# Helan Mountain National Forest Park (贺兰山国家森林公园)

Yinchuan, Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region · Northwest, China · Guidebook rating: 5/5
Canonical: https://cnatrip.com/en/places/helan-mountain-national-forest-park
Language: en

## Key facts

- **Admission:** ¥80 (admission plus round-trip shuttle bus)
- **Time needed:** 2–3 hours
- **Getting there:** Yinchuan Bus Station runs buses toward Helan Mountain. Alternatively, take Tour Bus Route 2 and get off at Helan Mountain Rock Art (贺兰山岩画).
- **Good for:** Mountains & Adventure, Nature

## About Helan Mountain National Forest Park

About 50 km west of Yinchuan lie the Helan Mountains, which run northeast to southwest. The range forms a boundary: Inner Mongolia lies to the west and Ningxia to the east. It stretches more than 200 km, 15–60 km wide, with its main peak, Aobao Gedaa, rising to 3,556 m, over 2,000 m above the Yinchuan Plain. The standard route includes the Western Xia Imperial Tombs, Helankou Rock Art, Suyukou Scenic Area and Zhenbeibu Western Film Studio. Because these sights all lie along the Helan Mountain corridor west of Yinchuan, they are usually combined into a basic full-day chartered-car itinerary and are a highlight of Yinchuan tourism.
Helankou is one of the routes into the mountains for climbing the main peak. Locals say that deep in the mountains beyond this pass, rock carvings lie scattered. Within an area of 0.38 square kilometers there are hundreds of primitive petroglyphs; some look fierce, others strange and amusing, and their dates of carving still cannot be determined. The most representative is the Sun God figure on the mid-slope to the north.

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Source: China Self-Guided Travel 2025 (《中国自助游》, Tianjin Science & Technology Press, Aug 2024), p. 798. Prices, hours and transport details are as printed in the August 2024 edition and may have changed. Always confirm with the venue before you travel.
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