Full-Day Small-Group Great Wall Hike: Simatai West to Jinshanling
Overview
As the most popular hiking trip of Great Wall around Beijing, it will show you both untouched and restored sections of the Great Wall at Simatai West and Jinshanling within 3 hours. We will reach the Wall by Kylin Tower at Simatai West, and then walk westward to Jinshanling. We will get off the wall at Shalingkou at Jinshanling, or you can walk another 30 minutes if you feel energetic and then get off the wall at Zhuanduokou . The unrestored wall, the watch towers, the beacon towers snake on the mountain from east to west. You will have chance to meet local farmer friends, try local home-made food and learn local community development. It is the best place for keen photographers along the wall. Regarding fitness it is a medium-level hiking for all ages.
Inclusions
- 1. air-con vehicle with experienced driver
- 2. personal English-speaking hiking tour guide
- 4. unlimited bottled water; snacks on the Wall; lunch in a local farmer’s restaurant
- 5. a certificate of completion for hiking on the Great Wall of China
- Entry/Admission - Simatai Great Wall
- Entry/Admission - Jinshanling Great Wall
What to expect
Itinerary
This is a typical itinerary for this product
Stop At: Jinshanling Great Wall, Chengde Shi, Luanping County 068250 China
Partially restored and original section of the Great Wall.
Duration: 3 hours
Stop At: Simatai Great Wall, Gubeikou Town, Beijing 101508 China
A short part of Simatai West instead of Simatai East section.
Duration: 30 minutes
This is a typical itinerary for this product
Stop At: Jinshanling Great Wall, Chengde Shi, Luanping County 068250 China
Partially restored and original section of the Great Wall.
Duration: 3 hours
Stop At: Simatai Great Wall, Gubeikou Town, Beijing 101508 China
A short part of Simatai West instead of Simatai East section.
Duration: 30 minutes
Additional information
- Not wheelchair accessible
- Not recommended for pregnant travelers
- Children must be accompanied by an adult
- Children under 5 are not allowed to take this tour
- Vegetarian option is available, please advise at time of booking if required
- There is no toilet along the path on the Wall. There are toilets at the entrance of Simatai West and Jinshanling. Please prepare before hiking and always carry toilet paper by yourself.
- Near public transportation
- Please don’t make any appointment after the trip as the return depending on the traffic between 5-6 pm.
- You will be followed by local farmers when starting the hike. The farmers will give you help along the way, as a reward they will sell some souvenirs. If you don’t like this, you have to say NO firmly at the beginning (MAYBE LATER does not work in Chinese culture) or just ignore them and not speak a word with them; otherwise they can be persistent and follow you all the way on the Wall.
- Unlimited bottled waters are stored in our car/van today, and you need a day pack to carry them.
- We will bring trekking poles in our car/van and please tell your guide if you need one.
- Travel insurance is optional and is the sole responsibility of travellers. It is encouraged to have coverage of injury or accident.
- As responsible travelers, we “take nothing but photos, leave nothing but footprint”.
- Travelers should have a moderate physical fitness level
- This experience requires good weather. If it’s canceled due to poor weather, you’ll be offered a different date or a full refund
- This tour/activity will have a maximum of 10 travelers
- Confirmation will be received at time of booking
Ticket delivery
You can present either a paper or an electronic voucher for this activity.
Cancellation
For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours in advance of the start time of the experience.
Lochin B
July 2023
We took the tour with Great Wall Hiking in early July. The entire process was smooth and professional. I contacted Gary about the hike in May. He was prompt to reply. In our interactions, he was always clear, friendly, and flexible. His English is impeccable. The information in the PDF provided...
We took the tour with Great Wall Hiking in early July. The entire process was smooth and professional. I contacted Gary about the hike in May. He was prompt to reply. In our interactions, he was always clear, friendly, and flexible. His English is impeccable. The information in the PDF provided by the company is clear and detailed. On the day of the hike, our guide Jason and our driver Mr Zhang arrived early to pick us up. Jason is a great guide — he’s open, knowledgeable, and has interesting perspectives to share. The pace of the hike was good, Jason’s explanations were informative, and the lunch was tasty. We left and came back as per schedule. When we look back on our trip, this tour was a highlight. We spent one month in China, went to many museums, historical sites, etc. The Great Wall tops anything I have seen in China and elsewhere in the world. There is just no other place that will offer you both a site of great historical significance and human genius, but also breath-taking views of nature. Hiking the wall means walking over mountains for kilometers onwards on a historical monument. Could you do this on your own and pay less? Sure. But it would probably a pain. Knowing exactly which part of the wall to go to, getting dropped and picked up there, getting to speak to an informed local with a rich background… That’s all worth the price, especially since China is only slowly reopening to foreigners and there are many hurdles to get over. If you want to have a perfect, worryfree experience, I’d recommend you book the tour immediately. I’m already thinking about when I can go back next and book the longer trip with Great Wall Hiking!TheophaniaSeattle
June 2023
Since tourism hasn't quite bounded back after China's years of zero-Covid policy, this tour was only available as a private tour rather than a small group tour. Which meant, as a solo traveler, I was paying a not insignificant amount. But it was worth it. I know there are other ways of seeing t...
Since tourism hasn't quite bounded back after China's years of zero-Covid policy, this tour was only available as a private tour rather than a small group tour. Which meant, as a solo traveler, I was paying a not insignificant amount. But it was worth it. I know there are other ways of seeing the Great Wall. There are wheelchair accessible sections and sections where you can go up by cable car and down by toboggan. There are sections where there are so many people you can barely see the wall itself. There are tours that take you there and back from Beijing in a half-day. If that is what you want/need, go for it. But if you are open to reserving a full day and participating in some semi-strenuous hiking, you will be rewarded with zero crowds, gorgeous scenery, the ability to see both restored and unrestored sections of the wall, and a truly unique experience. Most of us only get one shot to go to The Great Wall. You can trust Gary and his crew to make it count.carloslH5645PG
May 2023
I found this agency watching "Alan por el mundo" YouTube channel and the recommendation was simply great. The company communication is fluent and fast, also the way of payment and follow-up. The companion of Woddy our guide was amazing, the tour began on the way from the hotel picked up to the ...
I found this agency watching "Alan por el mundo" YouTube channel and the recommendation was simply great. The company communication is fluent and fast, also the way of payment and follow-up. The companion of Woddy our guide was amazing, the tour began on the way from the hotel picked up to the Great Wall and was a top-of-the-line history class about the origins of the Great Wall and the history of Chinese dynasties. The walk of a life-changing experience and the locals were so kind and welcoming that you get to feel special. I hope that anyone that is planning on visiting China take this trip or many others available to really taste this beautiful and friendly country. God bless you all.nicolelE3497WH
April 2021
Fantastic experience. I just went with myself and my dad and our tour guide, Jimmy. We went pre-pandemic, this is a late review. But when we went it was fantastic. Since it was just our small group it was very personal and we could tailor the day to whatever we wanted to do. Our guide was very kn...
Fantastic experience. I just went with myself and my dad and our tour guide, Jimmy. We went pre-pandemic, this is a late review. But when we went it was fantastic. Since it was just our small group it was very personal and we could tailor the day to whatever we wanted to do. Our guide was very knowledgeable about the area and history.AchingInEconomySeat
December 2019
You can (fairly) easily see the Great Wall closer, cheaper, and less strenuously than on this tour. What made this tour great WAS the physical challenge and the remoteness of the section visited. My guide Peter took me to Dinjangling, a sparsely populated area on the far outskirts of Beijing. P...
You can (fairly) easily see the Great Wall closer, cheaper, and less strenuously than on this tour. What made this tour great WAS the physical challenge and the remoteness of the section visited. My guide Peter took me to Dinjangling, a sparsely populated area on the far outskirts of Beijing. Peter spent the long drive to the site explaining the rich history of the wall network’s construction. I dare say I came away with a much greater understanding of modern China by learning about this important piece of its past. When you’ve been fending off invaders to your homeland for centuries, it tends to have a strong influence on one’s national psyche and policies at home and abroad. This tour is for people who want a good workout with a great amount of history and fascinating facts thrown in. I consider myself a pretty experienced hiker, yet some steep stair descents forced me onto my hands and behind to avoid tumbling face-first off the wall. Total hiking time was only a few hours, but the many elevation changes made it a worthy challenge. Some unexpected highlights: Receiving a shiny thumb drive full of photos Peter took of me and unique Wall features during the hike. In addition to being a superb historian, he is also an excellent photographer! We ate lunch at a rural roadside restaurant; what it lacked in five-star Beijing opulence, it made up for in local authenticity and flavor. I went during the low season (late November), so there were only a few people on the wall peddling wares to passersby, and even fewer tourists. It made for a memorable and truly private first encounter with one of China’s best-known marvels.annprsnd
December 2019
I went in early November, luckily the weather was still good and in fact it felt quite warm at times. I went solo and we formed a small group of one couple and another solo traveller with Peter as our guide. Learned a lot about the history and features of the wall. While there were other people a...
I went in early November, luckily the weather was still good and in fact it felt quite warm at times. I went solo and we formed a small group of one couple and another solo traveller with Peter as our guide. Learned a lot about the history and features of the wall. While there were other people at Jinshanling, it was by no means crowded (noting November is the beginning of low season). In terms of the walk itself, a few steep areas but if you're of average fitness (ie walking and stairs are usually no issue) with grippy shoes (I wore running shoes) you'll be fine - the stairs to the top at the beginning I found more strenuous than the wall itself (but I hate stairs). My review sounds underwhelming but it was absolutely amazing - I'm glad I picked Jinshanling and this company to take me as it was pretty much a perfect experience, with enough variability in the walk to make it fun, excellent views and an escape from crowds. Highly recommended.