Day0 Inner Mongolia Trip — Departure!
Preface
During this year’s National Day holiday, a friend and I arrived in Hailar.
I started from Beijing, taking train K1301, which took about 28 hours.
The route passed through Hebei, Liaoning, Jilin, Heilongjiang, offering many different sceneries. The train attendant was very interesting; I liked calling her “Auntie,” and she was especially enthusiastic.
Night
After checking into the hotel, we went out for a small hot pot; there was indeed a lot of meat. On the way back we took a stroll and saw the scenery below:
Day1 Inner Mongolia Trip — Hulunbuir Grassland Special
Travel
The hotel we stayed at was in Hailar city, about 25 km from the Hulunbuir attractions. On the way from Hailar railway station to the hotel we actually asked a taxi driver; he told us there are only two ways to get to the Hulunbuir grassland — rent a car and drive yourself, or join a group tour. Taking a taxi is too expensive (a foreshadowing here).
I still feel surprised that there is no public bus between the city and the attractions
I’m not very confident driving, and group tours don’t feel very free. Moreover, we had already booked the hotel before arriving and didn’t want to change the itinerary, so I felt we might not be able to go.
The turning point happened on the second morning after we arrived in Hailar.
We went to a locally famous breakfast shop that was quite crowded, and we shared a table with two guys from Guangxi. While waiting for the food, one of them asked where we planned to go. We originally intended to go to Hailar National Forest Park, and the Guangxi guys said they were heading to the grassland. When I asked how they were getting there, they told me they had rented a car and would drive themselves.
At that moment we got interested. I asked if we could hitch a ride and split the fuel cost. To our surprise, the guy gladly agreed, but he could only take us part of the way because he had another destination.
I was still a bit hesitant, thinking it might be a “go without return” situation, but I thought if we didn’t go now we might never get another chance, so my other companion and I decided to go and worry about the return later!
Thus we started our Hulunbuir adventure.
Journey
We followed the navigation the whole way (there was probably only one road, about half an hour to the visitor center). The picture below is likely the local thermal power plant; along the way you can also see open‑pit coal mines and various semi‑trailer trucks, indicating rich mineral resources.
Entering the Grassland
After arriving at the visitor center, we needed to transfer using the official shuttle bus that runs between the attractions. The shuttle costs 40 yuan per person, and there doesn’t seem to be a student discount.
The bus is very organized; everyone has a seat, and departures are frequent—usually a bus arrives within five minutes.
Spot Recommendations
Following the bus, there are many small attractions along the way, but we only visited the first station and the last one. In the middle there are other options like horseback riding or paragliding, but we weren’t interested.
Of course, if you get off the bus midway, you can wait for the next one (as long as the bus isn’t full).
Morigele River
This stop is actually the final station. Because my friend fell asleep, we arrived at the end first. Morigele River is the main viewing spot here.
You can climb directly to the viewing platform.
We entered from the right‑hand entrance and will exit through the left passage (just follow the flow of people).
Walking along, the right side is a large meadow.
After climbing up you can see the Morigele River, winding like an intestine—reminds me of a high‑school geography exam question.
I’m not sure if the next photo was taken at the top, but the scenery looks similar.
It can be quite windy up there; I recommend wearing more layers—a good windbreaker works well.
Hehe, my friend Nikon took this for me; it looks pretty good.
If you look closely you’ll notice the grass on the two sides is different—one side is taller, the other shorter. Especially in autumn when the grass turns yellow, it’s quite beautiful.
The left side of the picture below is the road we came up, and the right side is the way back. Below is a transfer station, also the terminus for the Hulunbuir grassland shuttle.
On the Bus
The ride was bumpy and the road was narrow.
During the ride I captured a photo I love extremely. The camera’s LCD showed a fantastic result, but when I previewed it on the computer the focus was off, which frustrated me for a long time. The composition and lighting are still beautiful.
If you get the chance, I still recommend looking out the window—it’s very interesting, especially seeing the endless grassland. For a kid like me who grew up in a small hilly town in the south, it was truly shocking.
Station No. 1
If Morigele River can only be seen from afar, Station No. 1 lets you truly experience the grassland.
After getting off, the station itself is just a small shop. The real highlight is across the building: herders have cut a gap in the fence; for 20 yuan each you can enter, where there are a couple of small lambs and some haystacks for tourists to photograph.
The central part of the picture below is Station No. 1; the crowd of people are those paying the fee to pet the lambs and take photos.
Once inside, it felt exactly like how I imagined a grassland should be—extremely free.
Return Trip
As mentioned earlier, independent travelers can only join a local group or rent a car. The Guangxi guys had a different destination, so they left halfway, and we had to figure out a way back ourselves.
We planned to head back to the city around three to almost four o’clock.
Later we got lucky; we found a return car on Gaode (Amap). The driver told us he was just delivering a group of youngsters from the city.
I have to say the people from Inner Mongolia are truly hospitable. Throughout the ride we kept asking the driver for good food recommendations, and he kept suggesting places and things to do.
As for the price, the driver used the meter (a legitimate taxi on Gaode). The distance from the attraction to the city is about 25 km, costing exactly 80 yuan. Normally this stretch of the national road charges a toll; because I hadn’t taken such a long ride before, the price is just for reference.
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. Speaking of food, remember to bring some basic medicine like montmorillonite powder; the food here is extremely oily. On the first day I had a small hot pot, and on the second day I got an upset stomach.
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