Overnight in a |
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(Per Person)
Free for children under 3,
There are no unscheduled or
Climbing Pole Rental: |
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convenient and comfortable shuttle vehicles
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The 
Day 1
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Beijing-Gubeikou-Jinshanling (L, D, 10 kms,
4-5 hours of hiking) Your guide will meet you at your hotel between
8:30 - 9:00 am,
and by private sedan or minivan we will head to the Great Wall at Gubeikou to
start our hike. Gubeikou Great Wall occupies a strategically
important location, which is difficult to access. Situated between Shanhaiguan Pass and Juyongguan Pass, and about 62 miles to Beijing,
it is the bastion protecting the northern gateway to the capital.
There are 14 beacon towers, 143 watchtowers, 16 strategic pass,
three citadels and many other military constructions. Many of them
are famous cultural relics, such as the Big Flower Beacon Tower of
the Northern Qi Dynasty, Fairy Tower, General Tower, and the
dominant Wangjing Tower.In 1933, when Japanese forces invaded China, the Chinese army at Gubeikou fought hard to resist the enemy. it marked the beginning of China's eight-year-long war to fight against Japanese invasion in the World World II. After walking on Gubeikou we will cross over to Jinshanling. Much of the hiking that we will do on Jinshanling today is relatively easy, as much of the wall here is restored and the surface smooth. Jinshanling has five main passes and 67 watchtowers. Every 100 meters (328 feet), there is an enemy tower each of which is about ten meters (33 feet) high. Featuring various structures and having various functions, those watchtowers are either one tiered or two-tiered. Among them, the most celebrated are the Big and Small Jinshan Watchtowers. The Wangjinglou Tower, the General Tower, the Black Tower and the Taochun Tower are also must-sees on the Jinshanling Great Wall. Each tower has its legend. Legend has it that the stone bars used to build the Wangjinglou Tower were carried to the mountaintop by Er Lang Shen, the nephew of the Jade Emperor. The general tower was named to commemorate Wu Guihua, a heroine who sacrificed herself to resist northern invader's invasion in the Ming Dynasty. The Black Tower and the Taochun Tower were christened to commemorate two girls, Heigu and Taochun, who made great contributions to the construction of the Great Wall.  This
afternoon, you'll watch the sunset while walking along the Wall.
Then we'll take you to have a gorgeous Chinese countryside style
dinner served by a local guesthouse owner and also the master chef.
The chef used to work in large company's canteen for 28 years! He is
going to
serve you Kong Pao Chicken, Stewed beef and potato, Green Pepper and
Pork, Fried Tofu in Spicy Sauce, Fried Egg Tomato, Sweet and Sour
Chicken, and vegetables (great for vegetarians), and soup.
What's more important is that all the
vegetables he uses are planted in his own yard, so it is organic and
fresh!  Then, before it gets dark, we'll go up to the mountain and sleep overnight in a watch tower. We'll prepare the necessary camping facilities such as sleeping bags so you don't have to bring anything but yourself. Here it is the sound sleeper's paradise - let the mountain valley and the Great Wall echo your snoring sound! We'll prepare the necessary camping facilities such as sleeping bags so you don't have to bring anything but yourself. If you prefer sleeping in a local hostel or a farmer's house, you certainly can without extra charge. However, in cold winter, we'll only overnight in a local hotel for safe. Temperature on the Great Wall is usually 10 degree Celsius lower than it is on the ground. |
Day 2
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Jianshanling-Second Valley (the West
Wing of Simatai) -Beijing (B, L, 8 kms, 3 hours of hiking) The first thing we'll do today is to watch the magnificent sunrise early in the morning. After a hearty breakfast (You can have your breakfast delivered to the watchtower and enjoy your Great Wall breakfast for just RMB 100/person.) with eggs, bread, milk etc., we will resume our hike on Jinshanling's right wing, where we will hike until we reach Simatai West called Second Valley. As we head west the wall will start to gradually deteriorate, making the hike progressively more challenging, but also interesting to observe and compare.  The
Jinshanling Great Wall has not been repaired since 1570. It is a
remote and relatively isolated section of the Great Wall. As there
are relatively even fewer tourists at Second Valley part of
Jinshanling Great Wall, it is a good place to explore on foot. If
you are looking for breathtaking views with a relatively peaceful
walk, then the Second Valley of Jinshanling can't be better, so we
hope that you remembered to bring your camera! The Second Valley
features a complicated and well preserved fortification system at
Jinshanling. The Second Valley Great Wall meanders through fantastic
natural scenery and connects to the Gubeikou Great Wall to the west.Simatai West, called the Second Valley, is the left wing of Simatai. It is also in a serious state of ruins and is thereby a perfect example of the true Great Wall, while also being extremely beautiful and rustic. The wall is 7.8 m high and 5 - 6 m thick at the bottom. On the top, the wall is about 4 meters wide with 2 meters high parapets on each side. On the side facing the enemy were 2 m high crenels called Duokou. On the upper part of the Duokou were large openings used to watch and shoot at attackers. On the lower part were small openings ('loopholes') through which defenders could also shoot  while in greater safety from incoming fire.In addition to the gorgeous scenery on your hike, you'll also get to see how the wall was designed for practical purposes, that being the defense against outer enemies and how the Great Wall was supposed to keep them out. There are 'obstacle-walls' built perpendicular to the parapets - a feature quite unique to the Second Valley part of Jinshanling Great Wall. These 'walls-within-walls' were used for defense against enemies who might have succeeded in scaling the outer wall. The steps of the Great Wall at Second Valley are rather steep and rocky with loose stones at times. It is important to choose comfortable footwear with a good grip and support for the feet. After about 2-3 hours of hiking on Second Valley, we’ll again meet up with our van and you’ll be taken back to Beijing, where you will be dropped off at your hotel. |
| Stuff to
bring on your trip: * Tough hiking boots, sunscreen and sunglasses, and water * Backpack, and snacks or energy/protein supplements you want to have before lunch * Extra cash for drive/guide tips along with money for either cable car or toboggan ride * Don’t forget your camera! We have up to 8 different routes for overnight hiking and camping on the Great Wall!  Read
complete itinerary of Route 2X: Forbidden City +
Sleep in the Watchtower (Camp!)  Read
complete itinerary of Route 2AA: Gubeikou-Jinshanling-Jiankou-Mutianyu hike (Camp!) Read
complete itinerary of Route 2AB: Gubeikou-Jinshanling-Second
Valley Hike & Camp (Camp!) Read
complete itinerary of Route 2B: Huanghuacheng-Jiankou-Mutianyu hike Read
complete itinerary of Route 2C: Chengde-Panjakou Reservoir-Xifengkou hike. Read
complete itinerary of Route 2D: Panjiakou
Reservoir-Xifengkou hike. Read
complete itinerary of Route 2E: East Qing Tomb-Huangyaguan hike. Read
complete itinerary of Route 2F: Laolongtou-Shanhaiguan-Sandaoguan-Jiaoshan-Jiumenkou-Huangtuying
hike
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