Jiankou to Mutianyu Great Wall Hiking Tour

We will pick you up at the hotel in the morning and then drive to the Jiankou Great Wall. You can prepare some food and water in advance, which will be your lunch on the Great Wall.

Built during the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644), Jiankou Great Wall is located in the suburban area of Beijing. It extends more than 20 kilometers and is 1,141 meters above sea level. Jiankou Great Wall is also one of the most dangerous Great Wall sections, and many parts of it are nearly vertical. That is why the Jiankou Great Wall attracts many visitors who want to conquer it. At present, many relics on the Jiankou Great Wall are preserved, such as the Nine-Eye Tower and Zhenbei Tower.

When we are hiking on the Jiankou Great Wall, we will first see the Nine-Eye Tower. As an important part of the Great Wall, Nine-Eye Tower is a square and two-story building with four solid walls. There are nine holes on each wall which look like nine eyes, so people call it Nine-Eye Tower, and each hole is 1.65 meters high and 0.5 meters wide. Because the Nine-Eye Tower is located at a high place, you can overlook Beijing city if the weather is nice. Inside the tower, there are the remains of fire pits and signs of ancient people living. Around the tower, there are lush plants and many wild animals.

Zhenbei Tower is in the eastern part of the Jiankou Great Wall, and you will find it is difficult to get to it because the road is bad and rugged. Although it is not the tallest tower among all the towers on the Jiankou Great Wall, it is absolutely the best observation deck. You can climb up to the tower with the help of ladders. Standing on the top of the tower, you will be shocked by the magnificent scenery of the mountains and the Great Wall. At this moment, your tiredness will disappear and you will feel satisfied and proud instead.

After finishing the Jiankou Great Wall tour, we will directly have a hiking on the Mutianyu Great Wall. With a length of 5400 meters, it is about 73 kilometers away from Beijing city. It is recorded that Zhu Yuanzhang, the first emperor of the Ming Dynasty, is a man of excellent military talent. He ordered the senior general Xu Da to manage the construction of the Mutianyu Great Wall in 1368. After hundreds of years, the Mutianyu Great Wall is still well-preserved and there are many famous spots, such as the Zhengguan Terrace and Big Corner Tower, which attract many visitors. Besides, one of the features of the Mutianyu Great Wall is its dense watchtowers. For example, it is less than 500 meters from the Big Corner Tower to the Zhengguan Terrace, yet there are four watchtowers, which is uncommon in other Great Wall sections.

Speaking of the Big Corner Tower, it is surrounded by city walls on three sides. Siting in the eastern part of Mutianyu Great Wall, it is connected with a branch city wall on the south, and the Gubeikou Great Wall is on its east. People also call it No.1 Watchtower. Building on high ground, it has a wide view, so people can observe the situation near the Great Wall.

Except for that, there are also beautiful natural scenery. The Mutianyu Great Wall is surrounded by mountains and has more than 90 percent of vegetation coverage. You will see its own beauty in different seasons of the year. In spring, various flowers are blooming everywhere, and when hot summer comes, the trees are thick with green leaves. By autumn, however, the leaves begin to turn golden yellow, and you will hear a melodious rustling when they rub against each other in the breeze. In winter, the majestic mountains are snow-capped which looks like they are wrapped in a soft blanket of pure white.

After coming down from the Mutianyu Great Wall, our China Great Wall Tour will come to an end. During the hiking tour, we have seen many famous spots and beautiful scenery and have taken a lot of nice pictures. I believe that you must be very tired, and we will drive you back to the hotel, so you can have a good rest.

Zhenbei Tower

Jiankou Great Wall

Author: Zhao Yalin