Day 1
Beijing
Meet your expert guide at your hotel at 8 am and travel through the bustling streets by private, climate-controlled vehicle toward the Gubei Water Town and the Great Wall (3 hrs). The water town, surrounds the beautiful Mandarin Duck Lake Reservoir, is built on the former 5 subnatural villages of Simatai Village at the foot of Simatai Great Wall. The Simatai village was developed from Simatai Castle built during the reign of Emperor Wanli ( 1573 -1620 ) in Ming Dynasty ( 1368 – 1644 ).
The Simatai Great Wall stretches 5.4 km from Wangjinglou (Tower for Viewing the Capital) in the east and connects Jinshanling Great Wall in the west. Originally built in the North Qi Dynasty (550-577), it incorporates a variety of styles of other parts of the China Wall, but also display some unique features. East and West section of Simatai Great Wall is divided by a lake, which is fed by two springs. Even in wintertime the lake never ices up. Both sections are linked up by a suspension bridge. The hills in the west are sloping gently with well-maintained towers, and the Wall is winding on the hills like a golden dragon with majestic vigour. Due to safety concern, only the eastern watch towers 2 to 10 are opened to public presently.
In the late afternoon, we continue to drive to Jinshanling Great Wall (30 mins). Catch scenic views of watchtowers snaking along the mountain. There is fascinating variety in the watch-towers here. Some have two stories, others three. Some have flat roofs, others rounded, and others again are pitched with upturned eaves. Your expert guide will show you to the best section to enjoy the most beautiful Sunset view, the best places for photographers to take Great Wall photos. After the sunset head to a local farmer's restaurant. Meet and chat with the farmers with a home-cooked Chinese meal. You will have a chance to experience making Chinese dumplings as part of your dinner. End your tour with a drop-off at your hotel in Beijing.
