Inner Mongolia · Ordos | Must-Visit Attractions and Food Guide!

🏜️Recommended Reasons: Ordos, meaning "many palaces" in Mongolian, is a secret land where grasslands and deserts dance together. Here, ancient bronze patterns intertwine with the modern city skyline, the heroic spirit of Genghis Khan echoes through the wind and sand, and the rich aroma of mare’s milk wine blends with the crackling campfire to compose a frontier rhapsody. Stepping onto this land, every grain of sand carries a legend, and every sound of the morin khuur draws the vast sky. 📅Must-Visit Attractions: 🏺【Ordos Museum】An architectural marvel resembling an alien spaceship, its collections tell the glory of the Xiongnu golden crowns and the epic of nomadic migrations, serving as the first lesson to understand grassland civilization. 🏯【Junwang Mansion】The residence of the last prince of Ordos, showcasing a blend of Mongolian and Han architectural aesthetics. Between vermilion columns and carved beams, it seals the rise and fall of a century-old grassland nobility. 💦【Ulan Mulun Scenic Lake Area】The "blue sapphire" of Kangbashi New District, where the musical fountain dances with the night, embracing the modern city and shimmering sky. 🌉【Baikang Bridge】A modern rainbow arching over Ulan Mulun Lake, its streamlined shape like a fluttering khata, a perfect spot for capturing stunning city light and shadow photos. ⚱️【Bronze Ware Museum】Travel through three thousand years of war and valor, with fierce beast-face patterns from the Shang and Zhou dynasties and Ordos-style bronze short swords, freezing the artistic peak of the cold weapon era. 🏜️【Yeming Sand】Step onto soft dunes and listen to the desert’s whispers. Enjoy sand sliding, camel riding, desert off-roading, and light a bonfire under the starry sky to fully embrace the desert’s grandeur. 🏘️【Kang Town】The "Frontier Ancient Town Expo Park," filled with courtyards reflecting Shanxi, Shaanxi, and Mongolian styles. Watch shadow puppetry and iron flower performances, and savor a culinary journey through Northwest China’s food corridor. ⛰️【Ikh Ovoo】The world’s largest ovoo cluster, standing atop a thousand steps. Tie a khata on the stone piles, overlook the vast grassland, and let your prayers be carried by the wind to the eternal sky. 🌊【Shuijing Lake Resort Area】An emerald secret in the sea of sand, where water birds flutter and reeds sway. Enjoy fishing, boating, and sand therapy, experiencing the leisurely time of a southern river town in the frontier. 🐫【Kubuqi Desert】China’s seventh largest desert, experience the grandeur of "a lone smoke rising straight in the vast desert." Ride camels deep into the sand sea and feel the heroic spirit of conquering the vast wilderness. (Added as the tenth core attraction) 📅Travel Guide: 🎉Day 1: Explore Kangbashi New City - 🌞Morning: Bronze Ware Museum (touch bronze civilization) → Ordos Museum (explore grassland history) - 🍲Lunch: Taste Mongolian-style hand-pulled meat + rich brick tea - 🌳Afternoon: Stroll along Ulan Mulun Lake boardwalk → Check in at Baikang Bridge landmark - 🌃Evening: Ulan Mulun Lake musical fountain (20:30 audio-visual feast begins) - 🍽Dinner: Enjoy Shaanbei bowl dish or Mongolian stuffed pie in Kang Town 🎉Day 2: Grassland and Desert Symphony - 🍞Breakfast: Milk tea with fried rice + Mongolian fruit pastry - 🌞Morning: Climb Ikh Ovoo for blessings → View the vast grassland - 🍲Lunch: Enjoy roasted lamb ribs inside a desert camp yurt - 🌳Afternoon: Yeming Sand carnival (sand sliding/camel riding/desert motorbiking) - 🌇Evening: Chase the sunset in Kubuqi Desert (dune light and shadow like a painting) - 🍽Dinner: Bonfire party under the desert starry sky + whole roasted lamb feast 🎉Day 3: Dialogue of Ancient and Modern Styles - 🌞Morning: Junwang Mansion (Mongolian-Han architectural treasure) → Boating and birdwatching at Shuijing Lake - 🍲Lunch: Fresh fish feast at Shuijing Lake - 🌳Afternoon: In-depth tour of Kang Town (visit intangible cultural heritage workshops, watch folk performances) - 🛍️Evening: Shop for Ordos cashmere products or Mongolian silver jewelry - 🍽Dinner: City specialty ice-boiled lamb (tender and delicious) 🏨Accommodation Guide: 🛏Recommended Choices: * Kangbashi Central Area: Close to museums/lake area, convenient transportation (Recommended: Ulan Hotel) * Yeming Sand/Kubuqi Desert: Immersive desert starry sky experience (Recommended: Desert Lotus Hotel, special Mongolian yurt camps) * Ikh Ovoo/Grassland Scenic Area: Open the window to endless green carpets (Recommended: local herdsmen family inns) 💗Other Tips: 1. 🚗Transportation: Attractions are scattered; car rental or self-driving is recommended. Desert off-roading requires professional guides. 2. 🧣Clothing: Large temperature difference between day and night; windproof jackets, sunglasses, and sunscreen are essential. Wear high-top shoes in the desert to prevent sand. 3. 🎫Tickets: Ordos Museum and Bronze Ware Museum are free (closed on Mondays). Yeming Sand combo ticket costs about 120 RMB. 4. 🐫Experience: Book desert activities in advance. Pay attention to safety when riding camels and respect herdsmen customs. 5. 🌌Stargazing: Yeming Sand is far from light pollution; the beginning of the lunar month is the best time to photograph the Milky Way. 6. 🥩Food: Besides beef and lamb, be sure to try sour stewed vegetables, cold rice noodles, fried rice milk tea, and brick tea to cleanse the palate. >> Step into Ordos, where time is carved by wind and sand, encounter the coldness of bronze, the tenderness of the grassland, and the wildness of the desert. Under the eternal sky, a morin khuur melody is enough to soothe the weary traveler.