Live Your Best Lives
Despite the delicious street food and melt-in-your-mouth frozen treats, the harsh summer heat still can't satisfy everyone's craving for relief. But if you have the time, Hulunbuir's 25-degree summer is the perfect place to head out and enjoy the prairie.
Hulunbuir has a total area of 262,000 square kilometers and is located in Hulunbuir League, Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, at the junction of China, Russia and Mongolia. It borders Heilongjiang Province to the east and Mongolia and Russia to the northwest.
Here you can find the Greater Khingan Range forest, lush grasslands, the winding Morgele River, and blue skies and white clouds, so pure that they seem fake that it is known as the "Jade of the North".
On the map, Hulunbuir is the part marked in blue in the picture below, located at the position of the chicken's head and comb.
A picture shows the distribution of urban scenic spots in Hulunbuir
June to September is the best tourist season for Hulunbuir Prairie, especially during July and August when the prairie grass is lush.
The highest temperature in Hulunbuir in the summer is around 35 degrees Celsius, but it only lasts about a week, so you don't have to worry about the high temperatures here. Even during the hottest periods, as long as you take precautions against the sun, the temperature feels quite comfortable, especially when the wind blows on the grassland, which can bring a cool breeze.
The most comfortable time of the day is evening. After the sun sets, the breeze blows on your face, and the pure air can blow away the fatigue of the day. In the summer, you don’t need to turn on the air conditioner or fan to sleep on the grassland at night, the temperature is very suitable.
Tips:
Many of my friends don’t know much about the clothing in Inner Mongolia. Let me tell you here that although the temperature difference between day and night is large, you can still wear short sleeves at noon and add a windbreaker or jacket at night.
The ultraviolet rays in Inner Mongolia are quite strong, so you need to protect your whole body from the sun and be sure to wear sunglasses when going out.
Many people don't understand how to search for Hulunbuir, as searching directly for Hulunbuir brings up Hailar, which is frustrating. Actually, the seat of government in Hulunbuir is in Hailar, so you need to search for Hailar as your flight or train station destination.
/Hailar Dongshan Airport/
Direct flights to Hailar Airport are available from Beijing, Hohhot, and Harbin. During the peak tourist season of July and August, direct flights or connecting flights to Hailar Airport are available from Guangzhou, Shanghai, Nanjing, Shenyang, Hangzhou, Shenzhen, Shijiazhuang, Tianjin, Dalian, Ningbo, Zhengzhou, Sanya, Xiamen, and Wuhan. Flights to Hulunbuir are in short supply during peak season, so if you can confirm your travel time, book your tickets as soon as possible.
Hailar city is about 5 kilometers away from the airport. It is very convenient to take a taxi and there is no need to arrive at the airport very early. Hailar Airport is relatively small and the duty counter is open at regular intervals. If you arrive early, you will have to wait a long time to get your ticket and go through security check to enter the station.
/Hailar Railway Station/
Hailar is connected to the Binzhou Railway, offering direct trains from Beijing, Harbin, Dalian, Hohhot, and Baotou. There are two domestic trains departing from Beijing that offer direct access to Hailar: K1301 and K1303.
There are direct trains from Harbin to Hailar every day. The recommended train is K7091. The time is very suitable for travel arrangements. You can depart in the evening and arrive the next morning. You can buy a sleeper, take a nap, and you will arrive when you open your eyes.
The scenic area is about 39 kilometers from downtown Hailar, nestled on the banks of the Morigele River, known as "China's First Curved River," on the Hulunbuir Grassland. Genghis Khan, the legendary conqueror, once trained his troops here, battling various tribes for supremacy.
Now, you can experience the real grassland style here, accompanied by the melodious sound of horse-head fiddle played by Mongolian men, and the warm welcome and farewell wine given by Mongolian girls when you dismount, and experience the most authentic Aobao worship, wrestling, bonfire party, and stay in the herdsmen's yurt.
Blue sky and white clouds, winding rivers, lush green grass, herds of cattle and sheep, dotted yurts, curling smoke, the most primitive appearance of the grassland is all here.
Tips:
transportation
The Golden Horde Mongol tribe is 38 kilometers away from Hailar District. You can take a bus to Labdalin and tell the driver to get off at "Golden Horde". Then walk west for about 800 meters to reach the Golden Horde.
Tickets
20 yuan/person
Opening hours
May 1st - October 1st every year: 7:00-18:00, closed at other times.
Erguna City used to be the only place in the country with only one traffic light, but now after rapid development, there is more than one.
Erguna is the northernmost border city in China, also known as Labudalin. The beef and mutton rolls here are a specialty. Put a few slices of wild mushrooms in the clear soup pot, blanch a few slices of beef and mutton rolls, and dip them in the local special dipping sauce. There is no smell of mutton, only pure fragrance, worthy of being raised on Cordyceps.
Tips:
transportation
Starting from Hailar, you can first take a bus from the bus station to Labudalin Bus Station in Ergun (departure time is 7:30-17:30, there is a bus every 40 minutes, the ticket price is 38 yuan, and the journey is about 2-2.5 hours).
After getting off the bus, go out of the station and walk across the road to take bus No. 2 to the wetland park directly; however, the bus runs very rarely, so if you are short on time, you can take a taxi.
The last bus from Labdalin back to Hailar is at 17:30.
It is recommended to take the scenic shuttle bus up, and those who are physically fit can also hike up. There are many Gesang flowers on both sides of the road, which are nice to enjoy while walking.
Tickets
Adult ticket 65 yuan, round trip sightseeing bus 15 yuan
Opening hours
Open all year round from 07:30 to 19:00
Heishantou is an ancient city located in Hulunbuir, Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region. It is named after the Black Mountain in Ergun City. Heishantou is famous for its sunrise and sunset. You can ride a horse to the top of the mountain to watch the sunset over the Ergun River.
You can also go to the nearby horse farm to watch the nomadic people's unique horse-roping skills performance, enjoy a set of equestrian performances, and ride a horse to stroll around the grassland, which is a must-do for many tourists.
Tips:
1. There are many horse farms to choose from around Heishantou. In peak season, the price for a small circle is 200/person and for a large circle is 400/person. A normal circle takes 40-60 minutes. If there are children, a groom must lead the horse. The fee for leading the horse varies from farm to farm.
2. After watching the sunset at the top of the mountain, you can walk down by yourself or arrange with the horse farm for a car to pick you up. It costs 10 yuan per person to go down the mountain.
3. All tickets to Heishantou are free. Those who do not want to ride horses can go up the mountain by themselves.
The Birch Forest Scenic Area belongs to Erguna, Hulunbuir, Inner Mongolia. There are really many birch trees in the scenic area, and they are very dense. You have to come here in person to experience the beauty.
There is an elk park in the scenic area where you can get close to the elk. If you want to feed the elk, you need to buy food yourself.
There is also the cabin of Bald Qiang from the cartoon, a small animal acrobatic troupe, and you can also sit on the swing and enjoy the breeze.
In the birch forest there is a building unique to the Ewenki ethnic group, made of birch bark, which has a fairy-tale feel.
Tips:
transportation
The Birch Forest Scenic Area is 40 kilometers away from the urban area of Erguna City. You can charter a car or drive there from Erguna City.
Tickets
The entrance fee to the scenic spot is 55 yuan per person, and the sightseeing bus fee is 15 yuan per person.
Opening hours
8:00-19:00; ticket collection will stop one hour before closing time, and the ticket collection time is 8:00-18:00.
The autumn photography trail leads all the way to the mountaintop observation deck where you can enjoy a 360-degree view of the autumn scenery of the birch forest.
In Ergun City, at the northernmost tip of Inner Mongolia, lies a small town called Shiwei, also known as Jilalin. Nestled between mountains and water, it sits at the northern foot of the Greater Khingan Range and on the banks of the Ergun River. As a small town on the Sino-Russian border, it is one of the few ethnic Russian townships in my country.
In Shiwei, you'll spot some brown-eyed, mixed-race Russians among the crowd. Every household in Shiwei lives in a carved wooden house, steeped in Russian folk customs. Local snacks like bread, wild fruit jam, gegeleda, and gelili are unique homemade delicacies.
I want to emphasize something about Manzhouli. It is the only city that changed my traditional impression of Inner Mongolia: it is backed by the Greater Khingan Range in the east, borders Hulun Lake in the south, borders Mongolia in the west, and connects to the Russian Federation in the north. It is China's largest land port city; it covers an area of only 732 square kilometers but is composed of more than 20 ethnic groups, including Mongolian, Han, Hui, Korean, Ewenki, Oroqen, Russian, etc.
A trip to Manzhouli would be complete only if you can enjoy a local Russian meal and watch the elegant dance of Russian girls.
What to do in Manchuria
Wedding Palace
The standard building in Manzhouli is the Wedding Palace, which has a simple, solemn and elegant Gothic style. It is one of the must-see attractions for photographers when they arrive in Manzhouli.
Manzhouli Matryoshka Square
Matryoshka Square is a national 5A-level tourist attraction. Its most iconic feature is that it's the only large-scale integrated tourist resort in China dedicated to the traditional Russian handicraft of matryoshka dolls. At night, when the lights are on, the entire square resembles a fairytale. Vendors sell dolls at the entrance, and the park even features an authentic Russian circus.
You can also walk into the belly of the Matryoshka Hotel to take photos as a souvenir. It has become a must-take-photos and check-in spot when you come to Manzhouli.
Tips: Tickets
Ctrip purchase 48 yuan/person
Opening hours
9.00-17.30
The final ticket sales time will also be adjusted according to the off-season and peak season
Manzhouli National Gate Scenic Area
Located west of Manzhouli, on the Sino-Russian border, the white building on the Chinese side of the national gate bears the words "People's Republic of China" in bright red above the gate. The national emblem hangs atop it, gleaming golden. An international railway passes beneath. The current Manzhouli National Gate is a fifth-generation gate, offering panoramic views of Russian villages.
Tips:
Tickets
Market price: 45 yuan/person
Opening hours
8:00-17:30
You must bring your ID card. The border inspection is quite strict and you need to scan your ID card to enter.
Whether it is summer or autumn, when you come to this place you will know that there is such a mysterious and beautiful place in the northern part of our motherland. It perfectly interprets the beauty of the Greater Khingan Range.
As one of the cities with the highest latitudes in the country, due to its special geographical location, the temperature is low throughout the year, the frost-free period is short, and the daily temperature difference is large, with an average of 5°-20° in summer and 0°-15° in autumn. Coming here in summer is definitely a good choice to escape the summer heat.
Arxan Grand Canyon
The Arxan Grand Canyon should actually be called the Volcanic Grand Canyon. It was formed by the collapse and erosion of volcanic lava deposits. It is about 100 meters deep and about 10 kilometers long, but only 3.5 kilometers are currently open to tourists.
You can walk down the wooden ladder to the bottom of the canyon, then follow a rugged trail up the stream, and finally climb up another wooden ladder.
The scenery in the canyon is very similar to the Grand Canyon in the United States. The difference is that both sides of the canyon are full of huge piles of volcanic lava, which seems to be likely to collapse at any time, so you can only move forward cautiously and quietly.
Tips:
Ticket price is 180 yuan per person in peak season and 150 yuan per person in off-season
07:00-17:00 (Monday-Sunday, June 1st-October 15th) 08:30-15:00 (Monday-Sunday, October 16th-May 31st)
There are B&Bs in the Arshan Scenic Area. If you don’t have enough fun in one day, you can stay overnight.
Arxan Rhododendron Lake
The Arxan Rhododendron Lake has a crescent-shaped surface. It was formed when lava blocked the river valley during the volcanic eruption. After the ice and snow melted, the rhododendrons by the lake bloomed brilliantly, so it was named Rhododendron Lake.
Because it is a flowing lake, wild ducks flock to it, making it an ideal habitat for cranes and swans. Schools of willow root fish also compete for food, and fishermen often cast their nets on the lake to catch fish.
There are two Tianchi Lakes in
Arshan. One is called Arshan Tianchi, which is closer to the visitor center. The other is Tuofengling Tianchi, which is 40 kilometers away from the visitor center. From the foot of the mountain to the top of the mountain where you can see the Tianchi Lake, the vertical height is about 400 meters. Although it is not often visited by tourists, the scenery is very beautiful. Photography enthusiasts are recommended to visit Tuofengling.
Wusu Langzi Hu
Its original name was Paozi No. 49. Based on the landform and water distribution characteristics of Wusu Langzi Lake, it is speculated that it may be a crater lake formed by volcanic eruption.
Wusu Langzi Lake has beautiful water and fragrant grass, and is known as the "Little Jiangnan of Daxinganling". It is rich in carp, crucian carp, loach and old man fish.
"Meeting at the Aobao" was filmed in Bayanhushuo. Currently, no tickets are required to reach Bayanhushuo. It is about 35 kilometers from Hailar and can be reached by chartered car in about an hour.
In summer and autumn, Hulunbuir is cool, the grassland stretches as far as the eye can see, herds of cattle and sheep are everywhere, and the emerald green makes you forget the heat. In autumn, Hulunbuir is covered in a golden ocean. Wandering here, you sit in the car and the car is like traveling in a painting.
