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Great Wall Of china trek
ITINERARY
TREKKING
DISTANCE
2024 & 2025
Challenge yourself on this 9-day adventure to one of the world’s most famous landmarks. Over 5 days of trekking, you will see spectacular panoramic views, trek crumbling pathways, and experience the deep history of this ancient wonder. There will be steep climbs, breath-taking scenery, and you will cap it all off with a celebration dinner in bustling Beijing!
We will meet our group and Action Challenge staff at the airport and check in together before boarding our flight to Beijing.
Flights will arrive in Beijing in the morning. Once arrived in Beijing airport, we will transfer by coach to our comfortable hotel. On arrival, we will have time to freshen up before lunch. We will then enjoy a free afternoon to relax followed by dinner. The evening will conclude with a detailed briefing from one of our knowledgeable guides, providing final tips and essential information before the adventure begins.
After breakfast, we will take a short transfer to begin our trek along the Chenjiapu Great Wall. The Chenjiapu Great Wall is located in Hebei Province, west of the Badaling section of the Wall. This section is remote, quiet and extremely picturesque. We will then stop and take a break at a suitable time, to enjoy the views and recuperate over lunch, before continuing with our afternoon trek. Most of the Wall we’ll see on the hike today can be dated to the later part of the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644), in particular the large brick towers and crenelated side walls. The Ming Wall partially covers an older stone and rock wall that’s said to be from the Northern Qi Dynasty (550-577). The Ming Wall forks from the older Wall just after the General’s Tower, and sharp eyes can spot the line of rocks and stones that mark the route of the first Wall built in this area. At this part of the Wall, the trail is quite overgrown and the bricks are crumbling, so watch your step! As evening approaches, we will return to the hotel for some much-needed dinner and sleep.
Trek Day 2 will commence after another delicious breakfast. We will begin our day with a transfer to the un-restored section of the Badaling Wall to avoid the busy crowds. From the high points of the Wall we will have beautifully extensive views of misty mountains fading far into the distance. A perfect opportunity for some pictures! After lunch along the trail, we will transfer to the Juyongguan section of the Wall which was constructed in the 5th century and rebuilt many years later by the Ming Dynasty. This section is considered to be one of the most strategically important parts of the wall because of its link with Beijing. This is going to be a tough day, where it’ll be rather steep in places, however it’ll be extremely rewarding. After a tiresome second day of trekking, we will head to our cosy night lodge. Here we will have a group dinner and a well-deserved rest.
Today after breakfast, we will go up to the Mutianyu Great Wall, the longest section of the Wall. It is extremely well-known among tourists around the world mainly for its grand views, although it is less well-known here in the UK. This is also well worth a visit, as it is one of the most preserved sections of the Wall. It connects the Jiankou Great Wall in the West and the Gubeikou Great Wall in the East. There are 22 watchtowers distributed at close intervals along the wall. We will begin by walking around the Mutianyu section of the Great Wall, entering from the entrance in the middle of the Wall, walking first to the eastern end of the Great Wall, and then returning to the western end. We will stop approximately halfway through the day for a much needed break to recuperate and bond as a group over lunch. On the northwest over 3,281-feet hills, lies a section of the wall called ‘Ox Horn Edge’. On the steep and lofty peaks, there are two walls named ‘Flying Eagle Flies Facing Upward’ and ‘Arrow Lock’. This is extremely impressive, as is it rare that you will find a general gateway platform guarded by three watchtowers together on the southeast side. After another long but extremely rewarding day trekking, we will return to our lodge for some sleep and dinner.
This morning, once again after breakfast, we transfer to the start of the trek at Gubeikou. Gubeikou was once a town of military significance and an important passage to the capital city. It is extremely beautiful, although it was never reconstructed and so it is rather broken and fragmented. The Yanshan Mountain Range winds from east to west and is cut off at Gubeikou forming a natural narrow pass where our trek begins. This section of the wall is known as the ‘Wild Wall’ and our trek will pass through remote rural farmland, and many crumbling watch towers. The impressive Simatai Ridge remains visible in the far distance throughout the day. We will once again stop at a suitable time of the day for a rest and lunch break before we continue with our trek into the afternoon. Tonight we will drive to Gubei Water Town, which is a resort ancient-Chinese-style town at the foot of Simatai section of the Great Wall. We will have the opportunity to enjoy the magnificent scenic view of the town, whilst also admiring the view of the Great Wall in the moonlight. The evening will conclude with an evening meal before bed.
This is the last day of the challenge! For our final day, we will trek for around five hours at Jinshanling. We will stop along the route to enjoy the views and a delicious packed lunch to fully absorb the scenery on our final day. After lunch, the day will consist of a long trek, in which around 20 towers will be visited, including some beautiful sections that have been left as ruins. Emotions run high as the group takes its final steps off the Wall and the challenge comes to an end. The transfer back to our hotel in Beijing is approximately 2 – 3 hours. In the evening, we will enjoy a celebratory dinner in a local pizzeria, where we reflect on the amazing achievement we have just accomplished. We will then return to the hotel for the evening to rest and recover from another long and challenging day of trekking.
The day will commence with our final breakfast of the trip. After breakfast, we will visit the historical Tiananmen Square, most famous for the 1989 student protests which ended in massacre. This will be followed by a city tour of the Forbidden City, soaking up the history and taking lots of photos. After lunch, we will pass the impressive Olympic Park, and if time permits we will make a visit to a local silk factory. In the evening we will enjoy our last dinner together at an authentic Chinese restaurant. This will be our final night as a group, so we can share and reflect on our amazing shared experience. We will then end the evening in a comfortable hotel, for our final night.
This is our final day waking up in China. We will enjoy our final breakfast at the hotel before checking out and heading to the airport for a flight back to the UK.
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