Great Wall Hiking
Jiankou to Mutianyu Great Wall Sunset Hike

Jiankou to Mutianyu is a breathtaking 10km hike that combines wild and restored Great Wall. You have to be in good physical condition. You will be rewarded with fantastic scenery and a Great Sunset at the Mutianyu Great Wall.

- Key Info
- Discounts & Inclusions
- Hiking Distance: 10km
- Hiking Duration: 1 day
- Hike level : 3
- Departure time: 11:30 am
- Back in Beijing: 9:30 pm
- Price: 600¥/99$
Meeting/drop off point: Lama temple subway exit B (How to get there?)
Discounts:
Kids younger than 18 receive 10% discount.
Kids younger than 7 receive 50% discount.
Included in the price:
English speaking guide and transport,
Meals as described in the Itinerary
Entrance tickets, hiking sticks, water
This is about the Great Wall of Beijing’s most famous wild Great wall hiking trails from Jiankou to Mutianyu Great Wall Hiking,on this Great Wall hiking trails, you can see the original part of the Great wall and the restored section of the Great Wall
time is early June, very sunny and beautiful day, the past few years Beijing’s air pollution is very serious, so it is lucky to have such good weather. in the Group have a girl called Rachel, I love her, she worked in the northern Chinese city call Shenyang, about three years time she went to the Great Wall hiking and camping with us four times, one is with her parents, she was very kind Girl
Jiankou Great Wall is the most famous wild Great Wall , every day hikers from all over the world come here. also lot of photographers, they often camping on the Great Wall, waiting for sunrise and sunset or in the winter snowy weather or after rain sea of clouds,A lot of famous Great Wall picture been take from here.
Jiankou Great Wall was built on a steep cliff. in this area the mountains are not very high, the highest point about 1000 meters, but the mountains are quite steep
This is the place to start walking, here we have 1,5hour uphill,form this pic you can see the Greta wall on top of the mountain
Jiankou to Mutianyu Great wall hike
This kind of flower n Beijing mountains not often can seen them , but in early June in the valley, there are a lot of them very beautiful like a lantern, i really like them . in china this is also medicinal herb,for the treatment of uterine diseases
Jiankou to Mutianyu Great Wall hike 1day
This is the Great wall view when wen reach the top of the mountain
Jiankou to Mutianyu Great wall hike
this is that Beautiful girl Rachel hiking on the Great Wall
Hike the Great wall from Jiankou to Mutianyu
Jiankou to Mutianyu Great wall hiking
This is the arrow hole for archery, hiking on the Great Wall you will see a lot more of them,On the different part of Great Wall, the arrow holes are designed to have a lot of different styles.
Jiankou to Mutianyu Great wall hiking
are very nice couple hiking on the jiankou Great Wall with us
Jiankou to mutianyu Great wall hike
This is one of the tower on the Jian kou Great Wall, it has never been restore
Jiankou to Mutianyu Great wall hiking in june
Jiankou to Mutianyu Great wall hiking
From here we hike in to the Great Wall of Mutianyu part, some of the steps and the walls towers are being restored
Jiankou to Mutianyu Great wall hiking 1 day
Before our tour we stopped at a local restaurant where we had SOOOOOOO much food. The food was absolutely delicious. We all enjoyed it. You definitely don't want to hike with a heavy stomach but on the other hand this is the time you need to load up. Once we were done eating, we went to our hiking spot which was very close.
This hike is physically demanding and I hiked about 10 minutes behind the fastest person when it was extremely steep and stayed with the group once it was more leveled. I never stopped but I sweated profusely from my first step for the first 2 hours. This hike is about 4 and half to 5 hours of hiking with small rest breaks in between. You must be careful, it is easy to fall or twist your ankle because at times you walk on rocks that look stable but will move once you set your foot down. There are extreme heights and this is not a time to horseplay. I can easily see someone dropping their phone or camera off the side of the mountain. I also see the significance of travel insurance for this activity if you're a foreigner.
We made it to our final spot in time for the sunset but did not see one. Obviously, it would not be fare to deduct from the review on this point because they cannot control this aspect. But we were literally standing on top of the world at the end. John provided history throughout the trip.
Overall, the trip was fantastic. John really made this a good experience. He was informative, intelligent, professional and good sense of humor. Our driver did not speak English but he was very polite and helpful, always assisting when needed. He would pour tea at lunch when he saw empty cups, handing out equipment/water, and helpful overall. When we returned to our initial pick-up spot at the subway, Fred was there to meet us all. The staff is fantastic. I would absolutely recommend it.
Then it was a quick check in with the guides and a two hour van transfer to Xizhazi Village. A delightful local farmers' lunch (mostly local vegetables produce), then a one hour ascent to the base of Jiankou Wall. This dirt track is steep and requires good leg power. As we closed in to the last 300m metres to the top, the tracks were very zic-zac and with many small sharp turns.
As soon as we got to the top, it was a spectacular view of what JianKou has to offer: wild, untamed, unrestored, unpreserved part of the Wall. I took in the history of the JK section very quickly, as explained in brief by the guide. Fortunately I read the history before I came. The wall was originally constructed during the Tang Dynasty, but was added on significantly by the Ming Dynasty rulers. I noticed our group of 16 was the only group of hikers along the stretch, then realised that this stretch is not officially open to hikers, but then there is no enforcement nor strict prohibition. The hike took a turn as we move along, coming to the Ox Bend, gradient circa 60 to 70 degrees, up and then down, hence the nick name. Several towers abut the track which was completely filled with loose rocks, unmanned wall fragments. I was fortunate to have brought a hiking pole and a pair of hike gloves to cushion the edges and the pokes. Some hikers do not need these accessories. Dolomite stones were durable and hard, thus making for an overall stable foundation.
Then a junction marked the highlight: Zhengbeilou Tower where we spent time to take photos of the glorious sunset. Then on to the mysterious wishing tree, and joining up with Mutianyu stretch. By far, the more civilised Mutianyu stretch was easy to manage, nonetheless care and eyes to ground are necessary. Towers need to be climbed over gingerly with tact, no jumping off as the action may hurt your knees.
Finally a one hour descent through a clean forest down to the Mutianyu base, where our van came to collect the hikers. As this is a sunset hike, the last leg will inevitably be in pitch darkness. Turn on your head lamps or whip out your mobile phone light to guide your steps. No sweat. Forest is clear, gentle and no appearance of any animals or creepy crawlies.
Total length trekked circa 8 km, with a trek time of about 4.5 hours. I would agree with the rating as Medium-Strong as a successful hike demands good leg power and good agility to manoeuvre the stones and rocks.
My deepest appreciation to the two guides who were most caring, most attentive and showed extreme patience to slower hikers.
I had sore quads the next day, but not a single shred of regret. I thoroughly enjoyed the hike.
Finally, I would venture another climb again--Simatai-Jiankou, and hopefully Fred & Heidi can do such a tour.
Thanks so much Fred,
Daniel and Hayley
Visited September 2016
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Private tours are great way to travel if you have a group of friends, family or colleagues ready to explore nature. Also for school trips or company team building activities a private tour is the way to go. We have experience guiding trips with up to 60 people from international schools and companies. Price of private tours will vary depending on the number of people, the chosen transport and accommodation. Let us know your desires and we will customize a trip for you. Open tour
Are you planning far ahead but your favorite trip is not on our schedule at the time you’re coming to China? Are you an indepentdant traveler that wants to keep the costs as low as possible? Just let us know your favorite trip and starting date at least 6 weeks in advance and we will add your trip to our hiking agenda. As soon as we have 6 people joining the trip we are good to go!
Private tour prices for Jiankou to Mutianyu Great Wall Sunset Hike 1 Day
Prices are per person and include:
Pick up and drop of by private bus at your hotel ( Please let us know the pick up address)
English speaking guide
Entrance tickets
Lunch and water
Group Size | Price pp in CNY | Price pp in USD | ||
---|---|---|---|---|
Adults | Kids <18 | Adults | Kids <18 | |
2 | n/a | n/a | n/a | n/a |
3 | n/a | n/a | n/a | n/a |
4 | 1000¥ | 900¥ | 151$ | 136$ |
5 | 900¥ | 810¥ | 136$ | 123$ |
6 | 800¥ | 720¥ | 121$ | 109$ |
7 | 750¥ | 675¥ | 114$ | 102$ |
8 | 700¥ | 630¥ | 106$ | 96$ |
9 | 650¥ | 585¥ | 99$ | 89$ |
10 | 600¥ | 540¥ | 91$ | 82$ |
15+ | Please contact us for larger group prices. |
Short Itinerary
11:00 am Gather at meeting point
11:30 am Departure with private van
1:30 pm Lunch at a local farmhouse
03:30 pm Start hiking
07:30 pm End hiking
09:30 pm Arrive in Beijing
Highlights
Wild & restored Great Wall
Included meals
Authentic farmhouse lunch
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Detailed Itinerary
From our meeting point at Lama Temple subway station (exit B), it will take us about 2 hours to reach the village where we will have lunch. After a late lunch, we start hiking a steep dirt trail that leads to the Great Wall. It is a 500 meter ascend that will take you about 1 hour. Your efforts will be rewarded as you will stand on top of the Zhengbeilou watchtower (991m) where some of the most spectacular pictures have been taken.
Jiankou to Mutianyu Great Wall hike
We walk toward the east on the Wall to the highest point of Jiankou (1029 meters) which allows you to see the entire Mutianyu Great Wall plus much of Jiankou as well. It’s a very enjoyable walk on top of a well preserved Jiankou Great Wall. When are close to the end of the Jiankou Great Wall, we climb to the impressive Ox Horn section. (If you don’t want to hike to the steep slopes of the Ox Horn, an easy shortcut is available as well.)
Around 7pm, we will reach at Mutianyu Great Wall and prepare our camera setting for some incredible sunset pictures. After watching the sunset, we walk a few towers further on the Mutianyu Great Wall and then take a small trail that leads us to the valley where our driver will be waiting for us. We will be back at our meeting point in Beijing by 9:30pm.
Level 2: Medium-Strong
We rate this hike Level 2 because the start of the hike is quite intense. It takes a good effort make the 1 hour ascend to the Great Wall, so a good physical condition is required. Once we arrived on top of the Great Wall, it will be a pretty easy hike.
Planning a trip ahead or want a private tour?
Private tour prices for Jiankou to Mutianyu Great Wall Sunset Hike 1 Day
Prices are per person and include:
Pick up and drop of by private bus at your hotel ( Please let us know the pick up address)
English speaking guide
Entrance tickets
Lunch and water
Group Size | Price pp in CNY | Price pp in USD | ||
---|---|---|---|---|
Adults | Kids <18 | Adults | Kids <18 | |
2 | n/a | n/a | n/a | n/a |
3 | n/a | n/a | n/a | n/a |
4 | 1000¥ | 900¥ | 151$ | 136$ |
5 | 900¥ | 810¥ | 136$ | 123$ |
6 | 800¥ | 720¥ | 121$ | 109$ |
7 | 750¥ | 675¥ | 114$ | 102$ |
8 | 700¥ | 630¥ | 106$ | 96$ |
9 | 650¥ | 585¥ | 99$ | 89$ |
10 | 600¥ | 540¥ | 91$ | 82$ |
15+ | Please contact us for larger group prices. |
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