Arxan Self-Drive Secret Guide

🚗 "Arxan 7 Days 6 Nights In-Depth Self-Drive Route"

An autumn epic crossing the heart of the Greater Khingan Range, few people, wild scenery, breathtakingly beautiful!

📸
Have you ever tried—
At 5 a.m. on the border line,
Driving through a birch forest shrouded in thick fog,
With Chen Li’s "Lili Wanxiang" playing in your headphones,
Ahead, a golden volcanic lake?

At that moment,
You are not traveling,
You are escaping life.

This 7-day self-drive route from Hohhot → Arxan → Hulunbuir
Is designed to hand you the wildest, most beautiful, and most heartfelt Arxan in full.

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🗺 Route Overview · An autumn traverse across Inner Mongolia

| Day | Itinerary | Distance | Highlights |
|------|------|------|------|
| Day 1 | Hohhot → Ulanqab (overnight) | 300km | Grassland sunset + city transition |
| Day 2 | Ulanqab → Arxan City (overnight) | 900km | Crossing the Greater Khingan Range, first encounter with autumn colors |
| Day 3 | Arxan National Forest Park loop tour | 150km (within park) | Tuofengling Tianchi, Rhododendron Lake, Shitang Forest |
| Day 4 | Arxan → Chaihe Moon Town | 200km | Off-the-beaten-path secret spot, fewer people, wilder scenery |
| Day 5 | Chaihe → Moerdaoga (overnight) | 300km | Entering the heart of Hulunbuir forest |
| Day 6 | Moerdaoga National Forest Park light hiking | 80km (loop) | Primeval forest + river valley autumn colors |
| Day 7 | Moerdaoga → Hailar → Return | 400km | Farewell to the forest, fly back to the city |

✅ Total distance: about 2230km
✅ Best time: September 20 – October 10 (peak autumn colors in Arxan)
✅ Suitable vehicles: SUV or 4WD (some sections are gravel roads)
✅ Recommended group size: 2–4 people (couples/friends/family)

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🚗 Daily Detailed Itinerary · In-depth + practical + photo guide

Day 1: Hohhot → Ulanqab (300km, 4h)
📍 Overnight: Jining District, Ulanqab
📌 Highlights:
- Depart in the afternoon to avoid morning rush hour
- Vast grasslands along the way, perfect for photos of "road ending at sunset"
- Stay in the city at night, enjoy authentic Mongolian cuisine: hand-pulled mutton + milk tea + milk skin

📸 Recommended photo spot:
At 580km on G55 Erguang Expressway, there is a viewing platform with amazing grassland sunset views.

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Day 2: Ulanqab → Arxan City (900km, 10–11h)
📍 Overnight: Arxan City (book in advance!)
📌 Highlights:
- Cross the Greater Khingan Range, transition from grassland to forest
- Enter Arxan territory after 4 p.m., autumn colors hit you
- Arrive at dusk, stay in a wooden cabin guesthouse, soak in hot springs to relax

⛽ Fuel tips:
- Fill up before departure
- Gas stations are scarce in Wunuer Town and Chaihe Town, refuel whenever you see one

🏨 Accommodation recommendations:
- [Arxan Forest Cabin]: standalone wooden cabin with fireplace, stargazing spot
- [Jialin Hotel]: underfloor heating + hot springs, good for those sensitive to cold

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Day 3: Arxan National Forest Park deep loop (150km)
📍 One-day tour inside the park, no moving accommodation
📌 Must-visit spots:
1. Tuofengling Tianchi (arrive before 7:00 a.m. for morning mist reflections)
2. Rhododendron Lake (drone shots of golden forest + blue lake)
3. Shitang Forest (volcanic lava life wonder)
4. Santan Gorge (light hiking, listen to water, collect pine cones)
5. Grand Canyon Scenic Area (boardwalk overlooking autumn forest and river)

📸 Photo tips:
- Wear bright colors (red/yellow/white) for standout photos in golden woods
- Bring a polarizing filter to reduce water glare
- Golden shooting time: 6:00–7:30 a.m.

🍽 Lunch: bring your own snacks or buy simple park meals (expensive and not tasty, better to prepare)

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Day 4: Arxan → Chaihe Moon Town (200km, 3.5h)
📍 Overnight: Chaihe Town guesthouse
📌 Highlights:
- Chaihe is Arxan’s twin brother but 90% less crowded
- Moon Town is nestled by mountains and water, known as "Little Jiuzhaigou"
- Recommended spots: Anbi Mountain Tianchi, Hongdou Slope, Unfrozen River

📸 Secret photo spots:
- Unfrozen River’s morning rime frost, river steaming like a fairyland
- Jiajiao Mountain viewing platform, panoramic shots of Moon Town

🏡 Accommodation recommendations:
- [Chaihe Wooden Cabin Guesthouse]: owner is a local hunter descendant, shares forest stories
- Experience bonfire parties (book in advance)

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Day 5: Chaihe → Moerdaoga (300km, 5h)
📍 Overnight: Moerdaoga Town
📌 Highlights:
- Enter the heart of Hulunbuir’s primeval forest
- Along the way, birch, larch, and red leaves intertwine, like driving through a painting
- Arrive at dusk, dine at "Forest Home" restaurant for iron pot stew

📸 Photo suggestions:
- At 1500km on G332 National Road, a curve perfect for "autumn forest highway" shots
- Afternoon light slants, leaves golden and translucent

🏨 Accommodation recommendations:
- [Moerdaoga Forestry Bureau Guesthouse]: old but clean
- [Forest Oxygen Bar Guesthouse]: newly renovated, underfloor heating

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Day 6: Moerdaoga National Forest Park light hiking (80km loop)
📍 One-day tour inside the park
📌 Must-see:
- Lumingling: climb high for panoramic forest views
- Hunter’s cabin ruins: experience Ewenki culture
- Rapids valley: clear river, picturesque autumn banks
- Primeval forest loop trail: 2-hour hike, breathe fresh air

📸 Photo spots:
- Rapids River S-bend, aerial shots look like an emerald ribbon
- Birch forest boardwalk, capture dappled light and shadow

💡 Tips:
- Weak signal inside park, download offline maps in advance
- Bring enough water and energy bars

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Day 7: Moerdaoga → Hailar (400km, 6h) → Return
📌 Highlights:
- Last forest crossing, farewell to autumn
- Arrive in Hailar, options:
- Fly to Beijing/Shanghai/Guangzhou (many flights)
- Or continue self-driving the Hulunbuir Grassland (extend route)

🍽 Last meal recommendation:
[Hake Old Shop] for authentic Hulunbuir mutton hotpot, dipped in wild chive flower sauce.

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🧳 Self-Drive Essentials (Blogger Tested)

✅ Vehicle preparation:
- Full insurance + spare tire + snow chains (in case of sudden snow)
- Car charger, walkie-talkies (for convoy travel)
- Offline maps: download "Inner Mongolia offline package" on Gaode/Baidu

✅ Personal gear:
- Warm clothing: shell jacket, fleece, light down jacket, hat, scarf
- Photography: camera + tripod + drone (with spare batteries)
- Daily life: thermos, heat packs, lip balm, sunscreen

✅ Food supplies:
- Chocolate, beef jerky, compressed biscuits (emergency)
- Bottled water (few supply points en route)
- Portable stove (for noodles/hot milk tea)

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💡 Pitfall Guide (Hard-earned experience)

❌ Don’t book last minute:
Rooms in Arxan and Moerdaoga are hard to find around National Day, book 1 month ahead!

❌ Don’t only take highways:
G10/G12 highways are ordinary scenery, recommend G332 national road and county roads for more original views.

❌ Don’t underestimate the weather:
Snow possible late September! Always check weather forecast, bring cold-weather gear.

❌ Don’t off-road recklessly:
Off-roading is prohibited in forest parks, violators fined + towed.

💔

> "We always say we want to escape the city,
> But true escape
> Is not just switching places to scroll on your phone,
> It’s driving a car,
> Entering a forest unknown to anyone,
> Listening to wind through larch leaves,
> Watching morning mist rise from the lake,
> Then suddenly realizing—
> Freedom has a color."

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These 7 days,
You will drive long distances,
Feel cold, tired, want to give up.

But when you stand by Tuofengling Tianchi,
Looking at that unbelievably blue lake,
You will feel—
This journey was worth it.

Arxan’s autumn
Does not belong to check-in tourists,
It belongs only to those
Willing to take one more step for beauty.