9 days tour

Walking The Great Wall

$ 2,100 .00 USD

Total price per person

Reserve with $2,100.00

Walking The Great Wall

This tour includes:

Guide

Tour leader throughout

Transport

On walking sections our support vehicle will carry bags from hotel to hotel, so you only need to carry a day pack on your walks. This trek has no human or animal porterage since the walking is low altitude and walking paths are always close to roads - we put the luggage in the vehicle. Road travel will be by private minibus. Most roads are excellent, but some of them may have potholes and you should be prepared for a bumpy ride in places. Most of the driving days are not long, usually no more than four hours.

Accommodation

You will spend three nights in a well located hotel in Beijing and five nights in simple guesthouses whilst on trek. Please be aware that accommodation options are limited on trek and the guesthouses offer simple mountain accommodation. Rooms are twin share and have en suite bathrooms. The bathrooms are equipped with Western toilets and there is hot water (although this can be erratic and somewhat unreliable). It can get cold in the mountains and the guesthouses have no central heating but sleeping bags are not required as blankets are provided. There are usually electric heaters available upon request. There is electricity but there can occasionally be power cuts so a torch will come in handy.

Others

All transport and listed activities Arrival & departure transfers

Meals

All breakfasts, 6 lunches and 6 dinners are included. Food is cheap in China and you can avoid the spicier regional food if you wish. The cuisine on this trip is fantastically varied with lots of new flavours and โ€™thingsโ€™ to try. Gastronomically the trip can be divided into two parts: โ€™tourist hotelsโ€™ and โ€™local hotelsโ€™. In tourist hotels the breakfast is normally a buffet, with a huge spread of Chinese and western food, including coffee, juice, breads, cakes, fruit, eggs, bacon and a wide variety of noodle and stir fried dishes. Dinners are normally taken in the hotel or local restaurants, serving rice with assorted vegetables, pork, fish, chicken and duck dishes with flavours roughly approximating those you would find in a Chinese restaurant in the UK. In the local hotels, breakfast includes rice porridge, dumplings, eggs, noodles, etc, however, we tend to augment this with fruit and cakes where available. Dinners are taken in local restaurants where the food is heavily flavoured with ginger, garlic bamboo shoots and chilli. Lunches are taken in local village restaurants and will normally consist of noodle soup or stir fried vegetable noodles. Expect an audience most lunches as the locals crowd around to watch the โ€™big nosesโ€™ trying to master the use of chopsticks! Vegetarians are well catered for but please inform us before departure of any special dietary requests. Please note that in China the availability of certain specialized products for restricted diets, e.g. gluten-free or dairy-free, is minimal or non-existent and we strongly recommend you bring these specialized dietary items from home. Strict vegetarians may find the diet rather limited to stir fried vegetables and eggs as all the soups are made with meat stock.

Not included:

Flights

International flights not included.

Optional

Other activities and services not included

Others

โ€” Travel insurance โ€” Single accommodation (available on request) โ€” Chinese Visa - GBP201 with Travcour or GBP151 plus GBP18 special delivery direct with embassy โ€” Vaccinations

Insurance

Travel Insurance is not included

Start planning your experience

Itinerary of your trip Walking The Great Wall

  • Day 1 Day 1: Arrive Beijing; Free Afternoon And Beijing Duck Dinner (Breakfast,Dinner)
    • 12:00 am - 11:59 pm

      Day 1: Arrive Beijing; Free Afternoon And Beijing Duck Dinner (Breakfast,Dinner)

      Today is free to allow for arrival on various different flights. We meet for a welcome dinner allowing us to sample one of the cityโ€™s most famous dishes: Beijing duck. Vegetarians, do not fear โ€“ there will be an array of different dishes on a lazy Susan to choose from. Free arrival transfers are available for all customers arriving into either Beijingโ€™s Capital airport (PEK) or Daxing airport (PKX). Transfers should be booked with your sales representative at least two weeks before the tour starts. Accommodation: Dong Fang Hotel (or similar)

  • Day 2 Day 2: Drive To Huanghuacheng Great Wall Section; Afternoon Begin Trekking. (Breakfast,Lunch,Dinner)
    • 12:00 am - 11:59 pm

      Day 2: Drive To Huanghuacheng Great Wall Section; Afternoon Begin Trekking. (Breakfast,Lunch,Dinner)

      This morning we leave the capital and head into the countryside to the Great Wall, a 2-2.5 hour journey to the north west of the city. We reach the lesser-visited section at Huanghuacheng, which has an incredibly picturesque location by a lake. The name Huanhuacheng translates as โ€˜Yellow Flower Cityโ€™, as during the summer the surrounding mountains are swathed in yellow as the local wild flowers come into bloom. The walk today is relatively challenging and with uneven topography, but the views are worth every effort! We will spend the night in a guesthouse close to this section of the wall. Accommodation: Fengfuyuan Guesthouse, Huanghuacheng (or similar)

  • Day 3 Day 3: Morning Trek At Mutianyu, Passing Many Watchtowers. (Breakfast,Lunch,Dinner)
    • 12:00 am - 11:59 pm

      Day 3: Morning Trek At Mutianyu, Passing Many Watchtowers. (Breakfast,Lunch,Dinner)

      Today we take a short drive (1-1.5 hours) to Mutianyu. At this lesser-visited section, the Wall is an impressive sight indeed, snaking off across mountains and valleys into the distance. As one of the best-preserved parts of the Great Wall, the Mutianyu section used to serve as the northern barrier defending the capital and the imperial tombs. There are 22 watchtowers (20 of which are open to the public) on this 2,250-metre-long section. After Mutianyu section, we transfer to Jiankou village to enjoy the hospitality of a local guesthouse. Accommodation: Mr Zhao Guesthouse at Jiankou (or similar)

  • Day 4 Day 4: Trek At Jiankouโ€™S "Wild Wall" (Breakfast,Lunch,Dinner)
    • 12:00 am - 11:59 pm

      Day 4: Trek At Jiankouโ€™S "Wild Wall" (Breakfast,Lunch,Dinner)

      The Jiankou wild wall section was built along a mountain edge and remains completely wild, with towers clinging impossibly to the steepest of ridges. Highlights of the day include โ€œSpiderman Wallโ€, or โ€œSanshibadengโ€ in Chinese; an optional short vertical climb to the top of the wall for a panoramic view (those who are not a fan of climbing/heights can walk around and regroup at the viewpoint). This area is the most photographed section of the Great Wall due to the unique construction style combined with stunning scenery. We walk along this portion for approx. 4 km in the morning, returning to the guesthouse for lunch, then walking about another 4.5 km in the afternoon. We have the option of seeing sunset from the wall. Accommodation: Mr Zhao Guesthouse at Jiankou (or similar)

  • Day 5 Day 5: Transfer To Jinshanling; Hike The Great Wall Jinshanling Section. (Breakfast,Lunch,Dinner)
    • 12:00 am - 11:59 pm

      Day 5: Transfer To Jinshanling; Hike The Great Wall Jinshanling Section. (Breakfast,Lunch,Dinner)

      Today we walk the length of the Jinshanling Great Wall section (from Erchi Tower to Zhuandoukou Tower), which is renowned for being one of the best-preserved parts of the Great Wall and dates from the Ming Dysnasty (1368-1644). This section reaches seven metres high and six metres wide and incorporates five main passes, sixty-seven watchtowers and two beacon towers as it zig-zags its way through the Big and Small Jinshan Mountains (the Big and Small Jinshan Watchtowers are the highlight). The construction is of huge bricks, each weighing around 12 kilograms (26 pounds) and this section features various structures which were used for an array of functions ranging from weapon stores to soldiersโ€™ bedrooms. Accommodation: Xiaocui Guesthouse at Jinshanling (or similar)

  • Day 6 Day 6: The Most Challenging Walk Today Along The Gubeikou Section (Breakfast,Lunch,Dinner)
    • 12:00 am - 11:59 pm

      Day 6: The Most Challenging Walk Today Along The Gubeikou Section (Breakfast,Lunch,Dinner)

      Today we hike from Zhuanduokou Tower along the Gubeikou section of the wall to Panlongshan. This portion keeps the original essence of the wall and will transport us back to the time of the Han Dynasty. We will pass many watchtowers until we reach the unique 24 Window Tower (three level tower). Accommodation: Yeshufang Guesthouse at Gubeikou (or similar)

  • Day 7 Day 7: Panlongshan Section Of The Great Wall (Breakfast,Lunch)
    • 12:00 am - 11:59 pm

      Day 7: Panlongshan Section Of The Great Wall (Breakfast,Lunch)

      We will walk from Panlongshan north gate to the main entrance. Following our walk along this part of the wall weโ€™ll drive for about three hours back to Beijing. Accommodation: Dong Fang (or similar)

  • Day 8 Day 8: Beijing City Tour Visiting Hutongs, Tiananmen Square And The Forbidden City. (Breakfast)
    • 12:00 am - 11:59 pm

      Day 8: Beijing City Tour Visiting Hutongs, Tiananmen Square And The Forbidden City. (Breakfast)

      We take a morning walking tour of the cityโ€™s hutongs (narrow alleys) to see what is left of old Beijing and its traditions. We also visit Tianโ€™anmen Square; the largest in the world and able to hold over a million people. Later in the day, we visit the Forbidden City with its innumerable courtyards and temples. This evening, recommended optional activities include the amazing Beijing opera or a Kung Fu show, or you may prefer to opt for a foot reflexology treatment to sooth your weary feet! The leader will also arrange a farewell dinner (optional). Beijing is a fantastic place to explore at your own pace; if you wish to add on any additional time please speak to your sales consultant at the time of booking. Note Following the Covid-19 pandemic, maximum numbers of daily visitors to the Forbidden City have been significantly reduced, impacting availability of tickets. Our local team aim to secure tickets for the Forbidden City, but if unable to do so, weโ€™ll visit the Ancestral Temple (used during the Ming and Qing Dynasties to offer sacrifices to ancestors, and architecturally quite similar to the Forbidden City) and the Temple of Heaven. You will be advised at the start of the trip if this change needs to be made. Accommodation: Dong Fang (or similar)

  • Day 9 Day 9: End Beijing (Breakfast)
    • 12:00 am - 11:59 pm

      Day 9: End Beijing (Breakfast)

      Our trips ends today in Beijing after breakfast. Free departure transfers are available for all customers departing from either Beijingโ€™s Capital airport (PEK) or Daxing airport (PKX). Transfers should be booked with your sales representative at least two weeks before the tour starts.

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Experience Style

Experience Style

Mixed

There will be challenging activities such as hiking, biking, canyoning and trekking, but youโ€™re also going to have other means of transportation and relaxed moments to just chill.

Accomodation level

Accomodation level

Medium

This accommodation includes essential services like a hot shower, electricity, and a nice and comfy bed.

Experience Type

Experience Type

Small Group

Youโ€™ll be accompanied by a small group of travelers just like you.

Physical Rating

Physical Rating

Average

There are several physical activities that last from 2 to 6 hours in easy terrains, low altitude flats, or water experiences. Please ask if youโ€™re not sure this applies to you.

Age range

Age range

Min: 16 / Max: 80

Age range allowed for this experience.

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