Day 1 Various locations → → Hailar City ★ Gathering day
All day
The entire day is dedicated to the activities. Tourists from all regions will gather in Hailar, the capital of Hulunbuir City. Early arrivals can explore the Hulunbuir National Museum and Genghis Khan Square. A delicious meal is a must on your first visit to the grasslands, featuring hand-pulled meat, roasted lamb legs, blood sausage, and other delicious delicacies. In the evening, meet with your tour leader to discuss the next day's filming plans and precautions, preparing to embark on this golden autumn Hulunbuir photography adventure.
Day 2 Hailar → Bayanhushuo (Sunrise) → Morigele River → Reindeer Park → Genhe
·morning
Get up early and take a small car to the First Aobao Bayanhushuo to photograph the sunrise over the grasslands. The Imin River flows quietly here, and Wuhua Mountain is dotted with flowing water and grasslands. The sun rises from the east, lighting up the vast grasslands and illuminating the sky with a crimson glow.
·morning
Return to the Hailar Hotel for breakfast. After a short rest, we set off again, gradually driving into the grasslands and heading towards the Morigele River, which was described by Lao She as "the most winding river in the world."
The photography group specially arranged a bus to travel along the best section of the Morigele River, stopping at 2-3 observation decks along the way. From there, they could look down at the winding river, herds of cattle and sheep, and dotted tents by the river, which looked like a golden autumn oil painting.
·afternoon
Afterward, we'll head to a small, less touristy reindeer farm for our photoshoot. Compared to other reindeer tribes, this location offers a quieter environment for our creative work. In addition to the reindeer, we'll also invite a local dressed in traditional Ewenki clothing to interact with the reindeer and assist with our ethnic photography.
After the filming, we arrived at Genhe City, the coldest place in China, and stayed there to rest.
Day 3: Tiangen River → Genheyuan Wetland (Sunrise) → Mordaoga Forest Park → Mordaoga Town/Bailu Island
·morning
Depart early in the morning to capture the sunrise over the forested river valley of the Greater Khingan Range at Genheyuan National Wetland Park. Known as "China's Coldest Wetland Natural Museum," the sunrise here is often accompanied by misty morning views, gurgling water, dead trees in the riverbed, and vibrant autumn leaves. We're sure you'll be rewarded with stunning photos.
·morning
After breakfast, we'll depart along the Mordaoga Forest Highway through the Greater Khingan Range, China's largest and best-preserved virgin forest. The Greater Khingan Range forms the watershed between the Inner Mongolia Plateau and the Songliao Plain. Arrive in Mordaoga Town for lunch.
·afternoon
In the afternoon, we will go to [Mordaoga National Forest Park] for sightseeing and photography. We will take a retro train (departs when there are 15 people or more) and travel through the golden autumn colors to immerse ourselves in the autumn of Hulunbuir.
We stayed at Mordaoga Town/Bailu Island (Note 3) that night.
Day 4: Mordaoga Town → Bailu Island (Sunrise) → Birch Forest Scenic Area → Heishantou Wetland (Sunset) → Heishantou Town
·morning
Rise early and take a small car to Bailu Island to photograph the sunrise and morning mist over the Daxing'anling River Valley. The rapids river loops in an S-shape between two small islands, often accompanied by morning mist, gurgling water, dead trees in the riverbed, and colorful autumn leaves.
·morning
After enjoying the photoshoot, we headed to the Birch Forest Scenic Area for another photoshoot. The Ewenki, an ancient reindeer-breeding people, have been nomadic in the Greater Khingan Range for generations. They make their homes beneath the birch forests, relying on reindeer farming, hunting, and fishing for a living. The teachers were able to get up close and personal with the reindeer in the golden forest, allowing them to create with unrestrained creativity.
·afternoon
Arrived at Heishantou in the afternoon for filming. Heishantou is a small town characterized by Mongolian horse herding. We drove to the horse farm to film [Grassland Horse Racing]. The riders' wonderful performances will make us very satisfied.
Afterward, we headed to a private photo spot at China-TravelNote to capture the stunning sunset over the wetlands. China-TravelNote also arranged a special photoshoot featuring Mongolian herders returning on horseback, passing by in the afterglow of the setting sun. The sun and the reflections from the wetlands illuminated the grassy slopes, creating a golden silhouette. After a satisfying photoshoot, we departed.
Overnight at Heishantou Town Hotel.
Day 5 Heishantou → Ergun Wetland → Huhenuoer Lake → Xinbarag Right Banner/Left Banner
·morning
After breakfast, we will drive to Erguna Wetland Scenic Area for sightseeing and photography. This is the farming area of Hulunbuir, where wheat fields, haystacks, and grass rolls form unique lines. Climb up to the top and overlook, feeling the gentle breeze and the intoxicating autumn colors.
·afternoon
We headed south across the Hulunbuir grassland and stopped at Huhenuoer Lake to take photos. The boundless grassland embraced the shimmering lake, and the yurts dotted by the lake were like white sails in the autumn ocean.
After the filming, we went to Xinbarag Right Banner/Left Banner Hotel to check in (Note 1, Note 2).
Special Note: Updated on August 19th
Affected by the following two factors:
1. From 00:00 on August 20, 2025, the Genghis Khan horse post area will be completely closed for some reason; 2. Part of the Heishantou Town-Manzhouli road section will be closed for construction from August 11 to September 30, and a detour will be required to travel to Hulun Lake.
The original plan of sunset at Hulun Lake and Genghis Khan's horse post has been cancelled, and the tour and filming of Huhe Nur Lake and Ergun Wetland Scenic Area have been added. Thank you for your support and understanding!
Original itinerary: "D5: Heishantou - Hulun Lake (Sunset at Genghis Khan's Horse Post) - Xinbarag Right Banner/Left Banner"
Changed to "D5: Heishantou - Ergun Wetland - Huhenuoer Lake - Xinbarag Right Banner/Left Banner"
After the adjustment, the full-day driving time was shortened from about 8 hours to about 6 hours.
The journey from Heishantou to Ergun Wetland takes about 40 minutes to 1 hour, and from Ergun to Huhe Nuoer Lake takes about 2 hours.
Huhenuoer Lake - Xinbarag Left Banner/Right Banner is about 3 hours.
The itinerary adjustment is only to better ensure your travel experience. Thank you for your support and understanding.
Day 6: Xinbarag Right Banner/Left Banner → A glimpse of Xinbarag Grassland → Arxan National Forest Park (Arxan Tianchi Lake + Budong River Sunset)
·morning
We left after breakfast and crossed the Xinbarhu Grassland. Although it is not as famous as Hulunbuir, it also has very vast and shocking grassland scenery. The autumn grassland is full of harvested grass rolls, fat cattle and sheep are busy moving to other pastures, and herdsmen are also busy harvesting before winter. It is a rich filming content.
·afternoon
In the afternoon, we arrived at Arxan National Forest Park and set off to photograph Arxan Tianchi Lake. In the golden autumn, birch trees and ancient pines intertwine to create a vibrant canvas, and the lake reflects the vibrant colors, resembling an overturned palette. From an aerial drone, you'll discover the lake's heart-shaped shape, resembling a sapphire set atop a volcano.
We descended at the right time and headed to a private camera location to shoot the [Sunset over the Unfrozen River], watching the autumn sunset dye the river surface golden, like a dream.
China-TravelNote specially arranged for us to stay in the scenic area tonight, so that we can take pictures of the morning mist early the next morning and have enough time to take pictures of the autumn colors of Arshan.
Day 7 Arxan National Forest Park (Morning Mist at Wusu Langzi Lake + Tuofengling Tianchi Lake + Grand Canyon + Dujuan Lake) → Arxan City
All day
Get up early and head to Wusu Langzi Lake to photograph the morning mist. Located in a forested basin, the lake is prone to morning mist at lower altitudes. The lakeside is dotted with colorful trees, and the early morning sunlight makes the water appear even more golden, making it a perfect place for photography. Occasionally, fishing boats will skim across the water, creating a scene reminiscent of an ink painting.
Taking advantage of the early morning crowds, we headed to Tuofengling Tianchi. Arshan is a remnant of the Greater Khingan Range. Volcanic eruptions tens of thousands of years ago formed hundreds of large and small Tianchi (lakes of heaven), of which Tuofengling Tianchi is the largest. In late autumn, the clear waters of Tianchi shimmer with the golden reflections of birch trees, creating a vibrant scene. We ascended along the wooden plank path for aerial views of the entire Tuofengling Tianchi.
After going down the mountain, we headed to the Arxan Grand Canyon, a natural volcanic rock canyon fault zone. There are abundant black volcanic rocks at the bottom of the valley, and streams flow slowly through it, mixed with the golden autumn colors of the Arxan forest area in autumn. It is a very good place for slow shutter speed photography. We practiced slow shutter speed photography under the guidance of the team leader.
Then we came to [Dujuan Lake], the largest volcanic lake in the forest area. The rocky volcanic lava columns were baring their fangs and claws, and the azure lake reflected the birch forest by the lake. The mottled autumn colors were like a colorful and thick European oil painting.
Today we spent the entire day photographing in the golden autumn of Arxan. After our satisfying photoshoot, we departed and checked into Arxan City, where we enjoyed neatly arranged streets, unique wooden houses, and the iconic Japanese-style Arxan Train Station. In the evening, we decided to meet up with friends for a stroll around town and some delicious food!
Day 8 Arxan City → Nuogan Lake → Hailar ★ Disbandment Day
·morning
After breakfast, we departed and passed through the Nuogan Lake Scenic Area, where we stopped to take photos. This is a fusion zone of pristine Scots pine and Barhu grassland. Forests, grasslands, lakes, wetlands, and hills transform here in sequence, capturing a condensed version of "Hulunbuir" in one shot.
Return to Hailar City at an appropriate time, concluding your enjoyable photography trip. Expected arrival in Hailar City around 2:00 PM. Transfers will be made to the airport and then to the train station. We recommend booking flights and trains after 4:00 PM.
Optional: Arxan disbanded
Arxan Yiershi Airport is 25km away from the city center. It has direct flights to Beijing Daxing Airport and can transfer to major cities in China. There are also trains to Shenyang from Arxan Railway Station, so you can choose freely.
More lines:
The red leaves of Guanmen Mountain in Liaodong and the autumn colors of Changbai Mountain are just after Hulunbuir. Welcome to continue your autumn creations: [Northeast Autumn Photography] (There is a direct sleeper train from Hailar to Changchun)
