Full-Day Small-Group Great Wall Hike: Simatai West to Jinshanling

Fantastic experience. I just went with myself and my dad and our tour guide, Jimmy. We went pre-pandemic, this is a late review. But when we went it was fantastic. Since it was just our small group it was very personal and we could tailor the day to whatever we wanted to do. Our guide was very knowledgeable about the area and history.

You can (fairly) easily see the Great Wall closer, cheaper, and less strenuously than on this tour. What made this tour great WAS the physical challenge and the remoteness of the section visited. My guide Peter took me to Dinjangling, a sparsely populated area on the far outskirts of Beijing. Peter spent the long drive to the site explaining the rich history of the wall network’s construction. I dare say I came away with a much greater understanding of modern China by learning about this important piece of its past. When you’ve been fending off invaders to your homeland for centuries, it tends to have a strong influence on one’s national psyche and policies at home and abroad. This tour is for people who want a good workout with a great amount of history and fascinating facts thrown in. I consider myself a pretty experienced hiker, yet some steep stair descents forced me onto my hands and behind to avoid tumbling face-first off the wall. Total hiking time was only a few hours, but the many elevation changes made it a worthy challenge. Some unexpected highlights: Receiving a shiny thumb drive full of photos Peter took of me and unique Wall features during the hike. In addition to being a superb historian, he is also an excellent photographer! We ate lunch at a rural roadside restaurant; what it lacked in five-star Beijing opulence, it made up for in local authenticity and flavor. I went during the low season (late November), so there were only a few people on the wall peddling wares to passersby, and even fewer tourists. It made for a memorable and truly private first encounter with one of China’s best-known marvels.

I went in early November, luckily the weather was still good and in fact it felt quite warm at times. I went solo and we formed a small group of one couple and another solo traveller with Peter as our guide. Learned a lot about the history and features of the wall. While there were other people at Jinshanling, it was by no means crowded (noting November is the beginning of low season). In terms of the walk itself, a few steep areas but if you're of average fitness (ie walking and stairs are usually no issue) with grippy shoes (I wore running shoes) you'll be fine - the stairs to the top at the beginning I found more strenuous than the wall itself (but I hate stairs). My review sounds underwhelming but it was absolutely amazing - I'm glad I picked Jinshanling and this company to take me as it was pretty much a perfect experience, with enough variability in the walk to make it fun, excellent views and an escape from crowds. Highly recommended.