I want to visit Jiankou & Mutianyu Great Wall in one day, could you advise how to hike from Jiankou to Mutianyu?
Hike from Jiankou to Mutianyu is the popular great wall hiking route by visitors. We recommend you start from Zhengbeilou Tower and hike east to Mutianyu Great Wall. Following this route, you can appreciate the best scenery of the Jiankou section from Zhengbeilou Tower, and then hike the relatively less dangerous part from Zhengbeilou Tower to the Mutianyu section. Most hikes to Jiankou begin in Xizhazi village, from which you can reach several famous spots, including Zhengbeilou Tower. Wofo Mountain Villa is another base for hiking Jiankou Great Wall, but the hike from Wofo Mountain Villa to the Wall is much more difficult than that from Xizhazi Village.

Actually, Jiankou Great Wall is not open for tourists as it an unrestored section and still remians half-ruined, wild, untouched. Jiankou Great Wall attracts lots of domestic and western tourists come to visit due to it has a wild beauty and ruggedness. Hiking at Jiankou Great Wall is challenging and risky, so you may see signs on the way to the Wall that say climbing this section is officially banned. Lots of hikers and photography buffs to ignore the ban and take on the challenge of the Jiankou section anyway. You can enter Jiankou Great Wall for free.

There are several ways to reach Jiankou Great Wall, such as Tourist bus No.916 at Dongzhimen, get off at Huairou Fangshan, there you can find local buses to Jiankou Great Wall. The buses run between 10:00 and 15:00. Taking taxi is one of the best way to Jiankou from Beijing city center, but it cost more than tourist bus. You can also book a Beijing day tour package to Jiankou Great Wall with tour guide & private transfer service.

Actually, one day is enough for Jiankou Great Wall Tour. If you want to enjoy the sunrise & sunset scenery of Great Wall, Xizhazi Village is the best place to stay. As the tourism development in Jiankou Great Wall, there are lots of guesthouses open in Xizhazi Village, basic equippment but clean. It costs about CNY200 per night for standard room. The local farmers can not speak any English and it’s recommeded to employ an English-speaking guide in Beijing.

Almost no one speak English since most people are famers in Jiankou and srounding areas. If you can't understand Chinese, you'd better to employ an English-speaking guide in Beijing and a local farmer guide in the village who is familiar with all secret path in the wall just in case.

Jiankou Great Wall is much more difficult for hiking since it's unrestored but with the scenery is truely beautiful. As for the hiking, this section is not recommend for little kids & seniors. There are paths/climbs around those parts which not recommended as well. They compare to a medium difficulty rock climb or steep descends without any safety precautions and make for horrible falls. Also at some point you have to go back and you can not even descend the wall at any spot plus find a way back to the village, you also need to climb through a forest on a hill without any path. If you want to have the hiking experience here, you'd better hire a local tour guide to show you the way.

If you plan a hiking trip at Jiankou Great Wall, you should prepare enough water & snack since the hiking this section needs a lot of energy. You can't find the place to buy when you start climbing. The mountaineering equipments are very important, such as hiking boots, alpenstock, gloves, and climbing rope. Don't take photos from unsafe positions — first get a secure footing, and don't move about if you're standing near steep drops or loose rocks/bricks. Don't damage your camera, or yourself!By the way, you should be respectful to the local villagers.

Jiankou Great Walll Hiking Tour is one of our popular great wall hiking tours, includes professional tour guide, transfer, picnic lunch, if the entrance fee needed will be included as well. You can be pick up from your Beijing hotel or train station, even the Beijing airport by our tour guide, enjoy a hassle free tour with hotel pick up & drop off service, our guide will prepare the simple picnic lunch, bottle of water will provided as well.