Great Wall Hiking
Great Wall Hiking
Lifetime Great Wall Experience Creator Since 2009

GWPA41- Splendor of Great Wall 
4-day at Huangyaguan, Jinshanling and Chenjiapu (private)

Trip name: Splendor of Great Wall
Trip code: GWPA41
Trip length: 4 days
Hiking sections: 
Huangyaguan, Gubeikou, Jinshanling and Chenjiapu
Meeting point and time: Your hotel at 08:00 on Day 1
Finishing point and time: Your hotel at 17:00 – 18:00 on Day 4
Hiking duration: 
3 hours on Day 1, 5 hours on Day 2, 5 hours on Day 3, 5 hours on Day 4
Best time to go: Late March to early November
Physical rating: ★★★★★ Strenuous
Departure: Your selected date, start and finish in Beijing, all year round

Prices

Group Size87 6 5 4 3 2 1 
Price USD 600 620 640 6606807608001360
All Prices shown are in USD (United States Dollar) and based per person and for twin-shared accommodations for multi-day hiking.For group sizes over 9 please send us an email request to obtain the best possible rate.


Children under age 12 receive 50% discount. Children under 5 are free. Children’s price is based on adult travelers. Please send us children’s details in email.


Remember when comparing price, you get what you pay for. We don’t earn money by taking you to commissioned shopping stops, a common practice in China, wasting your time. Our guides are carefully selected, highly trained  and well-paid to be friendly and patient travel companions. We are not the cheapest, but we are one of the best.

Highlights

  • Hike on less-visited, wild, original, restored and safe sections of the Great Wall
  • Try varied home-made food at local farmer’s guesthouses
  • Learn Chinese dumpling-making at one local family
  • Optional sunrise watching if weather permits
  • Insight visit to local villages near the Great Wall
  • Peking duck lunch

Detailed itinerary

 DayWall Sections
 Day1 Beijing, Huangyaguan
 Day2 Jinshanling East to West
 Day3 Jinshanling West to Gubeikou
 Day4 Chenjiapu; back to Beijing
Day 1: Beijing, Huangyaguan (3 hours/4 km hiking)

In the morning at 8am we will depart to Huangyaguan, a 2.5-hour journey. We will walk the Wall from Taipingzhai to Huangyaguan in 3 hours. If you’re energetic, you may challenge yourself by climbing up to the top of Sky Stairs. A lunch will be organised after the hike and then we will drive to Gubeikou village and stay overnight in this village.


Originally built in 557 AD, the Huangyanguan Great Wall was repaired for the first time in Ming Dynasty with bricks and then restored again in 1985. It is 41 kilometres in length with its walls and towers built on mountain ridge with an average altitude of 738 metres. The name Huangyaguan translates to “Yellow Cliff Pass” and is named after the yellowish hills and rocks nearby. It is unique in that it has various different-shaped watchtowers. There are not many tourists in this area, as it is a remote and seldom visited location. The most unique feature here is the Street of the Eight Diagrams, an architectural wonder of the Ming Dynasty lying just below the pass. A labyrinth set up to confuse and entrap invading armies, this fortification design is based on the ancient trigrams of the Book of Changes. UNESCO placed Huangyaguan Great Wall on the UN list of the World heritage. In May each year marathon runners from around the world come here to participate in one of the world’s most demanding courses, with exhausting ascents, steep descents and more than 5,164 steps. We only walk this section once, rather than completing the circuit twice as is required of the marathon runners.


Meals: lunch/dinner

Accommodation: local farmer’s guesthouse with private bathroom and shower at Gubeikou village


Day 2: Jinshanling East to West (5 hours/10 km hiking)

Finish breakfast at 8am and then drive to Jinshanling East (Simatai West). You will start the hiking around 8:30 am, and it will take about 5 hours to complete the hiking. We will prepare sandwiches as picnic lunch on the Wall. We will drive to Gubeikou village after the hiking.


A 40-minute steps walking up will lead you to East-Five-Eye watchtower at Jinshanling East where you could have a panoramic view of both Simatai in the east and Jinshanling in the west in far distance. You may take a few breaths before reaching the Wall, and will be rewarded by the breathtaking panoramic view of this amazing human constructions. Take a short break and some photos here, we will then walk westward at Jinshanling. We will have a lunch break at Taochunkou after 3.5 hours walking, and then get off the Wall to walk through farming field for 1.5 hours until Jinshanling West.


This section offers arguably the finest hiking anywhere on the Great Wall. It is extremely photogenic, with over 50 watch-towers, and steep gradients that give constantly changing perspectives and wide, open views. There is fascinating variety in the watch-towers here. Some have two storeys, others three. Some have flat roofs, others rounded and others again are pitched with upturned eaves. This section of the wall is wild, ruined, preserved and original. On a clear day, it is difficult to fail to take good photographs here.


Our driver will take us to Gubeikou village (20 minutes driving) after the hiking. You’re free to explore the village in the afternoon.


A dumpling-making lesson will be organised by our farmer host in the afternoon, and you will have a dumplings dinner with other local produces.


Meals: breakfast/picnic lunch/dinner

Accommodation: local farmer’s guesthouse with private bathroom and shower at Gubeikou village


Day 3: Jinshanling West to Gubeikou (5 hours/10 km)

We will drive to Jinshanling West in 20 minutes after breakfast, and start at the spot where we finished the day before. Walking through the jungles and bushes for 40 minutes, we will reach the 24-Eye Tower at Gubeikou. You will have a panoramic view of Gubeikou: Coiling Dragon Hill (Panlongshan) and Crouching Tiger Hill (Wohushan) in far distance. Continuing the hiking toward General Tower, which was bombed by Japanese in WWII. The Wall is becoming more ruined and delayed in the remaining 2 hours when approaching the village. We will walk straight to the local restaurant when completing the hiking.


Gubeikou, along with the passes at Shanhaiguan in the east and Juyongguan in the west, was a key strategic target in military campaigns since ancient times. Protecting these three passes was considered vital for keeping Beijing safe from the Mongolian nomads. There was also a fierce battle between Chinese and Japanese in the 2nd World War. The vistas of the sinuous Wall snaking its way over the ridges of the Yanshan Mountain are breathtaking.


We will drive a long distance (3 hours) to Huailai after lunch, a town close to the next hiking section.


Meals: breakfast/lunch/dinner

Accommodation: hotel in Huailai 


Day 4: Chengjiapu, Beijing (5 hours/9 km)

We will drive to Chenjiapu after breakfast at 8am. There are almost no other people on today’s hiking section. The wall at Chenjiapu village connects Badaling in the north and is vital to protect the capital in the Ming Dynasty. There were also fierce battles between Chinese and Japanese invades in World War II. The major part of the Wall is original, ruined and slippery. Only a few watchtowers were restored and preserved. Currently the Wall is the border between Beijing and Hebei Province, and was the border between Han Chinese and nomadic Mongolians in ancient times. The Wall rises up and down on the mountain ridges with solid granite foundation and bricks steps. It’s strong wind and freezing cold here in winter.


We will have a late Peking duck celebration lunch en route before getting back to Beijing.


Meals: breakfast/Peking duck lunch

Accommodation Overview

Day Location AccommodationStyle
 Day 1 Gubeikou VillageLocal farmer's guesthousecomfort
Day 2Gubeikou VillageLocal farmer's guesthousecomfort
Day 3HuailaiLocal hotelcomfort

Additional Information

Included

  • comfortable air-con vehicle with experienced driver
  • fully-escorted personal expert English-speaking hiking tour guide
  • entrance fees of all sections of the Great Wall as listed
  • 3 nights twin-shared accommodation in local hotels or farmer houses
  • bottled water for hiking; meals as listed in the itinerary; daily snacks (snickers and fruits)
  • a certificate of completion for hiking on the Great Wall of China

Not included

  • Travel insurance
  • Cable car or any other additional local facilities
  • Personal expenses
  • Tipping to hiking guide/driver recommended on good service on a 2:1 ratio separately (CNY 50/25 per person per day for guide and driver respectively can be guideline)

What to take

  • Passport (with photocopies)
  • Travel insurance (with photocopies, is required to show us before tour departure) USD cash and travellers’ cheques
  • Credit card or debit card
  • China entry visas (or vaccination certificates) required
  • Day pack (with water tank, or water bottle) for daily personal items Wet wipes/Moist towelettes
  • Alarm clock Flashlight/torch
  • Sun hat, sun block, sunglasses Insect repellent
  • Ear plugs for light sleepers Small towel
  • Toiletries (biodegradable)
  • Sturdy walking shoes/sports sandals/hiking boots Money belt
  • Shorts for summer months (June-August) Zip-off hiking pants/track pants
  • Shirts/T-shirts
  • Fleece, jacket, hat and gloves (in winter) Waterproof jacket
  • Cover for backpack or plastic bags to keep clothes dry
  • Camera and memory card Reading/writing material First-aid kit

Notes

  • You will hike the Wall from A to B and you need a day pack to carry water, snacks and other personal stuff.
  • There is no toilet along the path on the Wall. There are toilets at entrances of all sections of the Great Wall, otherwise be prepared to commune with nature. Please prepare before hiking and always carry toilet paper by yourself.
  • Unlimited bottled waters are stored in our vehicle for hiking; after-meal waters are not included
  • We will bring trekking poles in our vehicle and please tell your guide if you need one.
  • Since this trip will go through jungles and bushes, then long pants with zip-off legs will be the best in summer time and shorts are not recommended.
  • It’s recommended to prepare your own snacks before departure from Beijing if you don’t like snickers.
  • Travel insurance is optional and is the sole responsibility of travellers. It is encouraged to have coverage of injury or accident.
  • As responsible travellers, we “take nothing but photos, leave nothing but footprint”.

Customized Pick-up & drop-off:

If you plan the hike on the first or last day of your duration in Beijing, we can include a customized pick-up or drop-off at the following points without additional cost. It’s safe to store your luggage at our car/van.


Beijing Capital International Airport (PEK): arrival before 7am or departure after 7pm
Beijing Railway Station: arrival before 8am or departure after 7pm
Beijingxi (West) Railway Station (train to/from Xi’an): arrival before 8am or departure after 7:30pm
Beijing Fengtai Railway Station (train to/from Pingyao/Datong): arrival before 8am or departure after 7:30pm
Beijingnan (South) Railway Station (train to/from Shanghai): arrival before 8am or departure after 7pm

Beijing Daxing International Airport (PKX) is a little further out of the city. Please email us for customized pick-up & drop-off. Additional cost is applied.

You also can connect Gary via WeChat for a fast communication by scanning the QR code.

Download Tour Information

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Cancellation Policy

Days before departure Charge applicable:

  

Not less than 14 days: Loss of deposit

  

Between 7 and 13 days: Loss of 50% of the total booking cost or loss of deposit; whichever is the greater

  

6 days or less: Loss of total booking cost

Booking Conditions