07 Nov 2019
I was hoping to get tickets to visit Simatai Great Wall by night as it is the only segment of the Great Wall which is open after dark. Unfortunately it was near impossible to figure out how to book tickets. We were lucky to chance upon this tour organised by Discover Beijing Tours which conveniently included a visit to both the Mutianyu and Simatai segments of the Great Wall near Beijing.
Our guide Anson picked us up at 10 am from our hotel in a comfortable new six-seater which had ample room for all of us. We got to Mutianyu first and got a choice of chair-lift / cable car up to the nearest watch-tower. (There is also a toboggan slide on the way down, but we didn't try it out.) We then had a delicious lunch at a restaurant recommended by Anson for authentic Dongbei Chinese cuisine, before taking a short drive to Gubei Water Town, which was recently constructed around Simatai and features many small shops and eateries together with scenic views. We then took a cable car up to Simatai Great Wall (only two watch-towers are open for visiting at night).
Our guide Anson was very knowledgeable and gave us a detailed explanation of the history of the Great Wall's construction over the centuries in both English and Mandarin.
All the attraction tickets and transport (such as cable cars, chair-lifts and so on) were arranged for us and we didn't have to lift a finger. I would definitely recommend this tour to anyone visiting Beijing.
Pros: Travel in comfort; attraction tickets and meals are taken care of
Cons: Tour runs pretty late (returning at 9 pm or later if you left at 10am), requires some stamina if you want to climb 2 segments of the Great Wall in 1 day