Datong Great Wall Hike 2 Day Tour

Picked from your downtown hotel in Datong at 8:00am by our English speaking experienced tour guide and then first drive to Deshengbu Fortress , about 45km northwest of Datong. you will spend one hour to visit the ancient garrison town near the Wall. It is recorded that along the 335km Datong Outer Great Wall there used to be 52 fortress and Deshengbu was one of the ancient walled, garrison towns that are the epitome of north China. Deshengbu Fort was built in 1574 on the south of the important pass linking Datong to Inner Mongolia, a strategically important passage. After Deshengbu Fortress, continue to drive about 30km and reach Datong Great Wall at Zhenchuankou. Zhenchuankou Great Wall is typical of the tamped earth Great Wall near Datong. The earth rammed wall at Zhenchuankou is hard and firm and are still well kept despite of the wind and rain for the past over 500 years. The wall mostly made of earth tamped down between planks in layers one on top of the other. From here you are escorted to hike on or along the rammed earth wall extending to the Wall in the east direction near Zhenbianbu Fortress .It is an over 10 km hike and you can also jump into your car that drives along the village road paralleling the Wall to finish your hike trip to Zhenbianbu Fortress if you will. Arriving at Zhenbianbu Fortress, you will explore the ancient walled garrison town that is still populated by the local village. The fortress was built in 1539. People live in the stone and brick houses. The scene would have a timeless quality except for a few electricity poles and motorbikes. Year after year people live the same farm life. Tonight you will stay overnight in the ancient fortress. Note: 1) You will stay in a tent in summer (July & August) or using a bed in a local villager's house in May, June, Sept and Oct. 2) We'll prepare a sleeping bag for you or you may bring your own sleeping bag. 3) No bathing or shower for the night Datong Great Wall Hike

After simple breakfast, continue to drive about 20km along the road paralleling the wall and soon you will reach Shoukoubu Fortress . "Shoukoubu" literally means "Defending the Ravine Fort". Here there is a valley or ravine in the mountain easy for an access by the nomad warlords in Ming Dynasty, hence the fort built in 1546 with bricks and stones for military defense purpose. The valley or the pass divides the wall here into the east section and west section. You will hike either the east section or the west section for 3-4 hours.The fortress or the village now is located on the west side of the valley with the west section of the wall and high beacon towers looming over it. Standing on the west side of the valley with the section of the hard yellow earth wall running down to the bottom of the valley, people have a panorama of the fortress ( or the village), the wall broken at the mouth of the valley and the east section of the Wall, and better understanding the name of the fortress – Shoukoubu ( Defending the valley Castle). The view is stunning seen from the west side of the valley. After hiking around the Wall at Shoukoubu Fortress, you are returned to Datong's city center around 5:00pm and end of your 2 day Datong Great Wall trip.