3 Days Great Wall Hiking with Simatai
We hike from Gubeikou to Jinshanling Great Wall and enjoy the breathtaking views with a relatively peaceful hike. This classic Great Wall hike allows you to experience what is now the most popular Great Wall trek - Gubeikou to Jinshanling. Gubeikou, often overlooked and rarely crowded, offers some of that "wild wall" that we know our clients love. Jinshanling has long been storied for its beautiful brickwork and watchtowers, as well as the way wall here winds and snakes along the valley. At the end of the hike, a short drive will take us to the Watertown at the bottom of Simatai Great Wall. Check-in the comfortable traditional style room in the Watertown.
Mandarin Duck Lake lies at the foot of the wall, with a water town by the lake. Located in North Beijing's suburban Miyun county, Gubei Watertown is a newly developed tourist destination combining mountains, lakes, ancient-style villages and luxury five-star hotels. Travelers can experience at the same time the beauty of the water town as well as the grand Great Wall. A replica of Wuzhen Watertown in East China's Zhejiang province, Gubei Watertown makes a great destination where people can tour by boat when the weather is warm. When the lakes are frozen in winter, Gubei Watertown offers a different kind of charm at the foot of Simatai Great Wall. Besides sightseeing, visitors can experience unique local customs and participate in native activities.
You'll also have the opportunity to hike into the western portion of Simatai section of the Great Wall, an area known for its steepness and challenging paths. In the late afternoon we could hike up the Simatai to see the sunset, if the weather and time permit, or we will stroll around the water-town with a massive backdrop of the world famous Simatai Great Wall. Tonight you will be treated with a great dinner.
This morning is left free for us either to climb to the top of Simatai Great Wall, or to explore the Watertown and take part in some culture activities(e.g. learining tie-dye, kite painting, need to be booked ahead of time).
The Gubeikou Great Wall was built along the precipitous mountain ranges, rising and falling at various sections. Simatai, built on a cliff, is extremely steep. A famous Great Wall specialist said: "The Great Wall is the best of Chinese architecture, and Simatai is the best of the Great Wall."
Simatai Great Wall displays various patterns of construction. Here, you can not only view the conventional appearance of the Great Wall, with battlements on each side of the track, but also see on steep cliffs the half-wall style, with battlements built only on the outer side. The slope and width also change dramatically depending on the different terrain. Some segments along the gentle slopes are so wide and mild that even horses can walk on them. At other narrow points, only one person at a time is able to pass. Another feature of Simatai is the diverse architectural styles of the beacon towers; there are two-storey or three-storey towers, and towers of square shape, oval shape, or hexagonal. The number of arrow holes on each tower also varies, and includes two, three, four, and even 24 holes. Of the towers, the most distinctive are the Fairy Maiden Tower (No. 15 East Tower) and Wangjing Tower (No. 16 East Tower). The former is the narrowest tower of this section, while the latter occupies the highest point of the whole scenic area. There is an almost vertical stairway with large steps leading to the Fairy Maiden Tower. Built over the sheer cliff, it makes the tower very hard to reach.
We will spend the day on the Jiankou section of the Wall, recognized as one of most beautiful parts of the "Wild Wall" near Beijing, and much-loved by photographers. Not visited often by "typical" tourists, this section is really rough and broken. Although we will have to be careful walking on it, the opportunity for pictures in this section is unequalled! With memories (and memory cards) full of pictures, we will then have a late lunch at a restaurant near Mutianyu, known for its delicious fish. After enjoying a leisurely lunch, we will start our drive back to Beijing. The comfortable ride in the late afternoon sun will allow us to reflect on, and cherish, various highlights we experienced during our unique adventure of the last 3 days.
-End of Tour-
| Cancellation in advance | Cancellation penalty |
|---|---|
| More than 30 days | No Cancellation Fee |
| 30-10 days | 50% of the full payment |
| 9-0 days or no show | 100% of the full payment |
Enough films and batteries, Sun-cream with the protection index of 40-60, sunglasses with a sun protection factor of 15, the lip creams and balms with SPF rating, towel, toothpaste, electric torch, Snack foods.
Cloth that you bring must be warm enough and can be removed easy enough according to the weather, including Jacket, hat, Cotton underwear, Socks, Long-sleeve Shirts, T-shirts and Pants (Shorts are not appropriate at any time while hiking), comfortable shoes, rain gear (long rain coat is better)
Medicine: In addition to the normal medications for traveling, just like the Aspirin and medicine for diarrhea, siriasis，sunstroke and carsickness.
US$ is acceptable only in a very limited range, e.g. tips. However, for convenience, Chinese currency is the best choice. If you want to change US$ to Chinese currency in the tour, you can change it in the Hotel you stay or in the Bank of China. You could draw cash only from Bank of China in the big city, the ATM there doesn't always work properly and the bank is not easy to find. Please bring some cash at hand to use.
a) Eating is an important part of your China experience. Generally breakfasts are included in the itinerary and offered by hotels. CAT recommends local Chinese restaurants that are popular with local people for lunch. You can order dishes with the help of your guide. We usually leave dinner for your own choice — Western food can be found in most large cities.
b) We have tried to arrange various food in different cities. But you may still think the food is simple and not as delicious as in the big cities especially while trekking in the mountains and villages. If you have any priority of the food (eg. If you are vegetarian or you are allergic to MSG, peanut oil, fish and peanut, etc) please inform us early, we will try to alternate the food accordingly. At the same time please prepare some of your favorite snacks and substitution food in case of need.
c) Meals in the home stays will be different from the cities but clean, which leave you a good chance to experience the ethnic minority culture. We will pack a breakfast for you of cold cereal, milk, toast, fruit, and jam for the home stay.
d) It is very important to drink a lot of water and eat enough fruit in your tour especially while trekking in the mountains and villages. You are advised not to drink tap water.
Hotels in China are bound by Government laws which mean that air conditioning is switched on nationally in May and the central heating in November (this may vary slightly depending on the region).
In some remote areas, sometimes shower maybe not available in the home stay. A married couple is not allowed to share a room in the Miao's home-stay due to the local customs.
It is customary to tip service providers in the travel industry in Asia, depending on the service. Tipping is expected — though not compulsory — and shows an expression of satisfaction with the people who have assisted you on your tour. Recommendations for tipping drivers (5-8 USD per person per day as a guideline) and local guides (8-15 USD per person per day as a guideline) would depend on the quality and length of the service.
We use comfortable sedans or vans with air-conditioning. The comfort and safety of our customers is of utmost importance, so we ensure that all of the vehicles we use are well maintained and always very clean. Our drivers take pride in their vehicles.
In some provinces with many minorities (like Guizhou, Guangxi, Tibet, Xinjiang and etc.), the customs and habits of local people are different from place to place. The local guide will inform you what should care. Respect the local customs and religions. The people are very kind and hospitable. You can feel free to talk with them. But there are some rulers you should go by!
a. Do not photo them without getting the permit, please show the respect to them!
b. Don't talk the sensitive topics like the political and the religion matters!
When you sign up for the trekking tour, you acknowledge that there are risks involved in trekking in high altitude and confirm that you are fully aware of and accept these risks. It is customer's responsibility to determine whether the tour he/she choose is suited to his/her physical condition. Customers are responsible for the cost of any medicines or medical care they may require during the trip for any reason. Please make sure you have adequate personal medical insurance to meet any medical emergency which might arise. In some cases, if you need medical care during the tour, you may be required to pay for it at the time it is rendered and seek reimbursement from your insurer after you return home. Please check with your medical insurer for details. In the event of a medical emergency, we will make every effort to assist you in obtaining necessary care. Also, please tell us in writing if you suffer from any allergies or other physical conditions which might affect you during the tour (if you hasn't tell us in writing before going, you are supposed to be healthy enough to take the tour). Finally, please check with your doctor to find out what inoculation may be recommended for the areas you will be visiting. It is your responsibility to obtain all necessary inoculations. We reserve the right to decline to accept any person as a member of the tour, or to decline to retain any person, if such person's physical condition, mental well-being or behavior interferes with the operation of the tour. There will be no refund in such cases.