August 2008 Hike Schedule and Information

Regular hikes We had planned a busy schedule for August, but have had to cut it back due to some restrictions brought about by regulations related to the Olympic games. We’ll be hiking every Sunday, and we’ll leave at 8am so we can avoid the worst of the heat. The schedule, information about each hike, and links to photo galleries can all be found on our upcoming hikes page.

All of the hikes for August cost 350RMB per person (200RMB for children under the age of 12, where applicable), and include a full lunch at a local restaurant after the hike is finished. The cost is all-inclusive, covering professional and experienced English-speaking guides, round-trip transportation, water, snacks, and the food and drinks after the hike - so if you’d like to come hiking with us, all you need to bring is some good hiking shoes, a sunhat and sunblock (if sunny), a waterproof jacket (if rainy), and some snacks to eat along the way. You’ll also need to bring along your passport or ID card just in case registration is required, and in case of a security check as we come back into the city. It’s rumoured that if just one person on the bus is without ID, the bus won’t be allowed into Beijing..

Regular hikers will notice that the price has increased. We were hoping to not have to do this, disagreeing with increased Olympic prices as a matter of principle, but the bus companies have all hiked up (ahem) their prices significantly, and we can’t go hiking without paying for the bus. The 10% membership discount will still apply of course, and membership cards can still be purchased from Huijie - please get in touch if you’d like to arrange one for yourself. (More info about membership cards here.)

First-time hikers If you’re new to Beijing, or our hiking club, we bid you a warm welcome! If you’d like to find out more information about our company, click here to read about us; if you’d like some information about our hikes and how to get ready and enjoy hiking safely, follow the links to find out about how you can best enjoy the hikes, and how difficult they are.

In brief, Beijing Hikers is a family business, and we have been organising hikes in the hills around Beijing since 2001; We don’t take commissions from anyone, and we won’t take you on unexpected detours for a bit of ‘impromptu’ shopping; The majority of our hikes are suitable for moderately fit people; We are a friendly lot, and enjoy sharing a beer with our hikers after the hiking is done.

Booking a hike We take reservations online via the website, by email, and by phone. Reservations can be made up until noon on the day before the hike, any later than that you will have to call us to make sure there is a space for you. We take payment in cash, and collect it on the day - no deposit is required.

Personalised tours If you would like to come hiking, but can’t make it to any of our regular hikes, we may still be able to organise a personalised tour for you. It depends on the availability of staff, and will be more expensive as there will be less people to share the costs with. If you’re interested, please get in touch with Huijie. (.(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)) We have a lot of requests for personalised tours to the Great Wall, but access to parts other than the restored sections at Badaling, Mutianyu, Simatai, and Jinshanling is restricted at the moment.

Office hours Our office hours are 12-6pm on Mondays, and 9am - 6pm Tuesday to Friday. On Saturday and Sunday we are all out hiking, and usually out of the range of mobile phones.