Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
ACCOMMODATION AND EATING
Locals rent out spare
rooms
in their houses for
￥
50-100. Facilities will be simple, with only
cold water on tap, but your host will bring a bucket of hot water to the bathroom for you on
request. There are a couple of
restaurants
in the village, though nothing to get too excited
about.
Jiankou
箭扣
, jiànkòu • Daily 8am-5pm •
￥
20
First it was Simatai, then Huanghua; now that these have become entrenched on the tourist
trail, the new intrepid destination is
Jiankou
, about 30km north of Huairou. Here you can
take tough, jaw-droppingly beautiful hikes along an uncommercialized section of wall, ex-
periencing this winding mountain road in all its ruined glory.
The wall here is white, as it's made of dolomite, and there is a hikeable and very picturesque
section, about 20km long, that winds through thickly forested mountains. Whichever part you
decide to walk, don't take the trip without a local guide - much of the stonework is loose on
the wall, which is a little tricky to find in the first place. You really need to watch your step,
and some nerve-wracking sections are so steep that they have to be climbed on all fours.
Only the most determined choose to travel the full 20km hike from west to east; most people
do the first 12km or so, or choose to walk the spectacular middle section, which is easier to
get to and has no tricky parts (though a guide is still recommended). The far western end of
the hike starts at
Nine Eye Tower
, one of the biggest watchtowers on the wall, and named
after its nine peepholes. It's a tough 12km from here to the
BeijingKnot
, a watchtower where
three walls come together. Around here the views are spectacular, and for the next kilometre
or so the hiking is easier, at least until you reach a steep section called “
Eagle Flies Vertic-
ally
”. Though theoretically you can scale this, then carry on for another 10km to Mutianyu, it
is not recommended; the hike gets increasingly dangerous and includes some almost vertical
climbs, such as the notorious “sky stairs”.
ARRIVAL AND INFORMATION: JIANKOU
It's possible to get to Jiankou and back in a day, if you leave very early, but you'd be better
off planning to stay a night at
Xizhazi
village (
西栅子
, xīzhàzi). From here it takes an hour
or so just to reach the wall but without a local to guide you it's easy to get lost.
By bus
Take bus #916 from Dongzhimen to Huairou (1hr,
￥
12), then charter a minibus or
taxi to Xizhazi village (minimum
￥
100 one way; 1hr 15min).
ACCOMMODATION
Jiankou Zhao's hostel
赵氏山庄
, zhàoshì shānzhuāng Near the car park in Xizhazi village
010 8969 6677.
Plenty of local farmers rent out rooms, but it's recommended that you call
in at this spartan but clean hostel. Mr Zhao is full of information on the hike, and will either
