Badaling Great Wall Cable Car and Toboggan

Badaling Great Wall is the most popular section of the Great Wall of China. There are two ways to make your Badaling Great Wall hiking much easier – taking a cable car or a toboggan. Generally, Badaling Great Wall can be divided into two sections - South Great Wall and North Great Wall. The north section is equipped with both cable way and slide way while the south section offers cable way only. You can choose the different ways to climb to Badaling Great Wall according to your own interest and need.

Badaling Great Wall Cable Car Map Map of Badaling Great Wall Cable Cars (Click to Enlarge)

North Cable Car of Badaling Great Wall

Route: Guntiangou Park (滚天沟停车场) to North No.8 Watchtower

Speed: 6m/s

Riding Time: 8 minutes

Operating Hours: 08:00 ~ 16:00 from April to October and 08:30~ 16:00 from November to next March

Maximum Capacity: 8 people

Ticket: 100 RMB for one-way and 140RMB for round-way

Badaling Great Wall Cable Car Badaling Great Wall Snow View, Photo by Our Customer

Generally, most people prefer to North Great Wall of Badaling rather than South Great Wall of Badaling because the journey on the north section will be more exciting and challenging. The “Real Man Great Wall” (好汉坡) near North No.8 Watchtower is the highlight of Badaling Great Wall. After climbing to the top, there is a 360 degree panoramic breathtaking scene. It takes about 1.5 hours to hike from the entrance to the Real Man Great Wall. Choosing a cable car allows you get there within 10 minutes. From the sightseeing cable car, you can not only enjoy the quick transfer, but also admire the surrounding stunning landscape, including Guanting Reservoir - the backyard garden of Beijing and Haituo Mountain - Beijing’s second highest peak.

How to Plan a Badaling Great Wall tour with North Cable Car

Since north section of Badaling Great Wall is frequently-chosen by most travelers, it’s always crowded. You are suggested to get up early and take a cable car to North No.8 Watchtower to miss the large groups of travelers.

After you appreciate the sightseeing from North No.8 Watchtower and take some photos to memorize your trip, you can select an easier hiking or a harder one. Some tourists like to walk down toward the North No.1 Watchtower which is an easy trip. It is available to take a toboggan from North No.4 Watchtower on the way and descend the great wall directly. For serious hiker, you can continue your hiking from North No.8 Watchtower to North No.11 Watchtower. During the hiking trip, there will be several ups and downs of steps. Some slopes is about to be titled to an angle of nearly 90 degrees and you need to use your arms and legs together to conquer it. It usually takes about 1.5~2 hours to get to the exit near North No.11 Watchtower. Contact us to customize a Badaling Great Wall with cable car experience now.

Toboggan of Badaling Great Wall

Route: Entrance to North No.4 Watchtower

Speed: Adjustable

Riding Time: 3 ~ 15 minutes

Operating Hours: 08:00 ~ 16:00 from April to October and 08:30~ 16:00 from November to next March

Maximum Capacity: 8 people

Ticket: 100RMB for one-way and 140RMB for round-way

Different from Mutianyu Great Wall Toboggan, the toboggan of Badaling Great Wall is a sliding car that many one-person toboggans get pulled up the hill roller coaster style. It is available to use the toboggan to go up and down for a smoother climb. There is driver on the sliding car controlling the speed, so the trip will be rather safe. Usually, it needs about 10 ~ 15 minutes to go up and 3~ 8 minutes to go down. Though you can’t see much amazing scenery along the way, it’s quite interesting to ride a toboggan, especially for the young.

How to Plan a Badaling Great Wall tour with Toboggan Experience

The lower toboggan station is just close to the main entrance to the scenic area. After you get to North No.4 Watchtower by toboggan, enjoy a memorable hiking from No.8 Watchtower. If your strength permits, you can go on hiking to No.11 Watchtower but it is really a physically-demanding task. It is also available to end your Badaling Great Wall hiking journey after the wonderful view on No.8 Watchtower by taking the North Cable Car to get down. Some travelers also hike back to No.4 Watchtower and descend by toboggan because the round-way ticket is cost-efficient.

South Cable Car of Badaling Great Wall

Route: Opposite of Zhantianyou Memorial Hall to South No.4 Watchtower

Speed: 8m/s

Riding Time: 6 minutes

Operating Hours: 08:00 ~ 16:00 from April to October and 08:30~ 16:00 from November to next March

Maximum Capacity: 120 people

Ticket: 100RMB for one-way and 140RMB for round-way

The South Great Wall Cable Car will take you to south No.4 Watchtower which is one of the best viewing points on Badaling. As the highest point of South Badaling Great Wall with a height of 803.6 meters, it offers an amazing sight of the winding great wall. The cable way began be operated in 2017 and then became China’s largest cable way operating on the ground. On your cable car journey to the South Badaling Great Wall, you will admire the forested mountains, the rippling ponds and towering watchtowers dotted on the Great Wall. Besides, along the south cable way is beautiful scenery. You can enjoy peach blossoms in spring, lilac in summer, colorful leaves in autumn and snowscape in winter.

How to Plan a Badaling Great Wall tour with South Cable Car

South Great Wall of Badaling Great Wall is less energy-consuming because of its gentle slopes. If you want to start your journey from south section of Badaling Great Wall and ascend by cable car, you are suggested to get to Badaling Great Wall Scenic Area by S2 train. S2 train, starting from Huangtudian Railway Station (黄土店站, available to be reached by metro Line 8 and Line13) in Beijing city to Badaling Great Wall, is also called the Train Bounding for Spring because you can enjoy the impressive cherry blossom in spring. The arrival train station is just about 300 meters away from the cable car station.

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Tips for Badaling Great Wall Cable Car and Toboggan

1. Cable Car and Toboggan are charged independently.

If you want to go up by North Cable Car and go down by toboggan, you need to purchase two one-way tickets for cable car and toboggan respectively. But a round-way ticket for cable car allows you to go up by South Cable Car and go down by North Cable Car, and vice versa.

2. Be ready for Long Queues

Badaling Great Wall is the most popular section of the Great Wall, so it will be much more crowded than other sections, like Mutianyu Great Wall, Jinshanling Great Wall, Huanghuacheng Great Wall, etc. You need to line up for both cable car and toboggan. If you want to miss the crowds, choose to travel South Great Wall of Badaling Great Wall or the hike from North No.8 Watchtower to No.11 Watchtower. You are not suggested to visit Badaling Great Wall during Chinese Holiday, like May Day, Tomb-Sweeping Festival (Qingming Festival), National Day and so on.

3. Pack Properly for Your Hiking

Prepare your supplement well for your Badaling Great Wall hiking, including water and snacks. There are stores and restaurants at the foot of Badaling Great Wall but most at higher cost. It will quite cold in January. The wind in the two highest points (South No.4 Watchtower and North No.8 Watchtower) is always strong, so it’s important to wear scarf, mask, gloves, etc. The summer is quite hot as well and it’s necessary to protect your skin for sun burning. If you want to a more comfortable trip, it is helpful to be an early bird.

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