Xilingol travel guide
锡林郭勒
Xilingol travel guide with a day by day itinerary, 8 places with tickets and opening hours, where to eat and stay, and how to get there.
8 places · In the guidebook: pages 1880–1887
Xilingol, Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region · AI illustration for China Trip
Quick itinerary
Xilingol in 3 days
- Day 1
- Xilinhot→
- Beizi Temple→
- Pingdingshan Hill→
- Xilingol Grassland (overnight)
- Day 2
- Xilingol Grassland→
- Jinlian Chuan→
- Site of Xanadu (Yuan Shangdu)→
- Duolun Lake→
- Xilinhot
- Day 3
- Xilinhot→
- Baiyin Gol Grassland (or Ujimqin Grassland, or Mongol Khan City)
The feel of the place
Xilingol is a Mongolian name meaning “river across the vast grassland.” The Xilingol Grassland is one of the world's four great grasslands. Located in the central-eastern part of the Inner Mongolia Plateau, it has diverse grassland types and is one of China's most representative and typical temperate grasslands. It is also a national-level grassland nature reserve and the only reserve in China included by UNESCO in its international biosphere monitoring network.
Xilingol and Xilinhot
The administrative seat of Xilingol League is Xilinhot City.
Eight Scenic Highlights of Xilingol
Huiteng Liang Grassland, Xilin Jiuqu (Nine Bends), Sunset on the Platform, Shahai Shulin (Sandy Sea and Sparse Forest), Ancient Beizi Temple, Folk Haote (Mongolian Encampment), Chagan Ovoo, and Xilin Yuyun (Lingering Charm of Xilin).
Quick Tips
Airport enquiries:
phone: 0479-2290000
Buses to the Grassland
Buses run from Xilinhot to the Xilingol Grassland.
Getting Around the City
Xilinhot has several bus routes, including Lines 1, 2 and 3, with tiered fares and departures every 6 to 8 minutes. The city also runs one-day tour routes to attractions around the outskirts. Xilinhot taxis are mainly Xialis. The flag fall is ¥6 for the first 2.5 km; at night it is ¥9 for the first 2.5 km, and ¥1.5 per km thereafter.
Local Activities
Activities in Xilingol include horseback riding, camel rides, rides in Mongolian ox carts (leleche), lassoing and taming horses, herding sheep, hunting, Ovoo worship, Naadam festivals, health and wellness retreats, rafting, sand sliding, and car, motorcycle and bicycle rallies.
Preparation & Information
Climate & Travel Seasons
This area has a typical mid-temperate semi-arid continental monsoon climate: cold, windy, and dry. Spring and autumn are short, summers are not hot, and winters are long. In most areas the annual average temperature is 0 to 3°C. Apart from July, daily minimum temperatures can fall below 0°C throughout the year. In recent years, dust storms have been frequent in spring and autumn, so it is best to avoid visiting the grassland on days with blowing dust. The best time to visit is summer.
Things to see
Buses leave Beijing's Liuliqiao Bus Station for Xilinhot Long-Distance Bus Station at 9:00 and 18:00 every day. The journey takes about 8.5 hours, with tickets priced at ¥180 to ¥240. Alternatively, you can take a train from Beijing to Chifeng and then transfer to a minibus, which takes about 6 hours. Along the way you can see Dalinor Lake and enjoy the grassland scenery, making this a memorable experience.
Xilingol Grassland
Photography · Ethnic Culture · Nature
This is the true great grassland, stretching endlessly into the distance, with a wide variety of grassland types including meadow steppe, desert steppe and sandy pasture. It is one of China's most representative and typical temperate grasslands. It is also one of the best places to ride horses across the plains and experience nomadic culture, and the first choice for off-road trips by bicycle, motorbike or four-wheel-drive vehicle.
Ujimqin Grassland and Mongol Khan City
2–3 hours
A typical representative of the Xilingol Grassland, it preserves its landscape intact and is the only area that brings together all nine grassland types of Inner Mongolia. It is considered one of the most magnificent stretches of northern China's grasslands and is often called the "Paradise Grassland." The area is also one of the Inner Mongolian regions where Mongol cultural customs are best preserved, and it has long been a prosperous home of northern nomadic peoples. It is famous as the "cradle of wrestling champions, home of Mongol long song, capital of ethnic costumes and source of nomadic culture." Mongol Khan City sits in the heart of the West Ujimqin grassland. Its layout is modelled on the Khan City where Genghis Khan was enthroned. Strolling through it, under blue skies and white clouds and a green breeze, visitors can enjoy the tranquil and beautiful grassland scenery and take part in horse riding, camel riding, ox-cart rides, archery, grassland golf and other activities, while experiencing the simple local customs.
Site of Xanadu (Yuan Shangdu)
This ancient city ruin, famous throughout the region, was inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site at the end of June 2012. It lies about 20 km east of Dunda Hot Town (敦达浩特镇) in Zhenglan Banner. Today, the remains of the outer and inner city walls and the palace ruins within the city can still be seen, and the large blue bricks and horse-tethering posts from that era are still in place. From June to August, the grassland is at its most beautiful, and it is also the best season for Naadam festivities held by herders. The Sacred Ovoo (Aobao) Ceremony, held at 6:00 a.m., takes place near the Yuan Shangdu ruins.
2 hours
Ulagai Grassland
One of the best-preserved natural grasslands in the world, this is the filming location of the movie *Wolf Totem*. Beyond the rolling, unspoiled hills, be sure to follow the "Blue Wolf Road" (苍狼之路) up Khan Mountain to see the sculpture group of Mongol emperors. The statues on the summit depict two of the most iconic figures in Mongol history, Genghis Khan (Emperor Taizu of the Yuan) and Kublai Khan (Emperor Shizu of the Yuan). They are vividly rendered and well worth seeing.
1 day
Pingdingshan Volcano Cluster
Located more than 20 km along the Xizhang Highway (锡张公路), this is a unique landscape formed by volcanic eruptions. Driving along the road, you will notice that nearly every summit is flat-topped, like a tabletop. Up close, the hilltops are covered with tuff blocks left behind by ancient eruptions. Watching the sunrise or sunset from the flat-topped hills is spectacular. At sunset in particular, the mountains take on shades of deep and pale red in the glow of the setting sun, like a dream.
2 hours · Free
Beizi Temple
Beizi Temple is one of the four great temples of Inner Mongolia, and it enjoyed a century of peak popularity. The temple's construction is the reason Xilinhot grew from a small town on the endless grassland into a city.
0.5–1 hour(s) · ¥20
Duolun Lake
Duolun Lake sits like a piece of jade set between mountains and grassland. The mountains, lake and grassland complement one another, and the natural scenery is rich and varied. Temperatures shift clearly across the four seasons, and the lake has earned the nickname "Little Jiangnan of the North." Sand, water and grass blend together, giving the feeling of having arrived at a beach.
3–4 hours · ¥40
Erenhot
Erenhot is a small port city on the China–Mongolia border. Visitors can see the national border gate and boundary markers, and handle exit-tour formalities here. About 9 km northeast of the city is Banlan Lake. Although it is now a barren desert grassland with little wildlife beyond larks and hares, this area was home to dinosaurs in the Mesozoic Cretaceous period. Large numbers of dinosaur and crocodile fossils have been discovered here to date.
Ethnic Culture · Nature
Getting there & around
Getting There
By Air
Xilinhot Airport is located in the western part of the city. Flights connect daily with Beijing, Hohhot, Hailar, Tianjin, Shanghai and other cities.
By Train
The main railway lines are the Jining–Erenhot line, the Jining–Tongliao line, the Xilinhot–Sanggendalai line, and the Guerben–Chagannur line. Trains now run from Xilinhot to Hohhot, so you can reach Hohhot in a single day.
By Road
Three national highways pass through Xilinhot: National Highways 207, 208 and 303. The Xilinhot long-distance bus station operates provincial services to Chifeng and Hohhot, as well as interprovincial services to Beijing and other destinations.
Eat & drink
Xilinhot's food is still dominated by Mongolian flavours. Roast whole lamb, hand-held mutton, hot-pot lamb slices and milk tea are must-try delicacies for every grassland visitor.
Where to stay
Xilinhot has good accommodation, with many hotels and guesthouses to choose from. To visit the Ruins of the Yuan Shangdu, you can stay in the Jinlianchuan Hotel or the Lanyou Hotel in Dunda Haote Town, Zhenglan Banner. You can also stay at nearby Kublai Khan's Summer Palace, where each yurt sleeps 3 to 5 people.
Best Birdwatching Spot
In 2008, National Geographic China, when describing birdwatching spots in “Greater Beijing,” featured the little-known Hunshandake Sandy Land. It is one of China's ten major deserts. It has many shrubby desert plants and many depressions where bird activity is often visible, and its overall ecology is well preserved. To get there, you can hire a car from Duolun County town.
Source: China Self-Guided Travel 2025 (《中国自助游》, Tianjin Science & Technology Press, Aug 2024), pp. 1880–1887. Translated from the Chinese edition; names and prices follow the guidebook. · Plain text version