360 Expeditions - Great Wall of China Expedition

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Overview 

The Great Wall of China took 2,000 years to build and is 13,171 miles long, if you include all its branches. It would take 18 months to walk it. While we like a challenge, we thought our trek should cover a taster of the best bits taking in stretches of the restored wall, as well as ancient sections in quieter locations, to give a balanced experience of its history and culture.

Travelling and staying in mountain villages and hotels along the way from Huangyaguan to Mutianyu the trekking will be demanding but worth every step. The ascents and descents are steep as the wall follows the mountain contours. Our rewards will panoramic views over the hilly Chinese countryside, a mixture of rocky ridges, terraced farmland, dense forest and open rolling hills. Highlights include the dramatic Heaven’s Ladder and visiting East Quing Tombs, the final resting place of 20 emperors and empresses.

The wall is in stark contrast to the frenetic pace of Beijing, where we have time to explore the Forbidden City and Tiananmen Square. You can stay on for another 4 days to delve further into Chinese culture, visiting Xian, home to the world-famous Terracotta Warriors, the Great Mosque, and the ancient wonders of the Silk Road. Whatever you choose, it’s a once-in-a-lifetime trip.

 Date & Price 

17 May 2026 - 28 May 2026

12 days with flights (long haul)

Price of Trip £1,945

Flights £650 

4 day Xi'an Extension £995 

 The flight price (as seen above) is an estimate and may vary. 360 will only ever charge you for the actual cost of your ticket.

 

• International flights plus taxes
• Local guides and a 360 guide (Pete Lambert - DG Outdoor Adventures)
• Prices based on groups of 10 or more
• Transportation of luggage between night
  accommodation
• Accommodation in 2/3 star hotels on trek,
• 4 star hotel in Beijing (See FAQ’s)
• Airport transfers and escort
• All accommodation based on two people sharing
• All meals as detailed in the itinerary
• A Peking duck celebration meal.
• Monthly payment plan, on request

• Personal equipment
• Staff/guide gratuities
• Alcoholic beverages
• Trip insurance
• Items of a personal nature: phone calls, laundry,
  room service, etc.
• Unscheduled hotels and restaurant meals
• Visas
• Airport transfers when not booking on with flights
• Any additional costs associated with leaving the expedition early including any airline surcharges as a result of changing return airline tickets
• If less then 10 pax a small top will apply or we will go locally lead

Overnight flight to Beijing.

We arrive in Beijing and jump into our transfer to the Old Dragon’s Head where the Great Wall of China meets the sea (about 3.5 hours on good roads). It’s where the Great Wall of China is considered to start (or finish) and really does resemble a dragon resting it’s head by the sea! We then transfer to our hotel to relax and freshen. We’ll regroup for dinner and a comprehensive brief from your 360 leader about the rest of your adventure in China.

(D)

After a fairly leisurely breakfast, we’ll visit the First Pass Under Heaven, the first major fortification of the Great Wall after leaving the coast and which protected the corridor between China and the Manchu Dynasty. We then head off to the Dongjiakou Great Wall (1 hr transfer) which has many beautifully preserved towers disappearing off into the wooded hillsides, linked by steps and grassy paths across the top of the wall. We’ll spend a couple of hours hiking on some of the paths here before heading to our hotel for the night in Zunhua.

(BLD)

After breakfast, we’ll leave Zunhua and head further into the hills to the provincial town of  Huangyaguan nestled in the Yanshan Mountains. On the way we will stop at the East Qing Tombs, a vast mausoleum contain the tombs of 5 emperors and 15 empresses and many other senior royals across two dynasties.

We reach Huangyaguan where we’ll have a traditional lunch to fuel us for the start of our trek, it’s then about a 10 minute transfer to Taipingzhai where the Great Wall meanders over peaks and ridges as far as the eye can see in each direction. This section has been extensively restored, in contrast to other sections we will experience. The initial sections are steep, easing off as we head downhill towards Huangyaguan, our stop for the day. We overnight in a local guesthouse.

Drive approx 2 hours, trek 2-3 hours.

(BLD)

We begin our trek in Cheshenjia and are immediately immersed in dense forest, sourrounded by the sound of birdsong and rustling leaves. Our route along the remains of the old wall gradually ascends a ridgeline with glimpses of towering sandstone pillars emerging through the trees. As we continue our ascent the views become increasingly spectacular and we’ll pause to take in the stunning vistas of the iconic rock formations for which the region is famed, often shrouded in mist, creating a surreal atmosphere. As we approach Taipingzhai, the landscape opens up, revealing a breathtaking panorama of soaring pillars and deep valleys. Our day’s walk finishes just before Taipingzhai, where we are picked up and transferred back to the guesthouse where we spent the previous night.

Trek approx 6-7 hrs.

(BLD)

We begin our day with a tough but rewarding climb up the Heaven’s Ladder – a steep ascent of 200 steps to reach the ridge above Huangyaguan. The views from the top are as breathtaking as the ascent. Once we’ve had a bit of a rest at the top, we continue along the wall as it undulates through the forest. We then join up with the old wall, walking less restored paths with fewer people on them until we finally drop down to a small mountain village where we are welcomed with a traditional meal before bedding down for the night in a local farmhouse converted into a rustic hotel.

Trek approx 7 hrs

(BLD)

Thanking our hosts, we climb back up through the terracing and scree to the rough path that tracks below the unrestored wall. We follow the wall up to the popular 3 Counties Viewpoint before continuing southwest on the Wall enjoying incredible views out over the hills for the day, before picking up farmers’ tracks that wind through the trees down to the valley through fields of crops and orchards before reaching a village where our transport awaits to transfer us to Jinshanling and our mountain hotel for the night.

Trek approx 5 – 6 hours; drive approx 2 hrs

(BLD)

We begin today’s trek just outside the small village of Gubeiko, a short bus ride away. We stroll through the village and its farmland until we reach the wall. This section, whilst not actually restored, is remarkably well preserved, being one of the most recent sections built during the Qing dynasty. Some of the sections are steep and the paths rough, at one point we have to leave the wall to detour around a military outpost, before joining up once more onto restored wall that leads us down to the pastoral village of Jinshanlin. We spend the night at a mountain hotel.

Trek approx 7 – 8 hrs

(BLD)

We head back to the point where we left the wall last night and continue along the mostly restored section of wall.

A long flight of stone flagged steps takes us back up the mountain, interspersed with the odd unrestored section when we drop onto paths or pick our way over eroded stones. Once we reach the ridge, the unfolding panorama is spectacular as the wall snakes into the distance in each direction, watchtowers perilously standing guard at regular intervals on the peaks. Rolling hills and escarpments fill every vista. After a stunning morning of trekking, we finally drop back down off the wall, following the track through farmsteads and woodland to the road head where our transport awaits to take us to our guesthouse near Mutianyu.

Trek approx 4-5 hrs; drive approx 2.5 hrs

(BLD)

We transfer to Mutianyu and our final walk on the Great Wall, this section has been extensively restored, flagged with elegant inclines and sections of steps. We have the choice of dropping back to down either by cable car or toboggan (see FAQs) back to the village of Mutianyu to explore the markets for souvenirs before climbing, tired but satisfied, into the bus for the journey back into Beijing.

The frenetic bustle of the city will contrast sharply with the tranquility of the hills that we have enjoyed over the last week. 21 million people living cheek by jowl, vying for space in the city, in comparison to the quiet villages we have walked through.

We have some time to put our feet up at our hotel and shower before dinner.

Trek approx 3 – 4 hrs.

(BLD)

Today you are welcome to join us on a guided tour of the Forbidden City – the world famous dynastic imperial palace completed in 1402, and Tiananmen Square.

Spend the afternoon exploring more of the city, do a spot of shopping or just relax in the squares before meeting up in the hotel and heading out for a sumptuous celebration of peking duck for our efforts at a nearby restaurant.

(BD)

Depending on whether you are staying on for the Xi’An Extension we either take an early morning bullet train to Xi’An (about 5 hours) or a flight back to the UK arriving later the same day or early the next.  (B)

For more information and booking visit - https://www.360-expeditions.com/expeditions/trek-the-great-wall-of-china-with-360-expeditions/#overview

For Xi'an Extension visit - https://www.360-expeditions.com/expeditions/xian-and-the-terracotta-army-4-day-trip-extension/