Travel and Hiking

Mutianyu Great Wall Beijing (Daily)

Duration: Approx: 8 hours

Pick-up location: Beijing Subway Line 5, Hepingxiqiao Station, Exit B.

Language: English & Chinese

Departure time: 8:00 / 9:00 /10:00 /12:00

Duration: 1 to 1.5 hours

Drop off location: Mutianyu Great Wall P1 Parking.

About 09:30 /10:30/ 11:30 / 13:30

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Mutianyu Great Wall Beijing (Daily)

Departure time: 14:30/15:30/16:30/17:30

(Adjusted according to the arrival time to ensure 5h /4h at the Great Wall)

Pick-up location: guest lounge/ Mutianyu Great Wall P1 Parking.

Duration: 1 to 1.5 hours

Drop off location: Subway Line 5, Hepingxiqiao Station, Exit B.

About 16:00/17:00/18:00/19:00

Each tour can be tailored to your individual needs, so please get in touch with us if you would like to make any changes.

Price: 200 RMB/person

For more details:

Contact Lucy(MOB): 18600208126

Wechat: lucy18600208126

Datan, Xinghuang, and Yanshui are three mysterious, small villages in Xiayunling County, tucked away in the western mountains of Fangshan District, about 76km away from the Beijing city center. Due to its remote location, few outsiders visit the villages. Most people in the villages share the surname Yang, and only a few have other surnames. The few remaining farmhouses in the villages are scattered among terraced fields which the villagers have worked for generations and which are built against the mountainside. The villages are quaint and peaceful and the villagers lead a simple lifestyle. It’s an ideal place to get away from the hustle and bustle of the city and relax. In the Spring, Pear flower blossoming offer a splash of color to the surrounding countryside.

Hike Information:

l Date: April 13th (Saturday)

l Drive time: 2 hours each way

【The route type】Mountain dirt route + walk a bit valley

【The route description】At the begining, we need to walk throught the village and arrive to the hiking point. Most of time the route is friendly. You can enjoy the landscape of terraced fields and canyon. One section you need your hands at some stones when going down the hill. The biggest challenge is long distance, but the hiking trail condisiton is friendly. (Reference level 1.5)

l Distance: 15km

l Time to complete: 6 hours

l Total ascent: 798m

l Total descent: 792m

l Peak: 784m

l Lowest point: 326m

l Location: Fangshan

l Drive time: 2 hours each way

NOTE:

1. Take at least 3-4 bottles of water.

2. Bring some lunch, and some snacks.

3. Wear hiking boots.

4. More details will be posted in the group before hiking.

Itinerary:

07.30: Departure from Dongzhimen (line2 exit B)

09.30: Arrive the village, beginning of hike

19.00: Arrive back in Beijing

Activity Fee: 150RMB/person

Activity Price includes:

1. Transportation with a driver

2. Hiking Leaders: Lengzhi, Nuanyang

3. One day outdoor insurance

4. After the hike, you can transfer the fee to Mona by Wechat or Alipay.

Please note:

- Do not participate if you are sick or showing symptoms of fever or coughing.

- Customer service: Mona (WeChat id: mona_zhangli) If you have any suggestions orcomplaint, please feel free to leave a message.

- Photos will be used in the social media platform. If you don't want to show in the picture, let us know.

Cancellation:

1. You can cancel anytime till the deadline on Friday 18:00PM. As we have to fix capacties for the bus and the guides. After deadline, we will have charge you 80% activity fee. Or you find another person not yet registered to join the hike. If your cancellation is on Saturday morning, please pay 100% activity fee. We repect your choice. When you register for this activity, you accept this cancelation policy.

2. Bad weather plan:
We will message you 1-2 days before the hike to let you know about theweather condition. If there is a thunderstorm, heavy rain or strongwinds it will be dangerous to do the hike in the high mountains. Sowe will cancel it or change the dates.

Join us:

Add mona_zhangli as your wechat, or scan the QR in below. I'll add you into our group.

In Yunnan, between the Jade Dragon Snow Mountain and the Haba Snow Mountain, lies a breathtaking hiking trail known as the Tiger Leaping Gorge Trek. It's not only one of China's top ten hiking routes, but also ranks among the world's top ten classic treks. In terms of difficulty, Tiger Leaping Gorge is not the most challenging, but in terms of magnificence, it's absolutely unparalleled. As people often say, this trail is incredibly beautiful: with the Haba Snow Mountain beside you, and view the thirteen peaks of the Jade Dragon Snow Mountain, also the rushing waters of the Jinsha River beneath your feet. We will spend two days hiking both Upper and Middle Tiger Leaping Gorge.

We have been to this part of China several times now and it is highly recommmented. A real gem for your bucket list! For this trip, we combine our favorits into one tour: Tiger Leaping Gorage and Shangri-La.

Abujee cuo (lake) is still off the well-known tracks, though recently has become a bit more popular and attracts locals as well as outdoor-loving tourists. The stunning views are quite close to Shangri-La and the infrastructure is still a bit underdeveloped. Thus, the hike to Abujicuo is perfect for you if you’d like to be independent and do your own thing. “Cuo” is the Mandarin Chinese spelling for the Tibetan word “tso”, meaning lake. Many lakes in the Tibetan areas of Yunnan, Sichuan, Qinghai, and of course Tibet itself are named with “cuo” in the end. The lake lies at an elevation of 4200 meters above sea level, and it is a great pleasure to admire the rare alpine flowers and clear waters near the traces.

Songzanlin Monastery is a prominent Tibetan Buddhist monastery in Yunnan Province, holding a significant place in the entire Tibetan region and often referred to as the 'Little Potala Palace.' It stands at an elevation of 3,380 meters and was initially constructed in 1683. The original structure was destroyed during the Cultural Revolution in 1966, and reconstruction at the same site began in 1982.

Dukezong Ancient Town built during the Tang Dynasty and is translated by Tibetan name 'City of Moonlight' or 'Castle Built on Stone.' The ancient town is nestled against the mountains, with stone-paved streets following the natural terrain. Its architectural layout resembles a lotus with eight petals, featuring a central Moonlight Square, surrounded by traditional Tibetan wooden houses. A devastating fire on January 11, 2014, turned the town into ruins. In 2015, the reconstruction of Dukezong Ancient Town began, you can still discern the former splendor of this ancient town.

5 Days Trip Information：

Day 1 Arrival day →Lijiang

Note: The specific location we will post in the group before going there. If you would like to arrive there earlier, you can spend the whole day visiting Lijiang after checking in.

Day 2 Lijiang → Tiger Leaping Gorge → Upper trekking → Guesthouse (Accomodation)

After breakfast, we depart from Lijiang at 07:30am and arrive at the Tiger Leaping Gorge town in about 1.5 hours. Entering the scenic area, we head to the trailhead for the Tiger Leaping Gorge Upper trekking. Do warm-up exercises before we go to the hike. This high-altitude journey takes us deep into the mountainous canyon, allowing us to witness the might of the 'Super Flood' of the Jinsha River.

We walk along the narrow cliff-side paths, experiencing the unique charm of Tiger Leaping Gorge. After conquering the famous 'Twenty-Eight Bends,' we reach the mountain's peak for some photo opportunities. Continuing our journey, we trek through pristine forests until we reach the Tea Horse Guesthouse for lunch.

Here, we take a break while facing the majestic peaks of the Jade Dragon Snow Mountain and overlooking the Tiger Leaping Gorge valley below—an awe-inspiring sight. Afterward, we continue our hike, and in 2 hours, we'll reach our final destination.

Hike information：

Distance：12km

Hours：6hours

Ascent：700m

Day 3 Middle Tiger Leaping Gorge → Shangri La (Accomodation)

After breakfast, we continue our journey, marveling at the breathtaking canyon scenery. We make our way to the Zhang Laoshi Trail, which descends smoothly towards the Middle Tiger Leaping Gorge. This route is less developed and offers a super-pristine experience. It follows the natural contours of the mountains, allowing you to feel the roaring river flow through this magnificent canyon.

Next, we conquer the 168-step Hero Ladder, then return to Zhang Laoshi Guesthouse. The total hiking time is approximately 4 hours. After a short rest, we head to Shangri-La. Along the way, we pass by the Haba Snow Mountain viewpoint and the Napahai Grassland. Upon reaching Shangri-La and checking in, we visit the ancient town of Dukezong.

Please note: the following day we will hike in the high-altitude area, so it is advisable to avoid alcohol and go to bed early.

Hike information：

Distance：7km

Hours：3.5hours

Ascent：500m

Descent：400m

Day 4 Shangri La → Abujee cuo → Shangri La (Accomodation)

After breakfast, at 8:00 am, we head to the Abujee trekking site, which is about 50 minutes drive away. The biggest challenge of Abujee is its high altitude. We will be ascending from 3,500 meters to 4,200 meters.

From the parking area to the first pasture, it's approximately 1 km with a gentle trail. You'll be surrounded by meadows, forests, and streams, providing a gradual adjustment to the rhythm of high-altitude hiking. Take a rest at the pasture and enjoy the beautiful scenery.

After that, we continue towards the Ajia Gang Mountain, crossing through pastures and beginning to climb after about 2km. After reaching a small pasture, about 1 km further, we have lunch and take a short break. We then continue for around 1km to reach a large plateau. If visibility is good, you might catch a glimpse of the sacred mountain near Abujee Lake. From here, it's 1km to reach the lake area, where you can make wishes at the observation deck and send blessings to your family and friends. You can also get closer to Abujee Lake to appreciate its stunning beauty. Afterward, we retrace our steps and return to the parking area, then head back to Shangri-La.

Hike information：

Distance：12km

Hours：6hours

Ascent：600m

Day 5 Shangri La → Songzan temple → Panahai → Lijiang

After breakfast, we will visit Songzanlin Monastery, which is about a 20-minute drive away. The visit will take approximately 2-3 hours. Afterward, we will check out and return to Lijiang. You can book flight from Lijiang after 7pm.

Note: you have the option to also return home from Shangri-La, though prices are usually high and you will need to organize your way to the airport by yourself. If you like to spend more time in Lijiang before or after the trip, we are happy to recommend accomodations to you.

5Days Trip Information:

Date: April 27th – May 1st

Price: 4687/person (6people Minimum.)

Price: 4587/person (7-8 people Maximum.)

Includes:

1. All transportation during the trip.

2. Leaders: A local guide and a leader.

3. Accommodation: listed in the itinerary.

4. Meals: 4 days of breakfast and box lunch, 4 days dinner with 2 beers each one.)

5. Activities, attractions and boat tickets as listed in the itinerary. (Abujue Lake, Songzanlin Monastery, Tiger Leaping Gorge Scenic Area, Zhang's Small Road, and the 168-step Brave Staircase.)

6.Insurance: Yunnan Travel Combo Insurance + Travel Accident Insurance.

Excludes:

- Transportation to and from Lijiang.

- Personal expenses. Such as living seperately.

Note:

1. Pay 200 RMB deposit when we confirm the trip (we will inform you in the group).

2. Pay the full amount by April 21st. Any refund for later cancelation depends on possibilities to still cancel hotel rooms etc.

3. The leader has the authority to make minor adjustments to the itinerary based on specific situation.

Join us：

Add mona_zhangli as your wechat, or scan the QR in below. I'll add you into our group.

A long but not difficult ramble along country trails and lanes through pine forests, cornfields, orchards, villages, and farmland in Miyun District.

This trail originally took us five scouting trips to put together and changes a little bit every time we visit. The hike covers a wide range of countryside scenery, including country trails and lanes, pine forests, orchards, farmland, a reservoir, the Stonewall Village, and a chicken farm, and we may see some shepherds rambling about as well.

Cost: ¥390 / ¥350 for members / ¥200 for kids

See a full description, more photos, and book online at https://www.beijinghikers.com/hike-in-beijing/view/276/rolling-hills-and-empty-lanes/

Beijing Hikers—fun and friendly hikes and trips around Beijing and greater China, since 2001.

For more updates on hikes and trips follow our WeChat account BeijingHikers北京爱山 and keep an eye on www.beijinghikers.com

https://www.beijinghikers.com / info@beijinghikers.com

A looping walk over tricky terrain and unrestored 'wild' Great Wall on the west side of Jiankou, peaking at the impressive Nine-Eyes Tower.

On a clear day in this spot in the heart of the mountains it will be possible to see the towers of our Great Wall Spur and Chinese Knot hikes, and the Mutianyu Great Wall, with glimpses of other sections of the Great Wall that follow nearby mountain ridges. When it's really clear, you can see all the way back to the skyscrapers of Beijing's CBD.

After hiking up to Nine-Eyes Tower we’ll take a side trail to get back to the Great Wall on the west side of Jiankou, and hike along it towards the Chinese Knot. We'll finish the walk not far from there, hiking down hill trails to the village car park.

Cost: ¥430 / ¥390 for members

See a full description, more photos, and book online at https://www.beijinghikers.com/hike-in-beijing/view/468/nine-eyes-tower-2/

Beijing Hikers—fun and friendly hikes and trips around Beijing and greater China, since 2001.

For more updates on hikes and trips follow our WeChat account BeijingHikers北京爱山 and keep an eye on www.beijinghikers.com

https://www.beijinghikers.com / info@beijinghikers.com

Walk from Gubeikou to Jinshanling, following stretches of restored and unrestored Great Wall and taking a detour through the pretty farmland that surrounds Hemp Village, finishing all the way over at the eastern end of Jinshanling.

Walk from Gubeikou to Jinshanling, following stretches of restored and unrestored Great Wall and taking a detour through the pretty farmland that surrounds Hemp Village, finishing all the way over at the eastern end of Jinshanling.

The hike begins at the Gubeikou section of the Great Wall in Miyun County, very close to the border of the Beijing and Hebei provinces. Even though it’s designated as a park, this section of the Great Wall is largely unrestored. It’s not often visited either, probably because it is so far away from central Beijing.

We’ll start the walk with a short climb up to a tower on the Wall. There are a lot of towers on this stretch of the Wall – some in good condition, some tumbled down to foundations only. From the first tower we can see the Wall stretching off into the hills of northern Miyun. We’ll be following it the other way, towards Jinshanling, and Hebei Province.

Along the way to Jinshanling we’ll get a different view of the wall, walking a trail by the base of the Mongolia side, and making a few tricky ascents and descents on the way to the archway that will get us back on top. This section is the west side of the Jinshanling Great Wall.

We’ll be following the Jinshanling Great Wall from west to east, starting off on the unrestored section before heading down into the main restored area. We’ll head straight through the restored area, and on towards the Simatai Great Wall.

Cost: ¥510 / ¥460 for members

See a full description, more photos, and book online at https://www.beijinghikers.com/hike-in-beijing/view/1037/gubeikou-to-jinshanling-great-wall-east-4/

Beijing Hikers—fun and friendly hikes and trips around Beijing and greater China, since 2001.

For more updates on hikes and trips follow our WeChat account BeijingHikers北京爱山 and keep an eye on www.beijinghikers.com

https://www.beijinghikers.com / info@beijinghikers.com

Hike a relatively mellow track through the mountains northwest of Beijing, reaching the quirky and intriguing Baipu Temple for a mid-afternoon look about.

A lot of visits here just cover the temple area – which is fine by itself, of course! – but we’ll make our visit a mini-pilgrimage by hiking in through the hills.

The hike

We start off at an out-of-the-way spot on the side of the road that goes over the mountains in the northwest of Beijing, stepping off the bus and right on to the trail.

The trail is flat to begin, but we’ll soon be starting the first climb of the day.

We’ll be hiking up a narrow valley, heading for a low ridge. Before 2023, this part of the hike would have been on a nice dirt track, passing through pine forest. But this area was hit hard by the Typhone Doksuri flooding mid-2023, and now the scenery features exposed tree roots and a lot of rocks that were previously covered by pine needles and top soil.

At the top of the valley we’ll turn off and hike up to a little pavilion on a low peak. We’ll take a break at the pavilion—a nice spot to gaze about the mountains, with views back to the Changping urban area if it’s a clear day.

From the pavilion we’ll follow a track along the ridge for a short while before hiking down into a valley. This part of the track was mostly untouched by the torrents, but we’ll still see some slips.

The valley track eventually leads to the backdoor of Baipu Temple, but we’ll have to get by the pig farm first!

The pig farm is in a narrowing of the valley, and the farmer has put fences across the narrow parts to keep the pigs in. It’s not a major obstacle, but we’ll need to climb a low fence to get in, and maybe balance our way along the top of a concrete wall if the road is blocked by the pigs.

After the pig farm, not far down the valley, we’ll get on to a concrete road. That road eventually brings us down to the temple, which is where the hiking part of our day finishes.

The temple

Stelae at the Baipu ‘White Waterfall’ Temple site date it to the Liao Dynasty (916–1125), and there are carved tablets and stelae that date restorations and extensions to various times during the Jin(1115–1234), Yuan (1279–1368), Ming (1368–1644) dynasties, and the Republic of China era (1912–1949).

The temple has also been ruined a few times. During the Republic of China era the temple was destroyed by a local warlord who wanted the auspicious location for his own ancestral tombs. The temple was later rebuilt by local villagers. Veiled references and hints in Chinese-language sources suggest it was sacked again during the Cultural Revolution. Most of what’s seen there today was built between 2000 and 2016 by Abbott Huineng.

Of particular interest is the shrine inside a cave high on the hillside, the huge dragon sculptures, and the can’t-miss-it white Buddha surrounded by gold.

At the temple, you’ll be able to look around by yourself, or follow the guides about the main sites. We’ll set aside about 45 minutes for your tour of the temple.

Cost: ¥380 / ¥340 for members / ¥220 for kids

See a full description, more photos, and book online at https://www.beijinghikers.com/hike-in-beijing/view/1968/through-the-hills-to-baipu-temple/

Beijing Hikers—fun and friendly hikes and trips around Beijing and greater China, since 2001.

For more updates on hikes and trips follow our WeChat account BeijingHikers北京爱山 and keep an eye on www.beijinghikers.com

https://www.beijinghikers.com / info@beijinghikers.com

Hike on hill trails and Great Wall between Jiankou and Beigou Village, getting a look at Great Wall between Jiankou and Mutianyu and finishing with a scenic walk down into Beigou Village.

We'll start off the hike by following a zigzag hillside trail that rises quickly to a Great Wall tower that is almost 1,000 metres above sea level. From the tower we can see the Jiankou basin, as well as the many other sections of Great Wall in the area.

From there we'll head east, following the wall towards Mutianyu. We'll end up at the northwestern end of the Mutianyu Great Wall and we’ll follow the wall down towards the main park area. On previous visits here we’ve heard the din of all the visitors to Mutianyu off in the distance—surprisingly loud!

We’re going to avoid all that and hike a paved trail down the hillside to Beigou Village, passing through tidy chestnut orchards on our way down to the village square.

Cost: ¥460 / ¥415 for members

See a full description, more photos, and book online at https://www.beijinghikers.com/hike-in-beijing/view/1921/jiankou-great-wall-to-beigou-village-6/

Beijing Hikers—fun and friendly hikes and trips around Beijing and greater China, since 2001.

For more updates on hikes and trips follow our WeChat account BeijingHikers北京爱山 and keep an eye on www.beijinghikers.com

https://www.beijinghikers.com / info@beijinghikers.com

Visit Fangshan District for a short stroll up to a lookout, a big lunch at a country restaurant, and a 1.5 hour tour underground at Stone Flowers Cave.

Stone Flowers Cave (AKA Shihua Dong) is a karst cave in Fangshan District, in Beijing’s southwest.

It’s a scenic area, which means colourful lighting and good paths for walking on.

The main cave system has seven levels, and goes deep undeground. The top four levels are open, and we’ll visit them all on the full 2.5km underground loop walk, bottoming out on Level 4 at 150m underground.

The top level of the cave is dry; the lower levels have drips and trickles of water, and they say there’s an underground river all the way down on the seventh level. The temperature inside the caves is a constant 13–16°C.

Down in the caves we’ll see a whole lot of speleothems: stalactites, stalagmites, columns, flowstone, ‘stone flowers’, ‘crystal flowers’, shields, rimstone pools, and cave popcorn.

Cost: ¥480 / ¥430 for members / ¥240 for under 18s

See a full description, more photos, and book online at https://www.beijinghikers.com/hike-in-beijing/view/1823/stone-flowers-cave-visit/

Beijing Hikers—fun and friendly hikes and trips around Beijing and greater China, since 2001.

For more updates on hikes and trips follow our WeChat account BeijingHikers北京爱山 and keep an eye on www.beijinghikers.com

https://www.beijinghikers.com / info@beijinghikers.com

An extended version of our regular High Rise hike, adding a walk down a wild valley and two medium-rise hills on the way to the end.

We’ll start the hike with an easy warm up, walking through chestnut orchards on concreted field tracks. As the hills get steeper we’ll reach the end of the orchards and start the ‘high rise’ part of the hike, following a narrow path up a big hill to an almost-800 metre peak. Our starting point is at around 300 metres above sea level, so this is a pretty good climb. Your breathtaking climb will be rewarded with breathtaking views.

On the regular version of the High Rise hike we skirt around the tallest peak in the area. Today we’ll offer the option to go all the way to the top, which we’ll find marked with a trig, and then a little bit farther on to find a pile of stones that is supposed to be the remains of a watchtower. We should arrive at the pile of rocks in time for lunch (and hopefully long views of all the surrounding mountains).

We’ll come down again to find our regular trail, and follow it around the peak to find a track that leads down through terraced chestnut orchards to a small village, a tiny settlement of around 10 houses linked to a larger village by a concrete road.

Instead of heading out to the larger village we’ll follow a little concrete farm track farther up into the hills, crossing over into a long valley.

If we kept hiking all the way down the valley we’d end up at the Lakeside Great Wall. But before we get there we’ll turn off to cross a medium-rise hill, hiking a farm trail through terraced chestnut orchards and then down in to the valley on the other side.

Cost: ¥390 / ¥350 for members

See a full description, more photos, and book online at https://www.beijinghikers.com/hike-in-beijing/view/1718/high-rise-plus/

Beijing Hikers—fun and friendly hikes and trips around Beijing and greater China, since 2001.

For more updates on hikes and trips follow our WeChat account BeijingHikers北京爱山 and keep an eye on www.beijinghikers.com

https://www.beijinghikers.com / info@beijinghikers.com