Inner Mongolia Grasslands

Your English-speaking guide will meet you at Hohhot Baita International Airport (HET) with a private vehicle. Transfer to your hotel (approximately 30 minutes).

Visit the Inner Mongolia Museum, showcasing the region's rich nomadic heritage — from dinosaur fossils discovered in the Gobi Desert to the world's largest collection of Mongolian saddles, bows, and ceremonial garments. Don't miss the stunning gold crown of a Xiongnu chieftain from 2,000 years ago.

In the afternoon, visit Dazhao Temple (also called Ih Juu or "Big Temple"), Hohhot's oldest and largest Tibetan Buddhist monastery, built in 1580. The temple houses a 2.5-meter silver Buddha statue and exquisite murals depicting Mongolian Buddhist traditions. In the evening, enjoy a hearty Mongolian hotpot dinner — lamb slices cooked in a bubbling copper pot with sesame dipping sauce, a specialty that reflects the region's pastoral traditions.

• Private airport transfer
• Inner Mongolia Museum visit (2 hours)
• Dazhao Temple tour
• Welcome Mongolian hotpot dinner included
• Overnight in Hohhot

Drive 2 hours north to the Xilamuren Grassland, a vast expanse of rolling green steppe stretching to the horizon. Upon arrival, receive a traditional Mongolian welcome ceremony — horsemen ride out to greet you with hada (ceremonial silk scarves) and bowls of airag (fermented mare's milk).

Spend the afternoon experiencing nomadic life: horse riding across the open grassland with a Mongolian guide, trying your hand at archery with a traditional composite bow, and visiting a herdsman's home to learn about daily pastoral life. As the sun sets, gather for a bonfire celebration — Mongolian throat singing (khoomei), long song (urtyn duu), and lively dances around the fire. Tonight, sleep in a traditional yurt (ger) — the circular felt tent that has sheltered nomads for millennia. Fall asleep under the Milky Way, far from city lights.

• Private transfer Hohhot → Xilamuren (2 hours)
• Mongolian welcome ceremony
• Horse riding experience (1 hour)
• Archery session
• Bonfire night with traditional music
• Overnight in yurt camp

Rise before dawn for a grassland sunrise — watch as the first golden rays spill across the endless steppe, illuminating distant herds of cattle and horses. The silence is profound, broken only by the wind and distant horse whinnies. After breakfast, visit a herdsman's family to learn about their seasonal migration patterns, dairy production (making milk tea, cheese, and dried curds), and the art of felt-making that keeps yurts warm in -30°C winters.

After lunch, drive 3 hours south to Reshui, a small town famous for its natural hot springs. Relax in mineral-rich thermal pools surrounded by forested hills — the perfect remedy after a day on the steppe. The area is also known for its unique granite rock formations shaped by wind erosion.

• Grassland sunrise viewing
• Herdsmen family visit and dairy workshop
• Private transfer Xilamuren → Reshui (3 hours)
• Hot spring resort experience
• Overnight in Reshui

Drive to the Hexigten Global Geopark, a UNESCO-listed geological wonderland. Visit the Xar Moron Stone Forest — a surreal landscape of granite pillars sculpted by millions of years of wind erosion into shapes resembling warriors, eagles, and castle towers. Unlike the limestone Stone Forest of Yunnan, these formations are granite, and the barren, wind-swept setting feels otherworldly.

Continue to the volcanic crater lake area, where ancient eruption sites have filled with crystal-clear water, creating circular alpine lakes surrounded by volcanic rock. Hike along the rim of the craters for panoramic views across the grassland. The geopark also features "saucer-shaped" stone formations, glacial erratics, and one of the world's best-preserved stonework river channels — a natural geological textbook spread across 1,750 square kilometers.

• Hexigten Global Geopark full-day tour
• Xar Moron Stone Forest visit
• Volcanic crater lake hiking
• Grassland nature walk
• Overnight near Hexigten

Drive to the Wulanbutong Grassland, one of China's most photogenic landscapes and a filming location for numerous Chinese historical dramas and movies. The terrain here is surprisingly diverse — vast grasslands interspersed with birch forests, wetlands, and rolling hills that turn golden in autumn.

Walk through the birch forest with its distinctive white bark and golden leaves (especially stunning in September). Visit the Princess Lake, a serene alpine lake surrounded by forested hills with the grassland stretching beyond. In the evening, celebrate your journey with a Mongolian feast featuring roasted whole lamb (khorhog) — a sheep roasted over an open fire, carved and served with traditional sides of milk tea, buckwheat noodles, and airag. This is Mongolian hospitality at its finest.

• Wulanbutong Grassland tour
• Birch forest walk
• Princess Lake visit
• Mongolian roasted lamb feast
• Overnight in Wulanbutong area

Take a final morning walk on the grassland as the mist rises from the meadows and horses graze in the early light. This is the Mongolian steppe at its most peaceful — a moment to breathe deeply and carry the vastness of the landscape with you.

Drive back to Hohhot (approximately 4–5 hours, depending on route). Your guide will provide a private transfer to Hohhot Baita International Airport (HET) for your departure. Hohhot has direct flights to Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, and Xi'an.

• Morning grassland walk
• Private transfer Wulanbutong → Hohhot (4–5 hours)
• Airport transfer