Day 1: All over the country → Chifeng ★ Assembly Day
All day
Today is the gathering day for the all-day activity. Everyone will go to Chifeng on their own. It is recommended to book Holiday Inn Express Chifeng Hongshan or Yulong State Guesthouse (at your own expense/you can book on Ctrip or make a reservation by leaving a note on the registration).
Since different places arrive in Chifeng at different times and the journey is tiring, in order to allow everyone to get enough rest, we have made a full-day assembly arrangement in Chifeng.
Chifeng, a beautiful city nestled on the Inner Mongolian grasslands, boasts a refreshing cityscape, unique peaks, vast grasslands, a rich history, and mouth-watering cuisine. Rich in history and rich culture, Chifeng boasts nearly 7,000 discovered ancient human cultural sites. Historically, Chifeng served as a hub for ethnic minorities in northern my country and the birthplace of the Bronze Age, Khitan, and Liao cultures. Explore Chifeng's Khitan cuisine with your friends. Besides unique Mongolian cuisine, you can also savor Chifeng's "Chinese Meat Burger" sandwiches, the crispy and sweet "Hada Pancake," and the Huazi Fish, a delicacy praised by Emperor Kangxi.
Kind tips:
1. You can also choose to arrive at the recommended hotel before 8:30 AM on Day 2 and wait for the shuttle bus.
2. Self-driving guests must arrive at the designated horse farm resort hotel before 12:00 PM on Day 2. There is no need to meet in Chifeng City.
Day 2 Chifeng → Salin River Resort
All day
After breakfast, pack your bags. Around 8:30 a.m., the racecourse will arrange a special car to pick you up and take you to the racecourse hotel. The drive takes about 3 hours, and you are expected to arrive around noon. We have prepared a sumptuous welcome banquet and a unique sign-in meeting to welcome you. Your name tags have been placed on the pine cones. After your initial acquaintance, we will hang the pine cone name tags on the sign-in wall and take the first group photo of this trip.
In the afternoon, we went to the stables for practical lessons and pre-assignment of horses. This step is particularly important and will affect the entire subsequent itinerary experience, so everyone needs to study hard!
In the evening, you are cordially invited to attend the Mongolian Sheep Dinner, a celebration of the highest standard. Amidst the melodious sounds of the horse-head fiddle and the joyful Mongolian songs and dances, we gather around a glass of wine, get to know one another, and share and reflect on our expectations and understandings of our identities and nomadic experiences.
Day 3: Saline River Resort → Nanjing Camp
All day
- Cycling mileage: about 20km
- Riding time: 6-7 hours
Breakfast at the hotel at 7:30 AM. Afterward, all luggage will be loaded into the car and we'll head to the riding stables. Here, the instructors will assign and adjust horses based on your riding level and help you complete advanced horseback riding lessons and practice. Once you're comfortable with the horses and saddles, you'll begin your horseback riding adventure. Our first stop is Nanjing, a place with lush vegetation and a variety of colorful trees. A quiet path to the west leads directly to the top of the mountain, offering the best spot for watching the sunrise.
As horse hooves clattered the first rays of morning light through the forest, we entered the Creator's private palette. A hidden path stretched westward whispered to us. Horses carried the light of the heavens as they slowly advanced, and golden dust leaked through the treetops, depicting a pilgrimage for those chasing the light. This wasn't a scene to be fleetingly passed by, but a place where time could freeze, a wonderland in the clouds.
We arrived at the camp at noon, had lunch and took a short rest. After a short lunch break, we continued our journey at 14:30 and arrived at the dinner camp around 18:00. Dinner time started at 18:30. You can choose to take a bath before or after dinner.
Day 4: Nanjing → Huagurutai → Koukonao Camp
All day
- Cycling mileage: about 30km
- Riding time: 6-7 hours
After breakfast, we donned our gear and warmed up. Our instructor gave us a pre-trip briefing. Around 8:30 AM, we prepared our horses and set off. Our first stop was Huagulutai. The grasslands here are exceptionally generous, with the meadows as flat and vast as a velvet carpet laid by the gods, perfect for a gallop. In the afterglow, the birch forest faded into flowing silver threads. Qiqige Lake, like a bronze mirror left behind by a fairy, lay scattered across the grassland's heart. The moment our horses' hooves shattered the mirror, the water droplets stirred up, bathed in a rainbow of colors. We arrived at camp at 12:00 PM for lunch and a short rest. Those who weren't tired could play a game of Frisbee in groups. We continued our journey around 2:30 PM, enjoying the exhilaration of a picturesque savannah.
The setting sun stretched our shadows, creating flowing silhouettes across the grassland. The horses trotted, their manes tangled with the scent of cooking smoke carried by the evening breeze. As the outline of the camp emerged from the twilight, the sky was ablaze with fiery clouds, and the birch forest shed its silver armor, draped in a purple gauze.
Arrive at the dinner camp around 18:00, dinner starts at 18:30, and you can arrange your own bathing time after dinner. In the evening, you can play board games or have a grassland KTV competition to share each other's happiness.
Day 5: Koukonao → Banlajingzi Camp
All day
- Cycling mileage: about 30km
- Riding time: 6-7 hours
After breakfast, we put on our equipment and warmed up. The coach explained the precautions before the trip. At about 8:30, we prepared our horses and set off. With the sound of horse hooves, we continued to go deeper into the grassland. Here, the Hunshandake Desert was intertwined with the grassland. The withered and yellow stipa grass was suddenly cut off by the quicksand, as if it was a boundary drawn by the gods with a golden knife.
The frost patches that remained on the shady sides of the dunes were melting, and the rising vapor made the distant sand ridges tremble slightly. The wind whistled across the sand ridges, rising and falling, as if the lost trumpets of Kublai Khan's army still echoed in the wilderness.
We arrived at the camp at 12:00 and arranged lunch. We took a short rest after the meal. Those who were not tired could form a group to play flag football. We set off again around 14:30, sometimes strolling and sometimes running. At this moment, we all surpassed ourselves on horseback. When the sunset fell into the sea of sand, the whole desert suddenly glowed with an amber fluorescence.
We arrived at the camp in the evening and started dinner at 18:30. After dinner, we arranged our own bathing time and participated in the grassland passion night bonfire party in time to feel the enthusiasm of the grassland people.
Day 6: Banlajingzi Camp → Jiguan Mountain → Horse Farm
All day
- Cycling mileage: about 30km
- Riding time: 6-7 hours
Our final leg of the journey took us into a tropical rainforest nestled on the grasslands. Flowers abounded, and trees flourished. Then, in a flash, we found ourselves in the heart of the Hunshandake Desert, fully experiencing the visual wonder and cycling excitement of this diverse landscape.
At noon, we camped in the pine forest at the foot of Jiguan Mountain. The countless boulders bore the marks of time. This was the starting point of Hunshandake and the end of our journey. We returned the vast and beautiful Xilamulun River to the horizon, grateful for its companionship along the way.
After a stroll along the river, we return to the ranch in the fading sunset. A private car will take you to your hotel. We'll enjoy dinner together after a short rest, sharing our memories and reflections from the journey. "From now on, you'll have a new, tangible identity in your life—a nomad."
Day 7 Tiantian Taiyong → Chifeng Airport Send-off★ Disbandment Day
All day
After breakfast, we packed our bags and said goodbye to the Ulan Butong Grassland. We took a special car to Chifeng at 8:00. The trip was over and everyone had to return to their own tracks to continue their migration and struggle. In just a few days of horseback riding, we had the experience of nomadic tribes and the courage to ride through the wild. We had seeds like fire and were marked by the grassland for life.
