Travel and Hiking

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/1744/jiankou-great-wall-to-beigou-village-3/

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

After a tough hill climb of 50–60 minutes, we reach a beautiful, unrestored stretch of Great Wall. The hike continues along the wall, passing through towers, finishing in a rustic village.

The hike begins with a warmup walk up a valley road, followed by a fairly tough climb up a hillside path to reach the Great Wall. This climb is steep in a few places, and it will take us 50-60 minutes. This is the most difficult part of the hike: approximately 2km, with a change in elevation of approximately 500m.

After reaching the top we’ll follow the Great Wall as it winds along and up a ridge. Because the Great Wall was designed as a defensive fortification we will get excellent views, with mountains, villages, and other stretches of the Great Wall all in sight as we walk. We will pass through towers along the way, and stop for a snack break at the highest point.

Our walk on the Wall will finish at a big tower – from there we’ll follow a trail down another valley, finally arriving at the small village where we’ll finish the walk.

Cost: ¥400 / ¥360 for members

See a full description, more photos, and book online at https://www.beijinghikers.com/hike-in-beijing/view/2/great-wall-spur/

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

Do your first hike of 2024! Follow a trail that crosses a frozen river in Miyun District, walking out down a long canyon and passing below cliffs on the way to the end.

We’ll be following the White River as it winds through a deep and wide canyon with numerous forks and steep rocky cliffs, making this an extremely picturesque hike that is easy to finish.

All up, there are around eight places the path crosses the river. In summer we need to take our shoes off to wade across, but in winter we’ll be able to walk across the thick ice.

At times, the trail leads us through trees, but for most of the walk we’ll follow the course of the river. It’s flat the whole way, and the only thing that might slow us down is slippery ice.

Sometimes, we cross over ice that has frozen clear, and we can see all the way down to the bottom of the river. It’s like walking on thick glass – a little unnerving, but very pretty!

Cost: ¥420 / ¥380 for members / ¥220 for kids

See a full description, more photos, and book online at https://www.beijinghikers.com/hike-in-beijing/view/1210/white-river-ice-hike-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

We organized the hike from Shuiquangou to Longquanyu GreatWall at the beginning of April this year for enjoying the blooming flowers on the GreatWall. We did hike very long distance on the wall. Now we've changed the route more easier. We still start from Shuiquangou as usal, but ending at Xiangtun village. This time, the streams in the valley are strating to freeze. Let's enjoy the winter time.

Hike Information:

l Date: Dec. 2nd

l Location: Yanqing

l Drive time: 2 hours each way

【The route type】3/5 walking in the valley+ 1/5 GreatWall section+1/5 dirt road

【The route description】The first section we are walking alone with the valley and pass by Heilong Pound. Sometimes you need to cross big stones, sometimes small one; some dirt road and wooden trestle. If you don't think you are good at balance, you can bring your trekking pole. Most of time, there is no climbing up except on the Wall. At the end of valley, we need to climb up the wall, not long distance. Then walk a short distance on the wall. Then go down from the wall which is a bit steep slope but it is the only one there. Then go back to the village. (Reference level 1, level 1+ give some buffer in the winter time~)

l Distance: 9km

l Time to complete: 5hours

l Total ascent: 379m

l Total descent: 417m

l Peak: 531m

l Lowest point: 303m

NOTE:

1. Take at least 2 bottles of water.

2. Bring some lunch, and some snacks.

3. Hiking boots is necessary.

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

Itinerary:

07.30: Departure from Dongzhimen (line2 exit B)

09.00: Arrive the village, beginning of hike

17.30: Arrive back in Beijing

Activity Fee: 150RMB/person

Price includes:

1. Transportation (a vehicle with a driver)

2. Hiking Leaders: Lengzhi, Nuanyang

3. One day outdoor insurance.

4. Payment: After hiking, you can transfer to Mona.

Please note:

- Do not participate if you are sick or showing symptoms of ever or couching.

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

- 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.

Ticket price: 588 RMB all inclusive package covers:

Transportation, 

BBQ

Hiking and Social Meditation and Yoga at the top of the Great Wall. 

The Ming and the Manchus:  A Walk and Discussion at the Forbidden City

Date: Saturday, December 9th
Time: 1:00 pm - 4:00 pm
Cost: 300 RMB (260 RMB for members of The Hutong) including all guide fees and admission tickets

For nearly 600 years, the emperors of the Ming and Qing Dynasties ruled China from behind the red walls of the Forbidden City. Theirs was a private world of palaces, gardens, courtyards, temples, and thrones.

The Ming Dynasty (1368-1644) was a Chinese dynasty that came to power in a rebellion against the Mongol Khans. The Qing Empire (1636-1912) was founded by the Manchus, a people from what is today Northeast China. In 1644, the Manchus conquered China and moved the capital of their empire to Beijing. We'll tell the story of the fall of the Ming Dynasty and the Manchu conquest, one of the epic tales of Chinese history, and examine the differences and continuities between the Ming and the Qing eras.

Although the Qing Dynasty ended in 1912, the imperial legacy continues to influence China’s present and future.

This walk also considers what life was like for the men and women who lived and worked in the palace.  Who built the Forbidden City and why? What did it feel like reporting for duty as an imperial official? Who were the eunuchs who performed much of the necessary daily functions for the palace and its inhabitants? What was life like for a woman in the imperial family?

Our walk will take us to some of the more recently opened areas to avoid (as best we can in China!) the crowds while giving visitors a sense of the diverse architecture of the Forbidden City.

Duration: About three hours

Cost: 300 RMB (260 RMB for members of The Hutong) including all guide fees and admission tickets

Spaces for this walk are limited, and pre-registration is required. 

Reservations for this walk close on Friday, December 1st.

As families seek the best school for their children, MSB invites you to meet our leadership team, take a tour of our campus, and have your questions answered about admission and Montessori education. Please scan the QR code on the poster to register for the Open House.

On that day, we are also very honored to have invited Theatre Madam Bach (DK) to bring us a visual feast for our visiting families. Through rich imagery, captivating soundscapes, and a poetic use of words, their theatre performances will speak to the senses – in a 'language' where the child feels at home.

Cangutuo is located in Yixian, Hebei province. The symbol of Cangutuo is "Tianmen Cave" also known as "Nantianmen". It is a palm-shaped hole naturally formed in the mountain. It is shaped like a palm, and some say it looks like a foot. You could feel appreciate the miraculous craftsmanship of nature.

Legend has it that during the Han Dynasty, a nun practiced cultivation in a cave near there. She planted mulberry trees throughout the mountains, teaching people how to raise silkworms and reel silk as a way of life. Respectfully people called her 'Cangugu.' After several years of cultivation, she achieved enlightenment and ascended to the heaven. Later, generations built a temple on the mountaintop to commemorate her, sculpting her image as a memorial.

Hike Information:

l Date: Nov. 25th

l Location: Baoding direction

l Drive time: 2.5 hours each way

【The route type】Mountain steps+dirt road+little rocky road

【The route description】After warming up on the first meters, we will start our steady ascent of 700m to reach the hight where we will stay for a big portion our our hike. (As a reference, last weeks hike was only 400m of climbing up). At the end of the plateau we will start our descent. We have some little rocky parts and narrow dirt tracks, so we recommend propper hiking shoes for this one. (I'd like to give some buffer, so reference is Level 2+)

l Distance: 12km

l Time to complete: 6hours

l Total ascent: 668m

l Total descent: 653m

l Peak: 784m

l Lowest point: 184m

NOTE:

1. Take at least 3 bottles of water.

2. Bring some lunch, and some snacks.

3. Hiking boots is necessary.

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

Itinerary:

07.30: Departure from Dongzhimen (line2 exit B)

10.00: Arrive the village, beginning of hike

19.30: Arrive back in Beijing

Activity Fee: 150RMB/person

Price includes:

1. Transportation (a vehicle with a driver)

2. Hiking Leaders: Lengzhi, Nuanyang

3. One day outdoor insurance.

4. Payment: After hiking, you can transfer to Mona.

Please note:

- Do not participate if you are sick or showing symptoms of ever or couching.

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

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

Join us:

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

See the last sunset of 2023 from the Great Wall.

For this hike we plan to be up on the top section of the Mutianyu Great Wall during the ‘golden hour’, the hour before sunset in which the sunlight gets an extra filter as it passes through more of the atmosphere and (hopefully!) gives some lovely soft and warm light for photos of the Great Wall and scenery.

The hike begins from a small village in the Jiankou area. Our local guide has a guesthouse here, and he's picked a nice spot—Jiankou is home to some of the most dramatic stretches of Great Wall in the Beijing area.

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 expect it will get very cold very quickly as the sun goes down. Bring plenty of warm clothes, and maybe a thermos of something hot.

We'll end up at the northwestern end of the Mutianyu Great Wall. As the sun gets ready to set, we’ll follow the wall down towards the main park area. It’s during this part of the hike that we should experience the soft light of ’golden hour’, and hopefully we’ll see some lovely colours for photography.

Instead of hopping over the wall to get into the main park area at Mutianyu we’ll 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/1570/jiankou-to-beigou-village-great-wall-sundown-hike-nye/

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

Do your first hike of 2024! This hike is a slightly different way to do the Gubeikou Great Wall, starting with a climb up to the 24-Eyes Tower and finishing with a look at some of the Great Wall towers on the west side of the big North Gate.

24-Eyes Tower is the highest tower on the Panlongshan ‘Coiling Dragon Mountain’ part of the Great Wall, and was one of the largest, too. The name ’24-Eyes’ came from the number of windows—six on each of the tower’s four sides. The tower only has two sides now due to damage over the years, including explosions and gunfire during a 1930s battle between Chinese and Japanese armies.

From 24-Eyes Tower we’ll hike down the Great Wall, heading for Gubeikou’s North Gate. We’ll be on the wall most of the way there, passing through Haowang Tower and the General’s Tower along the way.

Just after the General’s Tower we’ll take a detour off the wall to head for the North Gate, hiking hill trails to get back to the wall that encircled Gubeikou Village, and then along the wall to the North Gate, an arched gate in the wall.

Includes an early dinner at a countryside restaurant.

Cost: ¥470 / ¥420 for members / ¥240 for kids

See a full description, more photos, and book online at https://www.beijinghikers.com/hike-in-beijing/view/1765/gubeikou-great-wall-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