Simatai Great Wall - Explore the Great Wall at Night
The Simatai Great Wall with a length of 5.7 kilometers is divided into the east and west sections. The east section has 16 watchtowers and the west section has 19 watchtowers. It is the only Great Wall in China that retains its original appearance.
Quick Facts About Simatai Great Wall
- Name in Chinese: sī mǎ tái 司马台
- Opening Hours: 9:00-17:00 for day tour; 18:00-21:40 for night tour
- Ticket Price: CNY40 for an adult
- Location: Gubeikou Town, Miyun District, Beijing
| Ticket | Price |
|---|---|
| Simatai Great Wall and one-way cablecar | CNY150 |
| Simatai Great Wall and round-trip cablecar | CNY220 |
| Gubei Water Town, Great Wall Tour at night, and round-trip cablecar | CNY280 |
| One-way cablecar | CNY130 |
| Round-trip cablecar | CNY200 |
Note:
- There are no restrooms on the Great Wall, but there are some at the cable car stations.
- Only the eastern watchtower of Simatai Great Wall, namely watchtowers 1 to 10, is open to visitors.
- Please present the QR code you received after purchasing your ticket for both entry and exit. If you have a paper ticket, please keep it properly.
Highlights of the Simatai Great Wall
Wangjing Watchtower: is the highest point of the Simatai Great Wall, standing at an elevation of 986 meters. It is a hollow three-eyed tower with two stories, built entirely of bricks. Wangjing Tower faces the first peak of the Yanshan Mountains, Wuling Mountain.
From the top of Wangjing Tower, you can see the peak of Wuling Mountain to the east, admire the grandeur of the Great Wall to the west, enjoy the scenery of the northern frontier, and gaze at the lights of Beijing to the south. Both the distant mountains and the nearby waters are all within view.
Single Wall: due to the narrowness of the ridge, the Great Wall can only be built as a single wall here, which is why it is called a single-sided wall. On both sides are steep cliffs, deep and bottomless, resembling a sky bridge spanning the sheer rock face.
This connects the two distinctive watchtowers, Fairy Watchtower and Wangjing Watchtower, making it the most perilous part of the Simatai Great Wall.
Simatai Great Wall Hiking
Between Watchtower 14 and Watchtower 16 on the eastern section of the Simatai Great Wall, there is a steep place. It is a section of a single wall that leans almost straight up, with an angle of 85 degrees. It's really scary! It is about 100 meters long, but only wide enough for one foot. On both sides, some cliffs drop down 900 meters, and there are no handrails.
This is the steepest and most dangerous part of the Simatai Great Wall. It is considered one of the most challenging sections of the Ming Great Wall and is perfect for people who love hiking.
Recommended Tour: Simatai to Jinshanling Great Wall Hiking Tour
Gubei Water Town
Gubei Water Town is located in the Gubeikou Town of Miyun District, Beijing. It is backed by the beautiful and steep Simatai Great Wall. There are many special activities there, like making sugar figures, stilt walking, yangge dance, and watching dragon and lion dances, as well as folk performances. You can also enjoy traditional shows like crosstalk, drum show, and qin show.
There are also many hotels in Gubei Water Town. One option you might consider is the Beijing Wtown Hotspring Resort, or you can browse other accommodations at https://www.wtown.com/pc/hotel/index.html (the English version is unavailable).
Beijing Wtown Hotspring Resort
Location: Located 570 meters from the Simatai Great Wall ticket entrance, a 10-minute walk away.Simatai Great Wall Tour Route
Simatai Great Wall is located inside the Gubei Water Town. You can take the shuttle bus from the town to the ticket entrance of the Simatai. The shuttle bus costs CNY 10, with half price for children. Or you can walk to the ticket entrance, which takes about 40 minutes.
You should book the tickets for the Simatai in advance to avoid a wasted trip, as the entrance will be closed once the maximum number of visitors is reached.
After checking in at the ticket office, you can take the shuttle bus to the entrance of the Great Wall free of charge. The shuttle bus departs at 10: 00, 11: 00, 12: 00, 13: 00, 14: 00, 15:00 and the return times are 12: 30, 13: 30, 14: 30, 15: 30, 16: 30.
After reaching the entrance of the Great Wall, there are 2 ways to ascend:
Route 1: walking, which requires a lot of physical strength.
You can start your journey from the walking path of the Great Wall, then walk through the wooden plank road and the road for about 1 kilometer to arrive at the second watchtower. After that, walking eastward, you will pass through the 3 to 10 watchtowers in turn. This route allows you to visit all the open watchtowers.
After you reach the 10 watchtower, you can return to the 8 watchtower to take the cable car down the mountain. There are passages to the cable car between the watchtowers 5 and 6. Or you can return the way you came and walk down the mountain.
Route 2: take the cable car suitable for the elderly and children.
Ride the cable car from the foot of the Great Wall. It's worth noting that the cable car does not arrive at the top of the towers. After getting off the cable car, you need to walk for 20 minutes to reach the Great Wall. The path to Watchtower 8 is steeper, while the gentler route is to walk to Watchtower 5.
Simatai Great Wall Night Tour
5 and 6 watchtowers are open for night tours on the Simatai Great Wall from 18: 00 to 21: 40. The stairs between these 2 watchtowers are relatively flat. In addition, there are scenic area staff on patrol, and there are lighting lamps on both sides of the Great Wall, so safety is relatively high.
It is recommended to go up the mountain between 6:30 and 7:00. During this period, you can see the sunset. If it's not rainy, you can not only see the panoramic view of Gubei Water Town but also enjoy the drone show.
The night pedestrian path is closed, so no matter whether you go up or down the mountain, you must take the cableway in the scenic spot.
You can explore a night tour at Simatai Great Wall after visiting the Forbidden City.
How to get to Simatai Great Wall
1. Take a Taxi It takes 130 minutes and costs CNY300 to take a taxi from Tiananmen to Simatai.
2. By Bus: take Line 2, Line 13, or Capital Airport Express and get off at Dongzhimen Station, then exit through Exit E. From there, take a coach to Gubei Water Town, which costs CNY48. Upon arrival, transfer to the shuttle bus bound for Simatai, costing CNY10.
Departure Times from Dongzhimen: 9:00, 13:00
Departure Times from Gubei Water Town: 12:00, 17:00
Boarding Location at Dongzhimen: Dongzhimen Bus Station
Boarding Location at Gubei Water Town: Parking Lot No. 2
Subway ticket prices and maps are useful for you as you tour Beijing.
3. Private Transfer
Private transfer is a convenient and efficient way to travel. Our drivers and tour guides will do their utmost to serve you and try their best to meet your travel needs. After dropping you off and helping you settle in at the hotel, you can proceed directly to the scenic area without any stops in between, saving you a lot of time.
The Best Time to Visit the Simatai Great Wall
The best time to visit Simatai Great Wall is in March, which is spring, and the temperature in Beijing is gradually warming up. It is better to set your departure date on a weekday, as there will be far fewer tourists in the scenic area at this time than on weekends and holidays.
Don't expect to see the sunrise at Simatai, because its opening time is 9: 00. But if you leave early, you might catch the sunrise on the way there.
What is the Simatai Great Wall Characterized by
A comment related to Simatai is that "the Great Wall of China is the best in the world, while the Simatai Great Wall is the best in China". Compared with other sections of the Great Wall, the characteristics of the Simatai Great Wall can be summarized as dangerous, dense, unique, and ingenious.
- Dense: The distance between the watchtowers of Simatai Great Wall is shorter than that of other Great Walls, with the nearest less than 100 meters and the farthest no more than 300 meters, averaging only 140 meters.
- Dangerous: Simatai Great Wall was built along steep ridges, with a total of 35 watchtowers. The section between the 14th and 15th watchtowers has a gradient close to 90 degrees, and there are no handrails. This section is about 100 meters long.
- Unique: There is a lake at the foot of the Simatai Great Wall. On the west side of the lake, grass grows around the spring even in the cold winter, while the spring on the east side is very cold.
- Ingenious: The design of the Simatai Great Wall makes it extremely flexible for both offensive and defensive purposes during battles.
Plan a Tour of the Simatai Great Wall
3-day tour on unsorted wild Great Wall, you are staying in Beijing for 3 days and 2 nights, and will visit Gubei Water Town and the Simatai Great Wall on the second and third days, as well as a night tour of the Simatai Great Wall.
The Simatai to Jinshanling Great Wall hiking tour enables you to discover the amazing scenery along the Great Wall, and it is advisable to hike with your friends.
Or you can contact China Travel to customize your journey on the Simatai Great Wall.