Book this Mother’s Day weekend, pay $350 deposit pp
within 7 days, you’ll get $100 discount !!
Tour highlights:
*Travel on set departure date 12Sep14
*Trekking on the most popular sections
of the Great Wall
*Stay at local farmers guesthouse
*Great value for money
Great Wall Trekking !!
11 Days NZ$3999 including airfare
per person twin share (based on minimum 6 people for departure)
Departure date: 12Sep2014 (land only price NZ$2499)
12Sep Auckland/Departure
Fly overnight to China.
13Sep Arrival Beijing
Arrive in China in the morning and connect your next flight to Beijing.
Upon arrival you will be met and transfer to your hotel.
Accommodation: TianAn Rega Hotel
14Sep Great Wall at Huangyaguan(3 hours,6km hiking) (B/L/D)
Early in the morning we depart at 7:00 and drive to Huangyaguan,
a 2.5- hour journey. We will hike for 3 hours on the wall from Taipingzhai to Huangyaguan, and have a late lunch afterwards. We will
then drive to Gubeikou in the afternoon and stay overnight at Simatai
village. The wall at Huangyaguan is quite solid and rough.
Originally built in 557 AD, the Huangyanguan Great Wall was repaired for the first time in Ming Dynasty with bricks and then restored
again in 1985.
It is 41 kilometres in length with its walls and towers built on mountain ridge with an average altitude of 738 metres. The name Huangyaguan translates to “Yellow Cliff Pass” and is named after the
yellowish hills and rocks nearby. It is unique in that it has various
different-shaped watchtowers.
There are not many tourists in this area, as it is a remote and seldom
visited location. The most unique feature here is the Street of the
Eight Diagrams, an architectural wonder of the Ming Dynasty lying
just below the pass. A labyrinth set up to confuse and entrap invading armiesUNESCO placed Huangyaguan Great Wall on the UN
list of the World heritage. In May each year marathon runners from
around the world come here to participate in one of the world’s most
demanding courses. We only walk this section once, rather than
completing the circuit twice as is required of the marathon runners.
6:30 breakfast 7:00-9:30 drive to Huangyaguan
10:00-13:00 trek from Taipingzhai to Huangyaguan
13:30-14:30 lunch at Huangyaguan 15:00-17:00 drive to Gubeikou
Accommodation: local farmer’s guesthouse at Simatai village
15Sep Gubeikou to Jinshanling (5 hours, 10 km) (B/L/D)
The trek from Gubeikou to Jinshanling today will take up to 5 hours
on the Wall. Gubeikou is located 146 kilometres north of Beijing.
It has the Panlong (Coling Dragon) and Wohu(Crouching Tiger)
mountains in the background. In 1378 General Xu Da ordered this
section of the Great Wall rebuilt. Gubeikou has probably seen more
battles than any other part of the Great Wall including some of the
most famous in Chinese history. On the southern slope of Gubeikou
stands a temple dedicated to Yang Ye, a famous Great Wall garrison
general of the Song Dynasty. There are quite a few temples in China
dedicated to this General but this one is the oldest.
PRICE: NZ$3999 (per person twin share)
THIS GROUP TOUR IS BASED ON MINIMUM 6 PEOPLE FOR DEPARTURE
Our trek takes us eastward along the old city wall passing numerous
watchtowers and other parts of the wall that have not yet been restored.
Going through the path in the field for 1.5 hours, and we will come back
to the Wall at Jinshanling.
8:00 breakfast 8:30-13:30 trek from Gubeikou to Jinshanling
13:30-14:30 lunch at Jinshanling 14:30 drive back to Simatai village
Accommodation: local farmer’s guesthouse at Simatai village
16Sep Jinshanling to Simatai West (5 hours, 9 km) (B/L/D)
Finish breakfast by 8am and we will start the hiking today. It will
take about 5 hours hiking on the wall. We will get off the wall at
Kylin Tower, and cannot walk to Simatai East direction. If the weather
permits, you can start early to watch the sunrise today. We will drive
to Simatai New village and base ourselves in the village tonight. This
section offers arguably the finest hiking anywhere on the Great Wall. It
is extremely photogenic, with over 15 watch-towers, and steep gradients
that give constantly changing perspectives and wide, open views. There
is fascinating variety in the watchtowers here. Some have two stories,
others three. Some have flat roofs, others rounded and others again are
pitched with upturned eaves. The walkway along the top is paved with
square bricks providing a level surface wide enough to construct or erect
batteries. This section of the wall is wild, ruined, preserved and original.
On a clear day, it is difficult to fail to take good photographs here.
7:30 breakfast 8:00-13:00 trek from Jinshanling to Simatai West
13:30-14:30 lunch at Simatai
Accommodation: local farmer’s guesthouse at Simatai village
17Sep Simatai East (3 hours, 5 km) (B/L/D)
We will start the trek at 9am after breakfast. It is a return trek at
Simatai East today. There are 17 watchtowers at east section, however
only 10 watchtowers are open to public. We will drive to Jiankou in the
afternoon and stay overnight in the remote village. Simatai established
its reputation by steepness. Originally it was built during the Northern
Qi Dynasty (550-577 A.D.) and rebuilt in the Hongwu years (1368-1398
A.D.) of the Ming Dynasty. The Wall was built on narrow mountain ridges,
the narrowest could be half a metre. Wangjinglou (watchtower 16, literally Viewing-Capital Tower) is the highest point at this area. It is said that
you could see Beijing here on a clear day. When you trek this section of
the Wall, you have to walk straight up all the way as if it’s endless. Once
you reach the top at watchtower 10, and turn back to the west, you would
have a panoramic view of Gubeikou, Jinshanling and Simatai West.
8:30 breakfast 9:00-12:00 trek at Simatai East Tower 1- 10
12:00 lunch 13:00-15:00 drive to Jiankou
Accommodation: local farmer’s guesthouse at Jiankou village
18Sep Jiankou to Mutianyu (5 hours, 10km) (B/L/D)
We will finish basic breakfast and make our own box lunch before 8am
and start our hike today. It will take 5 hours hiking on the wall. You will
hike on both restored and original walls. We will have a picnic lunch on
the Wall. We will drive 2 hours to a lakeside Great Wall at Xishuiyu village.
Jiankou to Mutianyu section 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 metres broad.
The brickwork is elaborate, with crenellations 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. The first one hour is going straight up and reaches the wall, and
then hikes unrestored towers. The wild Wall to the west is the original
Ming Dynasty with fine stonework, and there are almost no other people.
Inclusions
• international and China domestic economy class airfare, airport
taxes and fuel surcharges
• Accommodation as listed in the itinerary on twin-share basis
• Air-con van/bus with experienced driver
• NZ$150 tipping to guide and driver
• Experienced English-speaking hiking tour guide
• Entrance fee of Great Wall
• Meals as listed in the itinerary
You will be rewarded when you approach Zhengbeilou Tower, where you
will have a breathtaking view of Jiankou section. There will be a sharp
contrast when you arrive at Mutianyu with the restored wall and towers.
8:30 finish breakfast & box lunch preparation
9:00-14:00 trek from Jiankou to Mutiany 14:30-16:30 drive to Xishuiyu
Accommodation: local farmer’s guesthouse at Xishuiyu village
19Sep Huanghuacheng to Xishuiyu (4 hours, 8km) (B/L/D)
Finish breakfast by 8am and drive to Huanghuacheng and start our trek
today. We have to meander through jungles and bushes. When reaching the last watchtower, you will have a panoramic view of the lakeside
Great Wall. Lunch will be organised at Xishuiyu after the trek. We will
then drive to Juyongguan and stay at a courtyard hotel next to the Wall.
08:00 finish breakfast and drive to Huanghuacheng
08:30-12:30 trek from Xishuiyu to Huanghuacheng
12:30-13:30 lunch at Huanghuacheng 13:30-15:30 drive to Juyongguan
Accommodation: Courtyard hotel at Juyongguan
20Sep Old Badaling to Shixiaguan (B/L/D)
Badaling is well-known among international travellers in the world,
however it’s very busy all year round. We will explore an abandoned
part of Badaling, the so-called Old Badaling and then continue our trek
westward to Shixiaguan, completely original and remote section of the
Wall. It will take up to 4 hours to trek on the Wall today. We will have a
simple lunch on the way back to the city. A celebration dinner is organised tonight. Shixiaguan is a part of the defence system of Badaling. It
got its fame due to a legendary story in late Ming Dynasty (1368 A.D.
-1644 A.D.). Li Zicheng, a uprising farmer leader who overthrew the Ming
Dynasty, tried to conquer the soldiers at Badaling.
He failed many times until he learned from local farmers that there’s
another secret valley at Shixiaguan where he can cut through the defence and get into the capital. He lost no time to lead forces to break
down the soldiers at Shixiaguan. The forces headed to Juyongguan and
wiped off soldiers there and then march to Badaling. After being sandwiched by Li’s army outside and inside of Badaling, the Ming soldiers at
Badaling were concurred. Li’s troops marched into the capital, Beijing,
and the Ming Emperor, Chongzhen, hanged himself below a tree at coal
hill (Jingshan).
7:30 finish breakfast and drive to Old Badaling
8:00-12:00 trek from Old Badaling to Shixiaguan
12:00-13:00 drive back to city 13:00-14:00 lunch en route
15:30 back to hotel in the city
18:00 celebration dinner at fine Beijing Duck restaurant
Accommodation: Tian’an Regal Hotel
21Sep Beijing (B)
08:30 finish breakfast and walk to Tian’anmen Square
09:00-12:00 visit to Tian’anmen Square and Forbidden City
Afternoon is at leisure
Accommodation: Tian’an Regal Hotel
22Sep Beijing/Departure (B)
After breakfast. Free at leisure and check out time is 12noon. You may
do your last minute shopping on the day and our tour guide will transfer
you to the airport in the late afternoon for your flight back to Auckland.
23Sep Auckland
Arrive in Auckland.
Exclusions
• Travel insurance
• After-meal drinks
• Cable car, chairlift, boboggan (slideway), flyingfox (zipline)
or any other additional facilities
• Personal expenses
• Chinese visa fee
• Single room supplement NZ$470.00 per person
Level 2, CTS House, 175 Queen Street, Auckland
Tel: +64-9-3751711 Fax:+64-9-3096459
E-mail: [email protected]