The day begins at 12:00 PM or 1 PM. We'll drive by private van to the Jiankou section of the Great Wall and start hiking to Mutianyu.

The Great Wall at Jiankou is located in the district of Huairou, about 80km/50miles northeast of Beijing. Your guide and driver will pick you up at your hotel and will drive you to a village called Xizaizhi at the bottom of Jiankou Great Wall. In order to hike on Jiankou, first we have to climb up a path for about 60 minutes to reach it. The Jiankou Great Wall was an important section of the wall in Ming Dynasty (1368 – 1644). Owing to the need for renovation, the wall is regarded as one of the most dangerous sections of the Ming’s wall. For your safety, we are taking the path that is not dangerous but still breath-taking. Because of the time of day, the weather should be not overly hot (in fact, quite comfortable), so this hike shouldn't be too taxing on you.

Our hike will today will take about 4 hours and will cover 10km/6 miles. The Jiankou section is known for its ruggedness and wild beauty, and you will be in awe of the marvelous views it affords. As soon as we reach Jiankou we will see a deserted watchtower that gives you a panoramic view of the entire valley. This section of the wall is not well known by tourists, although if you see a picture of the Great Wall from exotic traveling magazines, chances are it is from Jiankou. In fact the cover of the latest edition of the Lonely Planet China Guidebook features a scene from Jiankou. This is the pinnacle of exotic Great Wall scenery.

We'll start from Zhengbeilou (see photo above), which is the best place to take photos. This part of the wall is often empty, so you will have some peace and serenity on your hike today. Because we are here late in the afternoon, there probably won't be any one else out here. Another highlight of Jiankou is the enemy observation tower known as "Ying Fei Dao Yang", so named because this watchtower was erected on the highest peak in the area, and eagles and hawks often perch on it. Although the majestic wall is slowly being conquered by small trees and brambles, the view from the top is still stunning! However, it is still pretty far from Zhengbeilou to be able to see "Ying Fei Dao Yang" clearly.

From Jiankou we will cross over onto Mutianyu, a section of the wall that has been largely restored. Although it has gotten a face-lift, it avoids the army of tourists that plague Badaling. Mutianyu offers some breathtaking views of the valley and wall below, and if you look to your right you’ll see a large sign engraved in the side of the mountain encouraging you to “Cherish the teachings of Chairman Mao”. Mutianyu has also become popular for visiting foreign leaders and celebrities (former U.S. President Clinton and UK Prime Minister John Major visited Mutianyu on one of his trips to China). It is from Mutianyu that we'll wait to see the sunset drape over the Great Wall, and this will undoubtedly be one of the highlights of your trip in China. We hope you have your cameras ready!

Cable car or toboggan at Mutianyu is not included due to their early closure of operation by 6 PM or earlier in winter.

Before we drive back to Beijing,  we'll have a dinner at Subway at Mutianyu entrance square. We'll drop you at your hotel for the night. This trip can be taken at any point in the year but in winter, we'll start the tour from noon due to the early sunset at 5 PM.