Complete Guide to Eating, Staying, Traveling, and Playing in Shapotou – Save It Now!

Transportation Guide

✈️ Airplane: Arrive at Zhongwei Xiangshan Airport, take a taxi about 35 minutes to the scenic area, costing 40-50 RMB.

🚂 Train: Taxi from Zhongwei Station to the scenic area costs about 50 RMB. From Zhongwei South Station, take a taxi about 20 minutes directly to the scenic area; during peak season, a tourist shuttle is also available.

🚗 Self-driving: Navigate to "Shapotou Parking Lot," parking fee is about 10 RMB/day.

Tickets and Activities

🎫 Tickets: 80 RMB per person; free admission for seniors over 60 and children under 1.2 meters; visitors from Ningxia and five other provinces enjoy half price.

🎫 Combo Tickets: The 299 RMB combo ticket offers great value, including rafting packages, desert sky ladder, sand sliding, and more; the 399 RMB combo ticket covers even more activities.

👉 Must-try Activities: In the Yellow River area, experience the Yellow River zipline, sheepskin raft rafting, and Yellow River glass bridge; in the desert area, ride camels, try desert dune buggies, and sand sliding.

Itinerary

🤗 One-day Tour: Enter from the South Gate in the morning, take photos at the Yellow River viewing platform, experience the Yellow River zipline and sheepskin raft rafting, have lunch at "Yellow River Canteen" near the South Exit. In the afternoon, take the sightseeing bus to the North Area to enjoy desert dune buggies, camel riding, and sand sliding, and watch the sunset from the highest viewing platform in the North Area.

😇 Two-day Tour: Spend the first day exploring the desert area in depth, stay overnight at the Desert Star Hotel, attend a stargazing lecture, and watch the desert Milky Way. The next morning, experience activities in the Yellow River area, then return or head to Route 66 for a check-in.

Accommodation Recommendations

🤓 Desert Star Hotel: Great experience but expensive, advance booking required.

😊 Zhongwei No.7 Starry Sky Tent Hotel: Suitable for families or friends traveling together, moderately priced.

🤠 City Hotels: Such as All Seasons, Starway, etc., priced 200-400 RMB/night, with abundant food options around the Drum Tower business district and convenient transportation.

Food Recommendations

🥓 Hand-pulled Lamb: Mushan Hand-pulled and Yilan Sheng’s Xiangshan grass-fed lamb is tender and free of gamey taste.

🍚 Sauerkraut Lamb Sticky Rice: Impression Zhongwei’s sticky rice is soft and glutinous, with bright and fragrant mutton sauce.

🍜 Fried Latiao Noodles: The fried latiao noodles at Zhongwei Mall Night Market have thick soup and chewy noodles.