1 Day Beijing Mutianyu Great Wall Helicopter Tour

We know you’ve dreamed of witnessing the Great Wall of China, the engineering feat of human civilization, but have you ever thought of commanding it on a chopper, to grasp its sheer scale and get exclusive vistas? Let’s go for this today. In the morning, your guide will pick you up from the hotel you booked on your own and get you on a private transfer to the Mutianyu Great Wall.

You will first be escorted to the helicopter base and be led into the aircraft. Your guide will look after your stuff if need be while you are in the air. Following the route recommended by your licensed veteran pilot, you will finish sightseeing over the major area of the Mutianyu Great Wall in 10 minutes (25 km / 15.5 mi). Leave everything behind and dive into it! The Great Wall is a series of fortifications dating from 2,000 years ago built to intercept invasion from the north. With two ends one sticking out to the eastern sea and another to the desert in the far west in China, it has a staggering scale and is undoubtedly the grandest of its kind in human history. Based on the ruins of an earlier segment, the Mutianyu section epitomizes the Ming Empire (1368 - 1644)’s efforts to consolidate its northern frontier with bricks and stones. Surviving to date, it is now the best-preserved and most beautiful section of the Ming Great Wall. While on your aerial tour, you get to capture exceptional photographs of the mammoth stone dragon tracing the crest lines of mountains, the panoramic contrast between it and the natural beauties around, as well as details of watchtowers and terrains often missed from ground level. 

► Notes and Tips for Your Aerial Ride:
1. The helicopter ride may be canceled due to bad weather or air-control, and in this case we will contact you to adjust the date or refund the money.
2. If you want to cancel the tour of your own accord, please ensure you cancel at least 5 days ahead of schedule to get a full refund, or there will be no refund from the helicopter company.
3. Anyone above 3 years old can enjoy a Beijing Great Wall helicopter tour.
4. The helicopter flies at a low altitude and is very stable, so it’d be unnecessary to take anti-motionless medicine which may lead to drowsiness.
5. If you have fear of heights, we suggest you sit in the back to reduce the visual impact, which can be greater by the front window. You should note that if it’s not primarily the midair thrills you want, perhaps prefer merely a hiking tour, where from watchtowers at high peaks you can also take in magnificent broad views.

► More Aerial Routes for More Budget:
1. Mutianyu Great Wall + Jiankou Great Wall, 17 minutes’ ride (40 km / 25 mi): This tour will introduce you to the Jiankou part, also left from the Ming era. It is the most precipitous section of the entire Great Wall, decaying and unrepaired, connected to the west end of the Mutianyu Great Wall. The helicopter ride will vibrate past all its iconic dangerous sites, including the Upward Flying Eagle, where the ramp is so steep that “even the eagle when flying has to strive upwards to reach the top”.
2. Mutianyu Great Wall + Jiankou Great Wall + Jiuyanlou Great Wall + Mountain Heituo, 25 minutes’ ride (60 km / 37 mi): The Jiuyanlou part is famous for connecting with the biggest watchtower of the entire Great Wall, the Jiuyanlou or Nine-Windowed Watchtower, while Mountain Heituo are attracting hikers and photographers with its vibrant vegetation and crystal-clear springs.

After you touch down, step onto the Great Wall and have a guided hiking tour. Chairman Mao once wrote that “You are not a hero unless you climb the Great Wall”, so we will be heroes from now on. We will approach the Wall via cable car and hike the west part, that is, from No.14 Watchtower to No.20 Watchtower, the essence of the essence to take in the Wall at its most awe-inspiring. This route is overall less steep and the most challenging piece is between No.19 Watchtower and No.20 Watchtower, nicknamed “the Ramp for Heroes”, slanting at almost 80 degrees and requiring you to hold on to the sidewall while climbing up and down. Your efforts will pay off right as you climb to the top of the No.20, which sits on the highest point and provides you sweeping surrounding views. Take another cable car down and we will go back to central Beijing. En route, make a photo stop by the Bird’s Nest and Water Cube, the National Stadium and the National Swimming Center for 2008 Summer Olympics. Your guide will give you insider tips on the best perspectives to capture their futuristic, award-winning designs. Later, we will take you back to your hotel and say farewell.

► Tips on Dinner from Our Local Food Expert:
Now that you are in Beijing, why not explore traditional Beijing food to tackle your dinner? Among countless choices, you will be interested in Doornail Meat Pie, named so because it has a plump shape, with succulent meat and crispy skin, reminiscent of the doornails on the city gates in the past. We suggest you let your driver drop you off at a branch of Bao Rui Doornail Meat Pie, the time-honored brand specializing in the dish. Take a bite to find all inside is meat and juice! Each sold at CNY 7 / USD 1, two to three will get you full. You can also order the cold dish Sauced Cabbage Core to balance its fatty feel. The décor and the menu seem very old, which however speak for its history, yet clean enough. Gourmets and locals love to patronize this eatery. Average cost per person: CNY 33 / USD 4.5.