This is the most classic hiking route on the Great Wall, Jiankou to Mutianyu Great Wall Hiking trip takes about 5 hours to complete a distance of 10 km (6 miles) from Jiankou section to Mutianyu section. Challenge the most precipitous Jiankou section of the Great Wall, wild, weathered and primitive. Photographers and hikers love this section, which is also the iconic image of the Great Wall as you can see in many photo albums. Mutianyu section of the Great Wall boasts the most beautiful scenery of all the sections. It is restored and tourist-friendly. Hiking the whole route is like traveling through time from primitive to modern, presenting three phases of the Great Wall with striking contrast from wild, half-repaired to totally repaired.
Tour Highlights
Challenge the most precipitous and wildest Great Wall at Jiankou.
Watch sunset at Mutianyu, the most beautiful section at full repair.
A travel of time to experience two sections of the Great Wall with striking contrast.
A unique Great Wall hiking experience escorted by professional expert guide.
Quality climbing and hiking equipment provided to ensure safety with all the adventure.
Guide, Driver, Vehicle, and Customer Service Support
Guide: better than a normal licensed tour guide; friendly and helpful with fluent English
Driver: reliable licensed local driver with at least 5 years’ driving experience
Vehicle: Air-conditioned business car (max: 7 seats) with GPS facilities, free in-car Wi-Fi, big windows, and ample space
Mr orange Beijing Office: 24-7 customer service, providing backup support
Great Wall Hiking Map from Jiankou to Mutianyu
Detailed Itinerary
7:00 AM – 9:30 AM
Hotel pick-up the Great Wall at Jiankou
Meet your guide around 7:00 AM – 7:30 AM at your hotel lobby, and ride about 2½ hours to the Great Wall at Jiankou in our tour vehicle. Jiankou is near Badaohe Village, northwest Huairou County, a suburb of Beijing. It is one of the most challenging sections of the Great Wall, as it is completely wild Great Wall. There you can see splendid mountains and untouched ancient history.
Good to know:
Your guide will contact you for the detailed departure time the day before your departure date.
Although it is a dangerous part of the Great Wall, we have made all the preparations to ensure your safety. See What Makes Us Different below.
It is necessary to wear comfortable hiking shoes for the hiking.
Jiankou – Mutianyu Great Wall Hiking Route
Hiking Route Map from Jiankou to Mutianyu Great Wall
On the way to Jiankou
9:30 AM – 1:30 PM
Hiking the Great Wall from Jiankou to Mutianyu
Drive to the foot of the mountains.
Walk through a village and hike up to the Great Wall on a mountain path.
Arrive at Zhengbei Watch Tower (Geographic coordinates: 40°27’16.44″N 116°32’9.78″E).
Take a ladder up Zhengbei Watch Tower (Your guide will pay 5 yuan to the local farmers who maintain it).
Ascend to the highest watch tower at Jiankou, then walk down to the untouched part of the Great Wall at Mutianyu along the rolling ridgeline and hoary walls.
From the Mutianyu visitors’ gate hike the reconstructed Great Wall from the 23rd to 10th watch tower.
2:00 PM – 2:30 PM
Lunch at Xinshuangquan restaurant near the Great Wall at Mutianyu.
Get down from the Great Wall and we will head to our well selected local restaurant – Xinshuangquan to have a rest and enjoy your delicious Beijing local style lunch here.
Xinshuangquan Restaurant
Sample dishes of Xinshuangquan Restaurant
2:30 PM – 5:00 PM
Return to Beijing
Take ferry bus to the foot of the Great Wall range, and a 5-minute walk to a parking lot, where you will board your vehicle and head back to Beijing.
Tour Price
| Options | Adults (age>12) | Children (age 2-12) | Infants (age <2) |
| Shoulder Season* | $139 | $109 | free |
| Peak Season* | $139 | $109 | free |
Important Notes:
This tour is available every Monday, Wednesday and Friday, guaranteed departure.
This tour is not open during Nov. 15. 2016 – Feb. 13. 2017 due to the cold and snowy weather condition.
You’ll be a part of a small group with maximum 6 people.
We don’t recommend taking babies and children under 12 to do this Great Wall hike, as it requires sure-footedness and stamina, and is potentially dangerous.
Price Includes:
Entrance fees to the Great Wall at Jiankou and Mutianyu
Transport between Beijing hotel and the Great Wall
Lunch at Xinshuangquan restaurant near Mutianyu Great Wall
English-speaking mountain tour guide service if you choose “Driver + Guide” option
Snacks and drinking water on the Great Wall
Price Excludes:
China visa
Cable cars at the Great Wall
Gratuities to the tour guide & driver (usually CNY 50 – 100 per person for them). It is not compulsory but would be a great encouragement for them.
Airport transfer. Click here to book airport transfer service. (price from 18 USD p/p.)
Mr orange Cancellation Policy for Beijing Tours
If we are not able to implement the contract due to war, flood, typhoon, fire, strikes, storm, earthquake, or any other condition we are not able to foresee and avoid, we will inform customers at the first possible opportunity and offer the best possible solutions, and the final bill shall be settled based on the service we actually provide.
Up to 7 days before departure: 100% refund of all money paid, excluding penalties charged by hotels, railways, airlines, and PayPal, if applicable. All penalties will be itemized.
From 3 to 7 days before departure: 90% refund, excluding penalties charged by hotels, railways, airlines, and PayPal, if applicable. All penalties will be itemized.
Within 3 days before departure: no refund.
After the trip has commenced, we are unable to refund any amount for cancelled services due to non-participation, early departure, late arrival, or missed days on tours.
For groups of more than 10 people: The terms for cancellation may vary from case to case. Please ask your travel advisor regarding the cancellation policy for your group.
About 72-Hour Visa-Free Transit Policy
Citizens of certain countries who meet the criteria are allowed 72-hour visa-free transit via and travel in nine China cities: Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, Chengdu, Chongqing, Xi’an, Guilin, Shenyang, and Dalian. Please make sure you have read the detailed Visa-free policies before you decide to take the Visa-free policy. And please keep in mind that Mr orange does not take any resposibility for the risk or loss of customer who use the Visa-free policy. more details
How difficult is it to hike from Jiankou to Mutianyu?
This hiking route is comparatively more difficult to hike because of its craggy and unrepaired condition. It requires average fitness to complete, very suitable for hikers of previous mountain climbing experience. As for children, parents should decide whether or not to take them based on children’s physical situation.
The part from Xizhazi Village at mountain foot to Zhengbeilou Watch Tower takes almost one hour of tough climbing. The mountain is craggy with no fixed paths. The only way is to walk through the jungle and keep staring at your destination (Zhengbeilou Watch Tower) on top of the mountain in order not to get lost.
The real hiking starts after climbing up to Zhengbeilou. The majority parts of Jiankou Great Wall are heavily weathered with no steps. Its slippery and steep slopes (almost 90 degrees) are also full of ripraps. As you leave behind Jiankou and enter Mutianyu Great Wall, which is fully repaired, you’ll feel suddenly entering into an open space where the roads are smoother and your views panoramic.
See an easier option for hiking greatwall from jinshanling to simatai.
Hotel pick-up and drop-off area
The hotel pick-up and drop-off area should be within the fourth ring road of Beijing. For further distance there might be an extra cost for the transfer which you’ll be notified by your trip advisor.
What Makes Us Different
We are experienced and professional!
We have been touring the Great Wall hiking trails for 8 years, and all the relevant services we provide are reliable and optimized.
You don’t need to prepare trekking poles, water, hip bag, GPS, first aid kit, or walkie-talkie, because we will provide them FREE OF CHARGE (please let us known if you need them).
We are experienced and professional!
We ensure your safety!
Our guides are professionally trained in mountain trekking.
Your tour guide will be with you to take care of your needs during the trip, and we have our own service site at the Great Wall at Jiankou offers free ice-cool water, beers and dealing with emergencies for Mr orange customers.
We ensure your safety!
We are reliable and trust-worthy!
We don’t take people to commission-based shopping stops. You will get decent service, worth what you pay.
We have our own local office in Beijing. We aim to deliver a high-value tour to every one of our customers. We have more than 50 local staff in Beijing to solve your problems on the spot.
Emergency contact: 0086-13910694045 (24-7 customer service)
Beijing address: Room 204, Building 8, Beijingxiangsu, Wuliqiao Erjie, Chaoyang District
We are reliable and trust-worthy!
