Begin the tour by meeting your guide in the lobby of your Beijing hotel. Drive for approximately 1.5 hours to reach Juyongguan. Upon arrival, take a short 2-minute walk from the parking lot to reach the Wall. Juyongguan is located in the 11-mile long (18 kilometer) Guangou Valley where the Jundu Mountain and Yan Mountain meet; it was the only route between Beijing and Mongolia.Today, it is one of the three greatest mountain passes of the Great Wall and is roughly circular with a perimeter of over 2.5 miles (4 kilometers).
Continue by taking a 30-minute drive to the Sacred Way of Ming Tombs. Begin at the stone memorial archway and stroll along the Sacred Way while learning about the fascinating myths of ancient China. The 4.3-mile (7 kilometer) divine path was considered to be the distance between the secular and celestial worlds. Admire the magnificent statues in place to guard the Ming emperors' afterlife. The Ming emperor believed that after their coffin was carried through the Sacred Way, their soul could rise up to heaven.
After lunch, travel onward to Dingling, the only imperial tomb in China that has been excavated. Visit the tomb belonging to the 13th Ming Emperor Wanli, who had the longest ruling time out of all 16 Ming Emperors. About 3,000 pieces of artifacts have been found in the Underground Palace of Dingling; some of them are displayed in the museum of Dingling.
