Heilongjiang 6-Day 5-Night Travel Guide

Dates: August 7-12, 2022

Duration: 6 days, 5 nights

Cities: Harbin-Yichun-Wudalianchi-Harbin

Have you ever seen summer in Heilongjiang? Romantic exotic charm, extremely comfortable and cool! In August of summer vacation, a 6-day 5-night free trip to Harbin, Yichun, and Wudalianchi! If you are deterred by the sultry heat of the south in midsummer, come to the cool and charming Heilongjiang!

D-1: Qingdao-Harbin

Sunday evening flight, arrived at the cool Harbin Taiping International Airport in 1 hour and 45 minutes! Harbin after the start of autumn is so comfortable! Blowing cool breeze, listening to the chirping of crickets on the streets... Ahh, really feels like being in deep autumn Europe!

Check in at Harbin's internet-famous hotel - Modern Hotel! Built in 1906, the Modern Hotel is located on Central Street, Daoli District, Harbin City, Heilongjiang Province. 'Modern' in Russian means modern and stylish.

Stepping inside the building, you'll also marvel at its magnificence.

The Modern Hotel has weathered a hundred years of storms, its interior and exterior well-preserved. Just as its name implies, in the early 20th century it was one of the most modern and luxurious hotels, and is a masterpiece of early hotel architecture in Harbin.

The hotel itself is like a small museum.

Surprisingly, breakfast includes Harbin red sausage and pine nut pork belly! The fried dough sticks are especially delicious!

D-2: Harbin

Early morning departure to Harbin Polarland. This is a polar-themed park with the largest variety of polar and marine animals in China. Nearly 10,000 rare polar and marine animals from about 100 species, including beluga whales, polar bears, dolphins, penguins, sea lions, walruses, seals, arctic wolves, and arctic foxes, gather here. Also, nearly 100 species and over 1,000 terrestrial rare animals are housed. There are also many fantastic internet-famous spots and food gathering places. Experience the ultimate thrill of feeding polar bears, seals, dolphins and other animals up close.

Afternoon visit to the Tiger Park! The Siberian Tiger Park is a unique scenic spot in Harbin and the world's largest base for artificially breeding and raising Siberian tigers. It has more than 200 purebred Siberian tigers of various ages. The park has strong natural features and a good foundation for ecological tourism. The air quality is excellent, filled with the fragrance of soil and wild grass, allowing you to fully enjoy integration with nature—an ideal place for tourism, leisure, and vacation. View tigers by car, follow their tracks, feed them, and appreciate the majesty of Siberian tigers.

Evening to Sun Island Scenic Area! The 20th China·Harbin International Beer Festival grandly opens here! Raise your glass on Sun Island, intoxicated in the ice city summer capital! Big names gather, stunningly arriving! In this cool autumn, drink to your heart's content for a whole month. Various beers and foods are available! Have you arranged your autumn beer, small barbecue, red sausage, and pine nut pork belly yet?

D-3: Harbin-Yichun

Drive to Yichun. Yichun is really so comfortable!

First meal in Yichun at noon: at Beiheyan Restaurant, liugen fish, stewed pork ribs with potatoes and oil beans, roast chicken... too many delicious things—all taste of hometown!

After lunch, drive to Jinshan Deer Park in Jinlin District, Yichun City. Surrounded by mountains, green trees, and fragrant grass, hundreds of sika deer and red deer thrive, presenting a misty forest scene more beautiful than Nara, very charming! Walking on the wooden plank road through mossy, intertwined trees, you can feel the distant stream and pavilion full of natural spirit, making you very comfortable. Watching the deer eat green grass under the green mountains and drink from the stream, your heart softens. Amidst the green mountains and clear waters, it feels like being in a serene oil painting—a beautiful picture of harmony between humans, animals, and nature.

Evening return to Yichun city center. Ate too much again tonight! Tired of seafood, we must try mountain delicacies! Highly recommend this restaurant rated as 'Heilongjiang Famous Banquet' and top brand of mountain delicacies: Yichun Flavor! The Twelve Mountain Treasures are superb. How can you go to the Northeast without eating kill-pig dish? Steamed island fish is incredibly tender. Many kinds of fungi nourish the body, like the Forest Stewed Buddha Jumps Over the Wall. And a new style of Guo Bao Rou: Guo Bao Mushroom, ever tried it? San Hu Yi Men, Qianlong Four Treasures, Glazed Eggplant Box... This trip I might gain ten pounds.

D-4: Yichun-Wudalianchi

Yichun is too cold in the morning and evening! Need to wear a jacket. Drink a bowl of hot millet porridge for breakfast.

Wuying National Forest Park has the best-preserved Korean pine primary forest among Yichun's forest areas! See hundred-year-old Korean pines, visit the 'Shaochi' forest train, cross the Pine Fragrance Bridge to view an 800-year-old tree, climb the Wave-Viewing Tower, go to the Forest Bath, Tianci Lake, Heixialing... Stroll on the bird-song-filled forest paths, breathe deeply of negative oxygen ions.

After lunch, go to Shangganling Xishui National Forest Park, located in northeastern Yichun City, in the middle section of the Lesser Khingan Range, in the Tangwang River basin. Vegetation type is primary coniferous-broadleaf mixed forest—a paradise integrating forest, wetland, and streams. Zuodie Valley and Deer Park are really good places to relax! Though a niche attraction, it is the backyard of the forest capital Yichun and a holy place for health and summer escape.

Drive 5 hours to reach Wudalianchi Scenic Area, check in at Wudalianchi Wanhao Mingyuan Business Hotel.

You must eat fish in Wudalianchi Scenic Area! At Fumen Restaurant, the silver carp is eaten three ways: chopped pepper, fried, and sweet and sour. Braised tender chicken, rich-looking tofu to whet appetite, big harvest oil beans must be eaten more! Traditional dried tofu with green pepper, shredded pork with daylily... Also Wudalianchi's special carbonated mineral water Xianchi.

D-5: Wudalianchi

Early morning drizzle, temperature 16°C, really cold wearing short sleeves.

The most unique landscape of Wudalianchi is the Stone Sea! Located on the northeast side of Laoheishan, it is a rare volcanic lava wonder. Like an endless ocean, majestic with wave-like peaks! The 'Stone Sea' stretches in a belt southward for 17 kilometers, like a 'stone dragon'. This wonder of Laoheishan is not only unique in China but also rare in the world. Scientists liken Wudalianchi to an 'open volcano textbook'; then the Stone Sea is the most brilliant page.

Laoheishan in Wudalianchi Scenic Area is towering with lush vegetation, relative height difference 166 meters. Surface covered by dark brown rocks, southwest slope steep, north slope gentle, growing birch, poplar, oak, etc. Representative tree species: volcanic poplar, very famous in Wudalianchi, scientific name Populus davidiana, tree age 80-100 years. Difficult environment makes it tenacious; to survive, it minimizes body size to reduce water evaporation, while roots are extremely developed, searching every life source in the rocks.

Laoheishan is a typical volcano of the Wudalianchi volcanic group! It is the highest among the 14 volcanoes. High altitude 515.9 meters, mountain mostly composed of black pumice, hence called 'Laoheishan' (Old Black Mountain). Summit has a funnel-shaped crater, about 350 meters in diameter, about 140 meters deep, with steep inner walls, a grim scene.

Boats pass through scenery, people travel in paintings! 'Wenpo' is a pearl on the beautiful Shilong River bank, a miniature volcanic wonder. Total length over 1200 meters, average depth 0.8 meters, deepest about 2 meters. Wenpo in the rain is still beautiful! Bibo, Libo, and Jingpo dot the area, green plants and small red-white flowers blooming among black lava, adding softness to hardness, giving Wenpo more poetic and romantic charm.

Wenpo consists of three small lakes each with different scenery. Amid a large area of rugged lava rocks, some clear mirror-like lakes and streams scatter miraculously—a delicate and graceful scene in wild ruggedness, like meeting Jiangnan water town in the Gobi desert. You will be shocked by the magical creation of nature! The diverse volcanic lava landforms form an astonishingly beautiful picture! Amazingly, Wenpo never freezes all year; in the coldest 'Sanjiu' days, water temperature is about 14°C.

Wenpo has three lakes (Libi, Bibo, Jingpo), each with its own characteristics! The water surfaces are very clear and calm, with no fish or aquatic life visible, nor obvious water flow. Moss of various colors underwater looks like beautiful coral, mixed with semi-floating algae, colorful yet dynamic. From different angles on the boardwalk, you can see illusory mountains and rocks hidden in the calm water; colors vary in different seasons and at different times.

World-famous North Drinking Spring, water naturally carbonated and only a few hours' shelf life! Water temperature about 5°C, taste with a rusty flavor! After a few hours, water oxidizes and becomes cloudy, undrinkable, and cannot be boiled! Rich in iron ions, other cations, anions, carbon dioxide, and minor radioactive elements—a low-temperature medicinal bicarbonate mineral water. Streams of people come daily with thermoses to fetch water. This scenic area combines lava platforms, wetland views, and the Yaoquan Lake water area.

Dinner at Wang Maolu Tofu, a special local product of Wudalianchi! The oldest and most popular internet-famous restaurant in the area—every tourist visiting Wudalianchi puts tasting the mineral tofu at Wang Maolu on their check-in list. During peak season, Wang Maolu Tofu Feast is always full. General Manager Wang Rongsheng personally cooks and creates innovative dishes; his tofu is white, tender, meaty, and delicious! Tofu yogurt, tofu ice cream, hamburger tofu, tai chi tofu, fake bear paw, etc.—these delicacies satisfy tourists! Taste the original mineral tofu dish at Wang Maolu.

D-6: Wudalianchi-Harbin-Qingdao

The most beautiful is smoke; what we can't get enough of is the mortal world! Years are long, people are vast; don't look back, don't settle... Next stop: Harbin.

Arrive at Harbin at noon. The weather in the northeast is cold, so it must be iron pot stew! Iron pot stewed grass carp, iron pot stewed pork ribs with potatoes and beans! Then drink a bowl of hot coarse grain porridge, a draught of iced kvass... Perfect! Harbin Shanhetun, an innovative brand of northeast iron pot stew! Blending the feelings of village courtyard, inheriting black soil culture! Gatherings have warmth, hosting makes face! Let the Northeast characteristic flavor be more 'substantial'.

After eating and drinking, the Heilongjiang trip ends perfectly! Return to warm home...