Travel Notes of Ordos, Yan'an, Wave Valley, Yucha, Hukou, Taiyuan in Summer 2020

In July 2020, after the epidemic had largely subsided across the country, and after consulting the requirements of hotels in various places for Beijing residents, we started a 7-day, 6-night self-driving trip. This simple travel note is for reference for self-driving travelers.

Main itinerary and attractions: Beijing—Ordos—Hongjiannao—Wave Valley—Yan'an—Yucha Grand Canyon—Yan'an—Hukou Waterfall—Linfen—Wang Family Compound—Jinci Temple—Taiyuan—Beijing, totaling 2,450 km, consuming 185 liters of fuel.

This route could also include the Xiangshawan Desert scenic spot more than 100 km north of Ordos, but since we had sandboarding in Dubai, we skipped Xiangshawan.

Accommodation: Ordos (one night), Yan'an (two nights), Linfen (one night), Taiyuan (two nights). Originally planned to stay one night in Yulin to visit Hongshixia and Zhenbeiguan, but cancelled because local hotels required nucleic acid test certificates for Beijing residents.

Expenses: 4,500 yuan for two people. Including gasoline 1,100 yuan, toll 720 yuan, and scenic spot tickets (Shanxi attractions exempted the first gate ticket and no reservation needed), accommodation, meals, etc.

D1: Beijing, Ordos.

Departed at 5:00 from the West Fourth Ring Road, very few cars on the road, quickly entered the Jingzang Expressway, and left Beijing within an hour.

Two hours and 164 km into the journey, entered Xuanhua Service Area, which was very clean with touchless hand sanitizer devices; left at 7:30. 9:23–9:36 at Huairen Service Area (362 km). At 390 km entered G18 Rongwu Expressway. At 566 km, Liuqingliang Service Area, 11:40–12:27, lunch, buffet at 35 yuan per person, impressed by large chunks of meat, others average. At 676 km wanted to refuel at Baofu Service Area, but it was closed. Finally refueled after entering Kangbashi District, Ordos, at 713 km. Checked into hotel at 14:30.

After a short rest, went to Ulan Living Buddha Monastery, also called Inner Mongolia Buddhist Culture Museum, free visit. The magnificent golden architecture and thangkas were impressive and breathtaking! Inside there was a huge studying palace for the Ulan Living Buddha, showing his importance.

Back to the city, Ulan Mul Lake Square had many facilities but few people, many Mongolian yurt restaurants were closed.

Also visited Chess Square, Genghis Khan Square, and the adjacent Twin Horses Square, then saw the Grand Theater, Museum, and the unique library shaped like several books placed diagonally. The squares were well-maintained with beautiful flowers.

Ordos is at an altitude of 1,500 meters, cool and pleasant, comfortable wearing long sleeves. Overall, the city has extremely wide roads, huge buildings, many residential towers, but few people, and free parking. It shows that the crackdown on private coal mines several years ago had some impact on the city's economy and development.

A snack street was about 100–200 meters from the hotel, crowded at dinner time, parking hard to find. Across the street we had the best braised noodles with lentils I've ever eaten: handmade noodles with lentils, potatoes, lean meat, plus cold dishes, only 68 yuan for a large pot, so delicious! We ate half and packed the rest to avoid waste.

D2: Ordos, Hongjiannao, Wave Valley, Yan'an.

Departed at 8:20 (731 km). Arrived at Genghis Khan Mausoleum Tourism Area at 9:00, not yet open. A few kilometers later reached the actual mausoleum, paid 10 yuan for parking, viewed the complex and gate from outside, and felt no need to enter, especially since the ticket included an equestrian performance we had no time to watch, so we skipped.

Then drove along the lakeside road and arrived at Hongjiannao at 10:30 (820 km). This scenic spot was too ordinary, with extensive construction underway, including importing sand from elsewhere to create an artificial beach. The only memorable thing was the very tall statue of Wang Zhaojun leaving the frontier, facing the main gate. Impressive. Parking 15 yuan, ticket 30 yuan per person.

Left at 11:50 for Wave Valley in Longzhou Township, Jingbian County. Got off the expressway at 13:20 to Yulin City, had lunch at a pancake shop near the municipal government; the pancakes and fried mushrooms were delicious and very cheap. Yulin is a prefecture-level city, but its appearance was ordinary, with old urban areas, not as good as Jingbian. Based on the need for nucleic acid test for accommodation, the local government seemed overly cautious. Returned to expressway at 14:00 (934 km). Arrived near Wave Valley at 14:50.

Zone 1 and Zone 2 of Wave Valley were under construction, rebuilding boardwalks, closed to visitors. Zones 3, 4, and 5 were free with no management, but many people at the entrance soliciting as guides. Under the guidance of a guide (a village woman from Longyi Village), we entered Zones 3 and 4. The Danxia landform and rock layers were stunning! Zone 3 had broken railings, allowing visitors to walk freely, and some rock layers were peeling due to trampling, causing damage—unfortunate. Nature's heritage must be well protected!

Around 6:00, we walked a long way to Zone 1, still under construction. The visual impact was even more striking. Although it was too late and we were too tired to go down to the bottom to see the "One Line Sky" canyon, we had no regrets—it was a worthwhile trip. By the way, our guide was decent, taking us to all the places we wanted at a reasonable fee.

Afraid of poor conditions in farmhouses, T insisted on staying at a star-rated hotel in Yan'an. After sending the guide home, we left Longyi Village at 19:30, drove through rugged mountain roads and ten-plus kilometers of national road before dark, entered the expressway at 20:15 (1115 km), and arrived at Yan'an hotel at 22:00. Night driving on expressway has poor visibility, so it should be avoided.

D3: Yan'an, Yucha Grand Canyon.

After breakfast, we tried to walk to Pagoda Hill, but got lost. Tried to go to Qingliang Hill but found it too high (many steps). Wanted to visit the News Museum but were refused entry because we weren't wearing masks! Precious time wasted on the road!

Departed at 10:30 for Yucha Grand Canyon, arrived at 12:00. The scenic area was free, but a scenic bus was required, costing 70 yuan per person, no discounts. The bus took about half an hour to reach the first spot, Peony Gully. This period's light angle was best for photos inside the canyon; finished at 13:25. Then took bus to second spot, Birch Gully. Here the cracks, textures, and light inside the mountain were perfect for great photos. Sunlight illuminated the interior, making the rocks colorful and breathtaking. Standing in one spot, you could take dozens of great photos as every step revealed a different view. (See photos) Comparable to Antelope Canyon in the USA. Inside the canyon was cool and pleasant. Exited at 2:30, waited half an hour for the scenic bus! Left the scenic area at 3:30.

At 4:50 visited the former site of Yangjialing for pilgrimage.

Departed at 6:00 for the restaurant "Four Seasons with Salt and Flavor", very popular, had to queue. Date paste soup was good, steamed pork with rice flour was nice. Rained after dinner, returned to hotel at about 8:00 (1397 km).

D4: Yan'an, Hukou Waterfall, Linfen.

Departed at 8:00, walked 15 minutes to the foot of Pagoda Hill. The pagoda was originally built in the Tang Dynasty, called Lingshan Temple Pagoda. From the top, overlooking Yan'an urban area, it looked like a modern city. Came down and walked to the News Museum at the foot of Qingliang Hill.

During these two days in northern Shaanxi, we basically saw no bare loess plateaus; instead, green mountains and clear waters were everywhere. Whether on plateaus or in ravines, afforestation has taken shape.

At 10:20, under the pedestrian bridge opposite Qingliang Hill, we had brunch: knife-cut noodles, lotus root and mushroom noodles plus cold vegetable platter—affordable and tasty! Bought two bags of dog-head dates on the street, then filled up gas in the city, and drove along Yanhu Road to Hukou.

The Hukou scenic spot on the Shaanxi side is in Yichuan. Its ticket office location is very peculiar—set 6–7 km past the waterfall viewing point. After several detours, we finally found it at 3:30 (1539 km), then took a scenic bus back to the waterfall, costing 40 yuan for the bus, and 90 yuan per person for the ticket (including a 45-minute performance). We had seen Hukou Waterfall many times on TV, but being there was even more shocking! It is said that the Shaanxi side offers a more delicate view, while the Shanxi side (Jixian) is more spectacular, and Shanxi side offers free admission until the end of this year.

Departed at 18:00 for Linfen, checked into hotel at 20:40 (1660 km).

D5: Linfen, Taiyuan.

Had breakfast at the hotel, left at 9:15, arrived at Wang Family Compound at 10:55 (1778 km). Parked and rented an audio guide for the visit. The compound was vast with exquisite architecture, but a considerable part was in disrepair. The Wang family prospered during the Shunzhi and Yongzheng periods of the Qing Dynasty, and their decline began around 1840 with the First Opium War.

Departed at 13:30 for Jinci Temple, continuing on the Beijing-Kunming Expressway. Arrived at Jinci Park parking lot at 14:50 (1902 km) (parking 10 yuan), guide 60 yuan. The Song Dynasty main hall (oldest surviving), the ancient cypress tree from the Zhou Dynasty, and the "three treasures and three wonders" are worth seeing. In recent years, Jinci Park was built around the temple, suitable for locals' leisure, but out-of-town visitors generally have no time to linger.

Departed at 17:15 for Taiyuan, arrived at hotel at 17:40 (1921 km).

Left hotel at 7:30, had breakfast near the neighborhood, then went to Mengshan Park to pay homage to the Mengshan Giant Buddha. Free admission, parking 10 yuan. The Buddha is 63 meters tall (8 meters shorter than Leshan Giant Buddha, but 162 years older). The statue showed some weathering, and the head was newly carved in modern times. The scenic area management was very good, with many cleaning workers visible, far more than other spots. Took the sightseeing car downhill at 6 yuan per person.

Exited at 10:40. Back in the city, visited the Coal Museum. Had lunch at Sanjin Restaurant; fried sliced pork (guoyou rou) was authentic and delicious. In the afternoon, visited the Folk Museum, also called the Confucian Temple. During the epidemic, only the Dacheng Hall was open, displaying exhibits related to Confucius. Unfortunately, we didn't get to see the folk customs and physical exhibits of Shanxi.

Walked to the bustling Tongluowan and Liuxiang streets. At the exit of the pedestrian street, there was a pastry shop; bought peach crisps and wife cakes, tasty and inexpensive.

D7: Taiyuan, Beijing.

Checked out at 8:50, sought out two Zhao Laoqi knife-cut noodle shops by reputation, but either they were closed or didn't serve breakfast. Finally had a hearty meal at a roujiamo (Chinese hamburger) shop next to Zhao Laoqi's at Wuyi Square: roujiamo and egg jiamo, crispy bread, delicious.

Departed around 10:00, via Erguang Expressway to Beijing-Kunming Expressway. At 11:30 arrived at Yangqu Service Area (2030 km), refueled 15 liters. At Zhengding Service Area, added 30 liters of ethanol gasoline. 15:00–15:24 at Xushui Service Area (2325 km). Before the Beijing entry checkpoint, traffic jam about 2 km; left checkpoint at 16:34; at 16:38 torrential downpour, luckily the road we took had no deep water; by 16:50 it turned to light rain. Arrived home at 17:50, journey ended successfully!

Note: Photos are not filtered.