Half of Ningxia is yellow sand and blazing sun, the other half is the Yellow River oasis

【3 days 2 nights, about 2800 RMB per person! Ningxia Guide: Using Sand Lake as the inkstone, Helan as the brush, write a love letter to the Jiangnan beyond the Great Wall】

Day 1: Fly into **Yinchuan Hedong Airport** (round-trip direct flights from Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou with tax about 1500 RMB), take a taxi to the city hotel (600 RMB/night). Drop off your luggage and head straight to check in at **Chengtian Temple Pagoda** and **Phoenix Stele**, feeling the tranquility of the Western Xia ancient capital. In the evening, stroll through **Huaiyuan Night Market**—the heart of Ningxia! Must-try: **Spicy Hu Hu** (with potatoes and bean sticks), **Lamb Hand-Pulled Noodles**, **Eight Treasures Tea** with fried dough, all for about 40 RMB per person until you’re full.

Day 2: Spend the whole day immersed in **Shapotou** (ticket + shuttle bus 130 RMB)—the "most beautiful desert in China" on the edge of the Tengger Desert. Ride camels across the sea of sand, slide down hundred-meter sand dunes, then challenge the **Sheepskin Rafting on the Yellow River** (additional 80 RMB)! In the afternoon, drive 1 hour to **Zhenbeibu Western Film Studio** (ticket 80 RMB), shout “Zixia, I’m here to marry you” at the city wall from "A Chinese Odyssey," and instantly travel back to the whimsical martial arts world.

Day 3: In the morning, visit the **Western Xia Imperial Tombs** (ticket 95 RMB), touch the ruins of the mysterious millennium-old dynasty in front of the "Eastern Pyramid." In the afternoon, climb **Helan Mountain Suyukou National Forest Park** (ticket 45 RMB), take the cable car up the mountain, hike the plank road to see strange rocks and sea of clouds, and enjoy a distant view of the rock painting relics. Return before 16:00.

💰Budget breakdown:
Airfare 1500 + Accommodation 1200 + Food 300 + Tickets 450 + Transportation 200 ≈ **2950 RMB**

📌Tips:
1. Desert UV is strong, sunglasses + sunscreen + headscarf are essential;
2. Eight Treasures Tea can be taken away, loose gift boxes are available at the night market;
3. The film studio is most photogenic at sunset!

⚠️Warnings:
❌ Refuse “free photos” at scenic spots that force charges afterward;
❌ Don’t trust unlicensed cars, use Didi or group tours for safety.

Three days and two nights, half is yellow sand and blazing sun, half is the Yellow River oasis. Ningxia is not just a name in geography textbooks, but a romantic poem hidden in the aroma of lamb and the lonely smoke of the desert. Come, be a traveler beyond the Great Wall, and turn the wind and sand into scenery!

Post by NatureLoverExtraordinaire | Sep 19, 2025