Traveler Description
The least spoiled part of the Great Wall.

Address: Gubeikou Town, Miyun District

Traveler Reviews

You must go here
Reviewed by A TripAdvisor Member on Jun 21, 2008


After reading all the reviews I planned my trip with my daughter, her friend and two Chinese friends. We rented a small bus and headed there on a light-rainy morning. The driver got lost several times taking us much longer to arrive but also making the Great Wall adventure so much more. Less than 20 people were there and they all left by the time we go on the wall. Even with the light rain, it made for a mystical visit as we hiked in total silence, looking at the distance cloud/fog covered mountain tops. This visit was the high light of our two week trip and will forever be remembered.

The Best Experience in Northern China
Reviewed by A TripAdvisor Member on Jun 4, 2008


I won't repeat what many others have said. The Great Wall at Simatai is a truly amazing experience. My recommendation for people who have the time is to take a room at one of the hotels or guest houses INSIDE the entrance gate. This gives you the wonderful experience of being on the wall at sunrise and sunset before the other tourists can make it in from Beijing. I had one incredible evening on my trip watching the sunset, completely alone on the Great Wall. I had it all to myself, even the vendors had gone home. A note to people who may be considering it: In the past people were able to camp along the wall. The guards seemed to look the other way. This is not true with the Olympics coming. I met a group of travelers who were trying to find a place to camp and there where three guards who had been following them and every time they started to set up the guards would come and ask them to move along. I wouldn't try camping until after the Olympics. There is a guest house on the 'outside' of the wall that has rooms for just 50 RMB a day if you don't mind basic accommodations. They also arranged for a local farmer to show myself and two other travelers some great views of the wall including the Beijing Watch Tower, Fairy Tower, and the 'Break in the Wall'.

The best experience in Beijing
Reviewed by A TripAdvisor Member on May 19, 2008


We did the 10km walk between Jinshanling and Simatai - awesome (in the old-fashioned sense of the word). It was, without doubt, the best experience i had in Beijing. I agree with other reviews that the best direction is Jinshanling to Simatai - if for no other reason than I think it is easier! The wall has not been restored - there has been restoration to make it safe but that is it. It is a decent hike but not too troubling - however definitely take suitable footware and drinking water. We got a driver to take us out to Jinshanling and then pick us up later in Simatai which was definitely the best option. We also got our hotel to provide us with a packed lunch which we had mid-route. There are locals selling drinks but nothing to buy food-wise during the hike. There are cafes etc... at Simatai. It was quite a painful 3 1/2 hour drive back into Beijing (heavy traffic) which was the only down-side to the whole experience.

My favorite place of the Great Wall
Reviewed by A TripAdvisor Member on Apr 14, 2008


Last weekend I travelled to the Simatai section of the Great Wall. It is amazing part of the great wall, especially because ti hasn't been restored (yet). There are two walks you can do in this section: walk 12 watch towers in the Simatai section (one way and return) or walk 10km to Jinshanling. I did both, but was very impressed on the walk to Jinshanling. Until 10.30Am we had the Wall almost to ourselves, since the day trips arrive in Jinshanling around 10.00 - 10.30AM. We walked the section from Simatai to Jinshanling and had our driver meet us in the car park. In the Simatai section at the end of the afternoon we had the wall all to ourselves. We spend the night in a small guesthouse / restaurant, just past the 2nd watch tower at the Simatai section. the food is excellent and it has only 3 rooms and amazing views of the great wall. The owner can also take you on a sunrise walk to the 16nd watch tower through the woods. For more information you can check out www.simataiguesthouse.com It is not a web site made by the owner, but by someone who has visited this place several times and wanted to do something nice for the owners and has made a simple website for them. I can really reccommend this trip to all.

Stunning! A truly awesome experience.
Reviewed by A TripAdvisor Member on Dec 19, 2007


We walked the Great Wall from Simatai to Jinshanling in late October, 2007, and it was without question the highlight of our trip to China. As other reviewers have pointed out, the views are truly spectacular. Many parts of the wall along this section have not been restored or rebuilt in any way, which adds a wonderful authenticity to the experience ? but makes for very tough hiking! At many points you have to scramble over extremely rough terrain. Two points of advice for those planning this walk (and I do recommend it highly!): 1. wear good, solid boots 2. dress warmly: when we arrived at Simatai at approximately 9:00 a.m. in late October it was snowing! We were completely unprepared for this and thankfully were able to purchase hats, scarves, etc. from vendors at the entrance to the wall. Definitely superior to the tourist frenzy at Badaling, and definitely one of the most memorable and overwhelming experiences of my life.