Jiankou to Gubeikou Great Wall Camping (2 Days)

Itinerary

Day 1: Wild Jiankou Great Wall Hiking and Camping

Stop At: The Great wall of Jiankou-The Great Wall Alternative, Beijing
From our meeting point (Lama Temple subway station), we drive for about 2 hours till we reach on the picturesque Dazhenyu village. Before we start this Great Wall trek, we enjoy a good farmhouse lunch in a yard surrounded by chestnuts and with a view on the Jiankou Great Wall. The trip is an 8-km hike with a total ascend of 600 meters, so you need a fair bit of energy to make it to the top.
The view from the beginning of the Jiankou Great Wall trek is love at first sight. The Great Wall drops down into WangQuan (Spring valley) and climbs back out almost vertical. We ascend about 500 meters and follow a small trail up the mountain for about 1 hour till we reach the Great Wall at the second beacon tower. From this point of the hike, it’s all about enjoying the scenery.
As our trek on the Great Wall continues you can enjoy fantastic views of the valleys and the middle Jiankou Great Wall. We walk through and over 7 beacon towers, the best-preserved ones are called the 5-eye watchtower and the Jade tower. The wild Jiankou Great Wall is one of the few section of the wild Great Wall where the side walls are still in perfect condition.
Just before we reach at the 6th tower, we pitch our tents inside a watch tower, wait for our home cooked dinner to be served buffet style and watch the sunset with a glass of local wine. A small campfire will keep us warm while we gaze at the stars.
Duration: 16 hours

Meals included:
• Lunch
• Dinner
Accommodation included: Camping on the Jiankou Great Wall

Day 2: Hiking Gubeikou Great Wall

Stop At: The Great Wall of Gubeikou, Beijing
We pack our tents and leave this beautiful place without a trace. We hike down the mountain on an easy dirt trail for about 1 hour. Down in the Valley we stop in our friends Chestnut yard for a good local breakfast.
We drive to our local farmers friends than run a small homestay at the back of a valley surrounded by the Gubeikou Great Wall. With a view of the Crouching Tiger Great Wall, we enjoy a delicious lunch in their backyard. Here our adventure starts.
It takes us only a 15-minute hike up the hill behind the farmhouse to get our first glimpse of the Gubeikou Great Wall. After a few turns on a small trail over the hill we arrive on top of the Gubeikou Great Wall. We hike from tower to tower and take breaks on top of a watchtower, a great chance to take some awesome pictures of this 1400 years old section of the Great Wall.
3 hours into the hike, we arrive at the highlight of today’s trail, the Gubeikou General Tower. From this tower, you can see the entire Gubeikou-Jinshanling-Simatai Great Wall ” . On a clear day, we can even see the Fairy tower, the highest tower at the end of the Simatai Great Wall. This view point is the best picture opportunity of the day.
From this view point we follow a small trail alongside the wild Jinshanling Great Wall, pas the remnants of a few old abandoned farmouse till we reach the end of the valley. Here our driver will pick us up and drive us back to Beijing. By 7 pm we will be back at our meeting point.
Duration: 4 hours

Meals included:
• Breakfast
• Lunch
No accommodation included on this day.