Summer Travel - Inner Mongolia

Inner Mongolia is a large region stretched across the northern edge of China. It consists of wide grasslands and arid deserts . Every corner has a story carved in history of the Mongol empire established by Gengis Khan. It was a once in a lifetime experience for us. 

We booked our trip with China Discovery who planned our itinerary. 

Our tour guide picked us up from Hohhot train station and we drove to the Xilarumen Grasslands 3 hours away to visit a local farm to have a Barbeque lunch. We cooked our own meals and also got to try the local tea made with milk, salt and butter. 

It started to rain on our arrival and was quite chilly to experience any outdoor activities so after lunch we headed to Hongeer Aobao. This is the largest Aobao - a Rock pile site for worshipping and sacrifice. There we were treated to the Legend of Monan show featuring some music, dance and horse racing.

After the show we headed to check in for our overnight stay at the Poetic Prarie Resort. Here the rooms are all individual Yurts with modern facilities including attached toilets and electricity. We got to witness the beautiful golden hour during sunset.

Our dinner was a traditional Mongolian style buffet and we even raised toasts the local style. Due to the sky being overshadowed with dark clouds and mild showers on and off we couldn't have a bon fire but enjoyed a display of fireworks that lit up the cloudy, yet starry sky.

After retiring for the night, we woke up early next day to watch the sunrise. The clouds had all cleared and it was a bright sunny day ahead of us.

After a very simple breakfast, a few of us headed to the farm nearby for some horse riding lessons and a walk around the open grasslands.

Later, we headed to the Resonant Sand Bay Resort for a full day of fun and frolic and the Desert experience. From Camel rides to ATV desert safaris, from Roller coaster rides to Zip lining, we had a fun but tiring day.

We returned to Hohhot city by late evening and our stay for the night was at Holiday Inn down town. 

Some of us were too tired and retired for the night , while the more energetic ones headed out for Barbeque dinner.

Our third and last day was spent in the city at DaZhao temple. A beautiful Buddhist Monastery, one of the oldest and largest temples in the city. We had lunch at a nearby restaurant before checking out to return to Beijing.

It was a trip to remember and having good friends for company made it even more memorable.

Tips:

We went with a private tour who took care of all the bookings, tickets and transport.

Bullet train from Beijing to Hohhot is about 3 hours.

Food is a bit difficult to adjust to in the outskirts , so it may be better to carry some on your own.

Weather is unpredictable, can be really hot in the day and cold in the evening. Better to be prepared with a light jacket and an umbrella.