A grassland steppe, a forest park and a desert route offer very different perspectives on Inner Mongolia. The cultural themes also range from portrayals of nomadic and agrarian civilizations to a ceremony included in the intangible cultural heritage. For your travel planning, it helps to choose your focus first: history and cultural traditions, landscapes or activities along a route.
Cultural History in a Landscape Setting
The Site of Xanadu is a grassland capital that illustrates the cultural fusion of nomadic and agrarian civilizations in North Asia. It lies in a grassland steppe, bordered by mountains to the north and accompanied by a river to the south. Here, its cultural significance and setting go hand in hand: descriptions of the site include both its role as a grassland capital and the surrounding steppe, mountains and river. If you enjoy connecting cultural history with its specific landscape, Xanadu offers a clear starting point.
The Genghis Khan Mausoleum in Ordos is a nationally significant cultural heritage site and a national 5A tourist attraction. A ceremony was included on China’s first national list of intangible cultural heritage. These details refer to different aspects: the site’s heritage status, its tourist classification and the inclusion of a ceremony as intangible heritage. This may be especially interesting if you would like to consider both sites with heritage status and intangible cultural traditions.
Natural Attractions with Distinct Profiles
Aershan National Forest Park is a national 5A tourist attraction. Shitanglin is one of the developed scenic areas in the park. This places a nature park classified as a whole alongside a specifically named attraction. If you like to have a particular place in mind when visiting a natural destination, Shitanglin offers a precise point of reference within the park.
Mordaga National Forest Park is considered a natural destination whose landscape changes with the seasons. The emphasis here is on the changing landscape, while Shitanglin is named as a specific developed scenic area. This distinction can help you choose a theme: you may be more interested in a changing landscape or in a specific listed place within a park.
In Wuhai, an official route published in 2024 connects the Wulan Buh Desert with desert races and special off-road experiences. Wuhai Lake Leisure Resort, in turn, is a national water landscape area. Thus, desert activities along a route and a designated water landscape area are presented as different themes in Wuhai. If you are weighing these options, the contrast between off-road experiences and waterside scenery offers a concrete starting point.
Routes with a Focus of Their Own
An official intangible cultural heritage route runs north to south through the Greater Khingan Mountains. It connects border towns, the grasslands of the Barghu and Evenki, and the agriculturally oriented region in the south. Its purposes include sightseeing, recreation and educational travel. Described in 2023, the route brings together different regional landscapes and forms of travel along a north–south corridor.
By comparison, the route through Wuhai has a different focus: it centers on the Wulan Buh Desert, desert races and special off-road experiences. The north–south route, in contrast, covers border towns, grassland and the agriculturally oriented region in the south, and combines several types of travel. For your planning, it is therefore helpful to first consider whether you would prefer a broader regional route combining sightseeing, recreation and educational travel, or a clearly defined desert and off-road theme.
Discover more destinations: Baotou, Hohhot, Hulun Buir, Tongliao, Bayan Nur, Ordos, Ulanqab, Wuhai, Chifeng, Alxa, Xilin Gol, Hinggan
For the main travel overview: China.
