One Day Private Simatai Great Wall Hiking and Gubei Water Town
Code: GW07

From $159 per person Free Inquiry
- Itinerary
- Tour Prices
Our guide and driver will pick you up at the lobby of your hotel and drive you to Simatai Great Wall. It has always been popular among all the sections of Great Wall for its steepness and queerness. The newly built Gubei Water Town (Beijing Wtown) at the foot of the mountain adds some elegance and softness to the wall. Our guide will escort you walk through the open area from Tower 1 to Tower 10 along the east section. Keep in mind that walking along the wall requires quite some physical effort, especially in some very steep parts! In the afternoon, you can have a leisure time in the Water Town, where you may have a simple meal on your own. After that, we will drive back to your hotel.
Meals: not included, but our guide will offer some suggestions.
Meals: not included, but our guide will offer some suggestions.
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Hiking duration: 5 - 7 hours
Direction: East Watchtower 1 - Watchtower 10 of Simatai – Gubei Water Town
Difficulty: ★★★☆☆
Best Time to Visit: April to June; September to October
Itinerary:
This is a full day trip, so we suggest that you get up early in the morning. Have a big breakfast and take some snacks and water. Take bus 980 or 980 (express) from Dongzhimen Wai to Miyun Xi Da Qiao, and change to bus 38 or 51 or any bus that runs from Miyun to Simatai. Get off at Simatai Village and walk to Gubei Water Town.
The ticket of Gubei Water Town is CNY150 per person and Simatai Great Wall is CNY40 per person. Follow the direction boards and walk across the town to reach the foot of Simatai. As the renovation to the wall is not completed, only ten watchtowers along the east section are open to visitors. We are going to hike the ten watch towers today. Simatai has always been known for its steepness and the original appearance of the Ming Dynasty (1368 - 1644). Some broken watchtowers are reinforced with steel bars. Some parts of the wall only has handrail on one side, while some has no handrail on either side. So always watch your steps and a stick will be very useful.
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The path lead to the first two towers is long but gentle, and is comparatively easy to reach. But after that, the wall gradually rises and the stairs become steep and rugged. Sometimes you need to climb with your hands. The strong wind makes your way up even more difficult. As you climb up, the path gets steeper. But when reached the tenth tower, you will find all the sweat, fear and thrill are worth it. Looking back, you will see the wall stretching along the mountain ranges and extends into distance, just like a huge dragon. The rugged stairs and broken towers stand firmly against strong wind, telling stories of the eventful past of this country. Mountains and rivers are under your feet, and you cannot help to think of the famous words said by Caesar, “I came, I saw, I conquered,” and that is the essence of hiking. The wall after the tenth watchtower is not open to visitors as it is too dangerous and some renovation work is going on.
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To get down the mountain from the wall, you can either walk back on the same way or take a cable car. The cable car costs CNY 90 per person one way and CNY 160 for a round trip. A round trip to the wall takes 2 - 4 hours. You can have your lunch at one of the restaurants in the water town or just have some snacks.
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After a short rest, you can take a leisurely stroll in the town. With the water from Simatai Reservoir flowing by, this town, in the shadows of the Simatai Great Wall, is built in the style of ancient Ming and Qing dynasty houses. Here you can find exhibitions of folk arts, wine shops, dye house, restaurants and guest houses. It is a time to indulge yourself in the past and to learn the life of hundreds of years ago in China. If you are tired, you can also take a small sightseeing boat to wander around the town. It costs CNY120 per person.
To get back to the city, you can take a bus to Miyun Da Xi Qiao, there to catch bus 980 or 980 (express). If you have more time, you can stay overnight in the town.
To get back to the city, you can take a bus to Miyun Da Xi Qiao, there to catch bus 980 or 980 (express). If you have more time, you can stay overnight in the town.
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1. Opening Hours: 09:00 – 18:00 (May - October); 09:00 – 17:00 (November - April)
2. Sun-glasses and sun cream are very necessary in summer; remember to take a wind-proof coat if you go hiking in spring, autumn and winter and the wind on Simatai is very strong.
3. The wall is still under renovation. Visitors should not go to the unopened sections which are really dangerous.
4. The entrance of the scenic area is about 1.8 miles (3 km) from the entrance to the wall, so you need to walk through the town to get to the wall. Electric cars are available and cost CNY 10 per person for the single way.
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5. If you are not interested in the Gubei Water Town, you can visit only Simatai Great Wall. The ticket for the great wall is CNY40, but you need to make a reservation at least one day before your visit. Reservation can be made on the website of Gubei Water Town (Beijing Wtown), but the website only has Chinese version and you need to provide a mobile phone number to receive the confirming message from the website. With the message you can get your ticket at the entrance, and they will arrange you to take a shuttle bus to the entrance of the wall. Visitors only visiting the wall will be allowed to enter in three groups at 10:00, 12:00 and 14:00, respectively.
Userful Simatai Links:
Simatai Photos


Tour Prices
1 traveler | 2-3 travelers | 4-5 travelers |
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$399 | $229 | $159 |
- Prices are per person in US Dollars.
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Questions & Answers
Asked by Bharati Achrekar from INDIA | Dec. 09, 2019 03:19
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Great wall visit
i am 72 year lady i am visitind China in April...for me walking is no problem but climbing steps is problem.what is the best way i can visit wall
Answers (1)
Answered by Alex | Dec. 09, 2019 16:22
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You can take the cable car to go up and down the Great Wall. However, it is still unavoidable to climb some steps.
Asked by Carlos from USA | Oct. 24, 2019 22:25
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GW07: One Day Private Simatai Great Wall Hiking and Gubei Water Town
What is the itinerary for this tour?
Answers (3)
Answered by David | Oct. 28, 2019 00:17
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The itinerary of GW07 is to Simatai Great Wall and Gubei Water Town.
Answered by Carlos from UNITED STATES | Oct. 28, 2019 13:43
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How many hours is the hike or hours spent at the wall?
Answered by David | Oct. 28, 2019 17:45
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Hike from Tower 1 to Tower 10, you need about 3 - 4 hours.
Asked by Jane from GERMANY | Apr. 07, 2019 08:12
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Can I use Beijing Transportation Card for taxi?
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Answered by Chase from FINLAND | Apr. 08, 2019 02:36
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As I know, only some taxis can accept Transportation Card. Thus you are suggested to consult the taxi driver before getting on the taxi.
Asked by Irina from USA | Mar. 04, 2019 15:40
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Can I pay with a credit card for Beijing airport express?
And how much is the fare for one person to get to downtown?
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Answered by Chase from UNITED KINGDOM | Mar. 05, 2019 18:09
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No, it doesn't accept credit card. You can use cash or transportation card to take airport express. The ticket fare is CNY25/person to Dongzhimen. After arriving, you can transfer the metro lines to city center.
Asked by Pip from AUSTRALIA | Apr. 19, 2018 22:59
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How much to stay in the water town overnight?
We want to go from Beijing on the 4th and hike the wall and then see the wall at night and then stay in gubei water town and return to beijing on the 5th...how much will it be for 3 persons...in a 4 star hotel?
Kind regards
Kind regards
Answers (1)
Answered by Luke | Apr. 20, 2018 03:16
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So far as I know, there is no 4-star hotel in Gubei Water Town, maybe you can choose a hotel constructed based on the 5 star standard. I would like to recommend Water Town Hotel and Beijing Wtown Hotspring Resort. The room rate for star hotels is above CNY1000 per room.
And there are also some other nice boutique hotels or guesthouses for your choice, such as William Edgar Boutique Hotel, Wuzhenhui Boutique Hotel, Beijing Water Town Guesthouse, etc. You may contact the hotel to get the exact price. Hope the information is helpful.
And there are also some other nice boutique hotels or guesthouses for your choice, such as William Edgar Boutique Hotel, Wuzhenhui Boutique Hotel, Beijing Water Town Guesthouse, etc. You may contact the hotel to get the exact price. Hope the information is helpful.