Great Wall Hiking Tour

Mutianyu Great Wall Map

Mutianyu Great Wall is located in Huairou County which is 73 km northeast from Beijing City. It was first built 1400 years ago in North Qi Dynasty and had always been an important military fortress in Chinese history. The Mutianyu we see now was rebuilt in the Ming Dynasty and is one of the most well-preserved Great Wall sections. Spring and autumn are the best seasons to take Mutianyu Great Wall hiking tour as you can enjoy the pleasant weather and the abundant and thick vegetation along it.

Due to its geographical importance, Mutianyu Great Wall has many special architectural designs. It is averagely 7 to 8 meters high and 4 to 5 meters wide with crenels on both sides. The terrains of some parts are very precipitous and dangerous, such as the famous Jiankou (Arrow Nock) which was built on a cliff of 1044 meters above sea level, and Yingfei Daoyang (Eagle Flies Facing Upward) which has the steep hill of nearly 90 degrees; while some parts have many watchtowers close to each other because of the flat terrain. Three lines of Great Walls converging in one watchtower is also a feature of Mutianyu tour.

There are 20 watchtowers on Mutianyu section and some of them are very unique. The No. 1 watchtower is also called Dajiao Tower. It is a commanding height and has three levels of barrages, the upper crenel wall, the arrow windows in the middle and the lower crenel wall. Besides the Great Wall continuously going northeast, there is also a branch heading southeast for about 1000 meters. The No. 4 tower is the imposing Zhengguantai which is constituted by three watch towers. It is 486 meters above sea level and the lowest point of Mutianyu. From it to Dajiao Tower, the terrain rises 117 meters in less than 500 meters. But in 2300 meters to No. 19 watchtower, the terrain rises only 50 meters. From the first watchtower to the 20th one, the Great Wall is open to tourists, while other parts of Mutianyu are non-tourists because of the disrepair and steepness.

To get to this amazing wonder, you can take bus No. 916 or No. 936 from Dongzhimen Station. Bus 916 operates every 20 minutes from 05:30 to 18:00 and the ticket is CNY11. After arriving Huairou Longshan Hotel (Huairou International Conference Center) Station, you can take a taxi for CNY 25 to 30 to reach the Great Wall. Sometimes bus 936 can reach the foot of the wall directly and the ticket is CNY16. But it only runs every hour from 06:00 to 14:00. The whole driving takes about 2.5 hours.

The admission fee to Mutianyu Great Wall is CNY40.00 per adult. Children under 1.5 meters can enjoy a 50% discount and it is free for those who are under 1.2 meters. The ticket office is just a few minutes away from where you get off. Unlike Badaling Great Wall, you can not set your foot on Mutianyu directly from the road. If you are physically strong, you may choose to climb up the steps which will take about 20 to 30 minutes. Or if you want to save your strength for the real Great Wall hiking, you may take the cable car. Two kinds of cable cars are available here. One is 723 meters long closed cable car and you can take it up and also down. The round way ticket is CNY65 and the single way ticket is CNY45. The other one is to take the 550 meters open cable car up, and the exciting 1580 meters slideway down. There is a hand break for riders to control the speed if you want to enjoy the view along way. The round way ticket is CNY65. The cable car up is CNY 40 and the slideway is CNY50.

If you climb up the steps, you will reach No. 8 (path to the right) or No. 10 (path to the left) watchtower of Mutianyu. The closed cable car stops at No. 14 and the slideway is at No. 6 watchtower. So the best way is to take the closed cable car up and the slide way down so that you do not need to repeat your way.

As you will spend most of the day hiking, please remember to bring enough food and water with you as there is no supplier on Mutianyu. And when visiting, please keep track of time and do not miss the last bus back to Beijing city.