1BJ: A Closer Look at Wild Jiankou

Jiankou offers steep ridges, original masonry, and dramatic mountain scenery. Its largely unrestored terrain appeals to experienced hikers and photographers looking for a wilder Great Wall setting. Choose a route that matches your experience and the conditions of your visit.

The day typically starts at 8:00 AM. Your guide and driver will pick you up at your hotel. We will drive by a private van to the Jiankou area of the Great Wall.

Jiankou lies in Huairou, approximately 80 km northeast of Beijing. Its Ming-era masonry is largely unrestored and can be very rugged. Our guided route is selected for the program and conditions, with the walking requirements explained before booking.

Before climbing the mountain, we'll first take a quick visit to a local town called Xizaizhi at the bottom of the Jiankou Great Wall. We'll have the chance to see this typical village where Chinese farmers have been living for centuries. 

After claiming "Good-bye!" to the village grandma, we'll begin our hike directly from the access path, contrary to the village. To trek on Jiankou, we initially need to go up this path for 40-60 minutes to reach it. Our hike today will take around 4 hours and will cover 10 km/ 6 miles.  
 

Jiankou’s rugged ruins offer broad views of the valley and surrounding mountains. At the selected watchtower, pause to appreciate the morning haze and the Wall’s weathered masonry before continuing the walk.

An additional highlight of Jiankou is the adversary monitoring tower called "Ying Fei Dao Yang," so-called because this watchtower was erected on the highest top in the area and eagles and hawks commonly perch on it. Nonetheless, it is rather far from Zhengbeilou to see "Ying Fei Dao Yang."

You will have the choice to either climb from Xiadaqiang to Erdaobian, which is 3 hours or more, or from the Sky Ladder to the General's Tower for 5 hours. Your guide will lead the way to make sure you are 100% safe. 

We'll treat you a gourmet lunch before you head back for Beijing. 

•  English-speaking guide with well-experienced tour guide; 
• Professional driver and nice vehicle; 
• General admissions; 
• Gourmet lunch included and free bottled water;
• Free membership card; 
• Hotel pickup & drop-off;
• Airport pickup & drop-off at a low fee;

PLATINUM PACKAGE

Private or Semi-private English Tour including private transfers, tickets and meal. Your guide will walk with you for every step from hotel pickup to drop-off and on the Great Wall! 

GOLD PACKAGE

Use our top-rated professional private transfer service and tour by yourself. You can pick Volkswagen Passat, Buick Minivan, or luxury Mercedes and BMW. Everything is the same as the Platinum Package except that you pay less.

Budget Version of This Hike (A6)

If you travel alone and are seeking a group tour for social and economic reasons, please sign up our A6 for the same hike but with less cost. Click below bullton for A6 details.  

There are many Great Walls to the north of Beijing, all of which were defensive fortresses that guarded the border at that time. They were built according to the terrain, and each segment has its own characteristics.  Check our full list of day hikes, and sunset, sunrise hikes. 

Jiankou’s winding ridgeline is associated with the shape of a drawn bow. The steep, largely unrestored Ming-era Wall has become a well-known subject for Great Wall photographers, with dramatic towers and mountain views.

The Jiankou Great Wall belongs to the Wild Great Wall. It is naturally weathered severely and has no artificial repairs. From the side of Niuyujiao, South Building, Guimenguan, East and West Neck Towers, East and West oil basket tops, Jiankou Beam, General Guard, Ladder, and Eagle fly down From Beijing to Jiuyan Tower (Wangjing Tower), which stretches for more than 20 kilometers, it fully shows the surprise, danger, peculiarity, specialness and uniqueness of the Great Wall, and you can enjoy the original ancient Great Wall landscape. The direction of the Jiankou Great Wall is more full of change and rhythm than Simatai; the mountain is more steep than Mutianyu; the wall of the structure is dolomite, which is very eye-catching