Inner Mongolia’s Most Beautiful Prairie Highway Self-Driving Routes

August is coming to an end, and if you don’t go to the prairie to travel in this August, you won’t have time to see the beautiful prairie scenery. So what are the most beautiful prairie highway self-driving routes in Inner Mongolia? For details about specific prairie self-driving tour routes, let’s take a look below.

1. Sino-Mongolian Border Prairie Route

Code: S303 (Provincial Highway)

Total Length: Approximately 300 kilometers

S303, a small prairie oil road, is also known as the “border small oil road” because half of the route is built along the Sino-Mongolian border. So you can see many border outposts along the way.

S303 starts at Baola Ge Su Mu on the S101 Provincial Highway and ends at Zero Point on the S203 Provincial Highway, with a total length of about 300 kilometers. The road is only 3.3 meters wide and stretches straight into the sky, disappearing into the prairie.

It runs through the vast Wujiamuchin Prairie and the rolling Greater Khingan Mountains, with picturesque scenery along the way. The blue sky, white clouds, and green grass are pleasing to the eye, while cattle, sheep, and horses are frolicking, everywhere exuding the joy of life.

Attractions along the way

Wujiamuchin Prairie

The movie “Wolf Totem” was filmed in the Ulagai Prairie of East Wujiamuchin Banner. This is a beautiful prairie, with natural landscapes such as lakes and wetlands, as well as historical and cultural relics such as the Genghis Khan Border Wall.

Baogeda Forest Farm

S303 passes through Baogeda Forest Farm, where the prairie begins to change and trees appear. They are mainly birch forests, which are the national tree of Russia.

Arxan

Leaving S303 and getting on the new S203, head towards Arxan. Arxan is a natural oxygen bar with abundant vegetation, combining hot spring groups, volcanoes, forests, grasslands, ice and snow, and lakes.

2. Moa Highway

Code: X313

Total Length: Approximately 300 kilometers

Moa Highway, with a road code of X313, is a prairie county road. It is 277 kilometers long and not crowded with cars, making it a truly scenic avenue.

This road connects two important travel destinations: from Mushroom Town in Zhalantun City to Arxan City, crossing the entire Arxan National Forest Park, passing through the Moon Heavenly Lake and Chai River Moon Town.

From Arxan to Chai River, the scenery is picturesque, from grasslands to forests, from forests to vast wilderness and back to grasslands, from rivers to mountain roads, from mountain roads to wetlands. Some have said that the scenery here is comparable to the Re-A line and Dada line.

Attractions along the way

Moon Town

After driving for about 2 to 3 hours on the Moa Highway, you will reach Chai River. Before entering Chai River Moon Town, you can turn west at the fork in the road to visit the Mountain and Water Rock Painting.

Inner Mongolia Department of Culture and Tourism

Moon Town is a magical town, with the beautiful Chor River winding through it and dozens of volcanic heavenly lakes scattered around. Primitive forests are dotted with alpine wetlands.

Tongxin Heavenly Lake

From Chai River Moon Town, you can first go to Tongxin Heavenly Lake, then continue along the Moa Highway towards Arxan National Forest Park. Along the way, you can visit the Grand Canyon, Humpback Ridge Heavenly Lake, Rhododendron Lake, and Shiting Forest, and finally stay at the Heavenly Lake Service Area.

3. Xilin Gol-Jingbei Loop

Code: None

Total Length: Approximately 1200 kilometers

This route includes not only famous grasslands such as Xilin Gol and Huiteng Xile in Inner Mongolia, but also stunning attractions such as the Jingbei Grassland near Beijing. It is closer to Beijing and suitable for short trips.

Attractions along the way

Xilin Gol

One of the four major grasslands in China, with vast and majestic prairie landscapes. From Xiritara to West Wujiamuchin, there are beautiful views all the way.

Keshiketeng

Here, there is the famous Keshiketeng National Geopark. Ashatu Stone Forest, Huanggangliang Forest Park, Baiyin Aobao, etc. are all worth seeing.

Bashang Grassland

On the way from Chifeng to Fengning, you will overlook a super-large landscape, which is the Bashang Grassland, the closest grassland area to Beijing.

Mulun Imperial Hunting Ground

When autumn arrives, the golden grassland and layers of trees form a scenery like a natural oil painting, which is particularly charming.

Route Reference: Hohhot—Taipusi Banner—Dalinor—Xilinhot—Linxi—Ashatu Stone Forest—Keshiketeng Banner—Chifeng—Weichang—Zhangjiakou—Hohhot

If you are starting from Beijing, you can first take Zhangjiakou, and the specific route is: Beijing—G6—Zhangjiakou—G95—Bashang Grassland—Xi-Zhang Highway—Xilin Gol—Taipusi Banner—Beijing