Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
doesn't have a number. Instead look for a placard in the front windscreen
reading:
－
, which means Huairou to Shui Changcheng.
Jinshanling
The
Jinshanling
(Jinshanling Changcheng; summer/winter ¥65/55)
section of
the Great Wall, near the small town of Gubeikou , is 142km northeast of
Beijing and marks the starting point of an exhilarating 7km hike to
Simatai
(
admission ¥40; 8am-5pm)
. The adventure - winding through stunningly re-
mote mountainous terrain - takes three to four hours as the trail is steep and
parts of the wall have collapsed, but it can be traversed without too much diffi-
culty, provided you are reasonably fit.
Autumn is the best season for hiking here; in summer you'll be sweating gal-
lons so load up with water before you go (ever-present hawkers on the wall
sell pricey water for around ¥10 a bottle, or more depending on how thirsty you
appear).
Simatai, which is more touristy than Jinshanling, was closed for renovations
at the time of research, but should be open again once you read this. Arriving
at Simatai, having walked from Jinshanling, you used to have to buy another
ticket to cross a rope bridge (¥5), as well as the entrance ticket to the Simatai
section.
Getting To Jinshanling
Local Bus
There are two options: either catch a bus to Chengde ( ¥85, 2½ hours) from
Sihui long-distance bus station
( Sihui changtu qichezhan; off
Click here
)
,
200m walk southeast of Sihui subway station, and tell the driver you want to
get off at Jinshanling. You'll be dropped at a service station on the highway,
about 1km from the east gate ticket office of Jinshanling (walk back under the
highway and keep going).
