Route along the unrestored Great Wall of China | Jiankou to Muntianyu

▶ We also have another article where we tell you how to go to other sections from the Great Wall of China from Beijing, both independently and with recommended tours at a good price.

How go to Jiankou, the unrestored Great Wall of China

Going to Jiankou on your own from Beijing is not difficult and will take you just over two hours. You have to take bus 916 inside Dongzhimen station to Huairou (Yangjianyuan Station), make sure you enter the station because the 916 also runs outside but not in the right direction. This bus is a regular bus so it runs frequently and is very cheap, only 6 yuan. If you don't know how buses work in the capital, I suggest you read our guide on How to use public transportation in Beijing.

Once in Huairou H25 bus passes direct to Xizhazi (where the route begins) twice a day (11:30 and 16:00). At other times there are buses that take you to a town a few km from Xizhazi, but the service ends before 17:00 p.m. So you will probably have to take a taxi, as was our case.

We ordered the taxi on Didi through Alipay, and we got a taxi with a taximeter that in total was 110 yuan (14€) for a one hour trip, taxis in China are quite cheap.We think it is worth spending the day in Beijing and then taking a taxi to Xizhazi. from Huairou.

The bus route to Jiankou was detailed and showed us the correct time and schedule on iPhone Maps. On Maps.me the times were not correct but the itinerary was.

Where to sleep to visit the Great Wall of China

The best option is to go to Jiankou in the afternoon and Stay in Xizhazi for an early departure to take the route and avoid any possible guards. As we were told, the tiny village of Xizhazi has gained popularity in recent years among Beijing locals, so you won't have any trouble finding accommodation.

We stay in Yanlaixing Farmhouse the cheapest option we found on Trip.com, it was also where we had dinner and everything was delicious. The area's specialty is trout, but there was an extensive menu to suit all tastes.

Buy snacks, fruit or anything you need for the Jiankou route in Beijing because In the town there is only one store with a few cookies and water.

Route of Jiankou to Mutianyu for free

For us, traveling this section of the Chinese Wall was the best choice, the landscapes are beautiful and we were practically alone the entire day despite it being the weekend. But everything is said, It is not for everybody. An hike It can be tough in some sections, it's dizzying, and at times it feels almost like you're climbing, so you need to be comfortable using your hands and used to mountain routes. For us, it was even more physically demanding than the famous trekking through the Tiger Leap Gorge, which is one of the most famous routes in the country.

Most routes start in Xizhazi, but there are different access points from where you will cover more or less kilometres.

Here the track of our 11km route on wikiloc.

It is also possible to start in the previous village, from where it is about 5km to Muntianyu, something to consider if you start the route late or think that the whole thing will be too much for you. starting point is this restaurant The author is a professor at the University of California, San Francisco.

Another good alternative to cut kilometers is to this trackThe day before, we went to see it and the access to where the path begins is very good. It is at the beginning of the town, it was barely a 15 minute walk from the hotel.

In summary, the first thing is reach the wall by going up through the forest. In our case it was a half hour climb to access it.

Once in it it becomes a constant, down, up, from tower to tower. There are some more famous spots that have names, but to be honest we don't even bother trying to recognize them. because everything is spectacular. There are also sections known to be the most complicated or tiring such as the Stairway to heaven o the Beijing Knot.

We did not pay special attention either, but we know that before these sections there are escape routes along side paths that run parallel to the wall and join again later.

The section through Jiankou has already been completed Muntianyu is accessed by a side path and you walk along the restored part of the wall to the exit, we will tell you about different options and how to return to Beijing below.

It's not the safest thing in the world, but we don't generally consider it dangerous. As I said, I think it's important have some experience in the mountains and good physical condition to feel calm while doing the route. If this is your case, Jiankou is not dangerous.

You will only have to be careful on the most intense ups and downs, securing your steps well. But the Great Wall is built conscientiously, barely a couple of stones moved along the way.

When I do think it can be dangerous, it is on a rainy day, in fact they close it (we will tell you more below) and also in winter, because it is a cold area where frost and snowfall are common.

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Our plans were to do the route from Jiankou to Muntianyu on a Saturday, but what according to the weather app was a slim chance of rain turned into a brutal storm throughout the night and part of the morning. Hence The police cut off the main entrances and did not let us pass because we were dangerous..

If you have come on a tour or with a private guide, you will get to the wall, because there are dozens of accesses through the forest and the guides know how to avoid the guards if there are any. If you go on your own and search, you will find them, but I personally do not recommend it. After having done the route, I think that on wet ground it is dangerous.

In case the weather is going to be very bad Our recommendation if you go on your own is to change your plans and go to Muntianyu. The wall is restored but it is the least touristy and uncrowded section.

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We have read that some travelers have encountered surveillance at the beginning of the trails and have not been allowed to pass. We recommend starting the route very early to avoid the possibility of encountering security guards or hiring a local guide who will know which trails are not guarded.

There are sections of Jiankou that are minimally restored to make them safe, especially the towers that you will see that are almost all propped up, When they do this type of work they cut off access.

We found a closed section just over 1 kilometer away from Muntianyu and the guard pointed out a path that ran parallel to the wall, so we had to go back a bit, go down to that path and follow it for about half an hour until we had access again. If something like that happens to you, just go walking as parallel as you can to the Great Wall until you can get back in.

I don't think so, but the worst thing that could happen to you is that you have to turn around and as I mentioned in the tracks, there are quite a few access points (most of them indicated on maps.me). You would have no problem arriving at a town and asking them to call you a taxi.

Once you get to the reconstructed part of the Great Wall in Muntianyu Your quads will be exhausted, but I bet you'll be happy you chose to visit the Jiankou stretch. Is beautiful.

To connect with Muntianyu you will have to take a side path because there is a guard who does not let you pass. But come on, he himself shows you that path so there is no need to worry. After about 10 minutes you pass very close to the wall again and they have put some bricks there to jump over. We weren't sure if it was that way but a lady selling drinks pointed it out to us.

Already in the tourist part you have three different options:

1. take the cable car in tower 14, the fastest. Price: 100CYN
2. Go down on foot To the parking lot where the shuttle bus takes a total of about 45 minutes.
3. Lowr the slide of the Chinese Wall from tower 20. It leaves you in the parking lot, but it is an hour walk to the slide. Price: 70CYN

The parking lot that you arrive at with the three options is where the free shuttles leave from that go down to the main entrance, there are buses on the right, you can't get lost. They leave you on a street full of souvenirs and restaurants, if you walk through it you will find the information office at the end of everything. There you can ask about the buses to return, there are two options:

1. Around 16:00 p.m. the organized tours return and if they have free places on the bus, the drivers offer them for about 40CYN (€5). Returning on a comfortable and direct bus is very appreciated. Plus, it only took an hour.
2. Look for the H23 stop which is about 200 meters from the main entrance and take the bus to Huairou Beidajie station, and then take the 916 again that you used to come.

A third option would be to order a Didi or bus.car a taxi to take you to Beijing or to Huairou if the H23 takes too long to arrive.

If you have any questions about how to go to Jiankou on your own, leave them in the comments and we will try to help you as much as possible. To know more about our trip through China you can see the Instagram Featured Stories, and to organize your trip we have many other guides for travel to China on your own with updated information. 

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