NEW TRIP!
October 14-22, 2009
Plan your arrival in Beijing for October
13
Plan your departure from Beijing for October 23
Join us on this hiking adventure on the Great
Wall of China. You'll experience the finest, less trammeled sections of
this world monument on foot. From Laolongtou where the wall plunges into
the Bohai Sea to the wilder wall at Dongjiakou to the magnificent
stretches of the Simatai and Jinshanling walls this journey is designed
with the hiker in mind! |
Day 1
Overnight in Beijing
Breakfast, lunch and dinner included
Enjoy a guided tour of the principal monuments of Beijing
including Tian'anmen Square, the Forbidden City and the Temple of Heaven.
Enjoy a welcome dinner this evening. |
Day 2
Overnight in Qinhuangdao
Breakfast, lunch & dinner included
Travel east from Beijing to the Bohai Sea at the city of Qinhuangdao.
Here, the Great Wall of China plunges into the sea at Laolongtou ("Old
Dragon's Head"). Walk along the trace of the wall to the walled fortress of
Shan Hai Guan ("First Pass Under Heaven") where we'll visit the Great Wall
museum.
Day 3
Overnight in Qinhuangdao
Breakfast, lunch & dinner included
From Shan Hai Guan, hike along the wall as it makes its first
ascent into the mountains at Jiao Shan ("Horn Mountain"). Enjoy views over
the fortress of Shan Hai Guan and out to the Bohai Sea. If you desire,
continue from the peak of Jiao Shan hiking on the wall and sometimes via a
mountain trail to reach the pass of Sandaoguan. Return to Qinhuangdao for
the evening.
Day 4
Overnight in Dongjiakou village
Breakfast, lunch & dinner included
Travel by vehicle north from Qinhuangdao to the small village of
Dongjiakou where you can explore the remains of an old fortress as well as
the Cihou Tower, an unusual roofless watchtower with two dozen observation
portals. The villagers of Dongjiakou are descendants of the builders of this
section of the wall and today work to protect it. Hike along the Dongjiakou
wall (also known as the Jizhen Wall) which stretches for five miles and is
punctuated by forty-five towers and three fortresses. The wall here winds
through a landscape of gentle, forest-cloaked mountains. Spend the evening
in simple accommodations in Dongjiakou village. |
Day 5
Overnight in Huangyaguan
Breakfast, lunch & dinner included
This morning, travel by vehicle to the Eastern Qing Tombs (Qing
Dongling), perhaps more splendid than the more famous Ming Tombs. There are
fifteen tombs at the site in which are buried five emperors and fifteen
empresses including the first Qing Emperor and the Dowager Empress Cixi.
Following the visit, a half hour journey by vehicle brings you to the
Huangyaguan ("Yellow Crag Pass"). On either side of the pass, the Great Wall
winds through the dramatic landscape of the Yanshan Mountains. Spend the
afternoon exploring Tapingzhai section of the wall to the east of the pass
or wander through the labyrinth of Huangyaguan fortress designed to confound
would be attackers. |
Day 6
Overnight in Simatai area
Breakfast, lunch & dinner included
Ascend the steps of the "Heaven's Ladder" to gain a ridgetop
above Huangyaguan. Follow the wall as it undulates across the mountains
before gradually descending into a valley. From here, a vehicle will
transport you north to the Simatai-Jinshanling Great Wall which is for
hikers perhaps the most magnificent part of the Great Wall. Overnight in
simple accommodations near the Simatai village. |
Day 7
Overnight in
Jinshanling
Breakfast, lunch & dinner included
Hike westward today along the
magnificent stretch of the Simatai-Jinshanling Great Wall. This section is
known for its variety of walls and towers as well as its generally unspoiled
character. It's one of the least visited and best preserved parts of the
Great Wall. Complete the day's hike at the Jinshanling village where simple
accommodations await at the foot of the Great Wall.
Day 8
Overnight in Yunfoshan
Breakfast, lunch & dinner included
Continue hiking westward from Jinshanling along the wall. The
undulations of the wall become gentler as you make your way to the General
Tower near the town of Gubeikou where the day's hiking concludes. Travel by
vehicle to your overnight accommodations at Yunfoshan. |
Day 9
Overnight at Beijing
Breakfast, lunch & dinner included
From Yunfoshan, travel by vehicle to the Mutianyu section of the Great Wall
dominated by the three-towered fortification of Zhengguantai. Hike along the
length of the restored section of this wall before descending a trail into a
valley where the hike ends. There may also be an opportunity this day to
hike to a vantage point where you can enjoy a view of the unreconstructed
and crumbling Jiankou Great Wall as it traverses perhaps the most dramatic
and precipitous mountain terrain in the course of the wall. Return to
Beijing in the afternoon and enjoy a farewell dinner to celebrate your Great
Wall adventure! |
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Other Details about this Trip
Trip Dates: October 14-22, 2009
Price: TBA
Single Room for entire trip: TBA.
Single accommodations are subject to availability and may be
limited.
Meeting Point: Beijing, China
Departure Point: Beijing, China
Accommodations: Seven nights in hotels
with private bath. Three nights in simple village
accommodations where bath facilities may be shared. Ten breakfasts,
nine lunches, and
nine dinners are included. Note: Your
accommodations on the evening of October 13 are included.
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© Walking
Softly Adventures, Inc., PO Box 86250, Portland, OR 97286
503-788-9017, Toll free 1-888-743-0723, info@walkingsoftly.com |
For a discussion of the challenges facing the Great Wall,
read "The Great Wall of China Is Under Siege" by Brook Larmer in the
August 2008 issue of Smithsonian Magazine.
