Your personal guide will collect you from your Datong hotel at 8am for the drive to the Deshengbu Fortress about 28 miles (45 kilometers) northwest of Datong.
There used to be 52 fortresses along the 221-mile (335-kilometer) stretch of Datong Outer Great Wall: Deshengbu, built in 1574, protects an important pass that links Datong to Inner Mongolia. The fortress' imposing walls and mighty city gate lead into a typical Great Wall garrison town: you'll spend around an hour exploring the fort and the village. Your guide will give you suggestions as to where to eat lunch, which is at your own expense, and help you navigate the menu.
After lunch, you'll drive another 19 miles (30 kilometers) or so to reach the Datong Great Wall at the timeless Chinese village of Zhenchuankou. Like much of the Great Wall around Datong, it was made of tamped earth: amazingly, the construction has withstood wind, rain, and snow for more than five centuries. It still stands proud above the fields, around five meters tall in places, and is dotted with beacons and guard towers.
You'll hike along this rammed earth wall for around two to four hours. When your hike is finished, your driver will collect you, and transfer you back to your hotel, arriving around 5pm.
