Itinerary
The Challenge
Day 1 (4th Sept): Depart London for Beijing on an overnight flight.
Day 2 (5th Sept): Upon arrival, transfer to a central hotel. Welcome dinner tonight.
Day 3 (6th Sept): This morning we will transfer by bus to Simatai. After lunch, we will start hiking at Wangjinglou (which literally means the tower to see Beijing - 150 km away) via a mountain trail to Hou Cun. After trekking for about 4 hours we come to our campsite in Hou Cun.
Day 4 (7th Sept): Today we will be hiking from Rear Hill to Front Hill for approximately 8 hours in total. After a long day, enjoying fantastic scenery, we will return to Hou Cun for a well deserved rest and overnight camping.
Day 5 (8th Sept): Today's trek lasts between 7-8 hours, from Simatai to Jinshanling. This part of the wall is quite challenging and one of the lesser visited sections. The views are stunning and you will have hundreds of great photographic opportunities! Some of the sections are completely original and many of the stairs have crumbled away to leave steep stone slopes between each watch tower. Other parts have been restored and you can get a feeling for how the wall looked thousands of years ago. We will spend tonight in a hotel in Jinshanling.
Day 6 (9th Sept): Today we will hike for about 6 hours to Gubeikou. Gubeikou is located 146km north of Beijing and has probably seen more battles than any other part of the Great Wall. It has long been a town of military significance and an important passage to the capital city. To the west of the pass are the Chaohe River and the Wohu Mountain, and to the east is the Panlong Mountain. From ancient times, Gubeikou has served as a route of strategic importance, linking the southern and northern areas of the Yanshan Range. We will stay overnight in a guesthouse in Simatai.
Day 7 (10th Sept): Complete your trek today from Gubeikou to Tiger Pass Ridge. After lunch transfer back to Beijing.
Day 8 (11th Sept): After a morning visit to the Forbidden City, transfer to the airport for a flight to Chengdu (2 hours flight).
Day 9 (12th Sept): This morning visit the Panda Sanctuary. In the afternoon take a tour of Chengdu visiting Qing Yang Gong, Du Fu Cottage, Wenshu Temple, Wangjiang Tower and People's Park (with over 100 kinds of bamboo trees).
Day 10 (13th Sept): Today we will have a full day visit to the Moon Bear Project. Meet up with Claudia Hartley (AHT Senior Clinician in Veterinary Ophthalmology), Jill Robinson (Founder and CEO of Animals Asia) and Heather Bacon (Senior Vet on the Moon Bear Project) for a back-of-house tour, and see the bears undergo health checks. Finish the day with drinks and snacks as the sun goes down and see the bears settle down for the night. Tonight we stay overnight at a central Hotel in Chengdu.
Day 11 (14th Sept): Transfer to the airport for the flight back to Beijing, and then onward for the flight back to the UK.
Day 12 (15th Sept): Early morning arrival into London
