2025 Jarud Banner Travel Guide: Must-see attractions, popular food, hotels, transportation routes (updated in September)

The Grasslands and Desert Closest to Northeast China – Tongliao 🚖Day 1: Changchun - Zhalute Banner Grassland - Tongliao (600KM total, 8 hours) 🚖Day 2: Tongliao - Xilamulun Park - Kulun Desert Silver Sand Bay - Tongliao (round trip 340KM, 6 hours) 🚖Day 3: Tongliao - Wudantala Five-Point Maple Forest Park - Changchun (450KM total, 6.5 hours) Tips: 🎀 I was worried about refueling before the trip, but Inner Mongolia is mostly PetroChina stations. Whether on the highway or provincial roads, there are gas stations every few dozen kilometers, so no worries at all. 🏞 Zhalute Banner 1⃣ Set your navigation destination to "Zhalute Banner Mountain Tourism Area." Zhalute Banner is the grassland area, but the "Zhalute Banner Mountain Tourism Area" is the developed spot for tourists. 🐄 The autumn grasslands offer a different scene, with golden hills as far as the eye can see and cattle and sheep everywhere. 🐴 Horse Riding: Local people lead the horses for a small ride on the hills. The horses have a strong smell, so we chose to walk up the hill ourselves, which takes about 20 minutes to reach the top. ✅ Recommended visit time: 3 hours 🎡 Xilamulun Park A free park in Tongliao city. The square in front is a sea of lavender flowers, perfect for photos. Like a typical zoo, it has black bears, tigers, lions... You can bring food to feed the cute animals. The herbivore area is free-range, and you can buy grass or cabbage at the entrance to feed them. ✅ Recommended visit time: 2 hours 🏜 Kulun Desert - Silver Sand Bay Finally heading to the long-awaited big desert! As someone from Northeast China, seeing a desert for the first time was super exciting! From Tongliao, take the highway first, then provincial and country roads. The provincial roads in Inner Mongolia are lined with undeveloped birch forests, like stepping into a fairy tale. 🛷 Sand sliding: Rent or buy a sandboard. It’s not thrilling but very novel. 🚙 Off-road vehicle: A must-do! The modified Prado goes up and down the big sand dunes, more thrilling than a roller coaster. Only by car can you enter the desert; pedestrians are not allowed. ⛔️ For those driving themselves, do not drive into the desert without experience—it’s really dangerous~ ☀️ Sunset viewing: One side of the sky is purple-pink, the other side orange-red, blending together for a unique feeling unlike anywhere else. ✅ Recommended visit time: 4 hours 🍁 Wudantala Five-Point Maple Forest Park 🍁 After driving 100 kilometers on the highway, the provincial road was closed for repairs, and the small roads were impossible for outsiders to find 😭 Looks like no maple leaves for me this year; hopefully, I can fulfill this wish next year! 🏡 Accommodation: In Tongliao city. Tongliao is like a transit hub, about 2 hours’ drive from each attraction, with plenty of good food. (If you want to see the desert sunrise, you can stay in the desert; camping is also possible in summer with designated areas.) 🍻 Food: Hanshan Restaurant, Beiletala (pot tea, fried rice, hand-pulled meat); dried beef jerky is a great souvenir from Guangfa Grassland~ “The sky is vast, the wild is boundless, the wind blows the grass low revealing cattle and sheep” 🍂 “Happiness is traveling the world with the one you love” 🧡 Perfect 🤟

[Fireworks]Cool Summer·Grassland Route[Fireworks] Two-day hiking adventure through Jarud Banner Mountain Grassland ~ Elun Grassland ~ Ulagai Lake This is the nearest and most beautiful mountain grassland to Shenyang. In the peak of July's summer, there's no stifling heat—only refreshing coolness. As far as the eye can see, there's lush green, blue, and white, with clouds and grazing livestock adding the perfect touch to the grassland. Here, the sky feels close, with clouds drifting just behind the nearby mountain peaks. The colors blend perfectly—70% vibrant, 40% serene, and 30% romantic—this is the natural palette of Jarud Banner Grassland! Elun Grassland, also known as Ulagai Grassland, is the filming location for the movie *Wolf Totem*. The sight of ten thousand galloping horses is a classic scene here, while vast seas of blooming rapeseed flowers adorn the landscape this season... **Itinerary Overview:** **Day 1:** Depart from meeting points and head north. You’ll notice the air growing cooler. Stop for a simple meal at a service area ~ Jarud Banner Military Horse Farm Scenic Area ~ Begin mountain crossing (11.3 km, max elevation 1,039 m, total ascent 457 m) ~ Enjoy the grassland sunset ~ Overnight at a hotel in Holingol (twin rooms with private bathrooms). **Day 2:** Breakfast at the hotel and check out ~ Admire the rapeseed flower fields at Elun Grassland ~ Visit the *Wolf Totem* filming site ~ Hike up the hills for a panoramic view of the flowers and grassland ~ Circular hike around Ulagai Lake (8.5 km, max elevation 860 m, total ascent 118 m) ~ Free lunch in Tongliao ~ Return to Shenyang. **Gear List:** Quick-dry clothing, warm outerwear (windbreaker), hiking shoes, backpack, trekking poles, spare raincoat, headlamp, trash bags, snacks, and water. **Notes:** 1. Participation in all activities is voluntary, and participants are responsible for their own safety. 2. Hiking shoes are mandatory. 3. Please carry all trash down the mountain.

Northeasterners also have their own Altay Day1 Depart from Shenyang at 12 noon and navigate to Zhalute Banner Hanting (Paotaishan Park Branch). It takes about 6 hours. The hotel environment is very good and the service is also good. The price was not expensive. We checked in at around 8pm, had a quick meal nearby and rested. On Day 2, I was originally planning to go to the Buryat Steamed Bun Shop, but it was packed with people. The steamed buns were 80 yuan per pound, which was too expensive so I didn’t choose it. I suggest that you don’t join in the fun and continue to the secret grassland of "Zalut Banner Military Horse Farm"! It’s about an hour’s drive and no mobile phone camera can capture its beauty. Because its beauty can only be felt when you are there in person, just like Alice in Wonderland. Notice ! This photo-taking spot is before the military horse farm (not recommended) and before the scenic area! There is a horse riding field at the lower right corner, lower right corner! The entire route is paved and halfway through, a medium-sized city SUV can pass. Driving along the way, we came to a very beautiful pastoral area with many cattle and sheep, as well as horse riding activities! There are three sections on National Highway 304 leading to the military horse farm, and the toll for each section is 15 yuan. I went to the military horse farm but didn't play there because there were too many people and it was too chaotic. My main purpose was to purify my soul and feel the nature. Dresser B recommends a white dress, white shirt and boots! There are many insects on the grassland. It is not recommended to stay for too long after taking pictures.

Gongyecang Grassland Tourist Area is about 10 km away from Lubei Town. It is a sparse grassland with mountains, rivers, trees and green grass. Looking from a high place, you can see the vast sky and the green land, which is as charming as a fairyland.

Han Mountain is boundless, with green grass like a carpet, mountains full of blooming flowers, butterflies and bees dancing, and the mountain dandelions blooming brightly, making people feel relaxed and happy. Shenquan never dries up all year round, it is said to be the place where Genghis Khan watered his horses. Come on, this is a great place to relax and ride horses in the summer.

Mongolian Camp, a place where dining and entertainment are integrated. Here, you can overlook the main grassland on the hillside; here you can ride a horse on the grassland; here you can also sip with the newborn camel.