Just finished the northern route of the Greater Khingan Range, here are my honest feelings and suggestions

The 6-day itinerary was: Hailar — Erguna — Genhe — Mangui — Bailu Island (Qiqian) — Linjiang — Shiwei (Ka Line) — Heishantou — Hailar

First, my feelings: The Greater Khingan Range in autumn is absolutely stunning. If you have the chance, you must come once. Now, here are my suggestions:

1. Be sure to book accommodations in advance, otherwise you'll only find the most expensive and the worst options. When we went, Bailu Island and Mangui were fully booked. We ended up booking a last-minute room in Mangui for over 1000 yuan;

2. The Erguna Wetland is very beautiful and not to be missed, with its colorful scenery. The wetland park is especially beautiful. The ticket plus shuttle bus is 75 yuan, very worth it. The mountain viewing platform offers an excellent view, truly better than the scenery along the road;

3. The Ikesama National Park on the road from Mangui to Bailu Island is breathtaking and free. Everything along the way was golden, like an autumn fairy tale. It’s one of the top three most beautiful places I saw on this trip;

4. Bailu Island is also beautiful but not stunning. However, since it’s free, you can visit the viewing platform. The Qiqian route is long and the road is narrow. If you’re not staying overnight, I personally don’t think it’s worth going. The scenery is relatively average compared to other places on the route. But if you have an interest in border defense, it’s worth a visit;

5. The scenery at Laoyingzui on the road from Bailu Island to Linjiang is also very beautiful and worth a visit. You can have lunch in Taiping Town. We ate at a farmhouse restaurant called Linxi, which was especially delicious. The vegetables were all homegrown;

6. The Ka Line from Shiwei is closed due to road construction, so we entered through the Shiwei Cultural Tourism Scenic Area. Turning left after exiting is Jiuka, with a 30 yuan ticket. The scenery along the route is stunning and 30 yuan is very worth it. It’s the second most beautiful place I saw on this trip, among the top three;

7. The Ka Line scenery is really beautiful, especially from Jiuka to Qika. I consider it the third most beautiful place on this trip, among the top three. There are many Swiss roll-like hills along the way, following the river. Unfortunately, drone photography is not allowed, and the road is narrow with many places inconvenient for parking;

8. The sunset at Heishantou should be very beautiful, but unfortunately I didn’t see it because it was cloudy;

9. In Hailar, we stayed at the All Seasons, a regular chain hotel. In Erguna, we stayed at the City Forest Hotel, which was neither good nor bad. In Mangui, we stayed at Hongdou Manlin, which was expensive but had no other issues. In Heishantou, we stayed at the July Youth Hostel in a Mongolian yurt family room, which felt quite good. I won’t mention the other places as they were average;

10. The northern route is currently at its most beautiful season. If you don’t have plans for the National Day holiday yet, consider my suggestions.

PS: I am currently in Arxan. It has been cloudy and rainy yesterday and today. So far, the scenery here feels less impressive than the northern route.