In order to use the Send to a Friend facility you must be logged in.
Please either log in above, or register if you are not already a friend of Nature & Kind.
Tour Overview
The Great Wall of China was originally constructed to keep out nomadic tribes who raided China's northern frontier.
Your trekking challenge starts in Jinshanling with a vigorous trek that loops along the mountains either side of the Gubeikou Gateway.
Each day you will trek approximately 12kms along the stony path, twisting and winding its way along the mountains, interspersed with crumbling watchtowers.
It is demanding but also very rewarding, particularly on a clear day when you can look at the vast and beautiful mountain ranges. Your imagination will take you back several centuries to when the wall was the frontline defence of Imperial China.
On completion of your challenge you will return to Beijing to explore some of the many attractions of China's capital city: the Forbidden City, the Temple of Heaven and the Lama Temple.
Witness Imperial China's frontline defence - Trek on the Great Wall of China - Steep staircases and crumbling watchtowers - Explore Beijing and its Forbidden City
Itinerary
Day 1 | International Departure
Meet at the Airport for your flight to Beijing, China. Our Charity Challenge representative will be there to assist you with the check-in and any last minute questions. You will be passing over the Great Wall before landing at Beijing airport.
Day 2 | Beijing to Start of Trek
Upon arrival in Beijing you will be met at the airport by a Charity Challenge local agent who will transfer you to your hotel (approx 2 hrs). After check in, you will have the rest of the afternoon to relax or go for a walk in the surrounding area. In the evening after dinner, you will be given you challenge briefing and have the opportunity to ask any questions of your expedition leader. Overnight in lodge.
Day 3 | Black Dragon Pools - approx 10kms trek
After a short drive (15mins), you will begin today’s trek in the lush environment of Black Dragon Pools National Park located next to the Great Wall. You will follow a meandering path up a narrow gully by the side of a stream to the top of a watershed. The views here are spectacular and the plant life provides a welcome respite from the heat of the Wall. From here you will descend steeply to what was the most famous waterfall in Beijing county. Passing the Heavenly Gateway, a huge natural arch appears high in the cliffs above you, the remins what was once a waterfall but has now dried out due to climate change. Overnight in lodge. Approx trekking time – 5hrs.
Day 4 | Gubeikou Gateway – 12kms
day starts with a short drive to a village where your trek begins. There used to be three passageways between Northeast China, the Mongolian Highlands, Beijing and the central plains. These were Shanhai Pass, Juyong Pass and Gubeikou Gateway, the latter lying between the two passes and being located in today's Miyun County, northeast of the city of Beijing. This is the location for the start of your Great Wall challenge. Gubeikou was the site of incessant warfare and was heavily guarded by the armies of various dynasties from 7th-13th century. In particular, the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644AD) added many defence installations and increased the strength of the garrison. Nowadays, the main castle no longer exists and much of the Wall has collapsed. Only the Jinshanling section and Simatai section 6km to the east remain in fairly good shape. The great variety of defence structures here are good examples for studying the architecture of the Great Wall. Overnight in lodge. Approx trekking time – 5hrs.
Day 5 | Simatai to Gangfang Village back to Simatai – 20kms
This morning you will continue the trek along the Great Wall from Simatai to its stunning east section. You will then move off of the Wall and trek to Gangfang Village in Hebei Province, where you will have the opportunity to meet and mix with the local villagers and experience Chinese rural life, which is a world away from life in Beijing. From here, you will trek a further 3hrs back to Simatai. Overnight in lodge. Approx trekking time 6hrs.
Day 6 | Simatai to Jinshanling – 11kms
After an early breakfast, your longest day's walk begins from the hotel. The walk from Simatai to Jinshanling is a spectacular one that is partly on original unreconstructed Wall and partly on renovated sections, with many steep, crumbling staircases and ruined watchtowers along the way. It is quite a demanding day but also a very rewarding one, particularly on a clear day when you look out over the best part of eighty miles of mountains, with Mongolia on one side and China on the other. There are very few visitors here and so the sense of solitude is unrivalled. It does not take much for your imagination to take you back several centuries to when the wall was the frontline defence of Imperial China. Today's trek will involve climbing and descending many steps! You will transfer approx. 2hrs to the next lodge located en route back to the city of Beijing. Overnight in lodge. Approx trekking time 6hrs.
Day 7 | Mutianyu Section – 10kms
The reconstructed section of the Mutianyu Great Wall is where visiting heads of state are usually brought. Today will commence with a steep but paved walk up through lush woodland to join the Wall. From here the trek will follow this spectacular section where the original battlements and drainage systems have been carefully restored. The highlight of the day is the steep ascent up the Heavenly Stairway to a high viewing platform; this is perhaps the hardest ascent you will complete all week. On a clear day the Wall is visible on the mountains all around, a fitting end to your trekking challenge. Overnight hotel, Beijing. Approx trekking time - 4hrs.
Day 8 | Full Day City Tour of Beijing
As a reward for all your hard work, a day of leisure follows with a guided tour of the many attractions of China's capital city, including the Old Imperial Palace known as the Forbidden City & Tiananmen Square followed by a walk in Jingshan Park previously known as ‘coal hill’ behind the Forbidden City. Coal Hill used to be the highest point in the imperial city of Beijing, from where you can get great views of the Forbidden City. After lunch you will visit the Temple of Heaven where the emperors worshipped god and prayed for good harvests. Later you will be dropped off at the market to shop for souvenirs. Your celebratory dinner will be the Peking Duck Banquet. Overnight hotel, Beijing.
Day 9 | Arrive Home
After breakfast, you will have a few hours to explore, before being transferred to Beijing airport for the return to London Heathrow.
Our Trusted Partner's Responsible and Sustainable Travel Policy
Welcome to the world's biggest industry. By the year 2010 it is forecast that more than one billion people will take an overseas holiday - and you may be one of them. The impact of tourism has already been immense and it will increase. The travel industry can bring many benefits to local communities, including an injection of cash and employment for local people, preservation of native habitats and indigenous wildlife, and cultural exchange. However, without care, tourism can also have a negative impact: destruction of natural habitats; diversion of scarce resources; disturbance of wildlife; and the violation of tribal peoples' rights.
At Charity Challenge we aim to set responsible tourism standards within the industry.
Charity Challenge has been officially recognised for our efforts in the developing world, making a positive contribution to communities in desperate need. Highly commended in the Virgin Holidays Responsible Tourism Awards 2007, in the category of Best Tour Operator for Poverty Reduction, we were commended for our work helping to raise in excess of one million pounds for Habitat for Humanity Great Britain through our house building communitychallenges in Sri Lanka, South Africa, China and India. The Virgin Holidays Responsible Tourism Awards, now in its third year, aims to recognise individuals, companies and organisations in the travel industry that are making a significant commitment to the culture and the economies of local communities. Today, communitychallenge participants have helped to build more than 400 houses, in five countries across three continents, helping those often living without access to running water, electricity or proper sanitation facilities.
We were also commended for our work by Queens Award for Enterprise in the field of Sustainable Development, for our communitychallenge application with the following feedback:
“The company, which provides a series of inspiring team challenges that develop and motivate staff, aimed at providing assistance to the developing world and fundraising for charity, is to be commended on producing an application that shows evidence of a thorough and committed understanding of all aspects of sustainable development, both within the company itself and in its core business activities. It is clear that sustainable development is at the heart of the business. The examiners were thoroughly impressed with the company’s commitment to social sustainability; in this rapidly expanding market, it represents outstanding performance and is an example to others.”
"I would like to compliment Charity Challenge for the sensitive way that the local community benefit from the financial aspect of tourism such as the water supply and education system in Tanzania." room for improvement
We are supporters of Tourism Concern and are constantly looking for ways to improve our operations to further benefit the local communities in which we operate. As such, we welcome your thoughts on any ways you feel we can improve our responsible tourism.
support for local projects
As part of our commitment to the local communities we interact with during our challenges, we donate approx US$500 per group to a local community project. Examples of the projects we are funding include the following:
Vietnam: SOS Children’s Villages began nearly fourty years ago in Ho Chi Minh City. Some families are so poor that they cannot look after their children so they end up living on the streets, begging for money and food or are sent out to work. Government figures suggest there are over 21,000 children living on the streets in Vietnam. SOS Children’s Villages care for over 16,000 children in Vietnam and have twelve SOS children’s Villages and 31 related projects throughout Vietnam. Our support helps to fund the ongoing work of the charity.
Nepal: Many people in Nepal live in extreme poverty with nearly 40% of the population earning less than US$1 per day. One in thirteen children die before reaching the age of five, and over a quarter of children do not go to primary school. One of the projects we have helped to fund through Plan International is supporting girls who are forced into working as domestic servants by their family’s desperate poverty.
Plan is helping them to return to their families and continue their education. Nearly 1,000 girls have been rescued and are now receiving an education with help from Plan. local community support
We employ local guides, porters and other essential support staff and we try, where possible, to use locally owned accommodation. This way, local challenge costs can truly benefit the local community. We train our overseas support teams thoroughly in all aspects of our responsible tourism policy. sustainable development
A leading UK government body responsible for sustainable development recently commended Charity Challenge for its thorough and committed understanding of all aspects of sustainable development. It added: “It is clear that sustainable development is at the heart of the business. In this rapidly expanding market, it represents outstanding performance and is an example to others.”
what we do
We aim to set responsible tourism standards within the travel industry and to minimise the impact of our challenges on the environment within which we operate.
We ensure that every challenge we run benefits both the charity being supported, and also the local communities with whom we interact.
The social, economic and environmental impact of our challenges is considered at all stages of planning a challenge. Our responsible tourism policy covers our operations in the UK, whilst on the challenge and also advises travellers how they can minimise their impact on the environment and benefit the host communities as much as possible. in the UK office
In the office we also make are careful of carbon emissions through the power and electricity we use. We cut down our carbon by ; energy
• PC screens are on energy saver mode
• PC's, printers and copiers etc. are turned off at night
• Energy saver features on all printers and photocopier are made use of
• Digital photography is used where possible to reduce chemical use
• We offset the equivalent of the expected carbon emissions from our office operations through Future Forests waste
• Paper is always reused where possible before recycling
• Staff are actively encouraged to avoid wasteful printing
• Recyclable waste (white paper, cardboard, other paper, glass, plastic) is all separated for recycling
• Staff who do not have relevant recycling collections at home are encouraged to bring their materials to the office where they can be collected and recycled properly
• Files, folders and other such stationery are always reused to their full potential
• No polystyrene or plastic cups are used in the company, glasses and mugs are provided
• We actively focus on email and web based sales communication
• Printed company materials are now always printed on paper from fully sustainable forests transport
• Public transport is used for work travel wherever possible
• Staff are encouraged to walk or cycle to work
• We offset the carbon emissions for all staff air travel if on business
• Staff are encourage to offset their carbon emissions from flying, for private travel
About our Trusted Partner
Charity Challenge is the UK's leading adventure travel company specialising exclusively in the organisation, leadership and administration of inspirational fundraising expeditions. We operate more than 120 challenges each year for around 3,000 participants, and have so far helped to raise somewhere in the region of £15million for over 900 charities.
Our expeditions include treks, mountain bike rides, mountain climbs, white water rafting, sailing, horse riding & communitychallenges. They take place in Africa, the Caribbean, Asia, Europe, the Americas and the Middle East. They cover three different difficulty levels, ensuring there really is something for everyone.
Working very closely with many of the countries leading charities, Charity Challenge carries out all of the expedition administration meaning that even the smallest of charities can benefit from a dynamic and hugely popular fundraising tool.
At Charity Challenge we place great importance on responsible tourism. Our commitment extends to helping the local communities you will visit. We employ local guides, porters and other essential support staff and always try and use locally owned accommodation. We ensure that the experiences are positive for the local people & their community by making a donation from the profits of each expedition to a local community project within the country that the expedition takes place.
We are renowned for our professional conduct and concern for participants' safety at every step of the adventure. We offer comprehensive advice during the booking process and provide a full support package including notes on fitness training, travel tips, vaccinations needed, visa information, high altitude info, responsible travel guidance and fundraising ideas.
The Great Wall of China : Great Wall Discovery at www.NatureandKind.com (THE.NATURAL.CHOICE)
The Great Wall of China
Spectacular views : Great Wall Discovery at www.NatureandKind.com (THE.NATURAL.CHOICE)
Spectacular views
Wall Turret : Great Wall Discovery at www.NatureandKind.com (THE.NATURAL.CHOICE)
Wall Turret
Looking back : Great Wall Discovery at www.NatureandKind.com (THE.NATURAL.CHOICE)
In order to use the Send to a Friend facility you must be logged in.
Please either log in above, or register if you are not already a friend of Nature & Kind.
