Great Wall Escape

Trip Length	Trip Code
3 days	PCGE

Countries Visited
China

Start City	End City
Beijing	Beijing

Escape the hustle and bustle of China's capital with this relaxed countryside break at the Great Wall. Spend two nights in a local village and walk a beautiful, infrequently visited section of the wall between Gubeikou and Jinshanling.

Day to Day Itinerary

Day 1: Drive to Great Wall at Gubeikou

Accommodation: Gubeikou Guesthouse (Ye Shu Fang Homestay) or similar, Gubeikou

Your tour starts in Beijing at 9 am at our joining hotel, where you will be met by your Peregrine tour leader. We then embark on a three-hour drive to the Gubeikou section of the Great Wall. On arrival, we begin our encounter with the Great Wall by exploring the immediate area.Gubeikou is located 146 kilometres north of Beijing. It has the Panlong (Coiling Dragon) and Wohu (Crouching Tiger) mountains in the background and is linked to the Qingfeng (Green Wind) and Dicui (Piled Verdure) peaks. As such it occupies a strategically important location between Shanhaiguan Pass and Juyongguan Pass, which is difficult to access. The Chaohe River runs across the foot of the wall from north to south. In 1378 (the 11th year of Emperor Hongwu's reign in the Ming Dynasty), 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 dedicted to this general, but this one is perhaps the oldest. The Gubeikou section of the Great Wall stretches for more than 40 kilometres and consists of 14 beacon towers, 143 watch towers, 16 strategic pass, three citadels and many other military constructions. Many of them are famous historical relics such as the Big Flower Beacon Tower, the Fairy Tower, the General Tower and the dominant Wangjing Tower. Tonight we stay in a basic, but charming homestay as a guest of some very hospitable local folks.

Day 2: Trek from Gubeikou to Jinshanling

Meals included: 1 breakfast

Accommodation: Jinshanling Hotel or similar, Jinshanling

Today we trek to Jinshanling (5–6 hrs). Our walk takes us eastward along the old city wall, passing numerous watchtowers and other parts of the wall that have not yet been restored. Jinshanling is the name given to an eleven kilometre section of the wall situated on the Jinshan Mountains. The earliest bit of this structure was built in the 6th century AD, but most of what you see now dates from the Ming Dynasty. This section of the wall has 67 watchtowers, each built in a different style of architecture. The walkway along the top is paved with square bricks providing a level surface wide enough to construct or erect batteries. Poems and tablet writings can be found on the Jinshanling Great Wall left from the time General Qi Jiguang directed building of this section of the Great Wall. Some of the towers were storerooms for food, hay and weapons. Towards the end of our walk we descend from the wall and walk along a path for one kilometre, in order to bypass a military area. We spend our night in a simple guesthouse at Jinshanling.

Day 3: Beijing

Meals included: 1 breakfast

Today we return to Beijing where your tour extension ends on arrival. A transfer to the airport is not included, however, your tour leader will be on hand to advise you as to the options available.

Your Trip

What's Included

Local guide, transport, sightseeing and entrance fees.

Summary of accommodation, transport & meals

Transport

Private vehicle
Trek

Accommodation

1 night Homestay
1 night Guesthouse

Meals

2 breakfasts

Not Included

<p>International flights, international and domestic departure taxes, departure transfer, visas, insurance, other meals, any optional tours and activities during free time, tips and items of a personal nature.</p>
Daily budget

What to know

Vaccinations

Vaccinations may be required for this trip. Talk to your doctor about the up-to-date information for this region.

Visas and Permits

It is your responsibility to ensure you have all required visas for your trip. Rules and regulations governing the issuance of visas are constantly changing, and vary for different nationalities and you should check visa requirements with your travel agent or relevant consular authority well before travel.

China

Please note that visa requirements can and do change. It is essential that you confirm requirements with the nearest relevant embassy or check with your travel agent before you travel. At the time of writing, most nationalities require a visa for China. Chinese visas can only by obtained at Chinese Consulates prior to your arrival in China.

Please note if you are travelling from China into Hong Kong (a Special Economic Region) or Kyrgyzstan then back again into China, you will need a double entry Chinese visa. Please be warned that on some occasions people transiting through mainland China on their way to Hong Kong have been made to go through Chinese immigration and had their single entry visa stamped, thus making it invalid. Do not allow your visa to be stamped if you are only going through transit. The Chinese authorities restrict visas for those working in media, government or the military - please contact us for further information.

Insurance

You are required to have travel insurance before heading off on a Peregrine trip. Insurance can be organised by your Peregrine representative or your travel agent.

Responsible Travel

Our Responsible Travel ethos is at the heart of everything we do, from getting the basics right like respecting local cultures and the environment, to initiating projects that make positive contributions to communities, to our staff’s fundraising efforts and offsetting our carbon emissions.
Please visit our Responsible Travel (http://www.peregrineadventures.com/rt) page for more information.

Customs and Culture

Our Pre Departure Information or Travel Dossier (provided upon booking a trip) provides tips on how you can show respect for the local customs and culture in the country you are travelling in.

The information listed above is a brief description of some things you may need to consider when booking a trip. Once a tour is booked you will be provided with a link to your Travel Dossier which will contain detailed Pre Departure information.

Important Information

Infrastructure and Itinerary Changes

China is a developing country whose infrastructure, values, customs and standards differ from what you are used to at home. Please bear this in mind as you are travelling in this exciting country and respect the fact that you should not impose your standards and expectations on the culture there. The driving habits in these places are something for which you ought to prepare yourself for!

Occasionally it may be necessary to amend this itinerary for reasons beyond our control, such as bad weather and poor road conditions.

Travelling During Holiday Periods

When travelling during local holiday periods, be prepared for some inconveniences. This is especially so during the Spring Festival holiday period (Chinese New Year) and the National Day Golden Week.

2013 is the Year of the Snake. In 2014 Chinese New Year day will be on Friday 31st January, ushering in the Year of the Horse. All days from 30th January to 5th February 2014 are designated as public holidays. In 2015 Chinese New Year will be on 19th February (Year of the Sheep) and in 2016 it will be on 8th February (Year of the Monkey). The greeting in Mandarin for ‘Happy New Year’ is ‘Gong Xi Fa Cai’, whilst the greeting in Cantonese is ‘Gong Hey Fat Choy’. China’s National Day is on 1st October and this ushers in a 7-day national holiday known as Golden Week. During these holiday periods, most businesses will be closed as the local people usually spend this period returning to their homes and celebrating with their families. This will involve a major burden on all forms of transport, and despite booking in advance, tickets for planes and trains especially are extremely difficult to obtain. Even if bookings are obtained, transport services during this period will be overcrowded and heavy delays are to be expected, so you will need to make sure that you pack your sense of humour. In order to facilitate your travels during these holiday periods, we may need to substitute your train/plane journey with a private bus trip, if required.

Local Tour Leaders

By employing and training local tour leaders to lead our group holidays, there is a two-fold benefit. Firstly, we provide employment opportunities for the local community. Just as importantly is the benefit to you, the traveller. Your tour leader’s friendship, humour, passion and intimate knowledge of the region will be key factors in making your holiday a success.

Adventure in China

This is an ‘adventure’ trip and we hope to expose you to all aspects of the local culture. Please be open-minded. Please note that on your tour, you may link up with passengers booked on other tours in our Asia program.

Please note: A compulsory single supplement applies to all solo travellers. IMPORTANT: Tour starts at 9.00am on Day 1. Client to meet the tour leader in the lobby of: Dong Fang Hotel 11 Wanming Road Xuanwu District Beijing 100050 Tel: +86 (10) 63014466 ** Scanned copy of passport required At the time of booking, in order to obtain permits **

About this Information

The information provided here is given in good faith and has been compiled with all reasonable care. However, things change and some of the information may become out of date. Please keep this in mind when you read it and check with us if you want to be sure about something. The document was correct at time of printing, but you can check online for the most up to date version. If you have any queries, please contact your travel agent or our staff in Australia. We are here to help you!

Last Updated

22 May 2013