Autumn Fairy Tale – Ejina Self-Drive Trip During the 2021 National Day Holiday

📍 Auckland · 👁 8029 reads · ❤️ 33 likes

Mode of travel: A family of three on a parent-child self-drive trip.

Total mileage: 3,700 km

Itinerary: 7 days round trip, Baoding – Hohhot – Bayannur – Ejina – Baotou – Baoding

Hotel booking: Ctrip APP

Ejina Poplar Forest: a three-thousand-year wait, just for your arrival. This holiday, our family of three decided to go meet it.

After finishing work in the afternoon, we loaded the luggage into the car, picked up our son from school, and set off at 18:00 sharp. Happy and unhurried, we had dinner at a service area, and arrived in Hohhot at 12:30 AM. Without a reservation, we checked into the Lavande Hotel, took a shower, and rested comfortably.

Woke up in the morning, and first had to feed our stomachs. Deshun Yuan is an authentic Inner Mongolian shaomai restaurant. During breakfast time, there was a drum performance at the entrance, and the place was bustling with life. We ordered a double combination lamb offal pot and two baskets of shaomai, about 200 yuan. When the lamb offal pot arrived, little Dangdang said it smelled so good and leaned in to smell it – so cute!

We shared a table with locals from Hohhot. They were very warm and introduced us to the local specialties and attractions, chatting about their daily lives. They said the shaomai here was authentic, but the lamb offal wasn't the most authentic because it had potato strips added, but I really liked the flavor. I also learned that they call the baked flatbread we have back home "beizi".

After breakfast, we walked five minutes to Dazhao Temple Square. Opposite Dazhao Temple is Saishang Old Street. The weather was very clear, making for a pleasant stroll, but it didn't require much time.

Around 11:00, we continued on to the next destination – Ulansuhai Lake.

Ulansuhai Lake is located in Urad Front Banner, Bayannur City. It is one of China's eight largest freshwater lakes, known as the pearl beyond the Great Wall. It's not an A-level scenic spot, but there are many seagulls and various birds, and plenty of water activities: jet skis, speedboats, parasailing, sailboats, electric boats, wooden boats... You can buy activity tickets together with the entrance ticket, or purchase separately at each activity entrance. We experienced the thrilling self-drive speedboat (with a safety escort) and self-drive electric boat to feed the seagulls – great fun!

As the sun set, we took the scenic area's little train back to the parking lot, then drove two hours to downtown Bayannur for dinner. We went to Twelve Yurts restaurant. Since many self-driving cars to Ejina stop over in Bayannur, the place was very busy; we waited over an hour for a table, and several dishes we wanted were sold out. We ended up ordering yellow sauce beef brisket (super delicious), blood sausage and meat sausage combo (not to my taste), lamb offal fried rice (very fragrant), and fried millet with milk skin (sweet and fragrant). Tomatoes are a local specialty, and the tomato juice sold at convenience stores was very pure.

The hotel was the Bayannur Hotel, booked on Ctrip, located opposite the Bayannur municipal government. It's a garden-style reception hotel, with nice environment and decor, but not expensive, and very comfortable.

Woke up naturally, full of energy, and headed for Ejina. Bayannur is over 600 km from Ejina, the entire highway crossing vast deserts and gobi, with pure sky everywhere – no wonder it's called "Alxa, like the sky". The road was desolate, with only camel herds and sheep flocks raised by herders on both sides.

On this highway, service areas are far apart, usually over 100 km. So many people eat at the midway stops. During the Poplar Festival, there are many self-driving cars from all over the country. The long distances, few service areas, and strong winds that consume more fuel mean that refueling can also take a long time.

Arrived at our destination – Desert Poplar Self-Drive Campground around 4 PM. The campground is located just outside the entrance of the Desert Poplar Forest Scenic Area, a 5-minute drive from downtown Ejina. The campground has RV spots, tent area, shell house area, and small log cabin area. The tent area has single tents, double tents, Moroccan tents, and inflatable tents. We wanted to experience desert camping with our child, so we booked a Moroccan luxury tent in the tent area. Our car could park near the tent, very convenient. During the Poplar Festival, it costs 800 yuan per night. After lights out, you can see the starry sky and the vast Milky Way – very atmospheric. The Moroccan tent is spacious, equipped with electric heating and electric blankets. There are night patrols, and they respond to requests. Service is great. In the morning, they came to the tent to see us off – very heartwarming.

After setting up the tent in the afternoon, we went to town for hotpot. Back at the campground, we changed into down jackets and went to the Desert Poplar Light Festival. This is the only scenic area with night views. Night tickets are 80 yuan per person.

The temperature difference between day and night in Ejina is huge. In the morning, we put on down jackets and headed to the Ceke Port Border Gate Scenic Area, a 1.5-hour drive from town. Leaving the city, it was gobi again. Along the way, we encountered sand-blocked sections where the wind and sand made the road nearly invisible, but after passing, the sky was clear blue again – amazing.

Ceke Port is a China-Mongolia border. After parking at the designated lot, you can take an electric cart to the scenic gate (10 yuan one way) or walk for 10 minutes. Enjoy the border scenery, take photos in front of the boundary marker – very meaningful. After the scenic area, we went through the China-Mongolia mutual trade market, where most items are fur and leather. You can bargain. A Pakistani vendor sold exquisite handmade tapestries, a small piece for 2,000 yuan.

Around noon, we returned to downtown Ejina to check in. We stayed at the same hotel for the next two nights for rest. We booked Boyue Hotel on Ctrip, two nights for 1,776 yuan. The hotel was average, rooms spacious, air conditioning strong, cleanliness fine. Most importantly, there was a desk for our son to do homework. During the Poplar Festival, which only lasts about 20 days, you must book a hotel before setting out; otherwise, even at ten times the usual price, rooms are hard to find. The hotel's location is great – all the good restaurants in town are probably on the street below. We had camel ribs for lunch at "Mom's Taste".

Heicheng Ruoshui Guaishulin (Black City, Weak River, and Strange Forest)

This is a 4A-level scenic area. Adult ticket 200 yuan per person. As the name suggests, it mainly consists of Black Water Ancient City, the Ruoshui River scenic belt, the Strange Forest (dead poplar forest), and the ancient Black City ruins.

Black Water Ancient City is a 1:1 replica of the ancient Black City. Inside the city is a commercial street. A shuttle bus (20 minutes) takes you to the actual Black City ruins, which are a national protected heritage site. Only viewable from a distance, but the city standing in the desert is magnificent and weathered – definitely worth seeing!

The Ruoshui River runs through the entire scenic area. Because of this, the poplar leaves here turn yellow later, mostly a mix of yellow and green. Tamarisk trees are interspersed among the poplars, and a few "oil painting forests" are truly beautiful like paintings. At sunset, the Ruoshui River presents the magnificent scene of "the long river setting with the round sun", but unfortunately, the clouds thickened, and we missed it.

The Strange Forest is a large area of dead poplars. As the saying goes, poplars live a thousand years without dying, stand a thousand years after death, and do not decay for a thousand years after falling. So dead poplars take various shapes, desolate and mysterious.

First encounter with Ejina: a glance across three thousand years. Ejina Poplar Forest welcomes its most brilliant twenty days of the year. Every snapshot is a painting. But photos still cannot fully capture its beauty. Due to temperature changes each year, the degree of yellowing and reddening varies. This time, the leaves were two-thirds yellow – some fully golden, some yellow-green, and some red-yellow-green layered – incredibly beautiful! However, the temperature dropped quickly in Ejina those days, and the wind was strong; some trees had already shed leaves. Those planning to come should hurry.

Ejina Poplar Forest is a national 5A-level scenic area. Adult ticket plus shuttle bus is 240 yuan, student half-price plus shuttle is 140 yuan. The scenic area consists from Bridge One to Bridge Eight. After entering, you walk several kilometers to Bridge Two to catch the shuttle bus. The shuttle goes to Bridge Four, where Zhang Yimou's "Hero" was filmed – Hero Forest and Warrior Forest are here. Continue by shuttle to Bridge Seven, then to Bridge Eight. Bridge Eight Sand Sea Kingdom is the northern edge of Badain Jaran Desert, with abundant desert activities: sand sea flight (468 yuan/person), desert off-roading (120 yuan/person), beach motorcycle (100 yuan/person), desert racing (268 yuan/person), camel riding (100 yuan/person). Finally, take the shuttle directly back to the exit.

Strong recommendation: if time allows, spend a whole day here enjoying the beauty and fun. If time is tight, at least 6 hours. We were there from 8:00 to 17:00.

Food in the scenic area is very reasonably priced: large lamb skewers 10 yuan each, naan bread from Xinjiang 10 yuan for two, milk pills, desert fruits, and Hami melon are all cheap.

I have to mention this photo: while enjoying the scenery, suddenly two guys who looked like statues gestured for our child to pose for photos. After we walked far away, he chased up and showed a QR code to pay 20 yuan. I felt instantly tricked. Later we saw many people being chased to scan and pay. This really lowers the scenic area's quality. But it didn't affect my enjoyment, because the scenery was too beautiful.

Continuing to enjoy and take photos!

Bridge Eight Sand Sea Kingdom was simply a paradise for little Dangdang. Desert off-roading – I think it's even more thrilling than a roller coaster. People with high blood pressure or heart issues should not try it. This camel ride was especially meaningful. Our son fell in love with camels – he liked their huge size yet cute expressions, liked the fluff on their humps, liked that they always kneel down for people to ride. He said he never wants to eat camel meat again because camels are too cute!

After enjoying the beauty of poplar forest, experiencing the wildness of the desert – Ejina Poplar Forest is truly a place for both tranquility and excitement.

After playing all day, he fell asleep on the way back from Bridge Eight to the entrance. Tired but happy. But little Dangdang still had to finish homework after dinner – keep going!

Slept well last night, eager to return home. After breakfast at Tongnange in Ejina, we began the return trip. This time we didn't stop in Bayannur; we drove 10 hours directly to Baotou. Arrived at 17:30, had a wonderful hotpot at Little Sheep headquarters, then checked into Baotou Qingshan Hotel Yingbin Building. This was the most cost-effective hotel of the trip. The hotel has a large area with several gardens. We stayed in an executive room – decor steady and elegant, cleanliness reassuring, service superb – 647 yuan per night, including 2 breakfasts; I used Ctrip points to exchange for another. Breakfast had Chinese and Western options, plus Inner Mongolian specialty pot tea and lamb offal. Overall, very filling. If you plan to stop in Baotou, this hotel is a good choice!

Tonight, little Dangdang finished all his holiday homework – awesome!

Woke up naturally today. After a hearty breakfast, we didn't hurry to leave. We spent half a day shopping in the city. Full of energy and full of gains – time to end the trip and go home. Arrived home at 12:30 AM on October 7. The trip ended perfectly!

Summary of this trip:

1. The Poplar Festival attracts self-driving tourists from all over the country. Other than Xinjiang, Tibet, and the three northeastern provinces, I saw cars from every other province.

2. Hotels are not cost-effective, but since it only blooms for 20 days a year, it's acceptable.

3. Food is expensive – lamb ribs and camel ribs are sold starting at 2 or 2.5 jin. We spent about 300-400 yuan per meal.

Ejina has a fairy-tale autumn.

Poplar forest, desert, ancient city – well worth the trip.

Speedboat, desert crossing, camel riding – endless fun!

Travel diary:

1. September 30: Departure

2. October 1: Dazhao Temple, Saishang Old Street, Ulansuhai Lake

3. October 2: Desert Poplar Forest

4. October 3: Ceke Port, Heicheng Ruoshui Guaishulin

5. October 4: Ejina Poplar Forest

6. October 5: Ejina -> Baotou