Group Great Wall Hiking Tour from Jinshanling to Simatai West

We did this tour about 2 weeks ago in mid-Oct. The weather was perfect. It was not too many people maybe because it was a Monday. The bus dropped us off at Jinshanglin and picked us up at Simatai. The whole journey is about 3hrs, but take your time! We did the entire trip in about 2hrs and I wish we stayed a bit longer on the Great Wall. Some parts were VERY steep, but if you're in a decent shape, it's totally doable. Also this is not a guided tour which is perfect for us. There's only 1 way to go and no way to get lost. We liked the fact that we can just go at our own pace. If you want to avoid the crowed, don't mind the walk/climb, and prefer a self-guided tour, this is for you.

The hike was absolutely great. This is a beautiful and not over crowded section. The guide was great and we only stopped along the way for a toilet and convience store break. However, I'm rating 3 stars as apperantly this is a third party agent. I had friends from my hostel (peking station) that paid only 300RMB and got on the same tour exactly together with me. I advise you to check with your hostel /hotel first before booking so you won't overpay.

Perfect tour! Exactly what I was looking for. Easy meeting place outside a metro stop, small mini-bus so limits the size of the group to 14 (we had 12 of the day I went), no unnecessary stops or time-wasting and good 3 hours exploring a very quiet section of the Great Wall. The Wall itself was one of the greatest things I've ever seen and well worth the trip. And our tour guide was lovely and informative.

The tour included return trip from Beijing to the Great Wall. The drive itself was OK, also did one stop each way (approx 3h drives). We only missed a bit more general information about the Great Wall while driving and not while hiking as we were dedicated to photos there (and thus quickly lost the guide).

Fabulous day... had the wall to ourselves... very helpful guide. Good to bring some little snacks for the hike and if it's summer time maybe bring an extra shirt and lots of sunscreen.

Iris was a great guide! Instructions to board the bus were accurate and helpful. The drive was comfortable and informative. I was on the bus with many other small groups of younger travelers, which I appreciated. 3 hours at the wall was a perfect amount of time, given the distance (6km). It is not a true hike, but keep in mind the up and down hills of the Wall. It can be taxing. Be sure to bring extra water and food. One bottle of water was provided but is not enough, especially if it is hot. The heat on the Wall is intense. If you come unprepared with limited food/water, the bus does stop en route to the Wall for a short bathroom/food stop. Bathrooms are available along the route but not clean. Overall, I would recommend this section of the Wall as a tour for anyone that likes to travel at their own pace and doesn't want the crowds. We had very few people with us on the Wall.

They do not mention that getting to the meeting site is during rush hour on the metro. We had to wait multiple trains to smash ourselves in. By the time we arrived they had already left and never called us. No refund. If you aren’t 15 minutes early, you are late.

Iris, our guide was really information with a good sense of humour. Thanks Iris for make this pleasant

I took this trip on 4/8/2019 with Joe as my guide. He was a great guide and very knowledgeable about the wall. He spoke English as well. The experience and views were all great at this section and there were very few people. However If you are old or not in shape I strongly suggest picking other section of the wall as the hike was very tough. One star off for the bus being slightly late (10 mins), Other than that it was a perfect experience.

My husband and I joined this tour in January 2019. We were a group of about 6 travelers total, along with our driver and our guide, Jen. Jen was amazing! She was very informative and a lot of fun to talk with about both the history of the Great Wall and the culture in Beijing. She even gave us recommendations for other places to visit in the city as well as a few restaurants to eat at. We had dinner at one those restaurants that night and it was one of our best meals in Beijing. The Great Wall itself was such an incredible experience. Besides our group, we only saw a handful of others walking the wall at Jinshanling that morning and felt that we mostly had it to ourselves. Driving an extra hour was definitely worth it. We're so happy we joined this tour and would recommend it to anyone else.