7:30 Pick up from your hotel. The adventure begins at Xizhazi village–587m /1926ft above sea level. Once you leave the village, the hike is a decent uphill to reach the ruined tower-Zhengbeilou–830m / 2723ft above sea level. On the half way to Zhengbeikou, your guide will take you on a short nature walk to explore the less Potala, a broken tower where you will capture the best scenery landscape views of Jiankou. Take your time and enjoy views. After a short break continue on Zhengbeikou. At the top, the hard part is now behind you. You will be rewarded with spectacular panorama of Jiankou and true nature of Jiankou basin. Afterwards, you will walk eastwards to Mutianyu. There are a few vertical climbs and scrambles along the way. Due to the overgrown bushes, you have to walk along the very edge, quite high above the ground.

It’s a sharp contrast between the restored one and ruined one. When ending up at tower 14 of Mutianyu, There are three options: (1) sit back and let the cable car take you down to the exit from tower 14, usually takes about 8 minutes; (2) walk down from tower 14 to 10 where you can get off Mutianyu then walk down the hill trail to reach the exit, usually takes 1.5 hours; (3)continue walking until reach tower 6 then going down by the toboggan /lift chair. As the track is very easy to follow, if you choose option 3, your guide will meet you at the exit of toboggan /lift chair so you can enjoy the additional hike on your own. Enjoy a tasty lunch at Mutianyu before 2 hours drive to Gubeikou where a hot shower, comfortable beds, a yummy dinner at local farmers’ guesthouse are waiting.

Wake to the tranquillity of Gubeikou and after breakfast your adventure begins gently at Gubeikou village with a short climb up to a broken tower. Walk eastward and enjoy plenty of photography stops before you reach General Tower. From there you will capture the true nature of Gubeikou mountain.

After 2-3 hours hiking at the Gubeikou section you will reach the west of Jinshanling Wall which has the towers were constructed firmly and beautifully. Each tower has its unique feature and look. There are relatively less crowded here at Jinshanling Great Wall, and it is a nice place to explore the Great Wall around Beijing.