Greatest of Them All

This September, Beijing says good-bye to Piet Bos, founder of Beijing Day Trips, a local travel outfit known for its Great Wall expertise. After several years, Bos is moving to Spain, so we asked him, as a parting shot, to recommend his favorite Great Wall Hike. His answer: Jiankou.

Known as being the most dangerous part of the Great Wall around Beijing, Jiankou is all wild Wall and rolling forest. Successfully conquering your fear and reaching the top leads to one of the most amazing views in the area. Find yourself surrounded by Wall in all directions; on a clear day, you can see all the way to Huanghua Cheng.
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Bos says he has hiked Jiankou 30 or 40 times and by now “knows every step.” He also agrees that Jiankou is getting more and more dangerous.

The most difficult section of the climb is a 15-20 meter descent. The stone steps are the width of your foot and there is only a single balustrade of wall here for balance. Look closely and you’ll see that the entire Wall here is riddled with cracks and you can feel it move if you lean too hard. “Everyone knows the Wall here is going to come down,” Bos says, “but no one knows when.”

Start your Jiankou hike from the back side (hou Jiankou). There is a little parking lot marking the start. The descent brings you down about 500 meters down the road. The entire hike takes four hours. It is also possible to hike all the way to Mutianyu in about eight hours. But don’t kill yourself. Make a weekend of it by putting up at a nongjiayuan in Jiankou village. Bos recommends Cai Jie’s guesthouse (Tel: 6161-1765).

Bos wasn’t able to secure a visa, so he will be leaving the Great Wall. He says he will miss it “very dearly.” The Wall, no doubt, will also miss one of its greatest enthusiasts.

DETAILS

Jiankou Great Wall past Huairou, stay at Cai Jie’s guesthouse, Tel: 6161-1765