Inner Mongolia Travelogue (Xilamuren Grassland, Wuliangsuhai Lake, Xiangshawan Sand Dune)

Hello everyone, I am writing this article mainly for those who are not self-driving tourists. What I share is just my personal opinion.

I set off from Hohhot. Our first stop was Xilamuren Grassland. We departed from Hohhot Long-Distance Bus Station and bought tickets to Zhaohe (召河) for 21 yuan. Once there, we arrived at Xilamuren Grassland. Perhaps we didn't go deep into the area; we only stayed at the edge, so we didn't find it particularly impressive. Nearby were privately-run yurts. The rooms weren't very expensive, but the food was relatively costly. If you don't plan to spend a lot, I recommend bringing your own food—just my personal suggestion. Traveling to Xilamuren without a car is quite uncomfortable; there were no vehicles there (maybe we didn't know if there was a bus). We got a ride from kind-hearted people back to Baotou.

Our second stop was Wuliangsuhai Lake, a wetland park. We took a train from Baotou Station to Urad Front Banner (乌拉特前旗) for a very cheap fare of 16.5 yuan. It was more like a county there. From the train station to Wuliangsuhai Lake, there should be a bus for 5 yuan, but we didn't take it. We started from the local Orange Hotel and took a taxi to Wuliangsuhai Lake for 40 yuan. Inside, there was an exhibition hall and then boat rides with varying ticket prices, including self-driving boats. When leaving, there was a bus back to Urad Front Banner Station for 5 yuan. Then we returned to Baotou.

Our third stop was Xiangshawan Sand Dune. For non-self-driving tourists, I recommend joining a tour group. The tour group isn't very expensive, but the main cost is Xiangshawan's ticket price. For students, you can buy a ticket for Xianxian Island (仙沙岛) at 280 yuan, or add Yuexian Island (悦沙岛) for 360 yuan. Xianxian Island is recommended for boys, Yuexian Island for girls. Of course, if you don't join a group from Baotou to Xiangshawan, you can take a train from Baotou Station to Dalate Banner (达拉特旗) for 11 yuan, and then from the station—though I'm not sure if there's a bus—a taxi should cost around 60 yuan.

I hope you can enjoy your trip. I wrote this mainly to provide you with some reference so you won't take many detours. Just for reference, thank you.