Private Great Wall Hiking from Jiankou to Mutianyu
5
LIKELY TO SELL OUT*
Private Great Wall Hiking from Jiankou to Mutianyu
By Beijing Tour Guide
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About
As Great Wall hiking tours go, this offers the best of both worlds—not to mention a route that’s almost impossible to access unless you speak Chinese. Hike the unrestored, untouched Jiankou Great Wall, with its soaring views and ancient ruins, to the well-known Great Wall at Mutianyu. Plus, a private tour means you receive the undivided attention of your guide.
Lowest price guaranteeReserve now & pay laterFree cancellation
Ages 5-65
Duration: 9–10 hours
Start time: Check availability
Mobile ticket
Live guide: Chinese, English
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Highlights
- Hike along the Great Wall of China from Jiankou to Mutianyu
- Enjoy a less-crowded stretch of the Great Wall at Jiankou
- Learn about the history of this UNESCO World Heritage Site
- A private guide and vehicle ensures a personalized experience
- Lunch
- Transport by private vehicle
- Professional guide
- Hotel pickup and drop-off
- Entrance fee
- Entry/Admission - The Great wall of Jiankou
- Entry/Admission - Mutianyu Great Wall
What's not included- Gratuities
- Souvenir photos (available to purchase)
- cable car ticket/toboggan tickets
- Expect an early start for this full-day Great Wall hiking tour. Your knowledgeable guide greets you at your central Beijing hotel for the journey to Jiankou, where your Great Wall hike begins. The twists and turns of this unrestored and less-visited stretch of wall make it perfect for photographers. As it winds along sheer mountain ridges, the wall offers new panoramas at every corner, while its ruins and imperfections are shockingly atmospheric. Spend ample time hiking this route, which is considered the most precipitous and beautiful stretch of the Ming Dynasty Great Wall, to Mutianyu. Along the way, your private guide explains the long history of the wall’s construction. If you enjoy a mild physical challenge combined with a cultural experience, this is the tour for you.
- Start:Traveller pickup offered.Pickup details
- Pickup from your centrally located Beijing hotel
End:This activity ends back at the meeting point. - Not wheelchair accessible
- Infant seats available
If you have questions about accessibility, we’d be happy to help. Just call the number below and reference the product code: 7309P6- Confirmation will be received at time of booking
- Children must be accompanied by an adult
- Wheelchair not accessible
- This is not an easy hike. Prior hiking experience is highly recommended
- Please advise any specific dietary requirements at time of booking
- Please wear hiking shoes
- Vegetarian option is available, please advise at time of booking if required
- Please pack some snacks if necessary, because you will have a late lunch
- Not recommended for pregnant travellers
- Travellers should have a moderate physical fitness level
- Due to the weather condition,it might be closed unexpected. You can visit another section instead
- This experience requires good weather. If it’s cancelled due to poor weather, you’ll be offered a different date or a full refund
- This is a private tour/activity. Only your group will participate
- For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours in advance of the start date of the experience.
- If you have questions about this tour or need help making your booking, we’d be happy to help. Just call the number below and reference the product code: 7309P6
From
£177.75
per adult (price varies by group size)
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Itinerary
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About the operator
Don’t take it from us – here’s what people have to say about this operator:
- marialS5746BR0 contributionsThe best tourist guideKevin was an absolutely amazing tour guide! He showed us the Great Wall of China and made the experience unforgettable. His deep knowledge of the history, culture, and significance of the Great Wall truly brought it to life for us. Kevin’s energy and enthusiasm were contagious, and he went above and beyond to ensure we were comfortable and engaged throughout the tour. He picked us up from hotel and left us back on time, leaving us time to nicely enjoy all day. If you’re looking for a guide who’s not only professional but also genuinely passionate about what he does, Kevin is the one. Highly recommended!Written 21 January 2025
- justinab3340 contributionsHighly recommendedGreat experience, the organiser and the drivers were always wery helpful, on time, excellent communication. Everything was nicely organized, we went with a group of 8 peopleWritten 20 January 2025
- P3282DS_0 contributionsTour to the Great WallRecently I've been to Beijing and took a tour to the Great Wall with my friends. We really enjoyed the day, even though it was freezing. Our driver was Ling, very friendly and nice lady. We wanted to thank her for taking us to this Miracle. The ride was comfortable and safe. Thanks! Recommended!Written 8 January 2025
- pippib20250 contributionsKevin is the best!Kevin was fantastic! Super helpful, showed up exactly on time at our hotel. Smooth ride, provided water for us for hiking! Answered all our questions, and also helped us get our lift and toboggan tickets! We ended up hiking it for about 4 hours, took many great pictures for the future album. Overall lead to a really good experience at the Great Wall. Thank you Driver Kevin!Written 7 January 2025
- Julian D0 contributionsTransfers and TransportViolet was fantastic in coordinating all our local transport arrangements, including seamless airport transfers. From start to finish, her communication was clear and efficient, ensuring everything was perfectly organized. The drivers she arranged were always punctual, professional, and courteous, making our travel stress-free. Violet’s attention to detail was evident in how smoothly everything ran, and we truly appreciated her prompt responses to any questions we had. Her dedication and reliability made a significant difference in our overall experience. If you’re looking for someone to handle your transport arrangements flawlessly, we highly recommend Violet for her exceptional service.Written 7 January 2025
- WesleyF8150 contributionsAwesomeMatthew the english speaking driver was extremely helpful and nice. The whole trip was a really good experience. Do get matthew to help book the cable car tickets before you reach. It will save a lot of time of queuing to purchase the tickets.Written 5 January 2025
- 981anneliseb0 contributionsUnforgettable experienceA very enjoyable family trip ! Incredible ride on the Great Wall and the guide helped us to add the toboggan as an extra as it is ok for small children with a parent.Written 2 January 2025
- Paul M0 contributionsGreat day out at the WallKevin drove us to the wall in his nice Tesla and he was very knowledgeable regarding the best methods to get in and out of Mutianyu. We had a great day and we would highly recommend using Kevin.Written 2 January 2025
- M5707RYlizr0 contributionsGood tourPerfect and nice experience I had in the great experience of the history and great facts about the China wall. The tour is really worth, I appreciate the loca guide are so kind and very nice, absolutely I recommend!Written 2 January 2025
- GerwynSee0 contributionsAmazing BeijingWe had a wonderful experience climbing The Great Wall, and visiting the Ming Tombs. Our guide, Felix, was exceptionally knowledgeable about China and its history. He was also patient and very entertaining which made our tour more memorable. Thank you, and looking forward to our next visit to Beijing.Written 31 December 2024
- joakimsr0 contributionsMemorable trip to Mutianyu Great WallWe had an incredible experience on the Private Mutianyu Great Wall Trip with Ken as our guide! From start to finish, Ken was professional, polite, and made sure we were comfortable throughout the journey. His knowledge of the history and cultural significance of the Great Wall was impressive, and he shared fascinating stories and insights that brought the experience to life. Ken’s excellent English made communication easy, and he patiently answered all our questions. He also gave us plenty of time to explore and take in the breathtaking views at our own pace. The trip was perfectly organized, and we felt well taken care of. If you’re looking for a memorable and seamless visit to the Great Wall, I highly recommend booking this tour with Ken! It’s an experience we’ll never forget.Written 29 December 2024
- danielsiemens0 contributionsFunFun experience. The guide, Lily, was very knowledgeable. She was even great at taking pictures and got a great one of me.Written 28 December 2024
- SlinkyCracker0 contributionsGreat Wall on the way to the airportGreat day out. Driver was friendly and helpful. Pick up from hotel was smooth and on time. The Great Wall is amazing and more than worth the trip from the city to go and see it. If you have limited time this is the way to do it. The bobsleigh back down was a surprise but great fun. Would love to do a longer walk along the wall.Written 28 December 2024
- Nikita30300 contributionsGreat experienceIt was such a great trip with Mr. Kong. He was so cooped and friendly. It was reasonable price and we enjoyed a lot. Highly recommend him. Thank you Mr kongWritten 25 December 2024
- gfrate0 contributionsComfortable and easyThe trip was comfortable and we got all needed support to enjoy the visit. Despite the cold weather it was a great experience Thank youWritten 25 December 2024
These reviews are the subjective opinions of Tripadvisor members and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
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5.0
47 reviews
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47
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johnWorldwide
Hong Kong, China25 contributions
Sept 2023 • Solo
Just an awesome way to experience the Wall in its unrestored state with hardly anyone else around.
The transportation was first rate. My guide was friendly and courteous. The drop-off is at a small village and the hike begins. The hike is a fairly strenuous mountian climb up, perfect to experience the local forest and get "leg day" done. The climb comes to the Wall at a watchtower, requiring a short improvised ladder to enter. Then just meandering on top of the wall, by yourself (came across only 3 other people on this part of the tour), is just magical. Even though, being unrestored, it is perhaps not as photogenic as the restored sections, the lack of other people and the silence and seeing nature slowly reclaim things allowed my imagination to concentrate on what life would have been like back then.
There is just enough danger on the hike up and wandering to make it feel like a true adventure. My only disappointment was that the hike up and along the unrestored section ended too early, I could have done that all day. The last part of the wall is along a "tourist" section, restored, and finishes with either a cable car or walk down (client choice). After the hike lunch at a very nice restaurant was provided. Expect about 4 hours of hiking depending on pace, 3 1/2 hours of driving, and an hour for lunch. Definitely recommend for those in the mood for a difficult climb rewarded by have a good section of the Wall to yourself.
The transportation was first rate. My guide was friendly and courteous. The drop-off is at a small village and the hike begins. The hike is a fairly strenuous mountian climb up, perfect to experience the local forest and get "leg day" done. The climb comes to the Wall at a watchtower, requiring a short improvised ladder to enter. Then just meandering on top of the wall, by yourself (came across only 3 other people on this part of the tour), is just magical. Even though, being unrestored, it is perhaps not as photogenic as the restored sections, the lack of other people and the silence and seeing nature slowly reclaim things allowed my imagination to concentrate on what life would have been like back then.
There is just enough danger on the hike up and wandering to make it feel like a true adventure. My only disappointment was that the hike up and along the unrestored section ended too early, I could have done that all day. The last part of the wall is along a "tourist" section, restored, and finishes with either a cable car or walk down (client choice). After the hike lunch at a very nice restaurant was provided. Expect about 4 hours of hiking depending on pace, 3 1/2 hours of driving, and an hour for lunch. Definitely recommend for those in the mood for a difficult climb rewarded by have a good section of the Wall to yourself.
Written 16 September 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Dear John,
Thank you for booking our tour again and we are so glad you enjoyed the hiking. Your detailed experience is a big help for the other hikers in the future. Thanks a lot.
Best regards,
Violet
Written 3 October 2023
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
Baylee M
5 contributions
Jan 2025 • Family
The trip was amazing! We lucked out with great weather and our guide Micheal was the absolute best! He was so kind his English was amazing, and he went out of his way to help us with more than just the Great Wall tour. Highley recommend!!! And the hike from Jiankou to Mutianyu is definitely worth it to see the wall and get to explore without the crowd.
Written 20 January 2025
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Daniel H
Great Malvern, UK22 contributions
Sept 2024 • Family
We loved our driver who was so happy and friendly and attentive. Michael is a most excellent and informative guide. I am a fit 64 year old and enjoyed the challenging climb although my 20 year old daughter kept saying 'come on dad'. Michael took good care of us and when we arrived up there it was glorious. Nobody up there other than a few locals. My daughter held a praying mantis and other small animals. You absolutely need the guide to take a few detours and offer some choices. When you finally arrive at the restored touristic part of the wall you realize how many orders of mag itude better has been your experience of the wall but the tour enables you to see both the restored and the touristic u restored parts and to descend with the gongols. Finally driver took us to a traditional North Chinese restaurant known to michael a real treat not to be missed. The car was very comfortable and the hours there and back passed blissfully.
Written 20 September 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Rob P
3 contributions
May 2024 • Solo
May was a great guide. A section of the wall was closed, but May found the detour trail and we were back on the wall in no time. The hike is tough, be prepared for climbing and scrambling over obstacles. Well worth it for the views without the crowds.
Written 20 May 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Brian H
Nashville, TN45 contributions
Great day visiting the Great Wall. Perfect weather for clear pictures and Justin made our day great. We loved hanging out with him. Got to hike to the wall a couple hours from Beijing and walk along restored and unrestored portions of the wall. Toboggan down the hill at the end was also really fun
Written 17 June 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Dear Brian,
Thank you for choosing our tour again. We are so glad that you enjoyed it and had a great time with Justin.
All the best,
Written 17 June 2024
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
Jeff T
6 contributions
We had an amazing experience, hiking the unrestored sections of the Great Wall, where we started in Jiankou. If you truly want to experience the wall, don't do the tourist, fully restored sections. Do the remote, unrestored sections. There were no people, only amazing views and the wall as it was originally constructed. It does require a moderate level of fitness however. Our guide Michael was excellent also. Very knowledgeable, as well as personable. Highly recommend this tour to truly experience the wall as it should be.
Written 30 November 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Samodelkin
Tbilisi, Georgia3 contributions
Jul 2023 • Family
This was an amazing experience. The guide (Jenny) was very friendly and open. The views of unrestored part of Great Wall are awesome.
A must see tour/experience if you are in Beijing and want to see the real Great Wall as it is!
A must see tour/experience if you are in Beijing and want to see the real Great Wall as it is!
Written 30 July 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Cindy P
3 contributions
May 2018 • Couples
This was by far the best part of our trip to Beijing!
We had always planned to check out the Great Wall and got so many different suggestions that we procrastinated to book anything. Finally, while we were in Beijing, we decided to check out our options online. We figured we'd book a private tour being that you spend enough time with huge crowds staying in Beijing + this was right around Chinese Labor Day vacation.
This trip is great for people who enjoy hiking and being outdoors. We spent a little less than 4 hours total hiking upto the wall and getting back to the car. We stopped quite a bit to take pics, use the restroom, and to wait in line for the Tobbogan. We were told that it usually takes closer to 5 hours (so overall trip is going to be around 9/10 hours from pick-up to drop-off).
The hike up to the wall was not the most difficult hike we've ever done but it wasn't super easy (also depends on the weather). My favorite part of the trip was the beginning when we hiked up to the wall and got to the first parts of the wall and the first tower. It's truly breathtaking to see the views (remembering that a mere 2 hours ago you were in the middle of Beijing where you hardly see any greenery + some days can't even see the sky because of the smog).
When you get to the Mutianyu area it does get a little more crowded. Most of the people who you run into there are taking a quick trip up the cable car and back. When you're going back down you're given 3 options-- take the cable car back (if you're super tired do this), hike the rest of the way down (walk down a little further) or if you're up for it, you can go down a tobbogan slide (walking the furthest down). We did the tobbogan ride and it was awesome! It was roughly $20 USD per person so bring extra cash for this if you are interested.
Our tour guide Miko was great! We noticed during our stay in Beijing that not many people spoke fluent or even conversational English. It was nice to have a private tour guide who could answer our questions about the Great Wall and give us some insight on Bejing in general + way of life in the city. He let us take all of the time we needed for pics and volunteered to help us take a bunch too!
Miko brought us to a great restaurant that was on our way back from The Great Wall. It's about 30 minutes out from the area you finish at. It was pretty busy considering the random time of day we were there-- which is always a good sign to me! Food was some of the best we've had while we were in Beijing!
Suggestions:
- Wear sneakers (duh) and if you are able to pack them, bring your hiking shoes. They provided us with some poles but we opted to go without them.
- They provide you water, snacks along the way, and a lunch. Doesn't hurt to bring some extra water, sunblock (not going to get a lot of shade anywhere on the wall), bug spray (hiking up it was a little buggy), allergy medicine or nasal spray if you have allergies, pack of tissue paper/cottonelle for the restrooms, and a light rain coat (depending on what time of year you're going).
- Extra cash for tip + Tobbogan slide and/or cable car.
We had always planned to check out the Great Wall and got so many different suggestions that we procrastinated to book anything. Finally, while we were in Beijing, we decided to check out our options online. We figured we'd book a private tour being that you spend enough time with huge crowds staying in Beijing + this was right around Chinese Labor Day vacation.
This trip is great for people who enjoy hiking and being outdoors. We spent a little less than 4 hours total hiking upto the wall and getting back to the car. We stopped quite a bit to take pics, use the restroom, and to wait in line for the Tobbogan. We were told that it usually takes closer to 5 hours (so overall trip is going to be around 9/10 hours from pick-up to drop-off).
The hike up to the wall was not the most difficult hike we've ever done but it wasn't super easy (also depends on the weather). My favorite part of the trip was the beginning when we hiked up to the wall and got to the first parts of the wall and the first tower. It's truly breathtaking to see the views (remembering that a mere 2 hours ago you were in the middle of Beijing where you hardly see any greenery + some days can't even see the sky because of the smog).
When you get to the Mutianyu area it does get a little more crowded. Most of the people who you run into there are taking a quick trip up the cable car and back. When you're going back down you're given 3 options-- take the cable car back (if you're super tired do this), hike the rest of the way down (walk down a little further) or if you're up for it, you can go down a tobbogan slide (walking the furthest down). We did the tobbogan ride and it was awesome! It was roughly $20 USD per person so bring extra cash for this if you are interested.
Our tour guide Miko was great! We noticed during our stay in Beijing that not many people spoke fluent or even conversational English. It was nice to have a private tour guide who could answer our questions about the Great Wall and give us some insight on Bejing in general + way of life in the city. He let us take all of the time we needed for pics and volunteered to help us take a bunch too!
Miko brought us to a great restaurant that was on our way back from The Great Wall. It's about 30 minutes out from the area you finish at. It was pretty busy considering the random time of day we were there-- which is always a good sign to me! Food was some of the best we've had while we were in Beijing!
Suggestions:
- Wear sneakers (duh) and if you are able to pack them, bring your hiking shoes. They provided us with some poles but we opted to go without them.
- They provide you water, snacks along the way, and a lunch. Doesn't hurt to bring some extra water, sunblock (not going to get a lot of shade anywhere on the wall), bug spray (hiking up it was a little buggy), allergy medicine or nasal spray if you have allergies, pack of tissue paper/cottonelle for the restrooms, and a light rain coat (depending on what time of year you're going).
- Extra cash for tip + Tobbogan slide and/or cable car.
Written 11 May 2018
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
David&Shirley
London, UK13 contributions
Nov 2019
Great Wall, whichever part you wanted to visit he is the man to go to. We chose to take the cable car up and down and walk the Wall from Mutianyu to Jiankou - it was unbelievable, words just can't express how amazing the whole experience was. The views, the feel of the history in every step and stone. We didn't want to leave, it was so magnificent. We would highly recommend Jonny for whatever part of the wall you want to visit, the difficult for the very fit, or the more gentle parts for the not so fit. He does overnight camping on the wall, whatever you choose to do you will enjoy.
Written 28 November 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Kerrieetal
Melbourne, Australia1 contribution
Apr 2018 • Family
We woke early and met Jack in the lobby of our hotel. From start to finish Jack was professional, friendly and very informative. His English is excellent. Our three daughters aged 8-14 loved the 5 hour hike up to and along The Great wall. Jack could not have been nicer to them and answered all of their many questions and even told them old stories about the wall. Seeing the wall from non restored to restored was fantastic and we all agreed that we preferred the old section. This walk is steep and you need a certain level of fitness but is absolutely a fantastic way to see The Great Wall of China. The toboggan ride at the end was super fun and the perfect way to get down. Our driver waited for us at the end and took us to a delicious local restaurant for a late lunch. We have never eaten so much food! Very generous and delicious. Thanks Jack for a brilliant day. It was one of our favourites from our 3 week trip away!
Written 1 May 2018
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
It says $68/person but when I put in 6 people it says $636??!! 6 x $68 is $408....
Written 11 August 2018
Dear Sir,the price starts USD68,it is for a group of 16.
Becasue this a private tour,so more people,cheaper price.
Thanks,
Written 5 July 2019
I am curious why the price jumps from $93 to something like $535 when I type in sept 4th. Which puts me off booking things on line,
Written 28 June 2018
Dear Sir,we are sorry just saw this message,the price starts USD68,it is for a group of 16. Becasue this a private tour,so more people,cheaper price. Thanks,
Written 5 July 2019
Hey there. I would like to book a hiking tour for tomorrow but for some reason I can't book it. Error message didn't help.
Can I book via mail?
BR Robert
Written 22 June 2018
Hi, I would really like to go on this hiking tour, but traveling alone. Are there other people interested in joining as the cost are quite high just for 1 person? I am in Beijing from 21 to 23 June and would prefer to go on the 23rd as weather forecast looks best on Saturday. Is there possibly another group that I can join?
Cheers, Carla
Written 20 June 2018
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