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Great Wall Hiking |
DAYS |
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Holiday Overview
Holiday Overview
Highlights
- Watchtowers
- Well-served picnic lunch on top of the Wall
- Luxury accommodation inside the Watertown
Map & Itinerary
Map & Itinerary
This will be an unforgettable tour of the Great Wall. We will depart from Gubeikou, hike to the Jinshanling section, and then proceed to the Simatai section—ranked number one on Time magazine's list of 'Places to Go Before You Die'—to enjoy the magnificent sunrise or sunset.
During this journey, you will enjoy a carefully prepared picnic lunch atop the Great Wall and stay at a luxury hotel in the Gubei Water Town, located at the foot of the Simatai Wall. The Water Town offers a unique experience with its perfect combination of the Great Wall, mountains, lakes, and ancient villages. Additionally, you can choose to experience a variety of traditional cultural activities within the town, such as tie-dyeing and painting kites.
Holiday Itinerary
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GUBEIKOU / JINSHANLING / STAY AT GUBEI WATERTOWN OF 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.
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Accommodation Comfortable traditional style room in the Watertown
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Distance 130km driving; 10km hiking
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Meals L
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Time 2.5hrs driving; 5-6hrs hiking
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GUBEI WATERTOWN / SIMATAI
This morning is left free for us either to climb to the top of Simatai Great Wall for the sun-rising panoramic view of the whole area, 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."
The Simatai Great Wall is not only recognised as the World Culture Heritage Sites by UNESCO, but also the No. 1 site on the list of the "must-see-in-your-life-time" by The Times. This section was constructed under the supervision of Qi Jiguang, a famous general in the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644). It stretches 3.4 miles (5.4 kilometers), and is separated into eastern part and western part by Mandarin Duck Lake. This section has 34 beacon towers, with 18 of them in the western part and 16 in the east. They are relatively close to each other, with the average distance apart about 460 feet (140 meters). Presently, only the eastern part from No. 1 Tower to No. 10 Tower has been restored and officially opened.
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, 仙女楼) and Wangjing Tower (No. 16 East Tower, 望京楼). 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 drive back to Beijing after lunch, the end of the tour.
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Distance 6km hiking; 130km driving
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Meals BL
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Time 2.5hrs driving; 2-3hrs hiking
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Price Policy
Tour Price Policy
Additional details
1. Before you pay deposit to book the tour, we haven’t made any reservation yet. The train, flight tickets and the hotel may different from the itinerary listed.
2. The visiting order of the scenic spots in the itinerary may change according to the traffic condition and other unforeseen things.
3. Tourist insurance is a must before going, please provide us the confirmation of insurance company when sign up.
The price includes
1. Entrance Fees: to scenic spots as listed in the itinerary
2. All the activities fee mentioned in the itinerary: Hutong rickshaw in Beijing; Sichuan Opera show in Chengdu;
3. Private Transfers: Transfers between airports, hotels and scenic spots while sightseeing during the trip by private air conditioned vehicle with a driver.
4. Meals: All meals as indicated in the itinerary (B-breakfast, L-lunch, D-dinner), include Peking duck dinner in Beijing; Hot pot dinner in Chengdu.
5. Guide: As outlined in the itinerary an English-speaking guide and driver will be provided in each city, who will remain with you throughout your time in that city. A new guide and a new driver will meet you at each city on your tour, to provide you with the best local knowledge available
6. Hotel: hotel fees are based on two people sharing one room with king-size bed. All hotels as listed in the above itinerary serve daily western or Chinese breakfast
7. Arrangements: the tour cost includes planning, handling, operational and communication charges
8. Travel Agency Liability insurance
The price does not include
1. International airfare or train tickets to enter or leave China
2. China entry visa fees
3. Excess baggage charges
4. The medicine for the sickness or accident while on the way
5. Personal expenses: expenses of a purely personal nature such as laundry, drinks, fax, telephone calls, optional activities, sightseeing or meals which are not included in the tour itinerary
6. Meals: any meals which are not specified in the tour itinerary
7. Single room supplement
8. Please notice that the price will be much higher during the festival of Labors’ Day, National Day, spring festival
9. Tips to tour guide and driver (recommended USD10-15/guest/day).
10. Tourist accident insurance. NB - you are strongly suggested to buy travel and health insurance before you start out from your home country.
Payment conditions
To confirm your reservation, you must pay a deposit of 30% of the total amount due via the payment link that your local agent will share. The balance is due 30 days prior to departure. The quoted exchange rate is valid for the next 7 days – if the deposit is not paid within this time, the quote will be re-calculated.
Terms and conditions for cancelation
i. Cancellation of the Tour by CAT (local agent):
CAT reserve the right to cancel the postpone tour at any time up to the date final payment is due under the following condition: in our opinion, health and/or safety factors related to conditions in China would make the tour inadvisable. And in this case, all money paid by the participants will be refunded. If the tour is postponed, CAT will offer all those who have signed up the opportunity to have the same tour for a later time, but the price may be changed according to the season. We will notify you of any change, and give you a reasonable period
of time to make your decision. Consumers may, but are under no obligation to, take the tour under these new terms. After final payment has been made, we may cancel the tour only if, in our opinion, health and/or safety factors related to conditions in China would make the tour inadvisable. Since cancellation in this case involves factors which may arise suddenly and are entirely outside our control, including but not limited to natural disasters, civil unrest and epidemic disease, we cannot guarantee a full refund in this case. This is because payment will already have been made to finalize the arrangements and reservation.
ii. Cancellation of the Tour by Consumer:
Any cancellation must be made by sending an email to the local agent. The cancellation fee varies according to how many days prior to departure the cancellation is made:
· More than 30 days prior to departure: 5% of the total holiday cost
· Between 30 and 22 days prior to departure : 25% of the total holiday cost
· Between 21 and 8 days prior to departure : 50% of the total holiday cost
· Between 7 and 3 days prior to departure : 75% of the total holiday cost
· Less than 3 days prior to departure and after the departure date: 100% of the total holiday cost
All cancellations must be in writing and will be effective upon receipt by CAT. No refund will be made to those participants who break the journey regardless of the portions of the package unused. If, owing to serious illness or injury, the participant withdraws from the tour, a refund will be subject to the consent of the local travel agent.
No refund will be made to those participants who have failed to secure valid travel documents such as passport or visas.
