Inner Mongolia Grasslands Travel Guide | China Tours

Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region stretches across northern China's border zone with approximately 1.183 million square kilometers of territory, making it the third-largest provincial-level division in the country. The region's southern boundary meets Hebei, Shanxi, and Shaanxi provinces, while its northern edge follows the international border with Mongolia and Russia across 4,200 kilometers. The grasslands occupy roughly 788,000 square kilometers of this expanse, representing the easternmost extension of the Eurasian steppe belt that runs uninterrupted to Eastern Europe. The climate divides sharply between the eastern forest-steppe transition zone receiving 350-450 millimeters of annual precipitation and the western arid zone dropping below 200 millimeters, with the Daxing'anling Mountains forming the approximate division line at 120 degrees east longitude.

Hohhot serves as the regional capital with a metropolitan population reaching 3.4 million as of the 2020 census. The city sits at 1,050 meters elevation on the Tumochuan Plain, a fertile agricultural pocket within the broader steppe zone. The Dazhao Temple in Hohhot's old city dates to 1580 during the Altan Khan period and houses a 2.5-meter silver statue of Sakyamuni containing approximately 7,000 pearls and precious stones in its construction. The Five Pagoda Temple built in 1727 stands 16 meters tall with Mongolian astronomical charts carved into its base showing 1,449 stars across the northern celestial hemisphere. The Inner Mongolia Museum opened in 2007 with 64,000 square meters of exhibition space holding dinosaur fossils excavated from Erlian Basin deposits dating 70-90 million years to the Late Cretaceous, including complete Protoceratops and Velociraptor specimens discovered in situ during joint Chinese-Belgian expeditions between 2001 and 2006.

The Xilamuren Grassland lies 90 kilometers north of Hohhot at approximately 1,700 meters elevation in the Daqing Mountains transition zone. The grassland tourism infrastructure began development in 1979 with the first ger camps accommodating foreign tour groups, expanding to current capacity of approximately 3,000 overnight visitors across 47 registered camps as of 2019 data. The grazing season runs from late May through early October when precipitation supports grass growth reaching 40-60 centimeters height in favorable years, though drought cycles in 2000-2001 and 2006-2007 reduced coverage to below 30 percent of normal density. The traditional Mongolian ger uses a lattice wall frame of willow poles called khana extending 4.5-6 meters in diameter for standard family units, with roof poles numbering 81-108 converging at a central ring opening called toono measuring 1.5 meters across. Felt layers totaling 8-12 centimeters thickness provide insulation calculated at R-value 3.5-4.0, maintaining interior temperatures 15-20 degrees Celsius above exterior during winter months when overnight lows reach minus 30 degrees.

Grassland horse breeds include the Wuzhumuqin strain originating in the eastern Xilingol League region, standing 132-142 centimeters at withers with endurance capacity documented at 80-100 kilometers per day across steppe terrain carrying 80-kilogram loads. The Ujumqin breed from northern Xilingol reaches 140-148 centimeters with heavier bone structure adapted to winter grazing conditions. Horse racing forms the central competition during Naadam festivals held across grassland communities between July and September, with distances varying from 5-kilometer sprints for two-year-old horses to 30-kilometer endurance races for mature animals aged six years and above. Wrestling follows Mongolian bokh tradition requiring competitors to wear zodog jackets of reinforced cotton and shuudag leather boots with upturned toes, with no weight classes and matches continuing until one wrestler's elbow, knee, or back touches ground. Archery competitions use traditional Mongolian recurve bows with draw weights of 25-35 kilograms firing arrows at targets positioned 75 meters distant, with scoring zones marked in concentric circles decreasing from 10 points at the 12-centimeter center.

The Gegentala Grassland located 140 kilometers north of Hohhot at 1,600 meters elevation became the first designated grassland tourism zone in 1979 under Siziwang Banner administration. The site hosted the first Inner Mongolia Naadam Tourism Festival in 1991, establishing the annual pattern of coordinated events attracting 50,000-80,000 visitors during peak weeks in late July and early August. Dairy production across Inner Mongolia reached 6.8 million tons in 2020 according to regional statistical bureau data, representing 18 percent of national output. Milk processing occurs primarily through industrial facilities operated by Yili Group headquartered in Hohhot and Mengniu Dairy based in Horinger County, together accounting for approximately 60 percent of regional processing capacity. Traditional dairy products include aaruul dried curds produced by boiling milk, straining whey, and sun-drying pressed curds into hard pieces stored for winter consumption, and airag fermented mare's milk with 2-3 percent alcohol content produced during summer milking season from late May through August when mares produce 4-6 liters daily.

The Hulunbuir Grassland in northeastern Inner Mongolia covers approximately 100,000 square kilometers across Hulunbuir prefecture at elevations ranging 550-1,200 meters. The region receives 300-400 millimeters annual precipitation concentrated in June through August, supporting grass species including Leymus chinensis reaching 70-90 centimeters height and Stipa grandis ranging 50-70 centimeters. The Hulun and Buir lakes that give the region its name cover 2,339 and 609 square kilometers respectively at normal water levels, though severe drought in 2009-2010 reduced Hulun Lake to 1,850 square kilometers before recovery through the 2011-2013 wet cycle. The lakes support migratory bird populations including 80,000-120,000 individuals across 297 recorded species during May and September passage periods, with bar-headed geese, swan geese, and common cranes forming the largest concentrations. The grassland supports approximately 2.7 million cattle and 8.5 million sheep across Hulunbuir prefecture as of 2018 agricultural census data, with grazing density regulated at 0.8-1.2 sheep units per hectare to prevent overgrazing degradation that affected 40 percent of usable grassland between 1985 and 2005.

The Mongolian population in Inner Mongolia reached 4.2 million in the 2020 census, representing 17 percent of the region's total 24 million inhabitants. The proportion varies sharply by prefecture, with Xilingol League registering 34 percent Mongolian population and Alxa League 28 percent, while industrial centers like Baotou and Ordos record 6-8 percent. The Mongolian script taught in schools uses the traditional vertical writing system introduced during the Mongol Empire period in the 13th century, distinct from the Cyrillic alphabet adopted in Mongolia proper after 1941. Language preservation programs initiated in 2005 established Mongolian-medium primary schools in 47 counties with enrollment reaching 186,000 students by 2015, though policy changes in 2020 requiring Mandarin instruction for core subjects generated significant local resistance. The Buddhist tradition in Inner Mongolia follows the Gelug school of Tibetan Buddhism introduced during the 16th century when Altan Khan invited the Third Dalai Lama to establish monasteries across the region. The Wudang Zhao monastery near Baotou founded in 1749 housed 1,200 monks at its peak before 1950, with current populations of 60-80 monks residing in restored temple complexes.

Grassland ecology faces pressure from multiple directions simultaneously. Desertification expanded across 3.8 million hectares in Inner Mongolia between 2000 and 2014 according to State Forestry Administration monitoring data, driven by reduced precipitation cycles, overgrazing in marginal zones, and conversion to cropland in the southern agricultural transition belt. The Beijing and Northern China Sandstorm Source Control Program initiated in 2000 allocated 56 billion yuan across 75 counties in Inner Mongolia for grassland restoration, tree planting, and grazing restrictions. The program enclosed 9.3 million hectares of degraded grassland from grazing between 2000 and 2018, with monitored plots showing vegetation coverage increase from 15-25 percent to 35-50 percent over 8-12 year recovery periods. Coal mining in the Ordos Basin and eastern Inner Mongolia produced 1.01 billion tons in 2020, representing one-quarter of national output, with surface mining operations disturbing approximately 2,400 square kilometers of grassland and agricultural land. Restoration requirements mandate mining companies to strip and preserve 30-50 centimeters of topsoil before excavation and redeposit it during reclamation, though independent monitoring in 2016 found only 55 percent of disturbed land meeting vegetation coverage targets three years post-closure.

The tourism infrastructure concentrates in accessible grassland zones within 150 kilometers of Hohhot and along the Manzhouli-Hailar corridor in Hulunbuir. Package tours typically operate June through September with three-day itineraries priced 1,200-1,800 yuan per person including accommodation in tourist gers, meals featuring mutton and dairy products, horse riding sessions, and evening performances of traditional music and dance. Independent travel requires private vehicle or chartered transport, as public bus service between Hohhot and grassland sites operates once or twice daily with limited frequency. The Baotou-Hohhot-Ulaanbaatar railway crosses the grassland zone with stops at Jining and Erenhot on the Mongolia border, though tourist facilities near these stations remain limited. Summer temperatures in the grassland zone range 18-26 degrees Celsius during daytime with nighttime lows dropping to 8-12 degrees, requiring layered clothing and warm sleeping provisions for overnight ger stays where heating may consist only of coal or dung-burning stoves.