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7 |
Trek |
DAYS |
Voir les photos
Holiday Overview
Holiday Overview
Highlights
- Dragon’s Head: The only section of the Ming Great Wall built in the sea
- Hike from Dragon’s Head, the easternmost point of the Great Wall, back to Beijing
- Gubei Water Town resort, a rare combo of Great Wall, Mountains, Lakes and Ancient Villages
Brief Itinerary
- DAY 01 BEIJING / SHANHAI GUAN / LAOLONGTOU
- DAY 02 JIAO SHAN / SANDAO GUAN / STAY IN DONGJIAKOU
- DAY 03 DONGJIAKOU GREAT WALL / STAY IN EAST QING TOMBS
- DAY 04 EAST QING TOMBS / A GREAT WALL VILLAGE / STAY IN HUANGYAGUAN
- DAY 05 HUANGYAGUAN PASS / QIANGANJIAN VILLAGE
- DAY 06 GUBEIKOU - JINSHANLING GREAT WALL
- DAY 07 GUBEI WATER TOWN - SIMATAI GREAT WALL
Map & Itinerary
Map & Itinerary
This is an
abbreviated version of our more-comprehensive 12-day hike. It is carefully
designed for the Great Wall enthusiast who would like to experience the best
parts of the eastern Wall, but who has only limited time. We start on the
ocean, at Dragon’s Head, and hike eastward to Dongjiakou, where descendants of
the original builders still proudly maintain “their” section of the wall. From
here, we hike to the massive fortress at Huangyaguan, which includes part of
the Wall which is constructed over a body of water. One of our last stops is
Simatai, the best example of the Ming Dynasty wall, which is listed by UNESCO
as a World Heritage site. The wall here is highly photogenic, and its steepness
and partly-dilapidated state is sure to give you a good work out. A really
unique experience!
Holiday Itinerary
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BEIJING / SHANHAI GUAN / LAOLONGTOU
After an early breakfast we will make a 4-4.5-hour drive to the Shanhai Pass (Shanhai Guan), which is in a town situated in the northeast of Qinhuangdao City, Hebei Province.
fter lunch at a local Chinese restaurant, we’ll have a tour to the Great Wall Museum (山海关长城博物馆) to learn about the history of the Great Wall. You’ll also learn about the history and military strategy of this section of wall, as well as see military relics. Then, we will walk to Shanhaiguan Pass Fortress nearby, which is hailed as "the first pass of the Great Wall" due to its strategic location in the ancient time.In the late afternoon, a short drive will take us to the sea and we will start our hike at Old Dragon’s Head, also known as Laolongtou (老龙头). Laolongtou is the most eastern section of the Great Wall was built in 1381，Ming Dynasty(1368-1644). It was an important line of defense against enemies coming from both the land and the sea until the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911).
For the night we will stay at a courtyard hotel (a simple but clean hotel with private washroom and hot water shower), and have a tasty dinner of Northern Chinese cuisine to get you started for tomorrow’s hike.
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Accommodation courtyard hotel in Shanhaiguan (with private washroom and hot water shower)
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Meals BLD
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JIAO SHAN / SANDAO GUAN / STAY IN DONGJIAKOU
Today, beginning at the Jiaoshan Great Wall we will head towards Sandao Guan.
Note: Be sure to wear a long sleeve shirt, as we will be walking through lots of bushes.
We will hike from the bottom of Jiao Shan upwards directly to the Jiaoshan ancient wall, which provides you a sense of historical vicissitude and a overall view of the magnificent Shanhaiguan City in the sun.
Walking on the dilapidated wall is a great challenge. The wall appears more and more crumbled and deformed as you forge ahead. In some sections, the wall is only built on one side, with the other side being the deep cliffs. I One-hour's climb, you will arrive at Dapingding Peak (大平顶), the main peak of Jiao Mountain
After a short break, we will drive about one and a half hours to the village of Dongjiakou, where we will stay in the local farmer's home. It’s very simple but clean (two-bed, with no private washroom and hot water shower)-
Accommodation local farmer's home in Dongjiakou (two-bed, with no private washroom and hot water shower)
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Distance 12km
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Meals BLD
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Time 6.5-7.5hrs hiking
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DONGJIAKOU GREAT WALL / STAY IN EAST QING TOMBS
Our day will begin with breakfast with our local host family and then we'll start hiking in Dongjiakou.
We will take 20 minutes hike up on the mountain to the Cihou Tower, a special structure that is only seen at this portion of the Great Wall. Although this Dongjiakou section is relatively short, with a length of only 8.9 km, it has remained one of the best-preserved sections of the original Ming Dynasty Wall, built more than 600 years ago. Apart from the castles, about 60% of constructions of Dongjiakou Great Wall including defense towers and beacon towers are still in intactness on the whole. And some of its bricks are carved with various true-to-life folk patterns of South China, which is distinctly distinguishing from the blank bricks on other sections of the Great Wall.
Then we will return to the Donjiakou village to visit the ruins of the fortress and to chat with the villagers, who are the offspring of the garrison, still living at the village and inherit their ancestors' mission of guarding Dongjiakou Great Wall.
Leaving from the village, we will start our 3-hour hike westward along the Wall to the Chengziyu (城子峪) section of the Great Wall, having a simple lunch along the way. At the end of our hike, we will start our long 4-hour drive to the site of the East Qing Tombs, where we will stay in a nice hotel nearby (two beds per room, with private washroom).
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Accommodation hotel in East Qing Tombs (two-bed, with private washroom)
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Distance 10km
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Meals BLD
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Time 5-6hrs hiking
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EAST QING TOMBS / A GREAT WALL VILLAGE / STAY IN HUANGYAGUAN
This morning, we visit the spectacular East Qing tombs, make up an imperial mausoleum complex from the last feudal empire(Qing Dynasty 1644-1911) in China,. which far-surpass their more famous predecessors, the Ming Tombs, both in splendor and in majesty.
After lunch, we will make a one hour drive to a small village near Huangyaguan (Yellow Cliff Pass) Great Wall. From here, we will hike for about one hour and a half, westward, to Huangyaguan Pass. Because the cliff rocks to the east of the pass are mostly yellow and they look gilded at the sunset, the pass got its name Huangya (Yellow Cliff) Pass. At the end of the hike, we will directly down to tonight's lodging place - a beautiful countyard hotel located at the bottom of Huangyaguan.
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Accommodation courtyard hotel in Huangyaguan Pass (two beds per room, with private washroom)
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Distance 3km
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Meals BLD
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Time 1.5hrs hiking
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HUANGYAGUAN PASS / QIANGANJIAN VILLAGE
With its walls and towers built on mountain ridge with an average altitude of 738 meters, the Huangyaguan is really overwhelming.
We will start our hike from Huangyaguan Pass early in the morning. As we start our walk heading up the steep renovated steps, we will come to what appears to be a sheer cliff face. This is where we encounter "Heaven’s Ladder", a steep climb of over 200 steps leading up the precipice to the top! Once at the top, when we have caught our breath, the path continues gradually up onto the ridge, where we will once again meet the old Wall which follows the highest contours of the mountain.
After this climb, you will surely appreciate the difficulties the builders must have had constructing this massive defence! As we continue our hike during the afternoon, we will find ourselves following the Wall as it gradually descends to the valley below, Qiangan Jian (or Qiangan Valley), where we will meet our vehicle. We will then drive to Jinshanling, where we will overnight in the hostel at the bottom of Jinshanling itself (two persons per room, with private washroom).
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Accommodation hostel in Jinshanling with private washroom and hot water
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Distance 8km
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Meals BLD
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Time 4-5hrs hiking
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GUBEIKOU - JINSHANLING GREAT WALL
After breakfast, We hike from Gubeikou to Jinshanling Great Wall and enjoy the breathtaking views with a relatively peaceful hike. 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.
This watertown is a rare combo of Great Wall, mountains, lakes and old villages. With a massive backdrop of the world famous Simatai Great Wall, we could stroll around and experience at the same time the beauty of the water town as well as the grand Great Wall. Tonight you will be treated with a great dinner.
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Accommodation Gubei Water town
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Distance 10km
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Meals BLD
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Time 5-6 hrs
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GUBEI WATER TOWN - SIMATAI GREAT WALL
This morning is left free for us either to climb to the top of Simatai Great Wall for the panoramic view of the whole area, or to explore the Watertown and take part in some culture activities(e.g. learning tie-dye, kite painting, need to be booked ahead of time) .
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.We will drive back to Beijing after lunch, the end of the tour.
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Distance 6km
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Meals BL
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Time 2-3hrs
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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. Internal flights
** Day 11/ Flight from Yichang to Shanghai (based on economy class);
8. Trains
** Day 04/ High speed train from Beijing to Xi’an (based on 2nd class);
** Day 06/ High speed train from Xi’an to Chengdu (based on 2nd class)
** Day 06/ High speed train from Chengdu to Chongqing (based on 2nd class)
9. Arrangements: the tour cost includes planning, handling, operational and communication charges
10. 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.
