: Highlight of Great Wall Hiking- One-day Simatai West to Jinshanling

We were referred to Gary's services from someone we met at a cooking class - so we didn't really know what we were getting into. Our "friend" told us there were people walking the wall in heels. [I must be totally naive].

Anyway, after getting through the shock that we really were out in the quiet, deserted, part of the wall, it became apparent that this might have been one of the best experiences we've ever had -- and we love to travel...so that carries a lot of weight for our own internal ranking.

Our guide, Lara, was a joy. She is so adorable (and totally understandable). She kept us organized, hydrated, fed, and together. The views were breathtaking, and the experience unforgettable. Thank you for one of our best travel memories.

Original review on TripAdvisor25

Travel date: December 4, 2010
Clients: Johanna Chong & Jeff Klinger
Nationality: United States
Tour: Highlight of Great Wall Hiking- One-day Simatai West to Jinshanling

Everything was just well-organized from start to end. The car that they used to transfer us from the hotel to the great wall was luxurious and unlike many taxi rides that I had been on in China I could actually rest and sleep during the journey and not be on high alert for my safety.

The tour guide Peter was very friendly and he completely respected our privacy by keeping his distance from us and allowing us as much time as we need to do the hike. We also had 2 bottles of water to carry each and Peter kindly offered to carry them for us in his bag pack.

We took the Jinshanling tour in end of November and we were virtually the only ones on the Great Wall.

I'd highly recommend this tour.

Original review on TripAdvisor24

Travel date: December 2, 2010
Clients: Edward Adrianto &Anton Lazarev
Nationality: Switzerland
Tour: Highlight of Great Wall Hiking- One-day Simatai West to Jinshanling

We were late planning our trip to the great wall, while in Beijing we did some research here on tripadvisor and found this company. Luckily it's low season so when we called the day before we wanted to hike the wall, Gary answered and was really helpful. His English is excellent and after reading the reviews here we had high expectations, which were definately met.

Every aspect of the day was very well thought out, even down to water and snacks to eat along the way. We felt extremely safe with Gary on the wall, who's a very experienced guide. He also gave us some history of the great wall and China while we were driving to Jinshanling which was good.

We hiked from Jinshanling to West Simatai, we're fairly fit (regular gym people) and I would say this hike is quite steep and demanding in places although it was windy on the day we went so it was made more difficult. I wouldn't hesistate to recommend Great Wall Hiking, personalised first class service with excellent knowledge

Original review on TripAdvisor23

Travel date: November 29, 2010
Clients: Lisa Sletcher
Nationality: United Kingdoms
Tour: Highlight of Great Wall Hiking- One-day Simatai West to Jinshanling

Truly enjoyed our experience with this company when hiking along The Great Wall. We stayed in Beijing in late September and one of our goals was to hike along the wall. Initially we wanted to hike along Jinshanling to Simatai as I heard that not only was it beautiful but that you could zip line off the wall! Unfortunately Simatai is closed for construction so I wanted to find an alternate route that was similar in length and beauty and had a bit of adventure. After researching online and based on reviews I decided to go with this company and hike the route Jiankou to Mutianyu. It seemed like a good alternative especially since there was a toboggan sled that could take you off the mountain.

We were able to book our trip the day before which we really appreciated. Gary was informative and quick with his responses and allowed us to have an alternative method of payment when our pay pal would not work. The next morning we were picked up promptly by our driver and our guide Peter. Our driver, his name escapes me, but he provided us with a safe ride. He was professional and we appreciated his friendly disposition. Our english speaking guide Peter was awesome. He was keen to our adventurous nature and made sure that we had an experience that was just the right amount of adventure and safety. My boyfriend and I are in our late 20's and are not the most physically fit of people, though we enjoy hiking often. This hike was not extremely strenuous though if you are not in the best shape it is a challenge. I would not advise this hike for small children as there were unsafe parts in the Jiankou section.

This was definitely the highlight of our trip to Beijing. Thank you Gary, Peter and our driver for a wonderful experience through Great Wall Hiking.

Original review on TripAdvisor22

Travel date: November 21, 2010
Clients: Leslie Tutol & Aubrey Tolentino
Nationality: Unitede States
Tour: Trail of Great Wall Hiking- One-day Jiankou to Mutianyu