Having previously been an independent hiker relying on local buses and black taxis (sometimes shared with random Chinese families) and a couple of times nearly left stranded in the back waters of Hebei… I have recently been enjoying the convenience that Beijing Hikers provides with its chartered drivers and buses, hiking guides and post-hike meals. Of course, you’re paying for all of this convenience but the main thing is that you actually get out into the countryside and see things that you may not otherwise if left to your own devices… I like that many of the hikes are off the beaten track so to speak (some bush whacking occasionally required, long pants and sleeves recommended) and you’re often walking though farmland and orchards that you would perhaps be cautious to enter on your own without permission. (the guides seem to have a good relationship with the local farmers) The scenery can be surprisingly varied even in the space of a few hours hiking. It’s easy to forget, living in smoggy, grid-locked Beijing, that just one or two hours out, there’s real countryside.
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