|
Day 1: Jinshanling Hiking
Adventure
As usual, we’ll pick up our guests from hotel to hotel from
6:30 am to 7:50 am. From the last stop, we will make the
approximate 2.5-hour drive to the Great Wall at
Jinshanling.
The Great Wall at Jinshanling as often seen in Chinese
government’s official posters for the most beautiful part of
the Great Wall. It is one of the best preserved parts of the
Great Wall with many original ancient features.
Jinshanling’s name came from the Greater and Lesser Jinshan
(in Chinese, the Gold Mountain) built since 1570. In the
past 450 years, Jinshanling has witnessed the century
changes of China’s cultural, military and economic
developments. There are more than 100 watch towers along the
Jinshanling Great Wall. There is an enemy tower each of
which is about ten meters (33 feet) high for every 100
meters. Featuring various structures and having various
functions, those watchtowers are either one tiered or
two-tiered.
We will take about 3 hours to explore and trek along the
Jinshanling Great Wall. Following our trek, we will treat
you a gourmet lunch in a local restaurant where you will get
to try refreshing and authentic rural Chinese dishes to
celebrate your success.
It’ll take about 2.5 hours to arrive in the city, so it is
expected to be back close to the rush hour. Since this trip
goes very far to Jinshanling and then returns, and in order
to ensure that guests spend enough time touring Jinshanling,
your guide and driver will not drop off guests at each place
(hotels, primarily) after the group returns to Beijing
around 6
pm, right in the middle of the rush hour. Instead, they'll drop everyone off at the Dongzhimen
Subway Station. Guests can take subways, buses or taxis to
return to their own hotel. Dropping off guests at every
locations would be a very lengthy and painful experience for
everyone involved in the rush hour.
Day 2: Mutianyu Great Wall Adventure
As a routine, our pickup time for the departure varies from
hotel to hotel. Your guide will call your room or a Chinese
mobile number you keep to inform you the exact pickup
time.If you are not in the room, a message will be left.
Please visit your hotel’s desk for the mssage or from the
room phone.
The Mutianyu section of the Great
Wall is a masterpiece of restoration, with 22 original style
watchtowers open to the tourists. The name Mutianyu means
“Admire Fields Valley,” is the longest fully-restored Great
Wall section. This part of the Great Wall was built with
slabs of granite and is of 22 km (14 miles) long and 7 or 8
meters high and 4 or 5 meters wide, crenellated on both
sides.
The Mutianyu section of the Great Wall is connected with
Jiankou in the west and Lianhuachi in the east. The Mutianyu
section of the Great Wall used to serve as the northern
barrier defending the capital and the imperial tombs.
There are more than 4000 steps from the peak of the mountain
to the ground. You may choose between a two-rider chairlift
or four-rider gondola lift up from the foothills to the
level of the wall, which runs along the ridges above. These
lifts may also be used to descend. Another interesting way
to descent is to use the funny single-rider luge called
“toboggan” in German. You’ll drive this slide to slide down
along the track secured with winding medal and net.
Upon getting back to Beijing, your guide will drop you off
at the nearest subway station to your hotel and instruct you
how to take and get out. The horrible rush hour in Beijing
at the time we get back will cost you much more time to get
back to your hotel by sitting on the bus that moves forward
inch by inch. You will be better off to take the underground
transportation. Don't worry about getting lost in the
subway. Your guide will tell you with good details.
What to bring
with this exciting hike:
*Hiking boots or sneakers sunscreen and sunglasses.
* Bottled water
* Backpack, and snacks or energy/protein supplements you
may need before
our lunch
* Camera
Pickup: To
clarify, a group tour means that we will pick you up from place to place
in the morning and that can take time. If you book a private tour then
there would be no need to go around the city to pick up others. As you
are probably well aware, Beijing traffic effects a lot of what we do,
but nevertheless, we should have done a better job of communicating with
you and giving you the most out of your day with us.
The tour guide will pick you and other guests up from
different hotels/locations in Beijing in the morning, and then will
take you to Jinshanling. Upon arrival, your guide will show you where
to get started, and if you wish to take the cable car, your guide
will help you buy tickets at the entry. Your guide will hike with
you for a few watchtowers and you will be at your own pace to
explore more watchtowers.
If you wish to have a fully guided tour, then we recommend you
consider our private tour.
The purpose of this group tour is to provide customers with the
convenience of getting to and back from the Great Wall safely and
with the reduced hassle of not having to take public transportation.
Return: Upon getting back to Beijing, your guide
will drop you off at the nearest subway station to your hotel and
instruct you how to take and get out. The horrible rush hour in
Beijing at the time we get back will cost you much more time to get
back to your hotel by sitting on the bus that moves forward inch by
inch. You will be better off to take the underground transportation.
Don't worry about getting lost in the subway. Your guide will tell
you with good details.
 Check
testimonials from former hikers and view their photos.
|
