One-day at Mutianyu

Great Wall at Mutianyu used to serve as the northern barrier defending the capital and imperial tombs in the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644). This section is surrounded by woodland and streams. It is a section restored in the early 1980s, however, it retains the original feature of an ancient defense system. It’s easy to access by 45 miles away from Beijing

Pick you up at your hotel in Beijing at 8 am and drive to Mutianyu (1.5 hours). You will start hiking at around 9:30, and it will take about 2.5 hours to complete the hike. We will take a cable up to Watchtower 14, from where you can walk either westward to Watchtower 20 or eastward to Watchtower 6, alternatively you can do a loop walk from Watchtower 14 to Watchtower 20 and then come back to watchtower 6. There are 3 options downhill: by walking, by cable car (optional) or by toboggan (optional). Lunch at a local restaurant will be organized after the hiking before returning your hotel.

Mutianyu offers a wonderfully satisfying experience of the Wall. It has superb scenery, dense vegetation and many fine watchtowers in an excellent restored section which is about six meters broad. The brickwork is elaborate, with crenelations on both sides and finely curved eaves on some watch-tower roofs. There are decorative gables with animal statues, and tablets bearing calligraphy above some entrances.